(Clearwisdom.net) I read a few articles on the Minghui website lately that discussed the issue of the predestined lifespan of elderly practitioners. This made me think about a few incidents that have happened around me. Some people were severely persecuted and some even lost their lives. Regarding veteran disciples who have walked past the personal cultivation phase during the Fa-rectification period - whether they have the issue of predestined lifespan or not, I'd like to discuss it with fellow practitioners based on the Fa.
Teacher said,
"But some people are older and they don't have that many years left, so there's a chance they don't have enough time. Our Falun Dafa can solve that problem by shortening the cultivation process. And also, this is a practice that cultivates both nature and longevity, so when you keep cultivating, it keeps extending your life, and as you keep on practicing, it keeps on extending it. So this way the older folks among us with good bases will have enough time to practice. But there's just one condition. The time that your life is extended for beyond your predestined, original course of life, that time is solely for you to practice. If your thinking goes even a little off track it'll put your life in danger, because your course of life ended a long time ago. But this doesn't apply to you if you've gone beyond Triple-World-Law cultivation. Then it's different."
(Zhuan Falun)
From this paragraph of the Fa, I realize that during the personal cultivation period and while cultivating within the Triple-World-Law, if we outlive our predestined lives because Master has extended it and yet we are not diligent and do not treat ourselves as cultivators, then our lives will be in danger.
But for Dafa disciples who have made it all the way to the Fa-rectification period, how does Master arrange our paths of cultivation?
"By July 20th of 1999 I had already pushed all of the pre-July 20 students to their positions-I pushed you to your highest positions."
("Touring North America to Teach the Fa")
Master has pushed practitioners to the highest positions, so my understanding is that we have long gone beyond the Triple-World-Law and are out of the Five Elements. Therefore, the predestined lifespan does not apply to Fa rectification disciples.
"... because your course of life ended a long time ago. But this doesn't apply to you if you've gone beyond Triple-World-Law cultivation. Then it's different."
(Zhuan Falun)
We are Dafa disciples during the Fa-rectification period. We have already gone through the personal cultivation period. Our staying in the human world is simply to assist Master to rectify the Fa, to save sentient beings and to accomplish our historical mission. The arrangement by the old forces can only constrain the lifespan of those in the Triple-World-Law. Those Dafa disciples who are able to catch up with the process of Fa-rectification are no longer controlled. We need to be very clear about this from the viewpoint of the Fa. Don't ever be tricked by the old forces. Completely negate at every thought the hidden plot by the old forces to take advantage of this and persecute Dafa disciples. Regarding when we will leave, Master said,
"During the Fa-rectification period, disciples must not depart until the Fa-rectification is over." ("Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples")
At the moment there are some Dafa disciples who have been able to catch up with the process of Fa-rectification, yet have lost their precious human body as a result of the evil's persecution. The main reason is that they walked the path arranged by the old forces. They had attachments that allowed the evil to find excuses to persecute them. Also they were not clear-headed about the Fa principles and they acknowledged the arrangements of the old forces in their thoughts. That is why the persecution occurred. Dafa disciples who passed away during the Fa-rectification period all followed the paths arranged by the old forces.
Fellow practitioner A is such an example. She was a veteran practitioner who started cultivating in 1996. She had had cancer before, but after learning Dafa her disease was cured. After the Fa-rectification period began, she did the three things and in some aspects she did very well. But her thoughts didn't catch up with the progress of Fa-rectification during an illegal detainment. She wasn't clear-minded about personal cultivation and Fa-rectification cultivation from the viewpoint of the Fa. For a period of time, she had conflicts with her family. She didn't immediately look inward to cultivate herself well and eliminate the evil. Instead, she believed that she was going through a xinxing test. That was actually admitting the arrangement of the old forces. After that, she seemed to have problems with her health. She again believed that she was going through a xinxing test. She thought that it was because she didn't cultivate her character well that she had tribulations with her health. She thought that it was a karma-elimination process, and the results became worse and worse. Teacher said,
"Except for newer students, from July 20 of 1999 on, Master hasn't created any personal cultivation tests for you, and that's because overall your personal cultivation has changed in every respect so that it's in the direction of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa." ("Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
Because Practitioner A admitted the arrangement of the old forces in multiple instances, her body was persecuted more and more severely. At that time, some fellow practitioners thought, "She initially had cancer, and that was because her predestined lifespan was about to be reached. After she started cultivating Dafa, Master extended her life. But because she didn't cultivate her character well, her life is in danger." Upon hearing this, Practitioner A also started to feel similarly. Afterwards, some fellow practitioners discussed the matter with her based on the Fa, but she was still not very clear about some of the principles of the Fa. Eventually she wasn't able to get rid of the arrangement by the old forces and lost her human body. Now some fellow practitioners say, "Could it be that Master knew that she was having too much of a hard time and so let her go first?" I believe those who have such thoughts are not clear about the Fa. Master said,
"...they're doing these things in this time during Fa-rectification when Dafa disciples are urgently needed in saving sentient beings-aren't they causing serious trouble? How many beings can a Dafa disciple save while he's in this world, right? Isn't that doing something bad?" ("Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
Fellow Practitioner B was a veteran practitioner who had cultivated for nine years. When she heard the news about Practitioner A, she fell into a state where she would be clear-minded for a minute and then doubtful the next. When she was clear-minded, she would think, "Practitioner A's omissions were too many. She admitted the arrangement of the old forces in many instances." When she became doubtful, she would think, "She was sitting there with excellent health just a few days ago, how could she just pass away like that? How come Master didn't take care of her? Was it because she reached the end of her predestined life? (At this point, Practitioner B already had many doubts about the Fa.)" Gradually as time went by, she gave up thinking about the issue.
Recently, she suddenly had the symptoms of a severe cold. She looked inward, but didn't find any major attachment. However, the symptoms became worse and worse. In the evening two days later, she was kneeling down on the bed and leaning against the wall. After some horrible coughing and after some time, she felt that she was slowly ascending. As she was ascending, she came across a 40-year-old woman midway who anxiously said to her, "Are you still going up? You are dying! Why don't you beg your Master to save you right now!" Practitioner B said, "Master is rather busy both in heaven and on earth. I can't just beg Master all the time. Plus, can coughing take my life?" The facial expression of that woman then turned serious. "Beg your Master quickly or you will die." Practitioner B then felt that she was in mid-air and couldn't come back. She quickly said, "Master! Your disciple is too incapable. I beg Master to please help me!" Immediately Practitioner B felt her master soul return to her body. Her body was still kneeling on the bed and leaning against the wall. Only then did she realize that her master soul had left her body and that it was Master who had saved her and sent her back.
Today, Fa-rectification has entered the last stage. Practitioners who have not stepped forward, whose bodies are severely persecuted and who are encountering major xinxing conflicts in the family and society, please hurry up and look inward. While doing the "three things" well, we should cultivate ourselves well. I'd like to urge fellow practitioners to frequently read Master's Fa lectures and new lectures and scriptures after July 20, 1999. From them, we can clearly see the Fa-rectification cultivation path that Master has arranged for us. We should righteously enlighten from within the Fa. Only when we follow the Fa can we stand on the basis of Fa-rectification.
In every thought we have, we should all use the Fa to judge ourselves, and measure whether it complies with the standard of Dafa disciples during the Fa-rectification period, and whether we are walking away from the selfishness of the old universe and heading toward the selflessness of the new universe. Only when we are clear-headed about the principles of Fa and negate the old force's arrangements at every thought can we break through personal cultivation, break the arrangements of the old forces and genuinely enter Fa-rectification period cultivation.
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