(Clearwisdom.net) Currently, the Fa-rectification process is progressing extremely rapidly, and the human world has been immersed in the field of Dafa. The wave of withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party, Youth League and Young Pioneers League is surging rapidly. The evil factors are quickly disintegrating. During this time of such progress, the historic task of saving sentient beings is becoming more difficult and more important. To fulfill this historic, important task during Fa-rectification cultivation, we should cultivate ourselves better.
Master told us,
"while saving sentient beings, don't forget to cultivate yourselves. (Applause) You need to do all of the three things. You should always keep your thoughts righteous, and when you are confronted with evil or with certain situations, you should send forth righteous thoughts a lot; you need to clarify the truth and save sentient beings, but even more so should you cultivate yourselves well." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference")
My understanding is that we cultivate ourselves well only by continuously rectifying every thought during Fa-cultivation, continuously purifying ourselves, completely eliminating the factors of "self-separation" and truly "melting into the Fa" whole-heartedly. Only then can we do better the Three Things required by Master.
What are the "self-separation" factors? My personal understanding is that they are various postnatally developed, distorted notions, attachments, and sentiments formed while we are in delusion and pursuing reputation, interests, and feelings. In this physical world these factors manifest as some of man's understandings, pursuits or feelings. These factors are seen as more abstract things in spiritual dimensions. However, in reality, in other dimensions, they are solid and concrete matter. Because "matter and mind are one thing," (Zhuan Falun) they are a kind of material existence, or a kind of living being. These living being factors almost always are negative beings. Their main root is selfishness and is determined by the radical nature of the old cosmos.
These (negative-beings) factors, experienced as human thoughts, notions, attachments, and desires, have different levels of effectiveness in the human body, exist in different scales, and play different roles. Under certain environments or conditions, they can arbitrarily change, and they can be eliminated. When you have certain strong notions or attachments, you give them the ability to grow and expand. Therefore, they will grow rapidly in your body (and mind) and expand into a net-like human form, and they will finally grow to form a new notion of "self" that overlaps with the body. If you have especially strong attachments, human thoughts, desires etc., they can form various "selves" inside your body's dimensions, e.g. "jealous-self," "showoff-self," "complacent-self," "competitive-self," "prideful-self," "comfort-seeking-self," "suspicious-self," "hate-filled-self," etc. They all function individually and can expand. Once expanded, they have the ability to interfere with and control you.
If you indulge these negative factors, they will overlap and interlace together with karmic factors in your body. Moreover, mixing them with various sentimental factors will form the "self-separation factors," which become a "dark material cluster" that will separate your genuine nature from the nature of the universe. Under the control of selfishness, they are free to do as they wish. Sometimes they will act in collusion with external negative beings and help a tyrant to do evil. During Fa-rectification cultivation, they want to interfere with and control you by all means, until they drag you down, all the way to hell. If you cannot identify or distinguish them, and do not rectify them during Fa-rectification, and do not clear them away, you will be deceived and fall. You may think, "Is it really so? Is it that serious?" Below I will give examples of such interference from the pursuit of comfort.
The pursuit of comfort is a big, negative being in cultivation, isn't it? While you study the Fa, if the external "demonic interference of sleepiness," accompanied by the "pursuit of comfort," comes up, you will end up in a muddled state and have a weak main consciousness. Thus, while you study the Fa you will experience, "they're not aware of anything, and they give their bodies away to others."(Zhuan Falun) They will have you feel comfortable and sleep.
While you are doing the exercises, the information they put into you mind is, "Get rest when you feel tired," and "Doing the exercises once is enough, since the Gong will automatically transform you." While you are doing the sitting meditation, they suggest, "Let your back lie against something and feel comfortable." Then they will let you relax your main consciousness, and while sitting there you experience, "they're not aware of anything, and they give their bodies away to others."
While you send forth righteous thoughts, they will do similar things to you. In addition, they use your imagination against you, and they do not allow your main consciousness to participate in eliminating the evil and Fa-rectification.
If you want to go out to clarify the truth, they have you stay at home and not want to do anything. Walking on the street, they have you not want to open your mouth. When you see people with a karmic relationship, they have you ignore them. After you clarify the truth to a few people, they urge you to go home, "It's enough to clarify truth to a couple of people."
When you calm your heart and look inside of yourself, the information they give to you is, "Isn't it tiresome to look every day? There are not that many attachments, are there?" Then your mind will become numb and muddled.
All such manifestations seem to do you good and to not allow you to go through hardships. They let you "take care" of yourself all the time, let you feel "comfortable" and "at ease." In reality, it is insidious, and it wants to harm you and let you fail in cultivation. Their intentions are vicious and it is hard for you to see that. They are very active in your dimension and use false kindness to communicate with your mind. Often this is to get approval from you, have you comply with their suggestions and to gradually control and manipulate you. They restrict your diligence, render you unable to "get out of it," and thus make you loosen the requirements you put on yourself. In your cultivation, you will be like,
"If the will is not firm,
Barriers are like mountains,
How to transcend the mortal world"(Hong Yin II, draft translation)
As this continues over the course of time, can you have the "diamond-like determination" of a cultivator?
The above examples show that the "self-separation factors" formed by the negative beings in your dimension are determined to wear out your will and have you give up "Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance", as well as cultivation.
How does one get rid of the "self-separation" factors from oneself and cultivate well? One can study the Fa more, obtain understanding in the Fa and elevate in the Fa. One must also know clearly the original nature of the various factors, deny them, rectify them and eliminate them. Only by continuously eliminating those "self-separating" factors, removing the "selfishness" root, and continuously purifying oneself, can we better complete the historic task of saving sentient beings and reach the state and standard of selflessness and altruism set by the enlightened beings in the new cosmos.
Otherwise,
"If you don't cultivate yourselves well you won't have mighty virtue, what you say will not be in line with the Fa, and then you can't possibly save sentient beings. When what you say has no mighty virtue and no power, it will have no effect, and the evil will capitalize on that." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference")
Fellow practitioners, let us advance together hand in hand, and walk well and righteously on the final path of Fa-rectification cultivation.
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