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Abandon Human Attachments to Politics and Cultivate Well

June 2, 2005 |   By Gong Yuzhen, a Falun Dafa disciple from Taiwan

(Clearwisdom.net)

As human beings we are constantly making choices and decisions that affect the various directions our lives take. Do we want a certain thing, or not? In our daily life, we may meet people who have various professions and are at different career levels. Among these people, it is likely that they are from various political parties. If you are a person who is interested in politics, you would try to tell what political party your new acquaintance belongs to, but for a cultivator, this information would be insignificant, for cultivators are not supposed to get involved in politics. Politics and things of this nature are simply manifestations of life in the human world and are not found at higher levels. Master wrote:

"In my lectures I have repeatedly stressed that the form of human society--no matter what type of social or political system--is predestined and determined by heaven. A cultivator does not need to mind the affairs of the human world, let alone get involved in political struggles. Isn't how society treats us testing cultivators' hearts? We should not get involved in politics." ("Cultivation Practice is Not Politics" in Essentials for Further Advancement").

Cultivators should not care about politics. On the second page of Zhuan Falun Master wrote,

"I'll tell you a truth: the whole process of cultivation is a process of constantly getting rid of human attachments."

When we see the attachment, shouldn't we let it go? Any attachment is like a rope that wraps tightly around us and hinders us from moving up. Master also told us during his recent lecture, "Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference,"

"In other words, the success of Fa-rectification and of Dafa disciples' cultivation are inevitable realities now. Our work is not yet completely done, though, and in terms of personal cultivation, each step might be critical in determining whether each Dafa disciple can reach Consummation. I think that no matter how far things go at the end, however bad the interference gets, or if Fa-rectification makes you become completely aware of everything, you still need to cultivate in a noble and upright manner, and not be affected by any positive or negative things--make sure you're not interfered with by any favorable turn of events brought about by the situation or by whatever situation that might arise."

Some people even give up cultivation because they cannot let go of their concern for politics.

"Why can't you abandon ordinary human attachments?" "When your mind cannot get over something, isn't it caused by your attachment?" "In being saved, only when you seek righteousness can your attachments be eliminated. You all know that a person won't succeed in cultivation without getting rid of attachments. Why don't you dare to abandon more and go one step further?" ("Further Elimination of Attachments" in Essentials for Further Advancement)

We have to practice and cultivate in illusion and become enlightened within the illusion.

"No matter how much I say, you still have to walk the path of cultivation yourselves. To walk this path well and progress to its end--nothing is more extraordinary. I say that because during the journey you will have hardships, tests of every sort, unforeseen ordeals, and you will have unexpected interference from all kinds of attachments and emotion. The interference will come from family, society, good friends, and even fellow cultivators. And along with this there is interference from changes in the state of human society and from human notions that were formed in society. All of those things can drag you back to being like an ordinary person. But if you can break through all of it, you can advance towards godhood. So as a cultivator, what is truly remarkable is when you can be steadfast and have righteous thoughts so firm that nothing can sway you. Be solid and firm like diamond, or granite, and then nothing can affect you--evil will be afraid at the mere sight of you. If upon encountering trying circumstances your thinking can be truly righteous, then, when faced with the evil's persecution and when faced with interference, just one sentence of yours fortified with steadfast righteous thoughts can instantly make the evil disintegrate, and it will make those who are being used by the evil turn and flee, it will make the evil's persecution of you dissolve, and it will make the evil's interfering with you disappear without a trace. One thought born of righteous faith is all it takes. And whoever can hold firm that righteous thought and go the distance will become a magnificent god forged by Dafa." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")

Cultivators have the Fa in their hearts. What a cultivator should do are the three things: study the Fa well, send forth righteous thoughts and clarify the truth. We need to cultivate ourselves firmly and solidly. The recently published Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party by the Epoch Times newspaper, are like a magic key that can open up all kinds of locks imposed by the specter of the CCP that have been blocking ordinary people from learning the truth. Clarifying the truth about the Communist Party is also our historic responsibility.

This is my personal understanding that I have shared to help cultivators who are attached to the fear of getting involved in politics. Please kindly point out any shortcomings.