(Clearwisdom.net) During experience sharing, we have often heard fellow practitioners say that we needed to study the Fa diligently, follow the Fa-rectification closely and became steadfast practitioners. Whether or not we can achieve these requirement depends on more than just our words alone or a pompous speech. It requires a solid foundation of personal cultivation, a steadfast righteous belief, righteous understanding of the Fa and strong righteous thoughts. A pompous speech is only a magnificent show and a smokescreen. It only validates oneself and the behavior of an ordinary person. For a practitioner, it is a very serious obstacle in validating the Fa.

I offer these introductory remarks to help others examine this important issue. I want to explain an occurrence that has happened during our Fa validation. It touched me so much that I want to share the story with fellow practitioners. In the meanwhile, we need to take the Fa as Teacher strictly and look deeply within ourselves. We need to ask ourselves whether or not we have closely followed the progress of Fa-rectification. Are all our thoughts based on the foundation of the Fa-rectification, or are our thoughts based on egotism and selfishness, to validate ourselves?

Recently, two fellow practitioners in our region were arrested when they were distributing truth-clarifying materials, and were sent to a detention center. When other practitioners found out about it the next day, we consulted one another and decided to take measures to rectify the situation. We decided to work as a group and all were to do what they were supposed to do to help the arrested practitioners, to restrain the evil, to alleviate pressure on the practitioners and to mobilize practitioners as fast as possible in distributing a large amount of truth-clarifying materials. In the meanwhile, we sent forth righteous thoughts to strengthen the arrested practitioners and to eradicate the evil. However, by the end of the effort, only a handful of practitioners had participated. Although this event is in the past, it certainly recounts the xinxing level of each practitioner.

The notion of passive endurance is an arrangement by the old forces, who have created many unrighteous influences to obstruct Dafa practitioners. Some practitioners, whether they are Dafa practitioners just starting cultivation, veteran practitioners or those who had been imprisoned in the forced labor camps, show different degrees of passive endurance towards old forces and the evil. Because of this, Teacher published several articles dealing with the issue: "Beyond the Limits of Forbearance," "Dafa Disciples' Righteous thoughts are Powerful," and "Dafa is Indestructible" (Essentials for Further Advancement II). However, the so-called "transformations" are still happening. Teacher has said in "Teaching the Fa on Easter, 2004, at the New York Fa Conference:"

"Today is Easter, the day of a god's resurrection! This is all I'll say today. On this special, glorious day, may Dafa disciples' divine sides also be resurrected!"

I think Teacher was telling us that we are not merely like practitioners of the past. When we have strong righteous thoughts and righteous actions, everything we do and think contains divine power. Teacher has also told us this from different angles about "the True Body exists this time inside the flesh body." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003")

Let us look back at ourselves with the Fa as our teacher. Was every thought based on the Fa, or were some thoughts based on ourselves? It is true that we are cultivators, but we are Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification period. We have missions of gods, and we carry expectations from Teacher. We have the responsibility of saving sentient beings. We are fulfilling our oaths from prehistory. We are cultivators taking divine actions.

"The fact is, at this time Dafa disciples have to do divine things, because for Dafa disciples their personal cultivation is no longer first and foremost. Saving sentient beings and reconstructing the colossal firmament during the Fa-rectification are the purpose." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")

What we need to do is totally negate the arrangements made by the old forces, calmly study the Fa, walk out of our wrong paths and ask ourselves strictly with gods' minds,

aren't we supposed to assist Teacher in this human world?" Teacher has told us:

"Beings are complicated. The truth is, I've already realized in action the process of a human becoming a God. My flesh body is already governing the Falun Paradise." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003")

Have you ever thought about how difficult it is to assist Teacher during the Fa-rectification period of the human world with human thinking, human reasoning and human behavior? Teacher has cautioned us many times: "A Dafa disciple's wisdom comes from righteous thoughts--divine thoughts." ("Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students, April 12, 2004, in New York") Fellow practitioners, let's bolster ourselves. Gods' thoughts can accomplish anything.

Validating the Fa or Oneself?

Because of passive endurance and inadequate understanding of the Fa, we lack strong righteous thoughts during Fa-rectification and do things arranged by the old forces. In the meantime, our cravings for comfort makes us unconsciously follow the paths arranged by the old forces. Teacher told us in the "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Midwest-U.S. Fa Conference":

"I give you automatic mechanisms for increasing gong and other elements such as the Falun. Also, my Law Bodies are personally looking after Dafa disciples, and my Law Bodies appointed some Gods who can truly assist with Fa-rectification to help. But, the old forces have systematically arranged their elements, too, and in that way they specifically arranged everything they wanted. So this has put every student under the influence of specific arrangements by the old forces, and under the influence of those old force beings."

Thus, we need to cultivate ourselves well and keep strong righteous thoughts at all times when validating the Fa. It is critical to understand the Fa from the principles of the Fa. Only then will we be able to take every step well when validating the Fa. Otherwise, with slight deviations in our thoughts, we will follow the old forces' paths of evil enlightenment. We need to share more of our understandings with fellow practitioners and calmly study the Fa.

"If you, as a student [of Dafa], do not follow Master's requirements, it is definitely no simple thing. The old forces have arranged for all Dafa disciples a set of their things, so if a Dafa disciple doesn't follow Master's requirements, he must be following the old forces' arrangements. The old forces are in essence gigantic trials and tribulations that accompany you at all times, focused on whether in Fa-rectification Dafa disciples are able to step forward. If after going through this ordeal some students are still not clearheaded, then they will miss [the opportunities presented in] all of this. Only when you follow Master's requirements are you validating the Fa and cultivating yourself as a Dafa disciple, and only then are you a true Dafa disciple. ("Be Clearheaded")

Teacher told us:

"Your path is, and I think you've all seen this now, actually very narrow. If you deviate just a little bit you won't measure up to the standard of a Dafa disciple. ...

Don't leave any stain or regret on the path that you walk when you validate the Fa and during this period when you establish your mighty virtue. Those can never be erased." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")

Because some walked on the wrong path and had evil "enlightenments," they then validate themselves and regard self-interest above everything else. Isn't this demonic interference from one's own mind? Dafa practitioners need to break through all of these arrangements. Teacher said in the "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference:"

"You need to be clear that a Dafa disciple's cultivation is about stepping out of humanness; it is to step out of the old colossal firmament that is restrained by all kinds of factors that result from endless, countless, innumerable beings in this old cosmos; it is to gain a new life, emerging from an environment that is at the last of the last stage of the formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction process of the colossal firmament. Who can step out of all of this? To escape everything and be able to truly enter the future is indeed very hard."

When Teacher said it was hard, I believe he talking about the viewpoint of cultivators and encouraging us from a different angle. It will not be hard if we are able to let go of life and death, be strict with ourselves, use the thoughts of a god, strictly take the Fa as Teacher, and act with righteous thoughts and righteous actions. The process becomes hard when we cannot let go of human attachments.

The persecution of Dafa practitioners in China could not happen without the mindsets and attachments of those Dafa practitioners. Can we not assume the persecution is ongoing because we are unable to keep up with the progress of Fa-rectification? Can we not assume that it has to do with each of us? We only think about how not be restrained by the evil and others, and do not think about our own responsibilities and obligations. We do not think about using our own power to restrain the evil beings, and we do not develop our energy fields to create a restraining effect. Teacher mentioned in "Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference:"

"The field Dafa has formed in the world has become enormous, with its density being very high now. The main thing the field is doing is helping Dafa disciples in saving sentient beings and in restraining the evil beings, particularly the major ones. So it basically leaves the mundane affairs of ordinary people alone. If this field were to produce a widespread effect, the effect would be quite significant and would far surpass the evil field of the wicked CCP. Meanwhile, the field of the evil-specter-ridden malevolent Party is dissolving and shrinking dramatically. So the evil beings are terrified."

Lastly, I will quote the last paragraph of "Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference," so that we can encourage one another:

"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."