(Clearwisdom.net) Since the beginning of the year, persecution incidents in our area have caused losses in validating Dafa as one body. There are four main reasons for this, based on my understanding:
First, we focused merely on superficial work and have not spent enough time studying the Fa. Hence, we lost sight of recognizing the progress of Fa-rectification. This is a fundamental issue. Master said in "To the Australia Fa Conference:"
"The regions that have done well saving sentient beings and validating Dafa, and where great changes have transpired, are always places where people have studied the Fa well. And the Dafa disciples who have improved quickly are always those who have made Fa-study a priority."
Second, we focused too much on validating ourselves. We had strong egos, which created conflicts and separations among fellow practitioners. Sometimes we even unintentionally formed factions and did things separately. We didn't follow the Fa as teacher and deviated from believing in Dafa and Master. Some practitioners have tried to maintain a superficial peace. Even when they noticed the issues, they didn't take the responsibility to kindly point out what needed addressing. This has created loopholes in coordination work and cooperating as one body.
Third, the responsible parties didn't do well.
Fourth, our comprehension of the Dafa disciples' cultivation form is not at the proper level. This is the main topic that I would like to discuss here--my understanding of "A Great Way Without Form."
Master said in "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles,"
"let me talk about Dafa disciples' cultivation form. Actually, I have always said to you that the way today's Dafa disciples cultivate is one of a 'Great Way without Form.' Each of you is a part of ordinary society, each performs his or her own functions in society, each is in his own social strata, each has his own profession, and each has his own circumstances. In other words, your cultivation is fully a part of society and doesn't take any specific form."
"In other words, the cultivation of a Great Way without form is really a formless kind of form."
After I studied this Fa I realized that the recent profound civilizations in human history and the different professions are all related to the surviving forms of the gods and lives in different spheres of the cosmos, the cosmic bodies, and the immense cosmic systems. They correspond to and are reflected differently in the human world, as represented by the principles of raising or descending levels of their existence. No matter what kind of cultivation form Master adopts, Dafa practitioners can always advance in cultivation, using Dafa principles as their guide. For example, the improvement of music, art, technical skills, or cultivating in the format of a king and his subjects, or cultivating in any of the normal professions.
But all of this [the use of different cultivation forms] is up to Master, to make the choice based on the future cosmos' needs, including the Fa-rectification itself. Master chose "A Great Way Without Form."
Dafa disciples come from different social levels. They come from different professions and different environments. Every Dafa disciple is making use of his/her advantages or capabilities to cultivate himself/herself, validating Dafa, and rescuing sentient beings. This, in fact, means that Dafa is rectifying the forms and principles of how the gods and different lives maintain their lives in the immense cosmic systems. It means that the existence of the lives in these cosmic systems is being acknowledged and the lives living in these cosmic systems are being saved. Dafa practitioners walking on a god's path reflect and contain all paths of lives in different cosmic systems. From this standpoint, we can understand the profundity of Dafa, the huge responsibilities of Dafa practitioners during the Fa-rectification period, and the greatness of the attainment status and levels Dafa practitioners achieve. What Dafa practitioners achieve is reflected in everything in the thousands of millions of cosmic systems. Most importantly, Dafa practitioners are assisting Master in Fa-rectification and are "the most magnificent beings in the cosmos."
Master said in "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles:"
"Of course, it won't be possible for me to leave to mankind their demonstrations in human society. What we are saving are the lives in those systems. When anything gets to the place where human beings are, the level [here] makes it become very bad and low, so of course Dafa and Dafa disciples can't validate these low forms in and of themselves."
After I studied this paragraph of the Fa, I realized that the family environment, the work environment, the social environment, all of the normal environments in human society are all environments for Dafa practitioners' cultivation. We can't segregate ourselves from the human environment. Dafa practitioners need to be good people in any environment. This is the path of Dafa practitioners' cultivation. However, we should do things well. But we can't over-do it. Overdoing it would become a new attachment, which would mean we were going to extremes, something Master warns us of.
We shouldn't rely too much on a human format. If we focus too much on format, we will overlook things more important than making use of the format to reach our ultimate goals of improving and uplifting. If we can't maintain equilibrium in this cultivation form, we will create or form many attachments that will interfere with Dafa practitioners' validation of the Fa, or even cause losses in Fa-rectification.
For example, to coordinate as one body in doing the three things well and to accommodate the advancement of Fa-rectification, we had established a contact and coordination method in different cities and districts in our area. The intention was good. The direction was good as well. In actuality, fellow practitioners unintentionally brought to cultivation the CCP work style or leadership style, which formed new attachments.
Master said,
"There is no fame, self-interest, or official titles in Dafa, but only cultivation practice." ("A Heavy Blow," Essentials for Further Advancement)
But after certain practitioners took over the work as responsible parties, they developed an attachment to being above other practitioners and started sticking up for their authoritarian notions and leadership style. Whenever there are different opinions or things that touch on their attachments, conflicts and distance arise. Sometimes segregated groups are formed to focus on their own activities that directly impact the coordination and cooperation as one body.
In fact, the gods never focus on format. The essentials the gods pay more attention to are how to utilize these formats to reach the ultimate goal. Dafa cultivation "... ignore superficial formalities and only look at one's heart." ("Seeking Discipleship with Teacher" in Essentials for Further Advancement)
Master also said,
"There are factors in the forms that affect a cultivator's improvement." ("Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students")
All external formats will cause attachments. Therefore, we should do well the three things that Master asks us to do to reach the standard of Fa-rectification and walk on a god's path of "A Great Way Without Form."
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