(Minghui.org) In this enormous tribulation arranged by the old forces, in order to test Dafa and Dafa disciples and achieve their goals, the old forces have made intricate and long-term arrangements for each of us. First, they arranged many factors (for example, one's environment) to introduce or enforce certain concepts during our lives.
Master said:
“and even the questions you ponder, none of it is that simple. In the future you'll see that everything was very carefully arranged. But it's not me who arranged this, it's the old forces who did.” (“Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A” in Teaching the Fa at the Conference II)
They also arranged an overall environment for the world. Under the influence of such arrangements, some Dafa disciples were controlled by the old forces or stayed in certain situations for long periods of time.
Master said:
“isn't what they devised a manifestation of their arranging certain beings to do good and certain beings to do bad things based on their wishes?” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Canada Fa Conference” in Teaching the Fa at the Conference V)
Examples of Persecution
Before attending elementary school, a boy learned about sex from another neighborhood kid. (Before that, he did not know what it was). Factors to enhance his attachment to lust were arranged during different stages of his life. During the Fa-rectification, the attachment to lust became a great interference.
These arrangements, in my opinion, are all examples of persecution. The arrests, beatings, and sentencing of disciples are all persecution. In a broader perspective, homelessness and poverty are also forms of persecution. Actually, all the things imposed by the old forces that go against the needs of Fa-rectification and that systematically interfere with Dafa disciples’ assisting Master are persecution.
During Fa-rectification, we cannot use the standard of personal cultivation to evaluate our conditions or solve problems simply by eliminating personal attachments. In order to completely reject the old forces’ arrangements, we have to follow Master’s arrangements and meet his requirements for us.
The persecution takes various forms. Besides the cases mentioned above, another example is an especially heavy workload, which makes certain disciples so busy and exhausted that they cannot do Dafa work. Some disciples have difficulties with their families and they are completely tied up with these matters. Some disciples have strong attachments to fear or are strongly attached to affection. Others are bothered by lust or hindered by sickness karma, or are distracted by hobbies.
All of us can recognize that these are examples of persecution. Some disciples, however, are satisfied with their current lives. They live comfortable lives and have not been arrested. They have done the three things to a certain degree, but, actually, they are being used because of their attachment to comfort.
Attachment to Comfort
Master mentioned in the article “Shed the Human Mindset,”
“The most prominent manifestation of this is the severe persecution many students face as a result of their strong human mindset and lack of righteous thoughts.”
Some disciples have gone to the other extreme. They think that the disciples who get arrested have problems and that the practitioners who are not arrested are doing better and do not have major problems. Many disciples think like this. Those who are attached to comfort think that they are doing well. They are satisfied with the little bit of Dafa work they do, which promotes their attachment to seeking comfort even though they cannot sense it.
Some of these practitioners are well off and are not much different from ordinary people. They study the Fa a little and sometimes clarify the truth. However, they put far less effort into saving people than they should as disciples during the Fa-rectification period. They might think, “We have done the three things” and feel satisfied.
This, however, just appeases their human notions. This bit of effort cannot fulfill our magnificent vows made hundreds of millions of years ago. They do not honor the trials and tribulations we survived throughout history just for this day and the magnificent vows we made.
To achieve their goals, the old forces made specific arrangements for each disciple based on his or her individual problems and attachments. Practitioners who are being lulled into inactivity by their comfortable situations, please consider this: Isn’t this just another form of persecution set up by the old forces? Your human notions are satisfied, but your original vows are going unfulfilled.
Your real lives and your missions are fading away. When you return, you will see that what you have done does not compare with the work done by real Dafa disciples. What you have done does not measure up to your vows. You will see the cultivation path that you have walked was arranged by the old forces, not by Master. Only then will you see that your attachment to comfort is, in fact, an insidious form of persecution and the greatest tribulation arranged by the old forces.
Master said,
“In this persecution those who've been harmed the most are in fact the world's people.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference” in Teaching the Fa at the Conference III)
In the human world, they live in comfort without any major difficulties. But they are poisoned and missing out. They are losing the precious foundation of life. Aren't they the same as those disciples who are lost, who could not find their positions during Fa-rectification, and could not accomplish their missions?
Making Excuses
Some practitioners are restricted and obstructed by ordinary people. They cannot let go of their notions. They often comfort themselves or even try to persuade other practitioners with excuses like “Maintain our regular lives,” “Be a good person wherever you are,” “Gain naturally without pursuit,” and “Consider other people and be better harmonized.”
These sound close to Master's words, but they are all excuses. Do we really put our hearts into Dafa work? Are we really responsible to the Fa and put our mission in the Fa-rectification period as the first priority?
We should be clear that the purpose of our lives is not to “maintain our regular lives” or “be a good person.” We came here to assist Master in Fa-rectification. However, we should maintain our regular lives. That way, we will do better with Dafa work. The relationship between our mission and our regular lives should be correctly understood and positioned.
Because we cannot let go of our attachments and do not clearly identify and reject the thoughts that the old forces arranged, in an environment arranged by the old forces, we often stagnate because of a lack of heart, an inability to strive forward, we are bothered by attachments, or we are confused by comfort and satisfaction. Some practitioners are hampered by tribulations. On the other hand, some are confused by comfort. They cannot escape humanness to fulfill their responsibilities and missions.
Master said,
“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.” (“Be Clearheaded”)
Forgetting Our Mission
One practitioner couple endured tough tribulations in a forced labor camp. Later, they started a company. The company grew to be increasingly successful and became one of the ten best companies in the area. Several banks wanted to invest in the company, which should have been a good thing for the business.
But something else happened. All the practitioners who worked for the company ran into obstacles and seemed unable to make any progress. Some of them even started to drink and behave more and more like ordinary people. The work for Fa-rectification was totally forgotten. One of the couples started to act like an ordinary person, had extramarital affairs, and wanted a divorce.
Looking closer, isn't this just another form of persecution? A Falun Gong couple was taken advantage of through their loopholes, gradually lost direction, and forgot their mission. There is no problem with starting a company. However, we should clearly understand and reject the hidden persecution arranged by the old forces.
The fall-out from the situation above was not limited to just the practitioner couple. The old forces also try to affect the environment and other practitioners close to them. Isn't this an interference to Fa-rectification?
From this perspective, if we cannot do well and instead walk the path arranged by the old forces, we not only create problems for ourselves, but also cause interference for the entire environment, allowing the old forces to control and interfere with Fa-rectification.
It is very important to completely reject the persecution by properly understanding our own and others' cultivation states. We must be clear about the meticulous arrangements made by the old forces, including toward our every thought. Master said, “this point is the most important one, clearheaded” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference” in Teaching the Fa at the Conference IV)
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