(Minghui.org) Over the course of two days last July, 30 practitioners in my city were picked up by the police. A month later, several practitioners in a nearby city were also abducted. The police searched their homes and took their personal belongings, cash, and Falun Gong materials. This reminded me of what happened in the fall of 2018. 

A local practitioner heard that the police were planning to conduct massive arrests. He let us know right away and asked us to tell everyone to send forth righteous thoughts every hour. We quickly told every practitioner we knew and began sending forth righteous thoughts every hour for two days. On Friday afternoon, there was a tremendous thunderstorm. It poured until late that night. As thunder roared overhead, it felt as if our righteous thoughts were battling negative entities. At last they were eliminated and the rain stopped. The police did not carry out their plan. 

This battle showed us that it's just as Master said:

“When disciples have ample righteous thoughtsMaster has the power to turn back the tide” (“The Master-Disciple Bond,”Hong Yin II, Translation version A)

Every practitioner who was involved in this effort remembers that day. 

Master said, 

“At this point there are few elements left that can test Dafa disciples, and little coal remains. Not much more true gold can be made. Then wouldn’t you say the fire is about to die out? That is what’s about to happen.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference,” Team Yellow translation)

But Master did not say that the fire is truly out, so was this latest arrest in July caused by our problems as a group?

When we first heard what happened, most practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts at the four global times. Many were also actively helping to rescue the abducted practitioners. With Master's help, half of those who were picked up were released in the next two months. Some of them clarified the truth to the police in the detention centers, while others were released for other reasons. 

This shows that those practitioners did have righteous thoughts, but the problem was that their righteous thoughts were weakened by their attachment and the relatively relaxed environment. The negative elements took advantage of the loopholes in their xinxing.

So why did they only develop strong righteous thoughts when they were under stress? It shows that we did not pay enough attention to cultivating ourselves on a daily basis. We were focused on everyday concerns, such as housework and taking care of children. We gradually slacked off on doing the three things we are supposed to do.

Master said,

“But, as long as it hasn’t ended, the evil will be evil just the same. It’s just like how poison is bound to be poisonous, and even if you asked it not to be poisonous it couldn’t do that. So you must not lower your guard. Try your best not to let the old forces exploit any gaps in your cultivation.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference”)

Master also said,

“Why don't you stop and think about it: Why is someone interfering with you? Why is it able to interfere with you? Is it because you have an attachment, or because you have something you can't let go of? Why don't you look at yourself? The true reason lies with you yourself, and that's the only reason it can exploit your gap!” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teaching, Vol. III)

We should ask ourselves why, if we are genuinely cultivating, do we keep being interfered with?

Those who follow Master's teachings truly understand that they are practitioners. They know they should do things well and handle their daily affairs with righteous thoughts whether or not the persecution ends. Those who cannot do well don't have a true understanding of the Fa. They pick certain passages from the teachings that fit their own notions or even distort them based on their own ideas. Since their thoughts aren't upright, they may have forgotten that they are practitioners whose responsibility it is to save people.

Some practitioners cultivate very well. They are able to harmonize their home life, and their family encourages them to practice. They are not distracted by family affairs and can therefore focus on doing the three things. Their families are also blessed. These practitioners also have stable jobs with good salaries.

Unfortunately, some practitioners spend a lot of time making money and have forgotten why we are here. Some practitioners who were only in their 40s or 50s have even passed away. Others have suffered from sickness karma for a long time. Some were arrested. The old forces took advantage of their loopholes. The money they made was taken away by the police, the amount ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan (1 U.S. dollar is roughly 6 to 7 yuan). Shouldn't practitioners who have similar attachments pay attention to this and rectify themselves?

Some practitioners don't cherish the money other practitioners donate to make truth-clarifying materials. A few who are in charge of material production sites spent the donated money on their own living expenses even though they have jobs. Some of them stopped practicing. Isn't this because the old forces took advantage of their loopholes?

We should spend those funds on the projects that the money was donated to. Some practitioners donated money to NTDTV or the Epoch Times newspaper. If we cannot get the money to these media, we should return it. Master has talked about this—those media are not to receive donations from China. We should follow the Fa and not act based on our own notions.

I'd also like to remind practitioners not to hold onto those donations for too long. When the funds accumulate, we need to give it to the material production sites. If we have enough, then we shouldn't accept more donations. A few practitioners who were arrested had received a lot of donations, and the police took it all.

Those donations were made to save people, but the money was wasted. How could we be so irresponsible? The donors should also consider this: Donating money does not raise your cultivation status. If the recipients spend the money on themselves or something that has nothing to do with saving people, then your donation actually helps them create karma.

Some practitioners are attached to time. Some even say that it's no longer necessary to make truth-clarifying materials, that just talking to people is enough. Isn't the reason for these mass arrests because we didn't do well in truth-clarification? How can you say making materials is no longer necessary? 

Those who solidly cultivate continue to hand out information, even on those so-called sensitive dates. Some practitioners are able to hand out more than 1000 brochures a month. Those who are not diligent, however, only pass out a few dozen flyers a month. Some don't give out any. Although quantity is not everything, a cultivator should keep improving and not stay at one level for a long time. Handing out information is also a process of improving xinxing. 

Master told us that “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun) and “ ...one’s gong level is as high as one’s xinxing level.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun) 

Reflecting on the Arrests

When we discussed the recent arrests, some wrong and extreme human notions surfaced. But many practitioners failed to change their notions. Some still think that the persecution will end this year. They even claimed that Master said so. This confused some practitioners who don't study the Fa well. Some of those practitioners were arrested or passed away. We should wake up and correct ourselves as soon as possible. 

Master said, “I can tell you explicitly that early on I had planned on ending the persecution this year (warm applause), at the twenty-year mark.” (Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference, Team yellow translation) What Master referred to was the original plan. Master did not say it was going to end this year. 

Master also said, “Dafa disciples need to do the three things well. But you won’t be able to if you don’t cultivate yourselves well.” (Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference, Team yellow translation)

Master said, “Do well what remains to be done, and head toward the future with a cultivation journey free of regret. I wish you much enlightenment and success!” (To the Canada Fa Conference, Team yellow translation)

As practitioners, especially those who are attached to time, we should all ask ourselves if we've cultivated well and if we are cultivating solidly. Do we feel sleepy when we read the Fa? Are we focused when we read the Fa? Some practitioners, even those who have practiced for more than 20 years, only listen to the recordings of Master's lectures and do not actually read Zhuan Falun. They claim that they don't feel sleepy when they listen to the recordings, and they can do things while they listen. I think they don't realize how precious Zhuan Falun is. How can you use Master's Fa to guide your thoughts and behaviors if you don't read Zhuan Falun? How can you call yourself a Fa-rectification period practitioner? 

Some practitioners fall asleep while sending forth righteous thoughts, including project coordinators. Master told us, 

“Actually, when you can truly be tranquil, one thought is more than enough to shake Heaven and Earth, there's nothing that it can't do, and it's as if it immediately immobilizes and restrains everything covered by your domain; you're like a mountain, and you instantly restrain them. You shouldn't always have an unsteady mind. You can't achieve that when your mind is unsteady.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. III)

Can those who fall asleep while sending forth righteous thoughts really reach the level that Master talked about? If your own dimension is not cleansed for a long time, how can you make breakthroughs and improve? We should truly look inward. Why can some practitioners reach that level, but others cannot?

Master told us, “Calmly reflect on the attachments you have; Remove your human thoughts, and evil will naturally die out.” (“Don't Be Sad,” Hong Yin Vol. II, Version A)

Master also said, 

“And all of the human ideas, as well as the variety of sources from which those ideas stem, that are bound up in that human thinking will serve to interfere with the person. Whichever kind of life form your thinking aligns with, that life form will immediately have an effect on you. And all of the human ideas, as well as the variety of sources from which those ideas stem, that are bound up in that human thinking will serve to interfere with the person. Whichever kind of life form your thinking aligns with, that life form will immediately have an effect on you.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)

If you want to cultivate, you should follow the Fa and not distort the teachings with your own notions. Eliminate your human notions and any fundamental attachments. We should assimilate to the Fa and use the Fa to guide our speech and behavior. That is the only way we can save people and be qualified Fa-rectification period disciples.

You cannot make progress in cultivation if you hold onto any attachments. If we cannot eliminate our attachments, we may be filled with regret.

Benevolent Master has given us the greatest honor in the universe—to be a Dafa disciple! What a great honor! If we fail to follow Master home because of our attachments, how will we be able to face ourselves on the day of consummation?

So, fellow practitioners, please don't get attached to those things. Do what Master told us to do. Master said: 

“The spiritual practice done in Dafa is different from that in other religions and practices, because you have a mission as Dafa disciples, which is, to save beings while you journey toward spiritual perfection. It is a responsibility you must assume, as most people in this world came from the heavens and became human in order to receive the Fa teachings. This mission is what makes a Dafa disciple magnificent, for you are meant to become divine beings of extraordinary heights!” (Greetings to the South America Fa Conference, Team Yellow translation)

Now, at the end of the Fa-rectification period, Master has compassionately given us a last chance to do well: 

“Whether you're a student in Mainland China or outside the Mainland, I hope that all of you seize the final moments to do well and do even better. Especially those of you who haven't done well, you should seize the day and do well. Don't let the opportunity slip by.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Faat the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. III)

“Those of you who haven’t done well so far should, with the time you still have, get going and do well what you should be doing before it’s over!” (Greetings to the Dafa Disciples Attending the Fa Conference of Europe, Team Yellow translation)

We should follow Master's guidance, read the Fa, eliminate our attachments, solidly cultivate, save people, fulfill our historic vows, and repay Master's salvation by cultivating solidly.

Cherish this opportunity. Do not have any attachments to money, emotion, time, or any human notions. Remember what Master said, “...such an opportunity should not be missed, and the chance won’t come again.” (Teaching the Fa at the Eastern U.S. Fa Conference)

These are my own understandings at my current level. Please compassionately correct me if I've said anything wrong.

Thank you, Master!

Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.

Category: Improving Oneself