(Minghui.org) When we study the Fa teachings, we can all understand the superficial meanings of the words. Yet when we face actual tests in our cultivation, people behave differently. Some can act according to the Fa while others cannot. Why? The answer lies in whether we truly believe in the Fa and understand how it is applicable to the issue at hand.
Master once said,
“What is true faith? You’re merely saying with your mouth that you have faith, but in your heart you don’t actually have faith. Why do I say that? Because when you truly have faith your actions match your words.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Europe”)
When we believe a sentence of the Fa, we will conduct ourselves accordingly when faced with a similar situation and do well, guided by that sentence of the Fa. At that moment, we have truly assimilated to that sentence of the Fa. But if we understand the superficial meaning of a sentence but cannot conduct ourselves according to its guidance, we have not truly believed it or assimilated ourselves to it.
In other words, when we truly believe a certain amount of the Fa, that portion of the Fa will guide us in our cultivation. If we have firm belief in the entirety of the Fa, we have assimilated to the Fa completely, and when we encounter any issue, we will be able to act like an enlightened being. That is when we achieve consummation. Why do Dafa practitioners sometimes not do well in cultivation? I believe the answer to that is a lack of true belief. When we don't believe in Master and Dafa, our actions are not based on the Fa but on human notions.
Act According to the Fa or to Human Notions?
As a practitioner, we have only two choices: act according to the Fa or to human notions.
Prior to practicing Dafa, we were all ordinary people and conducted ourselves based on human notions. Human notions are selfish and are aimed at obtaining personal benefits. In the human world, people cannot see other dimensions and have limited understanding of life and the universe. People think that human life begins with birth and disappears after death, so the purpose of life is to enjoy it while one can.
Through Fa study, we know that this human life is merely a short episode in the long history of one's being. This human body comes from our parents but the true origin of our lives does not. At death, the human body dies but the true being lives on. Guided by human notions, a busy life leads to nothing but a body full of karma.
Some practitioners indulge in an ordinary life while aspiring to the eternal life of a god. That is impossible. One must choose: Either let go of human notions and attachments to achieve the level of gods or enjoy an ordinary life. We cannot have both.
In an episode in the movie Jesus, Jesus was crossing the sea in a boat with his disciples and fell asleep. A severe storm blew up and the boat almost capsized. His disciples wanted Jesus to avert the danger and eventually had to wake him up. Jesus then stood up in the boat and denounced the bellowing winds and choppy waters and ordered them to stop. And they did, immediately. His disciples were excited, but Jesus turned around and said to them with a stern expression, “Where is your belief in yourselves?”
In fact, Jesus' disciples all had the ability to quell the storm but they didn't have strong enough faith in themselves. Instead, they were fearful that the boat would turn over and they might lose their lives, which was why they woke Jesus up to deal with the situation. In today's Fa-rectification period cultivation, Dafa disciples have the same issue: They lack confidence and belief in themselves.
Overcome the Notion “Seeing Is Believing”
In ancient times, people used to believe in karma and that “there are spiritual beings three feet above one’s head.” (Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation)
Although they could not see them, they believed in gods, Buddhas, Bodhisattva, hell, ghosts, and other dimensions. After the Chinese Communist Party seized power, repeated campaigns and movements were launched to destroy traditional culture and to promote materialism, the theory of evolution, and atheism. The Party argued that any existence had to be verifiable visually and that everything else was non-existent. For Dafa practitioners in China, such modern notions are pervasive.
Most new practitioners don't have their celestial eyes opened. Although Master has said that practitioners have powerful supernormal abilities, most have not seen them with their own eyes, so that notion of “seeing is believing” leads to a lack of confidence in themselves. Faced with being persecuted by the seemingly powerful machinery of the entire CCP regime, they become fearful, which is just like treating themselves as ordinary people and leads to more persecution.
As a practitioner, we are human on a superficial level but divine beings on a microscopic level. One thought can determine what we are, human or divine. If we believe firmly in Master and Dafa and keep our divine side dominant, we will be able to access and apply our righteous thoughts and righteous actions. If we don't firmly believe in Master and Dafa and treat ourselves as human beings, we will not be able to behave like divine beings or access our supernormal abilities.
How can an ordinary person fight the CCP’s evil persecution, which the old forces have arranged? It is impossible.
The persecution has lasted for 20 years. What a pity if we practitioners in China do not believe in Master and Dafa and lack confidence in ourselves. The opportunities for us to validate the Fa in the human world are getting fewer and fewer. The countless lessons of the past should be enough to warn us that we must start treating ourselves from the Fa's perspective. No matter how complicated or difficult the issues we face, even if they are arranged by the old forces, we should simply take advantage of them to validate the Fa and establish our virtue.
Above is my current understanding at my limited level. Fellow practitioners, please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
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Category: Improving Oneself
