(Minghui.org) The compelling film Once We Were Divine, about peoples’ futures, was released in 2023. In the finale, the King of Kings appears and offers guidance to Dafa practitioners and people around the world, saying, “Whether you can become divine again depends on the choice you make.”
His solemn expression and eyes showing expectation leave a lasting impression; he is conveying that this choice is not merely a matter of personal attainment but a critical issue concerning one’s survival and that of the sentient beings in the cosmic bodies they represent. He expressed hope that Dafa practitioners and the people of the world will overcome tribulations and make the right choice.
One’s Faith in Master and Dafa Are Revealed At Critical Times
After Master Li published “Critical Times Reveal One’s Spiritual State,” he did not give any further Fa teachings for a long time. On the Minghui website, reports of practitioners in mainland China being arrested for validating the Fa and saving people appeared daily; the evil forces were subjecting Dafa practitioners to brutal and inhumane persecution.
Master told us:
“I didn’t say a word when Dafa and its students encountered the persecutory, evil test. It resembles your taking a university entrance exam: at the time of the exam, could the teacher tell you again, right on the spot, how to answer the questions?” (“Drive Out Interference,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
I have realized that the time for cultivation of Dafa practitioners is nearing its conclusion. Master is observing the final choice each of us makes—whether, amidst the chaos and turmoil, we can remain steadfast and unwavering in our faith in Dafa, and cultivate to the very end.
In other words, the time has come to submit a final report on our cultivation. Achieving consummation by completely rejecting the persecution was not Master’s original plan, nor is it what Master desired. Saving sentient beings is one’s ultimate goal and purpose.
Yet the old forces insist on “testing Dafa practitioners.” Their claims of “helping Dafa practitioners cultivate” and “assisting Master in the success of the Fa-rectification” are unfounded. What they are doing is nothing but interference and sabotage of Master’s Fa-rectification.
However, Master “turns the tables on them,” enabling Dafa practitioners to walk the cultivation path he arranged and advance toward consummation, while completely negating the trials orchestrated by the old forces.
When One Cultivates Diligently, Persecution is Just an Illusion
In the article “Critical Times Reveal One’s Spiritual State,” Master offers Dafa practitioners important guidance as we approach the time when the Fa rectifies the human world.
By following his teachings and “placing the Fa above all else,” we can completely reject the trials of the old forces, walk the golden path arranged by Master, and move toward consummation.
From this perspective, all Dafa practitioners need to keep a clear head during the so-called trials by the old forces, remain unshaken no matter how the evil forces tempt or threaten us, and firmly resolve, “I am under the guidance of Master alone; I reject all other arrangements.” If we steel our resolve, let go of all human attachments, transcend concerns about life and death, entrust everything concerning ourselves and our families to Master, and ask Master to take charge for us, the persecution will vanish into thin air. Wouldn’t it then be nothing but an illusion?
I see many practitioners around me who are incredibly steadfast and fearless in their efforts to save people; they are truly remarkable and inspiring. Even after returning home from an ordeal of arrest and mistreatment, they pick themselves up, overcome their fear, and step forward again—acting as if nothing happened, remaining calm and serene.
Their unwavering belief in Master and the Fa guides their righteous thoughts and actions, leading them to reject persecution. They are walking the cultivation path arranged by Master, compassionately saving people. Even the police admire their dedication.
A practitioner who had to leave home to avoid constant police harassment said, “I have been away for five years, yet the police are still looking for me. I am not afraid. I clarify the truth wherever I am. Sometimes, when I am tired, I sit outside a bus station or a large shopping mall, and when people come by, I speak with them. Some people quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, readily accept an amulet, and express their gratitude profusely. One person put his palms together in respect, and another even wanted to kowtow to me—people are truly waiting to be saved.”
One practitioner has spoken to 30,000 or more people, sharing facts about Dafa and continuing to save people. Another practitioner said, “Last night, I spoke to 26 people and gave each of them a flyer.”
I also recall a practitioner named Yun who was retired from a government agency. About seven years ago, she told me, “I’ve already shared the truth with 70,000-plus people. I start with small talk to break the ice, then I explain the facts about Falun Dafa.”
Her former workplace once asked people to sign a document affirming they were Party members. Yun said, “Before I retired, I hadn’t publicly revealed that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner. I didn’t share the facts about the practice with my colleagues—I hadn’t done a good job. Now they’ve asked me to sign a document confirming that I am a Party member, and I won’t miss the opportunity to speak openly again.”
She said to the caller on the phone, “I practice Falun Dafa; I do not believe in the Communist Party, and I am quitting the Party. Don't ask me to sign anything again. Falun Dafa is a righteous practice, and the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident was a fabrication intended to frame us. Falun Dafa practitioners are good people. Just remember to sincerely recite, ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ Doing so can bring safety and save you during plagues and natural disasters.
“I didn’t have a chance to tell you this before, even though I was concerned about you. I’m taking this opportunity to share it now—reciting the phrases really works.” Once she expressed her righteous thoughts with dignity and confidence, Master took charge of the situation. The persecution disintegrated, and no one gave her any further trouble.
It all depends on the mindsets of the Dafa practitioners. If one aligns with Dafa, the persecution automatically vanishes. If one does not—harboring fears of imprisonment, death, or family suffering, or fearing the loss of worldly fame, gain, sentimentality, and a comfortable life—it delights the evil forces and gives them a pretext to make the persecution even more vicious. Such a situation signifies a failure to truly believe in Master and the Fa and negate the persecution.
Cultivating Words, Deeds, and Thoughts Within the Fa is Crucial
After the persecution began in 1999, Master published the article “Towards Consummation.” At that time, the evil forces dragged Dafa practitioners into an “examination hall” and subjected them to “a comprehensive and destructive test that targets all human thoughts and attachments.” Master “turned the situation to his advantage,” observing which Dafa practitioners were “gold” and which were “sand.”
Master said:
“Even each Dafa disciple’s every move, every action, every word, 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 Teaching Given at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.,” Collected Teachings Given Around the WorldVolume II)
I realized that Dafa practitioners often face a choice. Aren’t the very things Master forbids us from saying or doing precisely what the old forces want us to do? Therefore, by cooperating and harmonizing with what Master wants done—walking the righteous path of cultivation, listening to Master, and doing exactly as instructed—cultivation becomes simple, and one’s thinking becomes clear. All that remains is the effort to cast aside the interference of human attachments.
Master acknowledged that the Minghui website indicates the general direction of our cultivation. Accounts from fellow practitioners who have successfully overcome trials inspire and encourage us to forge our own paths of validating the Fa based on our personal cultivation experiences.
Righteous thoughts during a trial are a most precious tool. Possessing them aligns us with the Fa, enabling Master to step in to assist or save us, ensuring that no obstacle—no matter how formidable—is insurmountable.
Conversely, if one fears losing things of the ordinary world, such as fame, gain, sentimentality, or even one’s physical body during a trial, one lacks righteous thoughts. This leads one to sink into the realm of ordinary people, leaving one vulnerable to interference from low-level spirits, and making the trial difficult to overcome, because Master and righteous deities cannot intervene.
It is crucial to pay attention to how to act in accordance with the Fa and how to avoid, reject, and eliminate every thought, word, and deed that does not conform to it—cultivating oneself through the minutiae of daily life.
Master Can Turn the Tide When Practitioners Have Righteous Thoughts and Let Go of Attachments
Dafa practitioner Ping, nearly 60, told practitioners that her cultivation was not solid enough. With the help of others, she learned to produce informational materials, went from street to street talking with people about Falun Dafa, and mailed truth-clarification letters to save people working in the public security, procuratorial, and judicial systems. Not long after she began making diligent progress, she was arrested.
Initially, Ping was at a loss about what to do when the police interrogated her. When asked where she had obtained the materials, she replied that she had produced them herself. When asked who installed the printer, she declared, “I cannot tell you that; I would rather die than betray a fellow practitioner.” The police dropped the matter.
However, they intimidated her by threatening to arrest her family members if she refused to sign a statement promising to stop practicing Falun Dafa. Frightened, she signed it, and the police released her the following day.
Afterward, she was consumed by regret and despondency, realizing that her attachment to family affection had led her to betray Master—an act she knew was sinful.
Fellow practitioners encouraged her to pull herself together, reminding her of Master’s teaching that as long as cultivation has not ended, there is still an opportunity to do well. They affirmed the righteous thoughts and actions she had shown by refusing to betray others and urged her to ask Master for a chance to start anew.
With their help in sending righteous thoughts, she regained her own righteous thoughts and immediately summoned the courage to issue a solemn statement declaring that she would resume cultivation.
Shortly before the Mid-Autumn Festival that year, the police arrested her and two or three of her family members, and took them to the local police station. They threatened to arrest her entire family if she did not sign a document denouncing Dafa.
At that moment, Ping resolved never again to do anything that would let Master down. She declared, “I signed last time and failed Master. This time, no matter what happens—even if it costs me my life—I will not sign!” Consequently, the police stopped pressuring her, and both she and her family were released and allowed to return home the same day.
Cultivation is, of course, a serious matter. The practitioner failed this test the first time, but Master was compassionate and granted her a fresh start and another chance to choose. When she firmly resolved, “I will not sign, even if it means death,” the persecution immediately collapsed—she had affirmed her desire to cultivate.
This proved that the persecution is truly an illusion. Therefore, it is crucial to let go of life and death from the very beginning, to be absolutely resolute in declaring, “I will not sign, even if it means death,” and to entrust everything about oneself and one’s family to Master.
A practitioner who returned home from a men’s prison reported that in that province, prior to his release, all instruments of torture used on Dafa practitioners in that prison had been removed, and the use of torture to obtain information from Dafa practitioners was no longer permitted.
Given that Master’s Fa-rectification has reached this stage, signing a statement simply because of intimidation by the evil amounts to being irresponsible toward one’s own cultivation and toward the sentient beings of one’s world.
Many individuals across the public security, procuratorial, and judicial systems, as well as the Political and Legal Affairs Commissions, the 610 Office, the police force, and even neighborhood committees, now understand the truth. The evil forces in other dimensions can no longer manipulate them, and they are unwilling to participate in the persecution.
Some have quietly protected Dafa practitioners, and many have had their sins absolved and received blessings, such as promotions, financial prosperity, or opportunities for their children to study abroad. Meanwhile, many who participated in the persecution have ended up on “perpetrator lists.” Witnessing their colleagues suffering karmic retribution, which sometimes even affected their families, has left some police officers terrified and afraid to take part in the persecution.
Practitioners’ Choice and Mindset During a Trial Reveal Their Cultivation States and Affects the Outcome
Practitioners helped bring back another practitioner who had stopped practicing, and she wrote a “Solemn Statement” declaring her decision to resume the practice.
However, one day, the police and neighborhood committee members came to her home and demanded that she sign a guarantee statement promising not to practice. She had told practitioners she would not sign such a document. But when the officials threatened to bar her children from attending school if she refused, she signed it. She has now once again stopped practicing Dafa.
Everything in a Dafa practitioner’s life is in Master’s hands. Which ordinary person could make those decisions? Aren’t the evil forces trying to intimidate people? Insufficient righteous thoughts lead to practitioners being persecuted.
Therefore, if we maintain rock-solid, unwavering faith in Master and Dafa, resolutely entrust ourselves and our families to Master, refuse to sign anything even at the cost of our lives, and send righteous thoughts, we are walking a righteous path. Only then can we secure the protection of Master and the guardian deities, allowing the overwhelming power of righteousness to instantly disintegrate interference and cause the persecution to vanish like smoke.
Dafa practitioner Weiyi filed a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin without hesitation, even though her daughter was about to go abroad for further studies. Shortly thereafter, when her daughter returned home during a school break, she said to her, “The opportunity to repay Master’s grace has arrived; why don’t you also file a complaint against Jiang? The purpose is to validate the Fa with a pure heart. It is not for personal gain, and it won’t affect your future prospects, because Master is the one who arranges everything for us.”
Her daughter immediately drafted her own complaint. Other practitioners coordinated to send forth righteous thoughts, and together they went openly and confidently to the post office to mail it. They felt completely at ease after mailing it and soon received confirmation that the complaint had been successfully delivered. As it turned out, her future path proceeded smoothly and without a hitch.
From the Fa, I have come to realize that from a certain perspective, the persecution is merely an illusion. Master is also “using their own tactics against them” to help Dafa practitioners achieve consummation, while observing whether we can truly understand the Fa itself amid the chaos and confusion.
Master said:
“It involves such an issue, so there will be interference and tests.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
After so many years of cultivating, one must eventually attain consummation. Although it may appear on the surface that the evil is carrying out the persecution, in reality, Master is in control of everything. In an article on Minghui, a practitioner recounted a dream in which they entered an examination hall where Master was serving as the proctor.
The persecution and intimidation faced by Shen Yun, as well as the persecution occurring outside China, stem from the evil’s refusal to allow Dafa practitioners to attain consummation, or to attain it without undergoing the test of letting go of life and death. Master is also using this situation to provide opportunities for lagging disciples to improve and to bring our Dafa disciples to consummation.
This is my understanding at my level. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Thank you, Master. Thank you, fellow practitioners.
Category: Cultivation Insights
