(Clearwisdom.net) As our cultivation progresses, I feel that a Falun Dafa practitioner who is mature in the understanding of the Fa's principles should be able to distinguish between the old forces' arrangements and Teacher's arrangements. However, after I conversed with many fellow practitioners, I have found that a lot of us are still quite unclear in this respect. One veteran practitioner said, "Teacher had said, 'The evil is finished and the environment has changed' (from "Greetings"), how could there be any more old forces?" When a bad thought surfaces in their minds, some practitioners cannot distinguish whether it is due to the old forces' arrangement or the result of human notions. I believe that only by clearly discerning everything, can we walk better on the path Teacher has arranged.
Once when I conversed with fellow practitioners, they talked about our fellow practitioners being arrested. At that time, a fellow practitioner said, "If I were to be arrested, I would not say a word even if I were beaten to death. We Dafa practitioners should possess the toughness of steel." Some practitioners thought he was very firm in his faith, but nobody has ever pointed out the problem associated with this remark. I believe that this remark recognizes the persecution by the old forces. Moreover, what Dafa practitioners have are righteous thoughts and righteous actions, not ordinary people's toughness of "steel." Not long after, this fellow practitioner was arrested and tortured. If he could have negated that thought to start with, then the old forces would have had no loophole to take advantage of. When we are not clear on the Fa principles, it will be hard for us to discern some things clearly.
One fellow practitioner opened a store, but after it went into operation, the financial results were poor. Since he borrowed a lot of money from other practitioners, his troubles became a serious test to those practitioners who lent him money. He went more and more into debt, since his business did not seem to improve. He has exchanged ideas with fellow practitioners quite a few times, but could not find the reason why. In fact, this practitioner had a strong pursuit for profit even before starting cultivation. The old forces had spotted this human attachment, so they drove him step by step toward borrowing money to open this store when his financial situation did not permit him to do so. After the store was opened, he was quite eager to make money to pay off the debts. However, the more eager he was, the slower his business was. His store was at the point of shutting down. I think that if he did not have a strong attachment and turned his store into a platform for clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings, then it's likely that the profits would have been better. Some practitioners with a similar mindset have indeed made a fortune, but this was probably another kind of arrangement by the old forces based on their specific human mentalities. The purpose of either arrangement is the same. Whether you have made money or lost money, you have walked on the path the old forces designated and you are bound to stumble one day. From the Fa, we have come to realize that if our path is righteous, we will meet fewer difficulties. Otherwise, we will be inundated with issues.
Cultivation does not mean "doing things", but rather to improve ourselves as we do things. When our human mentality is gone, we have no loopholes for the old forces to exploit. The things encountered in cultivation are complicated, so the best assurance of overcoming challenges is to follow Teacher's guidance. A few days ago, I had a dream, suggesting that the 610 Office and national security agents would come to arrest me. I was quite scared after I woke up from that dream. I was worried and anxious the entire morning. Was this a hint from Teacher? Or, was it a sign that the evil had really decided to arrest me? Suddenly, it dawned on me that this dream, as well as my mental state after the dream, had fallen into the trap of the old forces. Teacher does not recognize the old forces, so what tribulations are we supposed to bear from them? Then, why did I have that dream, along with a series of incorrect mental states after the dream? It is because my fear created them. At that time, I clearly saw our own human attachments and the old forces' arrangement. Thus, I immediately conjoined my hands and started to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate my fear and purge all the evil factors in my own dimension. I asked in my heart for Teacher's strengthening and guidance: "As a disciple, I will walk down no other paths but yours. I refuse to accept any arrangements and interference from the old forces, which will be completely negated and eliminated." Soon after that, I felt my own dimension becoming clear, and my fear was gone, as were the evil factors.
Teacher has previously instructed us in the article, "Be Clearheaded":
"If you, as a student [of Dafa], do not follow Master's requirements, it is definitely no simple thing. The old forces have arranged for all Dafa disciples a set of their things, so if a Dafa disciple doesn't follow Master's requirements, he must be following the old forces' arrangements. 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."
"If after going through this ordeal some students are still not clearheaded, then they will miss [the opportunities presented in] all of this. Only when you follow Master's requirements are you validating the Fa and cultivating yourself as a Dafa disciple, and only then are you a true Dafa disciple. "
Only by doing things according to Teacher's Fa can we be more solid in each of our steps and constantly build up Dafa practitioners' mighty virtue.
