(Clearwisdom.net)
In several of his lectures before 1999, Teacher taught us that one way to get rid of thought karma was to separate the off-putting thoughts from ourselves, to recognize that such thoughts were not part of us and to resolutely reject them. Teacher even told us that we could detach ourselves from them, and watch them while they indulge in their wild flights of fantasy, equivalent to separating our main consciousness from these bad substances, thus accelerating their demise. At that time I didn't truly appreciate the effectiveness of this technique, and did not comprehend its profound meaning. I have gradually come to realize that in fact Teacher was guiding us to eliminate the evil by applying righteous thoughts, and that this was the equivalent of sending forth righteous thoughts during that stage, the stage of personal cultivation.
I understand right now to be the most crucial phase in assisting Teacher in Fa-rectification. In order to eradicate the evil and our own problems, Teacher has asked all Dafa practitioners to "take sending righteous thoughts very seriously." ("Righteous Thoughts") I think most Dafa practitioners are very vigilant when it comes to dealing with external evil factors. They maintain very strong righteous thoughts in relation to external factors, yet they are rather blasé about their own problems, allowing the evil to exploit specific omissions of individual practitioners. The damage is then not limited only to the individuals concerned. Others are also harmed. Therefore, it is imperative that we purge our own problems (the bad thoughts, karma, bad notions, and external interference) in a timely manner. To put it another way, this is also saving sentient beings, saving the countless sentient beings who have placed considerable hope and expectations on us, and who correspond to our own cosmic bodies.
In order for practitioners to become more clear-headed, Teacher talked about where human thoughts originated in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A." Teacher clearly showed us that once we abandoned our main consciousness, postnatal notions and "any external messages" could then interfere. Only by applying strong righteous thoughts to rationally examine issues, could we be truly clear-headed. Since Dafa practitioners still have human sentimentality and various attachments during our cultivation, it becomes important when we detect such bad notions or external messages that cause interference, that we immediately send forth righteous thoughts to purge them in a timely manner. The remaining evils are in their final most desperate and frenzied stage, and will exploit and take advantage of any loophole in order to do harm. Hence, all Dafa practitioners should realize the seriousness and importance of sending forth righteous thoughts. Walk every step well on the path of Fa-rectification, as asked of us in "A Righteous God,"
"With righteous thoughts and righteous actions
He is diligent without letting up"
Many practitioners have their own understanding on this issue. One practitioner said that every time he became aware that he had lapsed into various distracting jumbled thoughts or moved by evil notions, he would immediately seize the bad elements by willing his mind-intent (sometimes using divine power to "freeze" them), and then thoroughly purge them. He feels that since Teacher has asked practitioners to seek out the evil, and that the evil has shown up on its own initiative, that he must not let them escape. He even thought about instantly closing off these bad elements in the cosmic bodies corresponding to him, and then seeking them all out and destroying them, not allowing them to escape. He destroys them each time they appear, and attempts to purge each and every one that he finds, to ensure his understanding of Teacher's phrase "complete elimination of the evil."
Another practitioner has severe interference in his mind, sometimes affecting his Fa study. In addition to extending the time he spends in preparation to send righteous thoughts, by focusing on eliminating his own problems, he also concentrates on sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil before every Fa study. When he feels very sleepy while studying and can hardly open his eyes, he stops momentarily and spends some time sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference, ensuring that his mind is clear when studying the Fa.
Another practitioner realizes that fear itself is not frightening. What is more frightening is if we allow ourselves to be controlled by the attachment of fear and can not control ourselves with righteous thoughts. So whenever his sentimentality surfaces, and he becomes scared and worried, he quietly sends forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the bad elements, notions and interference. The fear then quickly disappears, and he feels that he is filled with righteous thoughts, immensely powerful and indestructible.
Teacher has lectured clearly on "The difference of one thought," which can often bring about a totally different outcome. One's "one thought" has its underpinning from long-term cultivation. In the complex environment of today, even if we cannot guarantee that every thought of ours will meet the requirement of the Fa-rectification, we must rectify any unrighteous notion with righteous thoughts in a timely manner when we realize it so that we leave no room for the evil to exploit. "Taking each step well" includes how we should handle our every thought. Each of such seemingly "trivial" matters is our action in "validating the Fa." Everything we do will affect countless sentient beings and will be left as reference for future generations. Early on, whenever indications of something untoward surfaced, I inevitably became frightened. I would consider foremost how to prevent anything untoward from happening. Thus there was a lot of pressure. Now when I encounter such indications or experience the inevitable fear, my first reaction is thinking about how to use righteous thoughts to purge the attachment of fear, to totally reject the arrangement of persecution, and how to be "completely unperturbed." I believe this should be the correct response as we strive towards rationality.
2003-2-6
