February 23, 2003

(Clearwisdom.net) What are the old cosmic forces? The Fa-rectification is unprecedented, and has no similar example to follow in the history of the cosmos. Master calls them old cosmic forces, so they certainly are, since a single thought of the great enlightened being who creates the cosmos is the criterion for measuring everything in the cosmos.

In learning from Zhuan Falun, I feel that the old cosmic forces are similar to the heavenly demons that Master lectured about, and their biggest distinguishing feature is that they stubbornly stick to their own views, do not let go of the old cosmic principles they have acknowledged and are reluctant to assimilate themselves to the requirements of the new cosmos.

I indeed have a lot of areas that need to be corrected during cultivation. What was deemed a great virtue in the past now becomes the biggest obstacle. When I consider habits like sticking to the rules and being uncompromising, as well as qualities that I refused to consider as positive in the past, it has often made me think twice.

For example, some of our fellow Dafa practitioners were unhappy with their marriages, and some even want to divorce so that they would be free to marry someone sharing the same aspirations. It is not difficult to find that among these practitioners there still remains some stubborn nature, reflected as their failure to let the predestined relationship follow its natural course.

Our Dafa practitioners should be the good people, cultivating in an upright and dignified way. In China, people are told by Confucianism to "know the predestined life arrangement and respect gods." Those who fight against their predestined life arrangements are the least wise from the perspective of cultivators. How could one wait for one's next life to settle the gratitude and resentment that one got from the previous life? Those who do not cultivate may consider themselves perfect, while cultivators, on the other hand, try to search internally to discover their shortcomings, since whenever practitioners find themselves in conflict, there is the need for practitioners to improve.

As an example, practitioners A and B held different views on how to do certain Dafa work. Practitioner A thought that practitioner B was too radical in his approach, while practitioner B believed that practitioner A was too conservative in his Dafa work. Practitioner B thought that he should hold to his own views, so a divergence occurred. In fact, would it be better if this conflict could be utilized to eliminate practitioner B's mentality of "sticking to his own views" and his mentality of "always thinking that he himself is right," so that practitioner B could take a big step forward in his cultivation? When we stick to our own views with great emotion, it is more likely that we have become less and less rational.

Many of the disputes among fellow Dafa practitioners are not very rational. Sometimes when there have been long disputes, one was talking about one aspect of a matter, while the other was emphasizing another aspect of it. While we dispute, we are probably expanding this type of attachment that we inherit from the old forces. It is because of this stubbornness that the old forces are hindering Fa-rectification. Hasn't Master repeatedly told us that one genuinely gains when one gives things up? If all of us can step back and think from the other's perspective, we perhaps can find the most comprehensive and rational answer.

This is my personal understanding, and please kindly point out anything improper.