(Clearwisdom.net) I remember that Teacher said,
"If a cultivator can let go of the thought of life and death under any circumstance, evil is sure to be afraid of him. If every student is able to do this, evil will of itself no longer exist. All of you are already aware of the principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition. If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist. This is not to be self-imposed, but is achieved by truly and calmly letting go of it." ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I have experienced such a situation. When I faced the evil directly, when the evil detained me illegally, my righteous thoughts were very strong. My determination to eliminate the evil was irresistible. But after I walked out openly and nobly, I lost my original determination (for a short while).
When looking for the causes, I found a very strong selfishness. When I was detained, my selfish side realized that my human interests in society were hurt. More importantly, my loss and gain in the future was also affected – if I did not do the three things well and missed the opportunity of the ages by walking the path arranged by the old forces, it would be a great regret impossible to make up for.
This same element was more or less mixed in with the process of my letting go of the thought of life and death, and of stopping the persecution. Although I had managed to let go of it before, I found that there was still some left. So when I came out of detention and faced the mission of eliminating the persecution, saving fellow practitioners, and saving sentient beings, my heart wasn’t as determined as before.
I think that we don’t have time to relax. We should let go of the thought of life and death under any circumstances, stop the persecution against Dafa, stop the evil’s persecution against fellow practitioners, disassemble the evil, and save sentient beings. Aren’t these more important things than stopping the persecution against myself? If this isn’t so, where have I placed the Fa?
In striving to do the three things well under any circumstances, if we don’t let go of the thought of life and death, we won’t be able to do it.
Looking within, I found that my self-preservation instinct was taking effect. I think this is one of the elements that formed the beings of the old cosmos. It is a fundamental attachment and a most basic interest of a being from the old cosmos. Now it is time to eliminate it. If this element within does not change, it will not be easy to nullify and eradicate outside interference on a fundamental level.
I remember Teacher’s lecture,
"If you, as a cultivator, only part with things superficially while deep down inside you still stick to something or cling to your own vital interests that you don’t allow to be undermined, I’d say to you that your cultivation is fake!" (Lecture at the First Conference in North America)
In the context of "letting go of the thought of life and death," as I understand it, letting go of that "thought" means not getting attached to all these things of the world, taking them less and less lightly, even not having that thought, and not having the concept of gain and loss. From the perspective of the Fa and all the sentient beings, there should be no concept of the self, and no concern for self-safety. As a divine being, there is no concept of gain or loss (it’s not a state of irrationality, but to not be attached to oneself, manifested in one's xinxing level, and to become selfless).
Realizing this, I feel that I am in a state of wonder, ease, and freedom. Oh, as a divine being in the new cosmos, my mental state should be like that! Teacher said, "But true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")
The concept of letting go of the thought of life and death also has the following meaning: Life and death are concepts of human beings, not of a divine being, who has already completely surpassed the state of birth, old age, illness and death. On the path of transforming from a human to a heavenly being, we must let go of life and death. Teacher said, "If you can let go of life and death, you’re a God; if you can’t let go of life and death, you’re a human." (Lectures in the United States – Teaching the Fa in New York City) Teacher also said, "If a cultivator can truly let go of [the fear of] death, then that death will forever be far removed from you." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 International Fa Conference in New York") Only as divine beings can we break through the current tribulation. Only when we become gods who let go of the thought of life and death at any time, can we possess such strong righteous thoughts and great divine power.
Looking at it from another angle, letting go of life and death brings safety. Teacher said,
"When you conduct yourselves righteously Master can do anything for you. If your righteous thoughts are truly strong, if you’re able to put aside the thought of life and death, and if you’re solid and unshakable like diamond, then those evil beings won’t dare to touch you." ("Touring North America to Teach the Fa")
The principles of Dafa cultivation completely surpass human notions. As we all know, through cultivation, many cancer patients have fully recovered. Many people survived serious car accidents. Why? How? It is because cultivators are looked after by Teacher, as well as divine beings. This persecution is not a persecution of humans against humans. The fundamental reason is that the old forces, dark minions, and rotten demons manipulate and control wicked men from other dimensions. Human beings only see what is in the human dimension, but the fundamental reason is not in the human realm. Therefore, when we attempt to stop the persecution by the old forces, simply adopting human methods and a human mindset cannot solve the problem. Dafa practitioners are divine beings, who are in the state of gods, with gods’ mindset.
As a divine being in the Fa, in order to reach the standard of gods, the thought of life and death has to be put down sooner or later. Didn’t we all possess the heavenly courage to come down to the earth initially? If all of us are able to "let go of the thought of life and death under any circumstance," in every thought and idea, in every word and action, in anything we encounter in cultivation, what a state of godhood that would be! When we face conflicts, no matter how serious or insignificant our attachment, if we face it and eliminate it with the same determination as letting go of life and death, will that attachment be able to stay? To eliminate an attachment in such a state, one’s level will advance quickly. The evil won’t have any loopholes to take advantage of. Doing well with the three things will be a swift forward movement.
The above is only my own understanding. If there is anything inappropriate, please kindly point it out.
