(Clearwisdom.net) We know from Master's Fa lectures that in the past it was always the Assistant Consciousness that was cultivating and obtaining gong. Therefore, past cultivation practices were not direct and were merely used to establish a cultivation culture. People never succeeded in cultivation themselves, and never transcended the Three Realms in the past; only their Assistant Spirits became enlightened. “Levitating in broad daylight” was a phenomenon within the Three Realms used to establish a culture of cultivation practice, paving the way for today's dissemination of Dafa. In Dafa, we cultivate the Main Consciousness. Having the Main Consciousness cultivate and obtain gong is the form of cultivation that Master created for Fa-rectification of the universe and for beings in the new universe. Only by following the form of cultivation that Master has created for us can we achieve enlightenment within the standard of the new universe.

In the section “Whoever Practices Cultivation Will Attain Gong” in Zhuan Falun, Master said: “The issue of who practices gong and who attains gong is a very important one.” Master also said, “Your Main Consciousness Should Predominate” (Zhuan Falun).

Falun Dafa cultivates the Main Consciousness, and so we ourselves acquire gong. This fundamental issue should not be neglected. I am bringing up this basic topic because I have noticed some common and persistent problems among practitioners: dozing off or looking around while doing the exercises, falling into a daze while sending forth righteous thoughts and causing hand postures to deviate from the correct position, and lacking attention during Fa study and making the same errors even after repeated corrections. These problems are all manifestations of the Main Consciousness being weak. If the Main Consciousness is not strong, one is vulnerable to interference by thought karma or dominance by the Assistant Spirit. It is very dangerous in the long run if one does not recognize and correct this problem.

Cultivation is both serious and extremely arduous. Every Dafa disciple must truly take charge of himself or herself. One must seriously look at his or her state of cultivation, and cultivate with a clear mind and in an upright, dignified manner. However, after so many years, some practitioners still seem to be indifferent to this fundamental issue, or at least are not paying sufficient attention to it. Our Main Consciousness is assimilated to Dafa and it is our true self, while being inattentive, being sleepy, being in a daze and having wandering thoughts are all caused by karma, especially thought karma. These states are meant to interfere with our righteous thoughts. If we accept them as part of ourselves, or even overlook or indulge them, we will be strengthening them. Over time, it will eventually be too late for any remedy.

There was a fellow practitioner who was very sure-footed in Dafa and very conscientious in truth-clarification and passing out literature. Fellow practitioners around him all regarded him as a diligent Dafa disciple, but there was one problem: He was always dozing off during Fa study, and his hands would fall when sending forth righteous thoughts. This lasted for several years. He was reminded of this problem many times. Sometimes he would deny that it ever happened. Even when he did acknowledge it, he could not find the reasons for it. Others helped him to look for the reasons, but he would invariably deny each one. Gradually, his condition worsened. He started to lose his eyesight. Later on, he suffered from incontinence, and his eyesight drastically worsened. He passed away in the end. A few days before he passed away, some practitioners went to his home to study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts with him. They discussed with him his situation based on Fa principles. However, his Main Consciousness was already very weak, and he could not take charge of himself. Through his family members, we also learned that he had dozed off while practicing the exercises and when sending forth righteous thoughts. It looked as if he was studying the Fa for a long time, but his Main Consciousness was in a daze as he dozed off. For a long time, because his Main Consciousness was not strong, he could not do the three things well. This is such a painful and bitter lesson!