(Minghui.org) The phrase “Let go of life and death” comes from the community of cultivators, not from human society. “Reaching consummation” is also a phrase from cultivation. Cultivators can truly discuss the issue of life and death from a different perspective than non-practitioners.

Dafa practitioners all know where people come from before birth and where they go after death. In the past, Chinese people referred to childbirth as “descending,” indicating that human lives come from higher levels down to the human realm. Some descended on his or her own and came on a mission; others descended because they no longer met the requirements of their level.

Life and death belong to the human realm. Being unafraid of death is not the same as letting go of the attachment to life and death. From a cultivator's perspective, letting go of the attachment to life and death is not giving up one's body; rather, it requires cultivators to give up all attachments.

Practitioners painstakingly cultivate for a long time to gradually reach the realm of letting go of the attachment to life and death, cleansing oneself in Dafa, eliminating karma, gradually elevating spiritually and physically, and gradually regarding life and death with less concern, until free of the circle of reincarnation and cultivating to a higher realm.

“Give up the butcher knife and become a Buddha instantly.” That saying is not correct, as one can't become Buddha while carrying karma and attachments. That saying is meant to persuade people to give up their evil ways and allow their Buddha-nature to guide them. If human beings who don't fear death could become Buddhas, then even outlaws could become Buddhas. Cultivation is not that simple.

When one has attachments, loopholes, and is unable to reach the realm of letting go of life and death, it is because he or she is still cultivating. Even though one may have a loophole, one is still cultivating and rectifying oneself in Dafa, and the old forces' interference is then a crime against Dafa. Even those who passed away before their time are still different from non-practitioners. Dafa practitioners walk the path toward divinity; even when they depart early, they will still be a divine being of the new cosmos. This is Master's compassion and Dafa's power.

Several practitioners have passed away recently, causing a negative impact on the community of cultivators. One practitioner in his 70s stated that no one in his family lived past their 70s, and he was afraid that he wouldn't live past 80. Some said that his family had a hereditary disease and worried that he had it as well, others that departing was normal for someone of such an advanced age. Age has nothing to do with departing early; the fundamental issue is the attachment. You have to look at the overall state of a being; the cultivated side is very youthful looking, so you can't use human notions to limit perception. Practitioners run into trouble because the old forces can take advantage of their notions.

Master taught us the Fa regarding consummation, but some practitioners' understandings are deviated and extreme, and they then develop a new attachment. They think that, since we will reach consummation sooner or later, they no longer focus on studying the Fa and improving xinxing, and view doing things as cultivation and run into trouble just the same.

Those practitioners may reach consummation at different levels, but they'll have many regrets.

Master stated:

“That is why it's said that always cultivating as if you were just starting will surely result in achieving your ultimate rank.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference”)

During the first scene in the 2013 Shen Yun Performing Arts show, deities from different realms are shown giving up their sacred status and following Master – without a second thought or fear - down layer by layer to the perilous three realms and filthy human dimension. I understood from this scene that Master is reminding us that we previously gave up the issue of life and death and came down here. He is also encouraging us to behave like before, absolutely believe in Master and the Fa, and facilitate Fa rectification without the attachment to life and death - we will then surely reach consummation.