(Minghui.org) There have been several alarming issues in our local area recently. I am sharing my discussion with some local practitioners, so that we can all improve.
From June 2014 to June 2016, in our local area, including both Xian'an District, Xianning City, Hubei Province and the Wenquan Region which is part of Xian'an that hosts the Xianning municipal government, 22 practitioners have been arrested, ten have fallen sick, and five have passed away within a few days after being sick.
After police harassed some practitioners at home, some of them left their homes to go into hiding. On top of all this, the local government published six types of materials to slander Falun Dafa.
We felt that these issues did not come about accidentally. They indicated that some practitioners do not have a good understanding of the Fa-rectification’s progress. Even at this final stage, they do not have a sense of urgency and slack off in Fa-study, their own cultivation, and in their determination to save sentient beings. This gives the old forces excuses to create trouble and negatively affect the general public.
Some practitioners are late to group Fa-study or leave early. When reading the Fa, some practitioners omit words, add words, or don't know where other practitioners are in the reading. Some fall asleep.
At home, some don't study the Fa regularly, with the excuse that they don’t have time or the environment is too noisy.
One practitioner once hosted a group Fa-study at her home. After she started to babysit her great-grand-child at home, she stopped the group Fa-study. She focused on babysitting and had no time to study the Fa and do the exercises on her own. A month later, she became ill and was hospitalized. She passed away a few days later.
Teacher has repeatedly told us to concentrate on studying the Fa well. We all know that there are numerous Buddha, Tao, and gods behind each character in Zhuan Falun. If we focus ourselves to truly study the Fa, not only will our bodies experience dramatic changes, our attachments and human notions will also be eliminated. If we slack off, other beings might come to control us and block us from cultivating.
Teacher said,
“You aren’t cultivating if you let yourself slack off. Thought-karma’s interference with humans is extremely severe. When a person’s thought-karma is strong, it can even disturb him to the extent that he can’t practice anymore. Read the book more—the Fa is in the book, and everything I can use to help you is in the Fa—so that your karma can be eliminated.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore”)
Some practitioners were not able to get rid of their everyday people's attachments and human notions for a long period. Now the tribulations have grown large.
Some have reached retirement age, but are still keen to make more money even though they are well off financially. Some are attached to taking classes for the elderly, doing homework, and creating work exhibits.
Some are attached to their families and have moved to stay with their children in other cities where they don't have Dafa books or a cultivation environment. Some worry about their health and continue physical therapy while doing Dafa exercises. Some are hooked on WeChat, a mobile phone app, and waste a lot of time on it. Still others like to take naps or long periods of bed rest.
These interferences show there are gaps in our cultivation. It can bring tribulations to us—illness, arrest, police harassment, death, or even enlightenment down an evil path.
Teacher has stressed the seriousness of cultivation many times. Cultivation is to get rid of the human heart, our pursuits, and bad notions so that we can gradually meet Dafa's requirements at different levels. If we keep our attachments, how can we fulfill our vows or reach consummation? Will Master give the new universe to us, then?
Teacher said,
“In our cultivation we need to meet the requirements of a given realm in order to reach that realm. Otherwise you can’t go there. That’s why in our cultivation human attachments have to be discarded, why karma has to be eliminated, why the requirements of the Fa have to be met, and why I ask you to read the book a lot and understand the Fa well.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Switzerland”)
Since some practitioners are not in a good cultivation situation, they haven't put their heart into clarifying the truth (telling people about Falun Dafa and exposing the persecution). The mission and responsibility of Dafa disciples during the Fa-rectification period is to save people, but they forget that.
One Fa-study group had six practitioners. Only two go out to tell people about Falun Dafa frequently and one has never done it.
Some practitioners do talk to people, but take it as a task to check off their list. After talking to a few people, they return home.
Some elderly practitioners have strong suspicions that they have been monitored. They worry about this even when studying the Fa or doing the exercises. They do not talk to people.
Others feel that they are not good at talking with people, so they just delay doing it.
Teacher said,
“You once signed a contract with me when you came to this world, vowing to save those sentient beings. You could then become a Dafa disciple, and you could then do this thing. But you did not fulfill it. You did not completely fulfill your vow, and you cannot even save those beings allotted to you, those you undertook to save, behind whom are countless sentient beings and gigantic groups of beings. What is that?! Is that simply just a matter of not cultivating diligently? That is an extremely serious crime! An unparalleled crime!” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)
We know that traditional Chinese culture was prepared for people so they could understand the Fa that Teacher is teaching today and the old forces created the Communist Party's culture (Party Culture) to make it harder for people.
As Dafa practitioners, we have also been affected by the Party culture. It is a big obstacle for us to understand Dafa or assimilate to Dafa.
The material that slanders Dafa in our local area is a manifestation of the old forces that uses Party culture to poison people. On a deeper level, it shows that we practitioners still haven't gotten rid of the Party culture in ourselves yet.
Teacher said,
“Even for those who can continue their cultivation, it remains to be seen whether you can succeed and also if you are determined to cultivate.” (Lecture Two, “The Issue of Pursuit,” Zhuan Falun)
I realized that only having the wish to cultivate is not enough. We must be determined to be diligent and not retreat. This way we can always use the Fa to measure ourselves, become a true cultivator, then succeed in our cultivation and complete our mission.
Fellow practitioners, let us all have a strong determination and fix our gaps!
Please point out my gaps in understanding.