(Minghui.org) Master Li published “Critical Times Reveal One’s Spiritual State” in response to what has happened in the media projects.
“Has it not occurred to you that this serves as a way to reveal, in the final hour, those who haven’t really practiced, who have been faking it, or who haven’t actually put their hearts into working on themselves? Has it not occurred to you that while lives are being saved at the end of days, there is also purification happening within our own Dafa community?” (Critical Times Reveal One’s Spiritual State)
Problems occurring in the cultivation environment and Dafa projects have reached an unprecedented level.
However, the problems that have emerged during this final period of history may be a critical moment for our disciples to reflect on our cultivation and truly walk the last stretch of the path well. I feel that some veteran cultivators have not developed the habit of looking within during their cultivation and don’t even understand the purpose of looking within. I will share some of my thoughts on this topic.
Master made it clear to us:
“For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (Fa Teaching Given at the 2009 Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference, Collected Teachings Given Around the WorldVolume IX)
Only when we look inward and cultivate well can we improve and pass the tests we encounter. Otherwise, if we can’t identify the problems in our cultivation, we will go around in circles with the same problem for many years. Some practitioners can’t look within when facing a major issue. Feeling that the problem is caused by evil persecution, they rely on sending righteous thoughts, which may not be effective.
I have observed that some veteran practitioners around me have this problem. My understanding is that when a cultivator encounters a tribulation, he definitely has a loophole in his cultivation, which the old forces will exploit.
When we are unaware of our attachments, they may grow stronger, become stubborn and tenacious, occupy our dimension, and interfere with our saving people.
If our dimensions are filled with righteous energy, evil dares not approach us, let alone persecute us. Cultivation is not just how many Dafa-related projects we have completed; it includes facing our fundamental attachments.
Some veteran practitioners enjoy sharing their experiences. They have done many things and have rich experiences and some influence. They talk about how capable they are and how they did things well. They hardly ever mention any mistakes or hiccups along the way, how they looked within and solved the problems, or explain how they cultivated through any difficulties.
Practitioners with solid cultivation can easily see a show-off mentality in such sharing, while others, instead, worship the speaker’s articulation, skills, power to control resources, and ability to coordinate. Those who came out of mainland China and still have Party culture will follow the trend and flatter such “capable” practitioners, which may form a thick field that is difficult to break.
It is good to do the Dafa projects well. But if we cannot truly elevate based on the Fa, problems will slowly arise, including stubborn ones. Years ago, I faced challenging hurdles and didn’t do well. Thankfully, some practitioners around me pointed out my problems bluntly and directly. They made me aware of my attachments and human heart and helped me face them in a practical way.
As a small project coordinator, I usually get things done. Recently, practitioners I trust and have worked closely with had serious cultivation problems. Even though I am not responsible for their mistakes, as a cultivator, I realized that there could be issues in my cultivation.
Master asked us to learn and cultivate together and make progress together. As a coordinator, the cooperation and interaction between practitioners are part of my cultivation. I should not feel complacent because the project went well, but I need to pay attention to others’ cultivation states and point out problems when I notice them.
Conversely, when problem surfaced, if one felt that one did not do anything wrong and refused to look within, or blamed it on the evil persecution, it could lead to more serious problems. I have come across heartbreaking situations and seen some coordinators, even young and capable ones, pass away. I tried to help such practitioners, but if they held onto their attachments, I could only helplessly watch as their situation became worse.
Some practitioners frequently share their cultivation experiences but don’t talk about looking inward. This phenomenon is common among coordinators. As coordinators, they might have things they don’t want to share, but they still need to look within. Not looking within is a sign that one has not entered the cultivation gate. If this continues, over time, one may go astray.
Simply exercising more and focusing on projects, but not looking inward, is very much like practicing in a minor cultivation way, relying on suffering to increase higher cultivation energy and grind away karma. This is not the major cultivation path that Master has given us to follow.
It is hard to eliminate karma if one holds onto one’s attachments. If one doesn’t look inward but has some abilities and skills or happens to be a coordinator, one may end up causing significant losses to a project. There have been times when a coordinator refused to admit his attachment, saying that he wanted to pass the test “with righteous thoughts.” Such cases can be quite difficult to resolve. The coordinators’ cultivation state is crucial to the cultivation environment and the project’s success.
What’s worse, some coordinators will respond harshly to those who point out their errors, which prevents practitioners from being honest and discussing their mistakes. Gradually, they’ll be surrounded by practitioners who flatter them, making it easy for evil to lead them astray.
When a person lets his shortcomings grow bigger and bigger, over time, that person will eventually be destroyed. This is the old universe’s characteristic of creation, stasis, degeneration, and destruction. Master asks us to look within—a characteristic of the new universe, which will always repair and renovate based on the Fa.
When problems or loopholes occur, a life that has assimilated to the Fa can discover them, remove them, and make up for their mistakes. If we do not let Dafa guide us and remove our attachments and problems, how can we enter Master’s new universe that is perfect and indestructible?
There is an adage that says, “He who knows others is smart, and he who knows himself is wise.” A person who knows himself well, controls his character flaws, acknowledges his limitations, and avoids his weaknesses, is considered wise. Ancient people seldom considered mastering a skill as a manifestation of wisdom and intelligence. Instead, they focused on the ability to recognize the character of others, distinguish between good and evil, and understand the law of the universe.
Master asks us to remove human thoughts and eliminate attachments, which can only be done if we look inward to find them. It is a difficult process that no one can immediately accomplish. Recognizing one’s shortcomings and attachments is a manifestation of a clear main consciousness. Without attachments, one can clearly discern right from wrong and righteous from evil. When one cultivates with a clear main consciousness, one can stop bad things as soon as they appear, even when they are subtle.
We all have different abilities, ages, and predestined relationships, but none of these represents the level of our cultivation. When we cultivate ourselves well, Master will bestow on us the ability to save people and fulfill our historic vows, which is an unprecedented honor.
Some practitioners appear to be good at looking inward. When they talk, every word they say is based on the Fa, and they easily acknowledge their shortcomings. However, they have mastered this superficial skill to cover up their fundamental attachments. This is a manifestation of being shrewd and cunning. They may fool themselves and some others, but not actual cultivators, divine beings, or Master.
We have been cultivating ourselves for decades, and faced with this harsh environment, we’ve all been through challenging situations. It would be so sad if we went through these ordeals but failed to pay attention to cultivating ourselves and, in the end, in God’s eyes, were still ordinary humans.
We must look inward at this historical juncture of our cultivation, no longer hold on to or indulge our attachments, and change ourselves fundamentally. Only by consistently looking inward can we become a true cultivator worthy of the title Dafa disciple.