PureInsight | April 1, 2002
3. Worship of Tools Leads to Turning the Sacred into Tools
Turning the sacred into tools means to consider even gods and Buddhas as tools. This is a great sin and very wicked. In ancient times, respecting gods and heaven was of utmost importance. Humans worshipped gods and Buddhas out of respect and as a part of cultivation. Even cultivators were also revered. Today, however, it is not out of respect that people worship gods and Buddhas, but as a means to obtain protection, to gain promotions, to become wealthy, to cure illnesses, to prevent disasters, or to have sons. In such a way, many false gods and Buddhas came into being. The temples are thus full of foxes, weasels, ghosts and snakes. “Seeing that the human mind is not righteous, demons have come out of their caves one after another to bring trouble and chaos to the human world. Seeing that the human mind is not righteous, gods and Buddhas have left their posts and abandoned the temples one after another.”(From “For Whom Do You Practice Cultivation?” in Essentials for Further Advancement) Many shrines, temples and churches have been converted into tourist attractions for financial gain. Gods' and Buddhas' names are commercialised and used as company titles, brand names, and descriptions of menu items. Portraits of gods and Buddhas are made into commercial works of art, ornaments, advertising gimmicks, to the extent of being left beside the cash register in restaurants. They are found in cemeteries and even engraved on urns bearing the ashes of the deceased. Some people will utter the names of gods and Buddhas carelessly and indiscriminately. Many people go to church merely as a form of social activity.
The cultivation community has been transformed into a tool and become everyday people's religious community. There are very few people in the religions who are truly interested in cultivation. Religions were originally organized by humans, but they have now become an institution and a political tool in the everyday person's world. When Sakyamuni, Lao Zi and Jesus spread their teachings, they never launched a religion. Gods and Buddhas have never recognized religions, but cared only about the human heart. The Vatican has even accepted that humans evolved from apes and have forsaken their own Lord. “Many monks and nuns are upholding religions, rather than upholding gods and Buddhas. Their minds aren’t on cultivation practice but are entirely on preserving the formalities of religion, and this attachment has created a serious obstacle. Also, some people think that beyond the religious forms there is no Buddha Fa, but only wicked practices and crooked ways. This is one of the biggest factors that seriously obstructs them from obtaining the Fa.” (Lecture at the Conference in Switzerland) Those monks and nuns consider religion as work and a tool for seeking fame and self-interest. Some of them are just “modernized scholars of Buddhism,” “They merely study it on a theoretical level, regarding it as something that falls within the domain of philosophy for critical studies and so-called research.” (Zhuan Falun) Some have become politicians. Some within religious circles even involve themselves in religious revolutions, reformations, and deviant primeval religions. There are also some who initiate new religions, generating phony religions and cults. “There are also some religions that talk especially about doomsday and particularly focus on these things. These are one-hundred percent evil religions. They cause social turmoil and are irresponsible to society.” (Falun Buddha Fa Lecture at the Conference in Europe) Some monks and nuns and lay Buddhists write books to indiscriminately interpret the Sutras. Under false pretenses of printing the Sutra, renovating temples and churches, and performing consecration rituals and other religious activities, they obtain tainted wealth. Some treat religion as a political tool. “Someone even maintains that the religion should meet the demand of the present society and wants to change the spirit of the religion. Buddha Law is the cosmic principle which is like the unchangeable and indestructible diamond. He intends to let Buddha Law adapt itself to the morally degenerate mankind instead of asking people to act in accordance with Buddha Law so as to rise again. You can imagine how much karma he has made. A myriad of demons have come to the world to disrupt the Law and the human society. Mankind have no Xin Fa to govern themselves, nor have they moral standards to conduct themselves. Abetted by the myriad demons, they will commit all manner of crimes. The morality and criteria have been slipping down at the highest speed.” (From “Mankind in the Ending Period of Catastrophe” in Zhuan Falun Volume Two.) Sham qigong masters also treat qigong as a tool and technique in the everyday person's world, including stealing qi, collecting qi and outpatient qigong service. They set up qigong hospitals and recuperative institutions. They randomly publish and teach methods of fake qigong healing, bogus qigong as well as bigu (ancient term for abstinence from food and water), double cultivation of a man and woman, and other uncommon practices to cheat and swindle people. Some even have the vain hope of using Dafa and criminally steal from the Fa for evil ends. Religious and qigong groups are among those persecuting Dafa. Some religious and qigong members vigorously spearhead what ordinary groups of wicked people cannot achieve.
In fact, ideas can also serve as a tool. It can be said that it is a tool that surrounds one’s body. When humans fall from a higher level, it is due to carrying too much of such things, weighing us down more and more, and eventually depositing us here. Human logic has reached such an extent that it recognizes nothing else except Western materialistic science. Beside tools there is nothing else in this world. It is an extreme form of ignorance and has become an exceedingly snobbish, deviated 'sacred' tool mentality. This 'sacred' tool enables the one wielding power to attain a god-like post, but this god-like post is only a means to confound others for a position to earn a living. The person wielding such power also becomes a tool. Such people, because of their desire to prevent others from recognizing, understanding, and assimilating into Dafa, have set up severe barriers to prevent people from placing themselves correctly in the Fa rectification period and aligning themselves with the Lord of Buddhas, Dafa and Dafa practitioners. They have chosen to persecute Dafa and those who echo the same sentiments. They have the audacity to wantonly defame, vilify and ridicule our Teacher, Dafa, and its practitioners. Actually, to view gods as everyday people do or to adopt a corrupt attitude towards the gods leads to sinful ideologies. To make tools out of gods is even worse.
Some people cannot 'recognize the Fa in a positive way,' while others do not believe that the Fa has no organization and no religious rituals. What is more, they do not even believe that there is any form in the everyday person's world that fits or is worthy of Dafa. In reference to the April 25 incident, they have immersed themselves in the urge to use the 'they are organized” argument to conceal the truth and frame Dafa. Some people feel that the suppression of Falun Gong is only a bit 'over-zealous,' that is, using the wrong tool, but they do not see the essence of the intention of launching an evil attack against the righteous Fa. Some who have obtained the Fa do not understand the miracle of 'the Fa cultivating a person,' the exceptional 'understanding of Fa from within the Fa,” the 'assimilation into the Fa,” and to be 'in harmony with the Fa.' That is a result of the shadow cast by the 'sacred' notions that are embedded in their minds. Becoming Dafa practitioners while attached to the yearnings of human life, some will not let go of their fundamental attachments. Some continue to seek or show off supernormal abilities, while others view Dafa as a qigong for curing illnesses and developing a healthy body. This is related to turning the sacred into tools, for these people see Dafa and supernormal abilities as tools for achieving their goals in ordinary society. The worst thing to happen is to have demonic interference from one's own mind. Concerning those who have been 'transformed,' it is because once they are arrested, intimidated (some are beaten until they cannot think straight anymore) and coaxed with sentimentality, their hearts, seeking comfort and ease, became aroused, and they have come to regard Dafa as a tool that they can do without.
4. Worship of Tools Lures People Into Losing Control and Sliding into Moral Decay
The 'progress' of society, as seen through the improvement of tools, is made at the expense of human traditional morality. The ongoing accumulation of tools and wealth are proceeding simultaneously along with the degradation of morality. On these grounds, some people assert that the sacrifice of morality as a cost of progress is an inevitable necessity. This is another example of faulty logic based on false impressions. These impressions are indeed created by tools. “The reality known by human beings is an illusion created by their ignorant view of history’s development and by the empirical sciences.” (Remaking Mankind) “But on the other hand, this science is not advanced. Its development is limited to only the boundaries of the present dimension. It’s incapable of proving the existence of gods. Neither does it know retribution when one does wrong. It will brand you superstitious if you speak of gods’ existence. If you say that a person is met with retribution if he does bad things, that a person is rewarded if he does good, and that a person has to cherish virtue to be a good person, science will declare your words heretical and wicked. In fact, this science is attacking humans’ best side: their innate quality of being truly kind-hearted. It doesn’t tell people to cherish virtue, nor does it tell people to be kind (Shan). It encourages people to unleash all of their desires, which destroy the environment for humankind’s existence as well as the innate nature and standards of humankind.” (“Falun Buddha Fa: Lecture at the Conference in Europe”) “Matter and mind are one thing.” (Zhuan Falun) One’s abilities, lifespan and blessings are decided by virtue. Therefore one must value virtue and regard virtue as the starting point. The essence of tool worship is to assault 'virtue,' the most basic of human nature, with that tool. Together with tangible 'tool groups,' many disciplines are established. Theoretically, it separates matter and mind, further separating mind into 'consciousness' and 'cognition,” and separating disciplines into natural sciences, social sciences and philosophy. Morality is categorized as a small part within consciousness, placing it as a category in social science and philosophy. It becomes one subject among hundreds. This is, in fact, not scientific at all, as other subjects cannot be placed on the same level as morality. It is the tactic of a “sea of learning,” demoting morality and burying it. In reality, they emphasize tools, methodology, skills, the use of talents to fight for position, and striving to achieve effectiveness and material benefits. They openly split virtue and talent, elevating talent as foremost and deeming virtue as secondary or irrelevant. They criticize virtue at every turn. In reality, they want to substitute talent for virtue and lower the value of virtue in people’s eyes, trying to suppress and dispel it. The talent to fight and struggle while breaking away from virtue or lacking completely in virtue has lost its soul, reason and proper direction. It can only be considered a deviant and corrupted talent.
Abandoning the restraint brought about by virtue and turning to worshipping tools as 'gods' brings immense problems. The ideas of worshipping tools and social Darwinism, utilitarianism, materialism, a welfare state, indulgence in creature comforts are notions against virtue and rationality. They are no more than code words disguised to deceive. Just take a look, 'principle of material gain' becomes 'articles of faith'; 'actual strength theory' becomes 'generally accepted truth'; 'philosophy of struggle' becomes a religious doctrine (twisted logic of mutual promotion and restraint: restraining goodness and promoting evil, discarding mediation and harmonious settlements); 'laggards will be thrashed' becomes law (never bothering to get to the bottom of the matter or finding out the real cause of the lagging behaviour); 'preposterous notions' become 'true teachings'; 'shameless and virtueless teaching' becomes a hot topic; 'end justifies the means' is touted as wisdom gained through experience (by whatever means necessary one must succeed and no failure is allowed, 'all is fair in war' types of politics and using military tactics as a way of presenting these ideas); 'a good person is bullied, a good horse ridden on' becomes 'advice from the heart'. Indeed, “ ‘if a person is not after self interest, heaven and earth will kill him’ -- this has already become a motto!” (Zhuan Falun) Such notions, having been engendered, signify that people have embraced the disintegration of the restraints set forth by moral standards and the corruption of moral virtues. This trap is like allowing an ironsmith to forge his own shackles: let people construct their own 'jungle of tools' to create a false appearance of established facts, luring them to conform deeply and become engrossed in the golden chains of the notion of 'tool worship.' This leads the person by invisible hands to the entrance of the slide, letting him accept the deceit as if he truly understood what is happening. With such acceptance, one feels extremely comfortable. In taking this backward step, the person feels particularly advanced. When the person is entrapped in such a way, he gradually lets go of the original self-restraint and begins to look inwards no longer, and will proceed to seek and fight for external gains. One will then no longer take into account the norms of moral standards, and in the end he will allow the accumulation of virtue be viewed as an absurd consideration of 'superstition.'
Some people say, 'Are we not enjoying ourselves nowadays! Most of us are enjoying life better than the former landlords and capitalists, for much of what we have were not seen even by the emperors.' They are not actually living a better life. Humans do not live only this life, and each of our blessings is fixed. If we overuse them we will be in deficit, and our downfall will be tragic. “As gods see it, however, excessive ease and comfort for humans are not good things. They increase karma and lead karma to accumulate. And without clearing karmic debts, a person will eventually go to hell. Even his life will be annihilated. In the old days, you Westerners also knew of this principle, and elderly people also understood the principle: To endure a bit of hardship is all right and not a bad thing, as it’s a good thing to temper oneself in a difficult environment. They all understood this.” “A person eliminates karma when enduring hardship. Only when karma is removed will a person gain true happiness—happiness free of karma—in his next life. If you want to practice cultivation, karmic debts will be transformed into gong as they’re cleared up and you will return to your heavenly paradise.” (“Lecture at the Conference in Europe”). Furthermore, with more money we accumulate more things. However, when we were born, we came with nothing, and when we die, we take nothing with us. Therefore, this is not necessarily being fortunate. More importantly, to be human is full of hardships, and humans originally had a better way of life. “One should return to one’s original, true self; this is the real purpose of being human.” (Zhuan Falun) However, much of people’s precious virtue has been exchanged for money and tools, which is actually a great pity. If other peoples' interests are damaged in the process, karma is accumulated and virtue is lost. Creating and propagating too many tools will also cause one to accumulate karma and lose virtue, sowing the seeds for future disaster.
To lose the restraint of personal integrity is to lose control of the downward slide of moral standards. Everyone is unknowingly keeping pace with the tide of society. Looking back, we all realize that this society has gone awry. The sayings 'sacrifice oneself to seek the Fa' and 'hearing of the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening' are truly understood by only a few. When the accumulation of virtue is discussed nowadays, no one is interested in listening. They even ridicule it as being too foolish, ignorant, or superstitious. Some would even ask, 'How much per jin (half a kilogram)?' Humans are extremely puzzled by “crisis of faith and belief.” That is because tool worship has very seriously damaged the concept of morality. Some have even spoken out, saying that “we all know that Falun Dafa is good and all Dafa practitioners are good people,” but to protect their jobs, they satisfy the demands of government officials and follow their orders. Some leaders are more straightforward, “We will not discuss other things, and you must appreciate the difficulties of the leaders. Do not create any incidents; otherwise we will lose our official posts.” “This is because the extent to which today's people believe in gods is very limited, the minimal level of morality acceptable to them is also very low, and even when they know perfectly well that something is bad, they still do it. “ (From “Fa-Lecture at the Florida Conference in the US”)
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/2/9/13708.html
