PureInsight | January 20, 2003
{PureInsight.org} I am a mathematician by profession. Therefore, I can truly relate to Dan Yang's thoughts on modern logic in the article titled "Imperfections in Human Logic Promote Crisis in the Mathematical Sciences." [1] I would also like to share my understanding on the subject.
It's been widely known that many mathematicians share a common characteristic: a sharp, organized and detail-oriented way of thinking. They are very serious about their work and pay attention to the small details. Compared to people in other walks of life, mathematicians appear to be inflexible and rigid. Their mechanical way of thinking often leads them to extremes. In addition, mathematicians are more inclined to measure everything with so-called logic. As a result, many Dafa practitioners who are mathematicians sometimes unconsciously measure Dafa using logic. Sometimes they hold onto an everyday person's notion and are unwilling to purge it. When one is trapped in so-called logical thinking, it might be very difficult for one to see one's flaws, thus making it difficult to purge them.
In my opinion, mathematics has the biggest influence on the deviation of humankind. As one of the cornerstones of modern science, its deviated nature not only lies in the fact that it promotes the development of other types of science. More importantly, it confines man within the narrow world of logic, which makes man seal himself off. Everyday people hinder themselves from obtaining Dafa when they apply their own human "logic" and manage to find "inconsistencies" within Dafa.
Although I was able to overcome this test after a great deal of difficulty, for a very long time I did not know what was wrong with my logical thinking. So for a long period of time, I was not able to fully discard my own "logical" notions and put myself completely into the hands of Dafa.
Let me offer a good example of how mathematics affected my understanding of the Fa. From the perspective of cause and effect, an attachment to fear will lead a Dafa practitioner to renounce the Fa. However, countless examples have proven such logic to be false. Many fellow practitioners fear for their lives. Despite that, they still manage to overcome everything and maintain a steadfast belief in Dafa. An everyday person cannot explain their faith with conventional logic because cultivation practice surpasses all this. Dafa practitioners' display of faith in Dafa is a specific phenomenon of cultivation.
Modern mathematics can be summarized as a set of reasoning. In the world of mathematics, one can create different dimensions, and other entities, and then make logical deductions within them. If a mathematical theory passes reality tests, mathematicians will accept the theory and then add it to their set.
On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong with this process of verification. After all, no mathematician has claimed his mathematical theory to be an absolute truth. All existing mathematical theorems were the products of the axiom system and the reasoning rules, and the axiom system is subject to modification with new scientific discoveries.
Then what makes it become warped? That can only be seen during our own process of cultivation. Mathematical logic drives people into a mechanical way of thinking. In mathematics, a theory must pass all conditions to be proven true. The logic process of "all possible situations" is really the process of expecting and preparing for all possible scenarios that might happen. It has become a fixed mode of thinking, which creates obstacles for our cultivation.
I was always imagining potential tribulations that might happen to me. The attachment to the mathematical notion of logic then indeed brought me tribulations and became tests that hindered me from moving forward on the path of Fa-rectification.
Teacher said in "Expounding on the Fa," "You should also be clear that 'natural' does not exist, and 'the inevitable' has reasons behind it. In fact, 'natural' is irresponsibly used by everyday people to make excuses for themselves when they are unable to explain the phenomena of the universe, life, and matter. They cannot imagine what 'nature' itself is. Under the influence of this kind of notion you think that all these tribulations are inevitable and that this is just the way it is, thereby developing a passive and pessimistic attitude." (From Essentials For Further Advancement)
It is my understanding that if I expected all possible situations to happen, I would be acknowledging the fact that all types of tribulations and evil interferences might happen, instead of thinking what should happen based on the Fa. I might then very well fall into the traps of the "old forces," and acknowledge their arrangements.
After I saw my attachment to the notion of logic and released myself from it, I felt that I had moved a giant step forward in my cultivation, which reinforced my faith in Dafa even more. I also realized that we should have "blind," or illogical, steadfast faith, in Dafa. That is because only through our steadfast belief in Dafa can we free ourselves from all kinds of human notions and human thinking, and begin to evaluate everything with the Fa.
Reference:
[1] "Imperfections in Human Logic Promote Crisis in the Mathematical Sciences" http://www.pureinsight.org/pi/articles/2002/12/30/1289.html
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/12/21/19715.html
