PureInsight | February 10, 2003
From One Particle to All Others
[PureInsight.org] I have not written down my experiences for publication for quite some time. I would like to begin again, and share some of my experiences and insights about the importance of doing so.
Master said: "You can use the seminar form to have everyone communicate with one another, and you may discuss and share things with one another. We require that you do it this way." ("How Should Falun Dafa Practitioners Spread the Practice?" Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun). "It is necessary for disciples to share with one another what they have experienced and learned in their cultivation. There is no problem with them helping one another make progress together, so long as they don't have any intention of showing themselves off" ("The Fa Conference," Essentials for Further Advancement).
Briefly, in the past I had strong attachments to showing off and often wrote articles in a manner that was admonishing, self-righteous, or indicated that I thought I was correct somehow. I have found a root of that, which was that I valued what I understood in cultivation too highly, having a high opinion of myself and of what I understood, and that I was right and others were wrong if they did not see things in the same way. This was reflected in my articles, I believe. When my articles were published on Dafa websites or I shared them in Fa conferences, my attachments were fuelled and I failed to look inwards in a timely manner. After a while, no more articles of mine were published. Still failing to realize my problems, I went to the other extreme and simply stopped writing them, which I think has brought some losses to Dafa.
As of late, there have been several notices from the Falun Dafa Associations, and even from the Dafa website editors, encouraging fellow practitioners to record some experiences or understandings. The fact that there have been repeated requests makes me feel that we as practitioners have still not awakened to deeper significance of our experience-sharing during the Fa-rectification period. I would like to humbly share some points on this issue.
Our experiences are also "creating history for the future" and saving sentient beings.
I think that it is not only Dafa disciples' righteous thoughts and righteous actions during this period that leave a record in other dimensions at this time, but also our written experiences that leave a record at different levels. During this period of time, what we write may encourage other practitioners to step forward further, help those who have gone astray to return to a righteous path, help non-practitioners understand us better, frighten and eliminate the evil, provide perspectives that may even help beings at different levels who are interfering with Fa-rectification to change their minds and cease their self-destruction. Simply put, no matter which way one puts it, our sharing experiences is also saving sentient beings.
Also, for future people and future cultivators of the next step, what we have recorded and left for them in material form in this world may help people to obtain the Fa, to have help in their cultivation, and to see the magnificence of Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples.
Never sharing experiences is essentially selfish or with attachment.
Sometimes we do not feel that we have done well, or feel that our experiences are nothing special, and not worth mentioning. Or, our attachments of shyness or negative self-image may be used to hinder our sharing. Sometimes we have even been deceived by evil, have done things unworthy of Dafa disciples, and have trouble feeling worthy of the title "Dafa disciple". So we may keep quiet, listen to others, and "quietly cultivate ourselves."
But perhaps we do not consider others at those moments, but are in fact mired in selfishness. I have seen that often as soon as one practitioner mentions something, even if it looks trivial on the surface, all of a sudden one or more other practitioners seem immediately to realize something and then share it. (Of course, we should not be attached to saying what we want to right away and consider others first, letting them finish their sharing before we interject.) I have found that, often, when a fellow practitioner shares or inadvertently reveals a shortcoming, if my first thoughts are positive and kind, then I will tell them encouraging words, as opposed to my past way of directly and strongly telling them how they were wrong. The positive approach and heart really is powerful and often dissolves the problem immediately.
Writing down our experiences, even if we never publish them or show others, is also a good way to reflect on our cultivation progress and gain insights; it is also a form of looking inwards. Oftentimes I cannot resolve something by merely reflecting on it, and when I write about it, it becomes clearer.
We are all Dafa disciples, worthy of salvation, and future Great Gods.
Sometimes the self-negative mentality mentioned above arises, wherein we doubt ourselves or our abilities, supernormal and/or worldly, or dwell too long on regrets. In this state, we may not share something or bring up an issue with others out of human attachments of shame, because we do not want to trouble them with "our problems" or because of any number of other reasons.
I think that all these are in fact interference aimed at preventing our unifying into an indestructible whole body. Teacher said:
"This is because you are very different from any cultivation method in the past and from the cultivators in the past, for your missions are great. The Fa of the cosmos is being taught here—who would come to listen to the Fa? And what would those beings who would listen to the Fa do? All these things have greater significance. I've said that Dafa disciples are magnificent. In fact, the responsibilities you shoulder are quite large." (Touring North America to Teach the Fa)
If you are a Falun Dafa practitioner, then this includes you! Teacher also said "Dafa disciples are magnificent, because what you are cultivating is the ultimate Great Fa of the cosmos, because you have validated Dafa with righteous thoughts, and because you have not fallen during the massive tribulation." (The Disciples' Magnificence) This includes you! And I!
And we really are to be that magnificent; furthermore, even now, I think that Dafa disciples have already cultivated to very high levels. It's just that it may not show too much on the surface.
Break through the interference; help one another.
Recently, after going through some of the types of interference listed above, I realized that the fundamental way to pass through was to completely deny all the old forces' arrangements displayed there. But how? After sending righteous thoughts, studying the Fa with a calm mind, and looking inside, I realized that the fundamental issue was that I lacked faith in Teacher and Dafa. I put myself outside of Dafa when I let those kinds of negative thoughts and states exist. I did not treat myself as a disciple, still less as a particle of Dafa.
Master told us that "No matter how the evil persecutes, what awaits Dafa disciples is still Consummation" (Look at Things with Righteous Thoughts). He also said, "The evil has exhausted its tricks, and the Dafa disciples have matured through the tempering. We're not afraid of any other tricks it might use." (Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.)
If we are still afraid, then perhaps we doubt the Fa. If we don't believe in our ability to complete cultivation, then maybe we don't really believe that Master can save us. But truly, those thoughts are not really us, so we need to recognize and eliminate them. And we cannot let any of those notions prevent us from sharing experiences. Sharing experiences can help everyone's cultivation, including our own, and it, too is a part of denying the old forces' arrangements.
Recently a certain practitioner, who lives near our city but is isolated, had severe evil interference in the "illness-karma" form. S/he was pushed to the edge of giving up the practice because of the interference. This is a veteran practitioner who works hard and quietly for Dafa. Finally, that practitioner wrote to us all and asked for help to break through it, pouring out his/her heart and not fearing anything (such as being judged or looked down upon). Fellow disciples across the country sent forth righteous thoughts to destroy the evil, and a few of us went to visit that practitioner, to share experiences and send righteous thoughts. The improvement was dramatic and rapid and broke through the evil's "weeding out practitioners."
This example shows how sharing can be sometimes critical in ensuring that we all move forwards together. I hope more of us can overcome interfering obstacles and share experiences, through email, over the phone, in group study, at Fa-conferences, and, quite importantly, here on our Dafa websites.
The above are merely some of my thoughts at my present level. Please kindly point out anything incorrect. And I look forward to further sharing from all of you on this and other important subjects!
