PureInsight | February 23, 2004
[PureInsight.org] Many legends depict the true history of the Cosmos. The ancient tale, Monkey King,
for instance, vividly describes the cultivation process of a Buddhist
monk and his three disciples on their way to India to get Buddhist
scriptures [1]. What was described in Creation of the Gods (a classical Chinese myth), actually happened in history [2]. The opening narration in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
says it well, "History became legend; legend became myth." I believe
that the pre-historic wars between good and evil portrayed in the
movies must have something to do with today's Fa-rectification [3]. It
cannot be a coincidence that the Lord of the Rings trilogy books and movies are made available in this period of human history.
I
often wonder how I can make it easier for ordinary people to understand
cultivation. Perhaps movies and television are the answer. A good movie
can explain to people of different intelligence levels, many profound
truths about cultivation, and guide people towards the path of
cultivation in a very natural way. Teacher said:
So in
the future it's quite likely that there will be no such form as
religion. Perhaps the textbooks that mankind studies in the future will
have elements of the Fa permeating them, and perhaps those who can do
well, or do even better, in their activities in society will be the
same as cultivating.
(From "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003")
I am not saying that we should start using the Lord of the Rings
trilogy to guide our cultivation. I am merely pointing out the fact
that since ordinary people are bound to follow cosmic changes, it seems
that the success of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy must also be a manifestation of the cosmic climate.
I
believe that in the future, Dafa practitioners will be able to make
even greater movies to guide the people of the world. Of course I am
not recommending the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy to fellow practitioners. Everyday we're already reading Zhuan Falun,
the best book in the human world and the book of Heaven. What's the
point of reading or watching other things? On the other hand,
experience sharing between cultivators complements our Fa study.
Sometimes Falun Dafa students can attain a new understanding on the Fa
via exchanging cultivation experiences that they hadn't attained when
reading Dafa books alone . I was inspired about cultivation when I
watched the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Yet, most importantly, I feel that the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is helpful in guiding and inspiring ordinary people, especially today's Chinese people. Perhaps the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy will be a timely reminder for them to position themselves well in the current war between good and evil.
The Lord of the Rings
trilogy describes mankind's history of an ancient age. Maybe it's the
Third or Fourth Solar Era that the ancient Mayans referred to.
(According to Mayan prophecies, we're currently in the end of the Fifth
Solar Era.) The stories in the Lord of the Rings trilogy
take place during a time when mankind, elves and many other forms of
lives co-existed on Earth. The Dark Lord Sauron forged a Master Ring to
control all other rings. And into this ring he pours his cruelty, his
malice, and his will to dominate all lives. "One Ring to Rule Them
All." As long as the Dark Lord Sauron possesses the Ring of Power, he
is invincible. Isildur, the king of Gondor, or the kingdom of the race
of men, seized the Ring from Sauron with the help of warrior elves.
Isildur had a chance to destroy the Ring; however, the heart of man is
easily corrupted. Isildur kept the Ring for himself, and because the
Ring survived, the evil forces of Sauron survived, too. At the
beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, Sauron's power
was growing strong. He sought to repossess the Ring to rule Middle
Earth. Thus the story revolves around this Ring, as well as deadly
battles to seize and use or destroy the Ring.
Before I watched the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, I didn't have a good understanding of the Kings and Lords that Teacher talked about. After watching the Lord of the Rings
movie trilogy, I am more aware of the important responsibilities we
must bear. Take a king in the human world for example. His heart
directly affects the prosperity or decline of his entire country, as
well as the survival of his people. Like the little Hobbits in Lord of the Rings,
who shape the future of mankind, we are shouldering a responsibility
that is far greater than we can possibly imagine. What should we do
about our responsibility? The little Hobbit Frodo Baggins choose to
forge ahead with courage, and even his fellow Hobbit Pippin matured and
also realized that man must be determined in fighting the war against
the Dark Lord Sauron, for the survival of the human race. There is a
Chinese saying, "When Heaven sends great missions to the chosen ones,
it must first make them suffer and endure physical as well as mental
hardships." How else could they become a God or a Lord worthy of the
admiration of the people?
Another lesson I took from the story is the spirit of fellowship. In the Chinese novel Monkey King,
Sun Wukong stands out for his greater abilities, but the foursome keeps
bickering amongst themselves during their journey to acquire the
Buddhist sutras. In Lord of the Rings, the spirit of
unity and cooperation is a main theme. No one stands out as the only
hero in the story. Instead, everyone is a hero and everyone makes
important contributions to complete their shared task. This reminds me
of the cooperation between fellow Dafa practitioners. As cultivators of
the Universe's Great Fa, shouldn't we do even better than they?
As
a woman, I don't usually watch war movies. Also, as my Celestial Eye is
locked, I don't have a sense of how severe and fierce the battles
between good and evil are in other dimensions. While watching the Lord of the Rings
movie trilogy, I truly felt the rampage of the evil, and thus started
to reinforce my determination to eliminate the evil. I also began to
better understand the need to completely eliminate the evil. For
example, the Master Ring made by the Dark Lord Sauron contains evil in
itself, and must be destroyed or it will only harm all lives. I think
the same principle applies to our Fa-rectification cultivation when it
comes to annihilating the evil.
Notes:
[1] Monkey King: Also known as Journey to the West,
it is one of the most popular Chinese novels, telling the adventures of
a Buddhist monk and his three disciples on their way to India to
acquire Buddhist scriptures.
[2] Creation of the Gods: Also known as Canonization of the Gods, it is the most popular and best-written Chinese classics of mythical literature.
[3] Fa: Law and principles in the Buddha School.
Translated from
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2004/1/21/25462.html
