PureInsight | January 10, 2005
[PureInsight.org] Clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to the people in Manhattan and assisting Teacher with the Fa-rectification is an important part of our cultivation practice in the Fa-rectification period. I deeply believe that all the evils in other dimensions shall be thoroughly eliminated. For those of us Falun Gong practitioners who have come to live in Manhattan temporarily to help with the truth-clarification work, we now have a precious opportunity to wander around among everyday people in Manhattan the way professional cultivators of the past, including monks and nuns, were required to do in order to temper their xinxing (moral character). It is a precious opportunity for us to eliminate our last attachments while eradicating the residual evils in other dimensions in order to fulfill our prehistoric grand pledge.
Eliminate My Fundamental Attachments through My Cultivation Practice in the Fa-Rectification Period
When I heard Teacher say that all the evil outside of China has gathered in Manhattan, I immediately decided to go to Manhattan to help with the efforts to clarify the truth there. On the same day I made the decision, I was told that I had to move out of my place. At first, I decided to finish the move before leaving for New York. But many things came up at the last minute and prevented me from moving to a new home. I eventually realized that they were interfering with my plan to travel to Manhattan. So I decided to move into my new home before all the repairs needed were done. Finally, I left Toronto for New York on August 5, 2004.
The evil beings in other dimensions had moved all of their forces to Manhattan. When we first arrived at Manhattan, the clouds above the Manhattan sky were darker and thicker than elsewhere. Ghastly clouds often haunted the sky above Manhattan. Many Falun Gong practitioners who came to Manhattan clearly sensed that there were fierce battles between the good and the evil in other dimensions of the universe. At first, a lot of the residents in Manhattan were indifferent to our cause and often knocked the truth-clarification material from our hands. If we were slightly off balance, we were knocked down to the ground as well. Some of us were affected by the evil gathering above the Manhattan sky in some other ways, such as experiencing physical discomfort and strong mood swings. Those demonic interference made our truth-clarification more challenging.
Some fellow practitioners who were still struggling with their personal cultivation practice were overcome by the interference and could not focus well on our efforts in Manhattan. Then we concluded that it was imperative that we steer ourselves to the main direction of cultivating ourselves through the truth-clarification work so that we could become impervious to all kinds of interference from the surface in. It was also crucial for us to study the Fa well every day. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to be clearheaded and distinguish the truth from the illusions, which would directly interfere with our truth-clarification work in Manhattan. Every minute and second in Manhattan is an opportunity for cultivation practice. If we cherish these precious opportunities, we can't begin to imagine how much we could advance in terms of our understanding of the Fa
It wasn't until I had physically come to Manhattan that I realized the meaning of assisting Teacher with the truth-clarification work here. Helping to eliminate the evils in other dimension is only one purpose of our work here. More importantly, through conducting cultivation in Manhattan, we will be able to recognize our fundamental attachments that have not been exposed in the past and eliminate them in order to advance ourselves to higher realms of cultivation.
Since the truth-clarification work in Manhattan commenced in August, Teacher published four new articles in a row in which he pointed out the common problems among practitioners. It is my personal understanding that Teacher requires us to let go of human attachments and save the world's people, remain clearheaded and rational, and reinforce our righteous thoughts. He hopes that we will be able enhance our understanding of the Fa instead of still looking at the Fa with human thoughts. Every personal attachment will become an excuse for evil's exploitation. We must be responsible for all of our actions and for the truth-clarification work in Manhattan.
Cultivation practice through Fa-rectification work and personal cultivation practice complement each other. In my opinion, it is not that we don't need to cultivate ourselves when doing Fa-rectification work; it is more like we must always first consider what the Fa-rectification requires of us. In terms of personal cultivation practice, Falun Gong practitioners outside of China face a completely different environment from those inside of China. In Mainland China, the Chinese police are always crouching in the dark, ready to leap out any minute and pounce on the practitioners in China as soon as practitioners develop a loophole in their cultivation practice. Consequently, fellow practitioners in Mainland China tend to be stricter with their personal cultivation practice. As for Falun Gong practitioners outside of China where the environment is less dangerous, we are often stuck with our personal attachments and fail to prioritize the Fa-rectification over our personal attachments. When we are met with demonic tribulations, we are often reluctant to let go of our personal attachments. We all know that we ought to let go of our attachments, but we could feel and see nothing but our own miseries when we actually encounter tribulations. But when we take a stride forward and think of nothing but the need of the Fa-rectification, our personal attachments can no longer form any obstacles to us. Like a formidable flood that takes away all the dirt and mud, the force of the Fa-rectification will naturally take away our human attachments when we throw ourselves into the force of the Fa-rectification. When we look back at our attachments that have been swept away, we would be astonished at how easily they have disappeared.
The countless layers of humanness within us that had formed throughout the numerous rounds of reincarnation, as well as our personal lifestyle, personality and hobbies in this life, are the very attachments that obstruct us from reaching godhood.
Take me for an example. I have very stubborn attachments to my lifestyle and personal hygiene. I enjoy peace and quietness. At the end of a busy day, I insist on spending some quality time with myself at home. My home is where I set my last boundary. Anyone who steps into my home must respect my lifestyle and habits in his speeches and actions; otherwise, I will feel upset or offended. This is the reason why I don't like anyone paying an unsolicited visit and why I don't like anyone interfering with my life. I am also very sensitive to odors. I cannot stand the foul smells from cultivators as their bodies go through the cleansing stage. I am even sensitive enough to tell which odor comes from which attachment or karma. As a result, I try my best to avoid being with those fellow practitioners with such odors. I avoid visiting fellow practitioners at their homes, riding in their cars and sharing food with them. I feel that they leave their odor in everything they touch.
Because of economic reasons, living in Manhattan requires me to share housing with a dozen fellow practitioners. Each week my existing roommates were replaced with a new group of fellow practitioners once or twice. Because I have decided to stay in Manhattan for a few months and because I am a coordinator, I could see a huge tribulation coming to me. I had expected this tribulation as soon as I decided to come to Manhattan. At first, I asked myself if it would be possible for me to share so much personal space with so many fellow practitioners. Then I became clearheaded that I must think of the need of the Fa-rectification first before I think of my own need, so I left for Manhattan before coming up with a solution.
It happens that our landlord is also a Falun Gong practitioner. When we first arrived, she invited me to stay at her home. It was a perfect way to avoid sharing housing with so many fellow practitioners. A few days later, I felt I should not have avoided my attachment, so I moved back in and lived with my fellow practitioners. Even a married couple each has their personal space during the day, but we were together 24 hours a day. It was truly a challenge. Strangely, I didn't feel as upset about living with fellow practitioners as I had expected. Time flew. I didn't have any conflict or disagreement with fellow practitioners. When we dined together, I was no longer offended by their noises of chewing food and I was no longer disgusted with it when those with body odors extended their arms in front of me to reach food. In the past, I would absolutely refuse to compromise my requirements of good table manners and personal hygiene, but I have very easily overcome my most stubborn attachments while assisting Teacher with the Fa-rectification in Manhattan. I was in awe by the power of the Fa and deeply touched by Teacher's great efforts. I realized that Teacher has been meticulously compassionate towards us. I made a pledge in my heart, "If I didn't try my best in the cultivation, I would be in tremendous debts to Teacher and would be wasting this opportunity that comes only once in eternity.
Every fellow practitioner is like a mirror that reflects myself. We are exchanging our cultivation experiences and enhancing each other's cultivation practice without using any word. We are manifesting the extraordinary glory of the Fa as we elevate to a higher realm of cultivation and as we suffocate the evils in other dimensions. Assisting Teacher with the Fa-rectification in Manhattan allows us to learn to cherish everything and everyone, to tolerate others, and to become more mature.
(To Be Continued…)
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2004/11/24/30035.html
