PureInsight | August 19, 2010
[PureInsight.org] While talking with a practitioner several years ago, I said that in order to continually cultivate, I would give up my everyday job and not yield to sentimentality toward family members who tried to convince me not to quit my job. Still, I was abducted [by agents of the CCP]. Practitioner A said, “That [tribulation] was because you just want to reach consummation.” Those words stuck with me, showing me my attachment to self. Yes, I was thinking of my own consummation and placed myself first. I had not met the requirements of a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple. For more than 10 years, I was trapped at the level of personal cultivation and even considered it to be correct.
Master said; “When divine beings in the cosmos saw that during the cosmos's process of rise and decline it was progressing toward the last stage of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction, they found it horrifying. No one wanted to be destroyed, and everyone wanted to save himself. In order to save themselves they would have had to save the entire cosmos, and yet, after exhausting all their ideas, the beings still couldn't achieve their goal, particularly because the ideas that the beings came up with and the things that they did at that time couldn't be considered good. No matter how high a being was, he couldn't be considered completely perfect or completely good. That's why they couldn't achieve their goal.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference”)
Comparing my deeply rooted thoughts of reaching consummation with the above words, “No one wanted to be destroyed, and everyone wanted to save himself,” they are essentially the same. No matter how far you reach under this circumstance, it is still within the realm of the old cosmos. Our descending to this human world is not merely for returning, but to assist Master with Fa-rectification and creating a future of the utmost wonderfulness. Thinking in this context, our own consummation and levels are unimportant. Thinking this way, I seemed to be able to comprehend the manifestation of my historic vow at certain levels, that is, to sacrifice everything to assist Master with Fa-rectification on behalf of sentient beings. Were we merely to return and reach consummation, we would not need such a long journey. Now, I am able to link myself to my prehistoric vow.
Then I began to rethink my previous thoughts of overcoming tribulations using the standard of gods. Doing that is still restricting us to the old cosmos. In other words, we are still attached to selfishness and attached to tribulations that were set up by the old forces. I realized as Dafa disciples, our understanding should exceed the level of the old cosmos, even the most microscopic elements. While opposing all interference towards Fa-rectification, we are validating the wisdom and standard of the new cosmos. We Dafa disciples are one harmonized body. No matter if helping other practitioners break though sickness karma, or overcoming interference of doing the three things, we should negate the old forces existence and tests by rectifying ourselves in this process. For example, I recently felt pain in my waist. It was so severe that I could not even walk normally. Thinking of the Fa from Master, I sent forth a strong righteous thought: “If this is interference from the old forces to stop me from doing the three things, I will eliminate it completely. I know if it is a tribulation arranged by Master, it should not affect my doing the three things.” At the same time, I also examined myself to check if any attachments had surfaced. I was picky about food and wouldn’t eat whatever was available. There were incidents in the cafeteria that gave me hints. I tended to enjoy sleep and often got annoyed when interrupted, such as when the phone rang. I also liked to question or take over conversations. In addition, there were times that I did not completely fulfill my responsibility at my job. Thinking about these, I decided to let go of my attachment to food, eat whatever was available and not waste any. I would remain calm in the face of sudden criticism, respond to demands or complaints with a smile and get up early for exercises rather than indulge in sleep. Two days later, I was able to walk normally. I felt the pain was outside of my body and unable to enter.
Since the requirements for gods in the old cosmos are no longer applicable to us, what are our standards then? My understanding is that we should function like particles and play our roles wherever needed. Therefore, practitioners from our group Fa-study sites went to the evil's den and sat in the burning sun to send forth righteous thoughts. We went without lunch and grabbed snacks and went to a practitioner's place to help them overcome sickness karma. We were very determined. Old forces are not qualified to persecute practitioners since practitioners rectify themselves by following the Fa. It took me nine years to move forward from personal cultivation to become a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple. Master said in Zhuan Falun, “He was also constantly improving himself during the forty-nine years of his Dharma teaching. Whenever he upgraded himself to a higher level, he looked back and realized that the Dharma he just taught was all wrong. When he made progress again, he discovered that the Dharma he just taught was wrong again. After he made further progress, he realized again that the Dharma he just taught was wrong. He constantly made such progress during his entire forty-nine years. Whenever he reached a higher level, he would discover that the Dharma he taught in the past was at a very low level in its understanding.” We should each function as a particle to harmonize the whole body.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2010/8/1/67643.html
