PureInsight | August 20, 2001
Many factors cause delusion in human society: eyes that cannot see other spaces, fate, virtue and karma that results from one's actions, the absence of essential principles, etc. These are very important reasons for the delusion.
Just because of that, human beings are not satisfied with superficial knowledge. They do not give up earnestly seeking for truth and justice, which was called seeking the Dao [the way] in ancient times. They know that the Buddha Fa [law] reveals the most profound principles; it exceeds superficial observation and painstaking thinking.
Ancient books about cultivation, however, are very disordered and confused. Their theories are quite different and become more and more obscure with the passing of time. There seems to be a diversity of theories, but actually they differ from righteous to evil. Nowadays, in this world filled with diversity, it is more and more difficult for a human being to have a good grasp of truth and justice.
Since a human being's eyes and thoughts are not reliable, and ancient wisdom has already waned long ago, how can we overcome delusion? Are we getting more and more bewildered because of our materialistic development?
The stronger a human being's desire, the easier it is for him to be blocked and deceived, which is the meaning of "wisdom is obscured by profit." Human beings are pursuing freedom, development, and progress through material things; the satisfaction of desires is substituted for the goal of "seeking the Dao." Seeking the Dao has become "culture" and something for academic research (though there are no profound meanings behind those boring and complicated academic terms).
Nevertheless, some external surface factors help to promote this incorrect tendency and create the illusion that history is constantly making progress. Today's science, which was brought by aliens, plays this role. A human being is lost in the midst of materialistic development and his spirit has become so decadent and vacuous that he can not sense this delusion. Ancient thinking is reproached as superstition.
There exists a principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition in human society. But some very abnormal phenomena come about when this principle manifests itself. In several political movements in China, it was the kind-hearted, honest people who were frightened and beaten, because evil is rampant. Morality was seriously injured in this process because people lost confidence in truth and justice.
Thus, many of the factors which create delusion are abnormal and unreasonable, such as deficiencies in the original culture, the alien science, decadent morals, and the deviation from historical principles. All of these abnormal factors have some direct relationship to the divergence of human society away from the nature of the universe. Everyone plays a role in this process.
People also feel that something is wrong and are thus dissatisfied (though they cannot think about it thoroughly or clearly). As a matter of fact, human beings have been lost in delusion for a long time, which is related to many complex factors. Even the past history is a mistake.
Nowadays, as the great Fa [law or principle] of the universe spreads widely in human society, all the deviant, abnormal factors will be corrected. But many deviant factors swerve from the nature of the universe and block and destroy the process of Fa rectification. Evil forces deceive people about the great Fa using the delusion of human society. In this way, many living beings do not have correct thoughts about the great Fa; they do not believe the true facts of the Fa rectification.
The great Fa can reveal all delusion. If one can see the truth that the great Fa passes through the mists brought by the development of history, one would keep a very clear mind in this critical historical period.
Among the new human beings of the future, the standard of the nature of the universe for human beings will be firmly established, human moral standards will recover to the state of their original nature, their culture and morality will last forever, and human beings will have the ability to control different spaces; they will no longer be deluded by human society.
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/sci/sci/home/newscontent.asp?ID=11255