PureInsight | September 9, 2002
Before July 20, 1999, Teacher had pushed the disciples to their highest positions, which are also the realms where their main consciousnesses were created. In all cultivation systems of the past, a cultivator's returning to his or her original realm marked the end of his or her cultivation. But the main difference between Fa-rectification cultivation and cultivation in the past is that Fa-rectification disciples' main goal is not personal consummation, but assisting the Teacher with Fa-rectification and saving all sentient beings. We can only accomplish this goal by studying the Fa well, sending forth righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth. Thus, we must be critically aware who is studying the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts and who is clarifying the truth. Since Teacher has taught the Fa to our main consciousness, then it has to be our main consciousness studying the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth.
Teacher tells us that our main consciousness is our true self. It is a god with boundless glory, but a god cannot save sentient beings using his or her original appearance. It is up to the people in the maze to become enlightened on their own. This is a principle of the universe. Teacher wants to save all beings in the universe, so he has to have a human body in this world and uses human language to explain the principles of the Fa. The way Teacher also arranged things for us is to cultivate and become enlightened in this maze. With enlightenment, we can assist Teacher in Fa-rectification. This is the cultivation state that Teacher has arranged for us, as Teacher is enabling us to reach full consummation during the Fa-rectification process. We are not only helping to offer salvation to all the beings in our cosmic systems, but also assisting Teacher in saving beings in other cosmic systems where their lords and kings are in this human world.
Because we are in a maze, limited by this human body, interfered with by beings in our cosmic systems that have not been harmonized by the Fa, and because we are in this overwhelmingly evil field, our main consciousness is often lost, or becomes confused by the evil or our attachments. We often forget to study the Fa, forget to send forth righteous thoughts, or forget to clarify the truth. When we are studying the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts, or clarifying the truth, we often get distracted, tired, emotional, fearful, unrighteous, uncompassionate and impolite. Are these the states that our main consciousness should be in? This only happens when our main consciousness is lost or confused by the evil or by our own attachments.
As I understand it, the level of our main consciousness is already at the highest point of our original realm. However, the "main body" of the main consciousness is at the lowest point of the universe, which is the flesh body in this human world. This is unique to Dafa practitioners. The Fa of the universe is being taught here, the main body of the Lord Buddha is here doing Fa-rectification, and the main body of Dafa disciples is also here assisting the Lord Buddha with Fa-rectification. As Master Li tells us, between the highest place and the human world are many layers of universes with many layers of beings. The beings we offer salvation to are in the cosmic system that corresponds to our body. They actually are in the layers of universes that lie between our main consciousness and the flesh body. Teacher is rectifying us from the origin of our lives, which is also where our main consciousness is, and moving towards the surface level. Lives in the microscopic universes that are under our main consciousness have already been rectified. Changes are occurring closer and closer to the surface. Actually what we are offering salvation to now are beings in the surface of the universe. They are also large groups of beings. The rectification of all beings relies on the cultivation of the human body controlled by the main consciousness. To use an analogy, our flesh body is a carrier/vehicle, our environment is a channel for our return, and Dafa is the boat that will take us back home.
Since this flesh body alone doesn't constitute a life, it appears quite clumsy. All spiritual beings can control it. Because this flesh body can be cultivated into Buddhas, Taos, and Gods, all spiritual beings want to control it, too. Precisely because our flesh body can be interfered by all kinds of spiritual beings, we must have a firm mind to strengthen our main consciousness. This flesh body belongs to our main consciousness. It was created and formed for Fa-rectification, and needs to be fully utilized in Fa-rectification, too. All the spiritual beings that are trying to control this flesh body are interfering and causing damage. They must be cleared away by the main consciousness. Actually, external evil forces can only use the unrighteous factors in our own bodies to control this flesh body. The evil uses this excuse to take advantage of our attachments to conduct so called "tests" for practitioners.
Because our cultivated side is quickly separated from the human world, the uncultivated side can only rely on the main consciousness to continue cultivating and harmonizing with Dafa. When we feel that our state is very good, it is when our just-cultivated side hasn't yet been separated. That state is a demonstration of a godly state, and the human side (uncultivated site) is suppressed. When the cultivated side is separated, it appears that we are no longer that good. This is why sometimes our cultivation state is good, and other times not so good.
This state is most likely for the main consciousness to get lost and is most likely to be taken advantaged by attachments and the evil. Many times when we don't do well or when we even enlighten along an evil path, it's because our main consciousness was not clear and we forgot that we are Dafa practitioners; or although we clearly know we are Dafa practitioners, our main consciousness does not want to control this body anymore, so attachments and evil takes over. Based on my personal experience, I think that being able to realize clearly that we are Dafa practitioners, in other words, controlling everything with our main consciousness at all times, is the foundation for our righteous thoughts and righteous actions. If we can't do this, we may be heading toward wrongful enlightenment and destruction.
Precisely because our main consciousness clearly knows we are Dafa practitioners are we able to further know what Dafa practitioners should and should not do. Master said, "We have said that good or evil comes from a person's spontaneous thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences" (From Upgrading Xinxing in Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun). This thought is the main consciousness' righteous thought, which enables us to calm down to study the Fa, send righteous thoughts and clarify the truth.
A clear main consciousness enables us to distinguish between what is truly us and what is not. Master said, "In fact, other than a person's innate purity and innocence, all notions are acquired postnatally and are not a person's actual self." "In dealing with relevant, important matters, if a life can really assess things without any preconceived notions, then this person is truly able to take charge of himself. This clear-headedness is wisdom, and it is different from what average people call "intelligence" ("For Whom do You Exist?" in Essentials For Further Advancement).
On the path of cultivation, my state swung between good and bad and sometimes I even had very bad thoughts. Sometimes I felt indifferent and lost toward cultivation and I even doubted Dafa and Master. At this time, I felt really difficult and painful. Every time I am in such a state, I would ask myself: Who am I? Then, I found myself: I am a Dafa practitioner! This thought impels me to study the Fa. When I am showered with the light of Fa, I feel so stable, composed and harmonious. All of my doubts and unrighteous thoughts disappeared, as if I had shed a shell.
I know that when I can distinguish between what is really me and what is not, Master would eliminate those bad notions for me, and my level would then elevate. However, when I can't distinguish between what is really me and what is not, it's actually my main consciousness being muddle-headed and taking post-natal notions as myself. If I want those notions, they would have a reason to exist. "A human being is responsible for whatever he wants; this is the principle of the cosmos."
"Cultivation depends on oneself and gong depends on the master" (Zhuan Falun). The self is main consciousness and the main consciousness is connected to countless beings in the cosmos. When we can truly calm down and study the Fa, our main consciousness is clear and the sentient beings in our universe system will be able, initiated by our main consciousness, to continuously assimilate to Dafa. When we can't study Dafa with a calm mind, when we are actually being driven by postnatally conceived notions and our main consciousness is lost, then the sentient beings in our universe system would lose the opportunity to assimilate to Dafa.
Master said, "I've often said that you need to study the Fa well. Whenever I've met with students at Fa conferences or in other settings, I've always said that you must make Fa-study a priority, and that no matter how busy you are you have to study the Fa. At that time I couldn't tell you things at a level this profound, and I couldn't reveal this. But after this tribulation you're now able to understand the Fa more deeply, and you've become more mature in your cultivation and in validating the Fa. Today I can tell you this: your cultivation is absolutely not a personal, simple matter of reaching Consummation—your cultivation is saving the countless sentient beings in the cosmic body that corresponds to you and who've put infinite hope in you. The cultivation of you all is saving the sentient beings in every single gigantic cosmic colossal firmament."
"Why do I say that Dafa disciples are different from the cultivators of the past? I say that Dafa disciples are magnificent, but only if you've cultivated really well is your Consummation truly magnificent. A Dafa disciple's Consummation isn't just about an ordinary being breaking out of the Three Realms. Think about it, when you cultivate well few beings in the gigantic cosmos turn bad and few of them get weeded out. And when you return, they will truly regard you as their Lord, their King, and have boundless reverence for you, because you saved them, you sacrificed for them, and you gave them everything they have. But if you don't cultivate well, many beings will be weeded out since we can't not weed out beings who are no longer salvageable. Why is that? During this persecution, beings in different dimensions are all playing a role, whether they're good beings or bad beings. The bad beings are interfering with the Fa-rectification, persecuting our students, and at the same time they're interfering with you. So you must eliminate them with utter seriousness. If you don't cultivate well, many beings will be weeded out, and when you reach Consummation, when you return to your place, you'll find that an extremely large number of beings who at one time put infinite hope in you have been weeded out. Then in this cosmic colossal firmament, it's very possible that the cosmic bodies you represent will be in a broken and incomplete state, and countless sentient beings will have been weeded out." (From North American Lecture Tour, 2002)
Whether or not our main consciousness is awake and clear directly determines the power of our sending forth righteous thoughts. When our main consciousness is clear, we can send forth pure righteous thoughts. When seen from other dimensions, what was sent forth was the shining image of our brainwaves and it will immediately connect with the righteous elements of the cosmos; thus equipped, with the mighty power of Dafa, it will eliminate evils and "make them disappear like ashes and smoke in the twinkling of an eye." When the thoughts I sent forth were not righteous, the image of my brainwave that was sent forth was black, and it was immediately absorbed by the evil. It not only could not eliminate the evil, instead my thoughts strengthened the evil, because the evil elements are always connected. Those sentient beings in the system of my universe that have been Fa-rectified will only listen to the calls of righteous thoughts and not the dispatch of evil.
We are sending forth righteous thoughts among humans. Everything in humans will interfere. It is not that they do this on purpose, it is determined in their realms that they would do it instinctively. We are sending forth righteous thoughts through the brain of our flesh body. This flesh body is also in the same realm. It is controlled by the preordained fate of birth, old age, illness and death, therefore when we send forth righteous thoughts, we would feel fatigue, pain, numb and itchy. When our righteous thoughts are very strong, we would supply righteous energy to our flesh body, in fact it is because we mobilized the righteous elements in our brain which connected with the righteous whole of the cosmos, at this time the brain would become exceptionally clear and sharp, and the righteous thoughts could penetrate the universe in our realm, layer upon layer, and mobilize all the sentient beings in the layer upon layer of universes to participate, eliminating evil using righteous thoughts. In the mean time, the evil is also layer upon layer, when we eliminate the layer upon layer of evil, the righteous elements corresponding to the layer upon layer of evil would be released and become Fa-rectified beings. Therefore, eliminating evil with righteous thoughts is indeed saving sentient beings mercifully.
It is through the brain of our flesh bodies that the righteous thoughts were delivered to the sentient beings in our universe's systems. Because the bad thoughts, karma and notions are in league with the external evil, they would instinctively interfere with the brain of our flesh body and stop the righteous thoughts of our main consciousness from being sent forth. The reason Teacher told us to eliminate the bad thoughts, karma, bad notions and external interference in our minds before sending forth righteous thoughts is to tell us to use our main consciousness to control the brain and enable the righteous thoughts of our main consciousness to mobilize layer upon layer of righteous beings in our body to eliminate evil without obstacles.
Teacher said, "…Your enlightened, original nature will automatically know what to do. …"(From "Expounding on the Fa" in Essentials for Further Advancement). As I understand it, the enlightened nature refer to the rectified beings with the main consciousness being the main body, so all the rectified beings are affected by the main consciousness, when main consciousness is very strong, the enlightened beings can do things as they will, and this is what Teachers refers to as "wisdom". When the main consciousness is not so strong, the enlightened beings can't do anything, despite their really wanting to help, because, the old cosmos's Fa-principles would rise up to block it.
Our clarifying the truth is in fact using our wisdom to mobilize human's righteous elements, especially the righteous elements toward Dafa. Wisdom comes from the powerful nature of compassion and kindness. It does not need the so-called "smarts" from everyday people's logical thoughts. When our main consciousness is very strong, we would generate the heart of compassion, and our words would be equipped with the power of Dafa, which could penetrate human's heart and activate the human's main consciousness. In fact, when the righteous thoughts toward Dafa emerge in a human, actually the main consciousness is activated, and his congenital benevolent nature is exposed, and at this time other beings could not control him. Today's human in the Dharma-ending period has a lot of evil elements, and all the evil in the tens of millions layers of the universe that were pressed into the Three Realms by the old force form a field with the evil in the human's body, they almost buried the human's righteous elements. Especially the overwhelming slanderous propaganda by the political scoundrels has strengthened the evil elements of human, and the righteous elements in human cannot be emitted. Therefore, to clarify truth at this time, it is especially needed to use original wisdom, and find the breaking point of the righteous elements of the human, and strengthen his righteous thoughts in a from-points-to-a-plane fashion.
Teacher has told us, "It's hard to save people nowadays. You have to explain things to them by following the logic of their attachments. For the sake of saving them, don't create any obstacles for them."(North America Lecture Tour, 2002) As I understand it, attachments actually are all kinds of strange things. Although some of the attachments are not against Dafa, there might exist channels leading to the direction of the human's righteous thoughts. Following the logic of the attachments is not to recognize the attachments; instead, it is utilizing the attachments to open a path for his/her righteous thoughts, and the key is that we need to use the wisdom of our main consciousness to open this path.
Then, what kind of attachments can be utilized to open a path for righteous thoughts? In fact, everything that a human being is proud of and pays special attention to might all become an opening for his/her righteous thoughts. The things that people are proud of are something humans rely heavily on, and that is the symbol of human's dignity and "face;" those things paid special attention to by humans are almost like air and water, are elements that humans cannot live without in their lives. For example, someone without a belief in anything, in my point of view, is very attached. In fact, this can open a path for us to his righteous thoughts. He believes nothing. He actually thinks he is very smart, and he believes himself very much, then, we can use this to recognize that he has his unique opinion. As soon as he is pleased, he will be willing to get closer to you and this will form a field of connection. By doing so, we could naturally tell him the truth as if he has comprehended it by himself, and he would proudly think that these are his own understandings. In fact it is we who opened his gate of righteous thoughts, using our wisdom and activated his main consciousness, which is the same as offering salvation to him. Some other people pay particular attention to fame and gain, and fear that they would lose their fame and gain if they didn't go along with evil. Then, we could follow the logic of this attachment, and use some retributive justice facts that he could understand to tell him not to persecute Dafa or have bad thoughts against Dafa, and teach him to adopt human intelligence to avoid doing harm, or do something like "the superior sets policy, and the inferior finds its way to deal with it." This way, he would think you're truly doing things good for him, and also he would feel proud for his cleverness, in fact he has avoided the fate of being eliminated.
If we could truly dominate everything using our main consciousness, we could do the three important things well – study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts and clarify the truth, we can accomplish the holy mission as Dafa disciples, and we can activate all being's righteous side, eliminate all being's negative side, and offer salvation to all sentient beings.
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/7/27/16952.html
