PureInsight | January 2, 2016
[PureInsight.org] Local practitioners all praised an elderly fellow practitioner’s cultivation. Whenever we had group sharing, she enjoyed talking about her past experiences with Fa study, cultivation and spreading Dafa, but she never discussed whether she was currently doing the three things well.
In fact, she dared not reveal the truth because of fear. Even worse, she did not have her two sons quit the CCP in case that would ruin their future careers. The year before last, she suddenly had a stroke and suffered paralysis. She became bed-ridden. I told her about looking inward and denying the old forces’ arrangements. However, she said she did not know how to look inward or what the old forces were.
A few days ago, after mailing an indictment letter against Jiang Zemin, my wife and I visited another fellow practitioner who had not contacted us for several years. She has retired and is currently living at home. She kept talking about her past cultivation but had no idea about the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin. Two days later, my wife sent her Master’s Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference and talked about indictments made against Jiang Zemin. Not only did she disapprove, but she also changed the subject to talk about her past cultivation, and no one could interrupt.
In “A Dialogue with Time” from Essentials for Further Advancement Master said, “Divine Being: Some of them have come looking for the aspect of the Fa that they consider good, but they are unable to let go of the aspect that prevents them from having a complete understanding of the Fa.
Master: There are also such people among veteran disciples. And the most outstanding evidence of that is that they always compare themselves with humans and with their own past, but fail to examine themselves with the requirements of the Fa at different levels.
Divine Being: These problems have already become very serious. It would be good if they could manage to search within themselves for the things that they have been able to find in others.
Master: It’s time for them to become clearheaded so that their environment can turn into one for true cultivation practice, and thus they will be able to become real gods.
In order to satisfy their attachments, after ordinary people accomplish something, they become complacent, proud and enjoy the honor by staying in the past. As a cultivator, how can we compare our current selves with our past selves? We should measure ourselves with Dafa’s requirements at different levels. Staying in the past means stagnating. Making no progress in cultivation will cause one to fall behind. There is an obvious gap in understanding Dafa and Dafa’s progression when discussing with these elderly fellow practitioners. The attachment to fear is especially pronounced.
At the Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference, Master said, “What’s going to become of you practitioners who haven’t done well? You all like to see me smile at you, but you should know that I do that to encourage you and express my hopes for you. Given how time is so extremely pressing, have you thought about what’s going to become of those who haven’t cultivated well? Some people still have a chance, but some no longer do. For some there is still time left, and for some their only hope is to sprint. But if the person hasn’t laid an adequate foundation, and if the person’s understanding of the Fa is limited, how could he have the drive to persist? Have you been diligent? If you haven’t laid a solid foundation that’s built on the Fa, you won’t be able to do that. That kind of determination and firm sense of conviction come from the Fa. Time is pressing, so I don’t want to just say pleasant things; I’ve already said many words of encouragement. (Master nods, pauses, and then scans the conference hall.) If many people indeed have fallen behind, or can’t keep up—and I’m referring to Dafa disciples—then really nothing could be sadder to see.”
Master was very serious in this lecture. We will not be able to catch up with the progress of Fa-rectification without a solid foundation of Fa study and a firm belief because cultivation is not child’s play.
I sincerely hope those cultivators who are still comparing themselves with their past cultivation can wake up and make a determined effort to study the Fa well, do the three things well and catch up with the progress of Fa-rectification.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/node/149307
