May 10, 2016 | When I see practitioners chatting and entertaining themselves instead of using their time to study the Fa and improve their xinxing, I worry because they are not cherishing their cultivation opportunity. Master told us that we have this grand opportunity only once:
Master said:
“I hope that everyone who has obtained this Fa will cherish it and won’t lose this opportunity. In the past, when I first began to teach the Fa, I said, ‘If I can’t save you, no one can.’ The truth is, not only would no one be able to save you, but also you will never again have an opportunity like this. That’s because, this time around, mankind has reached this point, the very end.” (Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles)
Sole Choice: Doing the Three Things Well
We cannot reach consummation unless we have done the three things well. Between April 2015 and March 2016, about 34,000 Chinese people have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. If we assume that every practitioner has persuaded five Chinese people to withdraw from the CCP, then only 560,000 practitioners were involved in the Party withdrawal effort.
The Fa-rectification process is in its final stage, yet many practitioners have not stepped out. What will those practitioners face if they are not doing the three things?
Master said:
“And in the case of a Dafa disciple, it would be asked how many of your vows went unfulfilled? Failing to make good on them would be just one aspect of it, for when you do not do something, or do it well, there are consequences of varying sizes, and you would be held accountable for all of these. Would it work if you weren’t held accountable for the shame that your actions might have caused Dafa or for your having deceived the Lord? I haven’t talked about any of this before. I didn’t want to mention these things. But you really, truly should sober up. Don’t you know what time it is yet?” (“Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference IX)
“Disciple: If a large number of Dafa disciples haven’t achieved consummation and the Fa-rectification process ends, then what will happen to those Dafa disciples? Will they remain here and continue to cultivate?
Master: I can’t tell you how it’s going to be. It will vary from case to case. Generally speaking it will be handled based on the vows each person made, and there won’t be a second chance—none at all.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference”)
As Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification period, if we cannot fulfill our vows, there will be serious consequences. It is not a trivial matter if we relax, slack off, and our behaviour is not aligned with the Fa.
We live in a complex environment, which affects our clarifying the truth face-to-face. We deal with people who are of different character, and who possess varying mentalities. When interference and conflicts occur, we have to think of the Fa first and act according to the Fa principles. It is most difficult to achieve this. But if we can, we will gain improvement in our cultivation.
Rapid Progress
The Fa taught us that if we cultivate our hearts and let go of attachments, we will make rapid progress in our cultivation. When clarifying the truth face-to-face, our attachments will be exposed one by one. People will turn against us if we have human attachments. So we need to look within when in conflicts and purge those substances.
I look within when someone I talk to does not respond well. This is effective in my finding the substances that form my human attachments. Most of my habits and my character developed over many years of living in human society.
Human substances play a role when I am shy, slow speaking, timid, unsociable, speak casually or bluntly, lack confidence or patience, or speak without thinking. If I let go of all that is not in the Fa, I will assimilate and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. People will then be open to talking to me, and my words will become more powerful. This helps me save more people!
Master said:
“Today’s people are really hard to save. [It seems as though] they’ll listen only if what you tell them is in line with their ideas, and they’ll listen only if you talk to them in a way that they like. In other words, if you want to save them, they have conditions for you to do so.” (Teaching the Fa at the 2004 International Fa Conference in New York)
Internet Verses Face-to-Face Truth Clarification
When we clarify the truth to people face-to-face, it’s easy to find a person who is willing to listen. But this task is more difficult when surfing the Internet. When talking face-to-face, we can figure out others’ notions and attachments, which allows us to address specific issues; thus making it easier to save them. But when we clarify the truth over the Internet, it is almost impossible to address personal issues.
Sometimes we are at risk of being reported to police when clarifying the truth face-to-face. But only by believing in the Fa and Master can we talk to people safely. With the Internet, however, the chance for a head-on conflict is less. It even provides us with a false sense of safety. However, a lot of our attachments will not be exposed.
Fear Is Nothing
Many practitioners are not able to cultivate to the realm of their origin. What will the sentient beings in that realm have to suffer? We descended to this world to save them. It is not that difficult to let go of fear. When one suppresses and negates one’s fear, it is nothing!
A relatively new practitioner often clarifies the truth near a police station. On one occasion, many officers walked out of the station while he was talking to people. But he remained calm and held no fear. He regarded them as ordinary sentient beings. So they passed him as if they did not see him!
Truth Clarification Experiences
Once when I clarified the truth to a girl and another person, they were impatient and left quickly. When I looked within, I found that I was indifferent and talked too long and repetitively.
When I clarified the truth to a father and a son, the father withdrew from the CCP, but the son remained indifferent. I did not even try to awaken his interest. After I looked within, I found that I had fear and became intimidated.
When I clarified the truth to my students, I was not successful at the outset. I found that I too often separated people into categories, which only amplified the generation gap.
It is difficult for me to clarify the truth to young women, because some of them have formed certain notions that prevent them from listening to the truth. Only when we cultivate ourselves well, can we dissolve these substances.
When I see police officers or military personnel in the street, I will keep a distance from them. This is actually the heart of differentiating between what I perceive as good or bad people, which only makes it more difficult to save sentient beings.
There are still things I have not discovered that may hinder me from clarifying the truth more effectively to people. Only when I study the Fa well and understand the Fa truths, will I be able to let go of what is holding me back.
(Clearwisdom)