My True Self

After studying Master Li’s Fa-lecture on the day of the Lantern Festival, I obtained a deeper understanding about something which Master Li has constantly stressed - Namely that we cultivate our main spirit and that our main consciousness should predominate. I realised that the self that wants to cultivate is my true self.

When a disciple from Heze asked about the arrangements of the old forces, Master Li said, “..., so what kind of method do they use? They separate the side of them that has righteous thoughts, or in other words, the side that has been fully cultivated so that the already-cultivated side cannot have any contact with the minds. Then they ask the human surface questions. But the human surface contains too many human things and postnatal concepts, and the side that’s been fully cultivated isn’t allowed to take effect at all. Since you’ve persecuted them under that set of circumstances, I won’t acknowledge it no matter what you made them write. The old forces know that I don’t acknowledge it, but why do they still do that? Because there’s one thing that they can still accomplish -- breaking the will of the students. The students who made the mistake would think, “Oh no, I wrote that thing. It’s all over for me. Master will no longer take care of me. I’ve let Dafa down.” From then on they’re depressed and their hearts feel demoralized. That’s the means they’ve used, which I don’t acknowledge. It doesn’t matter that you fell down, it doesn’t matter! Quickly get up!” (Li Hongzhi - Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival)

Therefore, I realise that if I were to lose my rationality under the relentless torture of the evil, and to write any document of guarantee, strictly speaking, the self that writes the document is not my true self! Just like when we sit in meditation, we want to achieve the state of tranquility, but notions keep popping up in the mind. These notions are not my true self. I should treat them as something separate from myself.

Not acknowledging it is not equivalent to justifying my own faults because there are so many evil arrangements and so much ugly showing-off by the old forces. No matter what levels I come from, I am in the lowest level, the human level. In the turbid dye vat, I have no choice but to be carried by the current. Under the influence of various high-level beings of the cosmos, we degenerate and become quite ugly. The old forces are the immortals that manipulate the three realms before Fa-rectification arrives. Standing high above, they are very clear about what attachments I am holding onto, and what weaknesses I have. Instead of helping me using the compassion that immortals are supposed to have, they isolate the side of me that has rationality, allow all kinds of dirty notions to shuttle back and forth inside me, and use brutal torture to force the physical side of me to write the so-called “Statement of Breaking-off and Repenting”. How mean the behaviour of the old forces is! To use an analogy, which may not be very appropriate, this is just like a strong, fully-grown man bullying a kid who has just learnt how to walk. The strong, fully-grown man teaches the kid some bad things, then holds a thick club to beat the kid for his wrongdoing. Can you imagine how shameful they are? Under the circumstances of being forced, should I take responsibility for what I did? Moreover, Master Li does not acknowledge these at all. I think I cannot acknowledge these, either, because it is not my true self.

Then, what is my true self? As a Dafa practitioner, my true self is the one who dares to descend into the three realms for the future of the sentient beings, and the one who is willing to give up everything. Even though this self is covered with dirt after depravity of so many years, that self is the one acknowledged by the Lord of the Buddhas, and is also my true self. All that remains is below my main body. How can the superficial layer of the physical body that is manipulated by the notions and karma be treated as my true self?

Even though I barely caught the flourishing age of Dafa’s spreading widely, and joined Fa-rectification cultivation not long ago, I can proudly proclaim, “I am a Fa-rectification disciple. Other than my own teacher, nobody else is qualified to test me or to arrange the path of my cultivation.” Simply because of the vast compassion of the Buddha, and my thought that we can shake ‘the world in ten directions’ I am not governed by them.

All of the other distracting thoughts, such as pursuit of ease and comfort, the thought of fear, and pursuing fame, wealth and sentiment, do not represent my true self. They are just like dirty clothes that cover me. I can and will discard them very soon.

Following the same reasoning - in examining fellow practitioners, although he or she may have this kind of attachment, and that sort of degeneration on the surface, those are not their true selves either. Their true selves are Fa-rectification disciples; disciples of Master Li. Viewing the problem from this standpoint, it is fairly easy to resolve the negative feelings we may have about them.

This is my personal understanding. All comments are highly welcome.

Chinese version available at http://www.yuanmingeurope.net/articles/200303/18555.html