Co-cultivators (Shared at the 2003 Benelux Fa Conference)

Dear Master, Dear fellow practitioners

In the following, I would like to report some of my experiences in cultivation, please correct anything improper.

Master explains in Zhuan Falun, chapter one, “At birth, one is assimilated to the characteristic of the universe. Yet as the number of lives increases, a collective form of social relations develops in which some people may develop selfishness and gradually their level will be lowered...” I understand that beings fall down to a lower level because of a selfish heart developed during social relations. When I started practicing cultivation, I did not realise the importance of looking inward and cultivating Xinxing [moral character]. I always used ordinary human ways to deal with the relationships among practitioners in our group, using the manners of good behaviour of ordinary people to treat and sustain the relationship, not following the standard of a cultivator. Because of human selfishness, when disputes and conflicts arose, the relationship among practitioners, which should be solemn, became worse than that of ordinary good people. For some time, this puzzled me. After calming down, using the Fa to judge the situation and looking inside, I found that the problems were due to my attachments. During communications with practitioners, I always get confused by what is on the human surface, and get attached to one’s external behavior, I do not see the true nature of that person — the great cultivator.

Facing the attachments of practitioners, I often do not treat practitioners with a compassionate heart, my negative side blames them. Sometimes there is no sign from my words on the surface, but in my mind, there are still bad thoughts. I follow the idea that it is okay for ordinary people who do not practice to have attachments, but practitioners should meet the standard for practitioners. So I apply the standard from my own understanding to others, rather than rectifying myself. As a result, it often happens that I waste a lot of time and energy, and the result is the opposite. At the beginning, I thought that what I was doing was good for them and didn’t know why they did not understand this.

After other practitioners tireless pointed this out to me and after continuously studying the Fa, I gradually realised the dangerous attachment behind this mentality. How do the old forces treat practitioners in the persecution? They viciously persecute practitioners by making use of practitioners’ attachments, in order to reach their recognised standard. Isn’t my treating practitioners with hatred from my negative side the same as the old forces persecuting practitioners and beating them to make their righteous thoughts come out? This really shocked me. I decided to treat practitioners in a righteous way, and eliminate my demon-nature. Master said, “with a compassion that can melt steel you'll be able to do well.”(2003 US West Fa conference).

In the 2002 Boston Fa conference, Master explained, “They are in a state of immense tolerance, of mercy toward all beings, and of being able to understand everything with kindness.” Although I realised this, sometimes I still made the same mistake. Afterwards, I felt very sad in my heart and became discouraged by myself. I found out that I still do not really understand the Fa because of a lack of Fa study. Gradually I enlightened in the course of cultivation that under any circumstance and situation, I should firmly believe in Master, it is Master who determines everything. It is because we do not meet the requirement of the Fa, which causes difficulties and tribulations for us. “The Fa can break all attachments” [Drive Out Interference].

As the Fa rectification process goes fast, we have more and more truth clarification work to do. It becomes crucial that our cooperation and coordination be good. Because of not being solid in personal cultivation, many of my attachments come out during Fa rectification work, which some times bring damage to our work. From many painful experiences and lessons one after another, I see many of my human thoughts and notions exposed, and those of other practitioners too. These notions, during our doing Dafa work, create conflicts with each other, and can result in a dispute. These make it difficult for us to be in perfect harmony, and so then our Dafa work is affected. Master said, “It is extremely dangerous to add anything human to cultivation practice.” [Digging Out the Roots] He also said in 2001 Philadelphia conference, “As I've said, everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts.” From this I deeply realized that how our thoughts affect the result.

When cooperating with Western practitioners, there are some obvious problems. As a foreigner living abroad, from time to time I do not respect Western practitioners on the aspects of superficial civilization and culture, often sticking to my own way of doing things. Sometimes I see that some Western practitioners have in their minds rules and regulations, which are generated in a European society, which block them, then my human heart is often moved because of my human concepts of ordinary people. Then the gap created by the differences of culture, languages, regions, etc. block us. However, Master asks us to rise above human understandings and notions and truly progress in comprehending the Fa (refer to Master’s article Cautionary Advice ). In the course of validating Dafa and clarifying the truth, I witness more and more that the more our notions are dropped, the less constraints we have, and the less restrained we are by low level principles, the greater wisdom we obtain from Dafa, thus handling Dafa work with ease. When we are blocked by our human notions, it is really hard to move even one step forward. This is not OK because then there are blockades everywhere.

We all come from a different cosmos, and differ from each other. Looking at practitioners around me, they are all strong in society and very capable. It is the Fa that brings us together. “Predestined relationships spanning endless lifetimes, Each connected by the thread of Dafa” (From Master’s poem The Difficult Path to Godhood) In the course of our continuously letting go of selfishness, we are perfecting the harmony of the whole body. Master told us, “You're all disciples in the same practice, and you're giving your all for the cosmos' Fa-rectification, so you should cooperate well with one another. Don't approach things with too many human attachments, and don't cause unnecessary conflicts and arguments by interacting with each other with human attachments. In these situations your conduct should always show Dafa disciples' tolerance, kindness, and niceness. The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things. We don't talk about the "unity" everyday people do, which is a forced, superficial thing. You are cultivators, and your realms are higher. So in your many projects your actions should reflect an understanding of others, an ability to listen to people's opinions, and an ability to gauge what's right and what's wrong by using Dafa ”(2002 DC Fa conference)

As Dafa disciples during Fa rectification, we should and are able to create a better environment together, creating a model for the future. Master said, “The environment is created by you, yourselves, and it, too, is essential for your improvement. ”(Master’s article Environment). Facing Master’s great and enormous compassionate benevolence, I am always deeply touched, when I read in Master’s lecture in 2003 US West Fa Conference, “Do you know what principle I go by in Fa-rectification? I disregard all the sins beings have committed in the past!” How wide and far-reaching Master’s grace is! Is there anything we cannot let go of? Is there any knot among practitioners that cannot be untied?

Looking back at my past cultivation journey, following Master’s guidance step by step with the help from fellow practitioners, although sometimes there are some very hard moments to pass in my cultivation, my enlightened part is so grateful that I cannot describe my appreciation in words. I sincerely wish my fellow practitioners greater cultivation!

Master said, “You need to be worthy of the title "Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple"! That's something that the cosmos won't have again. This only happens once since the beginning of time--it only happens once since the beginning of time in the cosmos.” (2002 Boston Fa conference) Let us cherish this chance together with Master in the world, cherish our opportunity to cultivate Dafa together, cherish all, be together diligent in the Fa!

Thank you, Master, thank you, fellow practitioners.