Understand the Seriousness of Cultivation and Fa-rectification from the Perspective of Fa-rectification Period Dafa Disciples

Master said, "Yesterday I discussed Buddha Fa cultivation. Cultivation is the most important thing in the cosmos." (Falun Buddha Fa--Lectures in the United States) The fact that we can cultivate while following Master in Fa-rectification, and that we are able to participate in Fa-rectification, is unprecedented throughout the ages, and is the most sacred. We are to achieve such high cultivation attainment status, so our hearts must be purified to that high level as well. "Cultivation is to cultivate one's thoughts and make a change in one's thoughts, and the level of purity of your thoughts decides on your fruit status." (Explaining the Content of Zhuan Falun, unofficial translation) Have we truly purified ourselves to that level in our cultivation and Fa-rectification?

Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.,"

"The goal behind those problems is this: the old forces think that some students believe that once they cultivate Dafa they have nothing to worry about, 'As long as I'm a Dafa disciple I won't be in any kind of danger.' So they saw this and thought: 'We can't allow this. Isn't this like getting some kind of insurance? Once they learn Dafa they're not worried about anything. Isn't that a huge attachment in and of itself?' So those old forces caused trouble in Dafa."

I remember when I first studied this teaching I was thinking: Once we cultivate Dafa, we indeed have no fear; we face up to the evil's persecution, we have dignity, and there is nothing wrong with having no fear; then what are the loopholes we have that were taken advantage of by the old forces?

When I studied the teaching more deeply, I realised that the thought, "As long as I'm a Dafa disciple I won't be in any kind of danger" itself contains selfishness and attachments to oneself, and it also reveals that there is inadequate understanding of the Fa's dignity on our part. The reason we have no fear is connected with Fa-rectification, and it is based on our firm faith in the Fa, on our responsibility to sentient beings, and on our sacred sense of mission and responsibility. It is absolutely not because we have "some kind of insurance."

Once when I was distributing truth-clarification materials, I felt that everything was going nice and easy. I thought to myself, "This is more or less like the environment we had before July 20, 1999. Distributing materials is so easy." When I was thinking this way, suddenly I felt a shudder in my heart and immediately I realised that this way of thinking was wrong. I am saving sentient beings, not just doing a job, so I must take a most sacred attitude, the attitude of a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple, toward what I am doing. How could I treat it so casually? How could I treat such an important issue as saving sentient beings with my own sentiments? Even in everyday people's society, there is a corresponding solemn formality on this level for important activities and ceremonies. We are saving sentient beings, and therefore we must require ourselves to reach the corresponding level of sacredness. We should not be content with merely having the materials handed out; we must realise that what we do is for truly saving lives!

At times, our understanding of Fa-rectification has also mixed in many human notions, thinking that the three things Master has repeatedly told us to do well only means how many times we have read the book, how many times a day we have sent forth righteous thoughts and how many materials we have distributed. Of course, we should meet the requirements in doing these things. But what is more important is to understand that everything we do is for us to return home and to become true enlightened beings with righteous thoughts in Fa-rectification. Therefore, we must improve our understanding of the seriousness of cultivation and Fa-rectification from a purer and more righteous perspective.

"Thus, every step entails the issue of one soberly examining it against Dafa to determine right or wrong. This relates to the serious matter of whether one can be responsible to oneself and responsible to the Fa. Only by 'taking the Fa as the teacher' and not carrying any individual notions and worldly human sentiments can one make correct and compassionate judgements." "On the other hand, the sentiments of humans (saving face, shrewdness, harsh criticism, humanly-induced failures, and all other human sentiments) are all coarse-grained matter that obstructs our divine side from having its leading effect."

("Principle of the Fa and Human Sentiment," by Clearwisdom editors, 7/11/2001)

What I have enlightened to seems so shallow when put into words. Please kindly point out anything improper.