Practitioners vs. Disciples

I used to write articles reporting Falun Dafa promotion activities in the name of “a British Falun Dafa practitioner.” I thought it shouldn’t be up to me to judge whether I deserve the title of “a Dafa disciple” and only Teacher can determine whether I am worthy of the title “Falun Dafa disciple” or not. As a cultivator, I thought I should be modest. Besides, I felt how I called myself was a trivial concern. I didn't understand the differences in their meanings until I had witnessed many things happening around me.

For instance, some disciples, who used to diligently cultivate themselves, fell behind other practitioners and nearly gave up cultivation altogether after they experienced some frustrations in cultivation or changed to a new environment. Later they recalled the gloomy period of time after they returned to the path of cultivation. They said that they knew that they should not fall behind, and they were in tears each time they looked at Teacher’s photographs, but for some reason they just could not pick up a Dafa book to read and they had no desire or interest to do Dafa work. They thought that they had done a lot of things badly and they were far below the standard of a Dafa disciple. They thought that they were hopeless. The evil forces exploited their guilt and despair and encouraged them to deteriorate.

I suddenly realised one day that, as long as we truly wish to cultivate Falun Dafa, Teacher will always treat us as his disciples. Teacher always looks after us if we really want to cultivate in Falun Dafa, regardless of the mistakes we have made before and now. However, no one can help us if we are not even determined to cultivate towards consummation or to become worthy of the title “Dafa disciple.” After all: “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts...” (From “Why Doesn’t Your Gong Increase with Your Practice?” in Lecture One of Zhuan Falun) “Whether to learn the Fa or not can only be decided by a person him or herself.” (From “Lecture at the First Conference in North America”) For example, if we encounter a test of life and death, during which we fail to remember that we are Dafa disciples and to behave like Dafa disciples, and forget about Teacher, how could we overcome the powerful karmic retribution as everyday people? If we stray but a little, we can lose our lives to the deadly test because at that moment we are everyday people instead of cultivators.

I concluded that it was not an issue of modesty, but of righteous thoughts and our standards. I regretted that I hadn’t thought of this issue before. I hope that fellow practitioners can learn from this article and keep righteous thoughts at all times in everything we do.