Some Thoughts on "Choice"

In the beginning, my understanding of the term “choice” was quite limited. In this maze of human society, people face two choices whether to believe in the propaganda issued by former Chinese President and dictator Jiang Zemin to develop hared towards Falun Dafa or to rationally look at both sides to see that Falun Gong is actually just a peaceful cultivation practice. This choice determines their future. In the same way, practitioners also face choices: to cultivate or not; to cultivate in this school or in that school; to practice actual cultivation and strive forward vigorously to the end, or to give up halfway loosing this one chance, etc. It seems that we have to make this choice by ourselves; it’s up to us to actively make the decision.

Until I had read the Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference, I then understood that the root reason behind our choice to cultivate is that Master¹ has chosen us. Master told us in the Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference:

“You know what? Just on the one issue of cultivation alone it's so complex at the cosmos's lower levels. But it becomes simple at higher levels, where there's no longer any concept of cultivation but only the concept of karma elimination. At levels higher up, all troubles are to pave the way for ascending to Heaven. And at even higher levels, concepts like eliminating karma, enduring hardships, and cultivation no longer exist, and it's just a choice! This is the principle at high levels of the cosmos: you think someone is good enough, so you choose him--that's the principle. "Cultivation? We didn't arrange cultivation for him. What's cultivation? We just want to cleanse it, cleanse it step by step, all the way up. Cleanse it--it's as simple as that!" Yet when manifest at different levels, it becomes paving the way, having troubles, enduring hardships, eliminating karma, cultivating, and so on, cultivating one way, practicing another way...”

Therefore this choice works both ways, but the prerequisite and base is that Master looks for a disciple, and the disciple has only adjusted or altered this choice to determine his own future. However, the cultivation we’re practicing now is different from others in the past. It is because Master is rectifying the Fa². Master wants to save all sentient beings, so we can say that Master has chosen everyone. No matter what percentage of people are arranged to obtain or destroy the Fa by the old forces, what Master wants is to save every being. Therefore what we do during this period of time is all down to us.

Master told us that there are three origins with regards to those who practice Falun Dafa. The first one is where someone has made an agreement with Master, and the second one is where they formed a karmic connection on behalf of their extremely distant and vast cosmic colossal firmaments, and the third group is those who came in when the door for cultivation had already been wide open. Master also talked about the relationship between Master and the old forces before the Fa-rectification. I think the former two kinds of people are chosen by both Master and the old forces, therefore they have fewer tribulations in the course of their cultivation, for they have been preparing themselves to obtain this Fa during this time over countless years and many lifetimes. However, the third kind of people weren’t chosen by Master in history, but they have come to learn. They may be divided into two parts. One group of people were arranged to practice purposefully by the old forces during this time in order to participate in the Fa-rectification. Another is those people who came to cultivate during the second stage and are beings whom the old forces couldn’t block. From this perspective it’s not hard for us to understand the reason why some individual practitioners haven’t done so well.

However, Master pointed out at “Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference” that no matter where we come from, and no matter what the old forces arranged for us, we can change all of them as long as we have strong righteous thoughts. Master said in “Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference”:

“But on the other hand, if the person's righteous thoughts truly come forth and he becomes clearheaded, then when he wants to do something, the high-level beings will look at that side of a person as well. If a person truly wants to do good things, then nobody has the right to make him commit sins, and whoever does that will be cast down. When a being's main body can have a positive effect, then even if in history that being had become bad, his sins can be reduced, because the Fa-rectification criterion for the entire cosmos is to look at a being's stance towards the Fa-rectification. The overall state of the human beings on the earth is controlled by higher realms, so human beings' attitudes are, [in turn,] affecting those higher realms and even higher levels.”

Master has arranged our cultivation all the way till our consummation, as long as we continue cultivating, we can reach consummation. This reminds me of a time when I lacked confidence in my own cultivation at the beginning of 2000. At that time I felt I didn’t do well. I held onto too many attachments and I was afraid of bearing hardships and I also worried that I wouldn’t be able to reach consummation. I remember when I met someone who had practiced Falun Gong for a long time who came from Japan. He told us that he understood that as long as you can accomplish to firmly believe in three things, you can reach the consummation: the first is to firmly believe in Master, the second is to firmly believe in Dafa, and the third is to firmly believe that you can complete cultivation. At that time I didn’t understand why I should believe that I can reach consummation? Is it possible to reach consummation if I had poor inborn quality, enlightenment and endurance?

After studying the Fa I enlightened to a fact that compared to a God who arranges one’s life, a human is very insignificant and incapable. An ordinary person, no matter how hard he strives or how lazy he is, his entire life is fixed. His subjective function can only fluctuate to some things on a small scope, but he cannot change the large structure, not to even mention that his meticulous or lazy attitude is actually arranged accordingly. In the same way, when we start the cultivation, our lives are no longer arranged by those Gods who are responsible for human beings, but only arranged by Master. The arrangements by Master, the arrangements by the biggest God in the universe, can other people or Gods change? Can I change the arrangements made by those higher beings? It cannot be changed. We simply don’t have the power or right to be able to do this.

However, it is now the Fa-rectification period. We have at least two arrangements that have been made for each of us. One is what Master has arranged for us to reach consummation and the other is what the old forces have arranged. We must constantly remind ourselves to walk on the road arranged by Master but not to fall into the trap plotted by the old forces. This is a choice that we must make.

Recently some Falun Gong practitioners have not been able to pass some tribulations and are thinking: “Cultivation is too difficult. Forget it. I will just go home and be a good person for the rest of my life. I will wait until my next life when I have accumulated a large amount of virtue. Then I will continue my cultivation.” It seems that cultivation is like extra work that we have added to ourselves out of the void, an affair that we can either choose to do or not do. On the surface it seems that we are qualified to make this decision ourselves, whether we want to practice Falun Gong during this period of time when the Fa is been rectified. I can’t help but ask, do we have this choice?

I think the answer is no. Actually cultivation is not just something additional to our lives but it is something that we have to and must do well. The old universe is dispelling. All beings that can exist in the future must assimilate to or cultivate in this Fa if they wish to be part of the future. Everyone in the world, including our relatives and friends who haven’t cultivated yet, the only way for them to enter the new universe in the future is to have righteous thoughts towards this Fa.

Also, cultivation is not something we can casually have a go at or something that we can just to give up once we find it difficult. Seriously speaking, cultivation is something that can be only permitted to succeed. Why? My understanding is that Master has chosen us, purified our bodies and repaid all our debts so as to allow us to reach consummation. Master’s choice is the Fa. If we violate this choice, don’t we violate the will of Heaven, the law of the universe? Isn’t this going against heaven and doing the worst thing? A proverb says that there is only one chance. I has been arranged for us to complete cultivation during this time; however if we give up halfway, then what will await us? Recently Master has clearly pointed out in Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference: “With human beings... when a being can obtain the Fa today in history, it's no ordinary thing--he's so fortunate! But as soon as he loses the Fa, do you know what he faces? It's really horrific, because when he fails to fulfil the major responsibilities and the huge missions that were bestowed upon him, then, accordingly, that's like the inverse of a being's Consummation, and he will truly have to enter the gate of no-life.”

Cultivation is a really serious matter. The only choice a cultivator has is to either achieve consummation or enter the gate of no-life; there’s no other choice. Maybe some people think that this is too cruel or harsh, but this is the law of the universe. One should see that we have come here on behalf of numerous sentient beings from unimaginably vast celestial bodies to come here and obtain the Fa. If we fail to achieve consummation, the numerous sentient beings in our celestial bodies can not be saved, nor enter the new universe. What awaits them is extinction. From this perspective if we fail to meet the standard wont we destroy so many lives? Isn’t this a mammoth sin? The shouldn’t we have to pay this back in hell? Master had said that out of magnificent compassion, those practitioners who fail their cultivation during this period of time that Master would let their Primordial Spirits go back to where they came from. However, upon their return, there’s nothing to greet them but emptiness, there is nothing there; but their human bodies will enter the gate of no-life. Even if we are the third kind of people, giving up cultivation will also bring destruction to the huge sentient beings that are corresponding to our bodies. Isn’t this a great sin?
Cultivation is extremely serious. We can only strive forward vigorously and should never give up halfway.
The above is only my personal understanding. Please indicate any inappropriate points.

Notes:

1. Master - Respectfully referring to the founder of Falun Gong, Mr Li Hongzhi.
2. Fa - Universal principle, the teachings of Falun Gong.