(Minghui.org) A Great Enlightened One, who has no predecessors or successors, told his disciples in his poem "Undisturbed in Tribulation: "
"Righteous Fa spreads, Hardships piled upon hardships. Myriad demons block, Perils exist within perils.” (Hong Yin)
The battle between the righteous and the evil and between Buddhas and demons has been ongoing, sometimes intense, in the human world and other dimensions of the universe. Jesus was crucified for saving sentient beings. Christians were persecuted for 360 years before it was accepted. Christians were thrown to the lions in the Roman Empire. Sakyamuni went to nirvana after spreading the Buddha Law for 49 years. His disciples were brutally persecuted after his nirvana. Those who stood firm in Buddhism were killed in groups of 500.
All great faiths in history have gone through tremendous tribulations, but more so for Falun Buddha Law, which is the law of the entire universe that has never been taught before. Spreading such a great righteous law must come with corresponding tribulations. Cultivation in such a profound righteous law needs a special cultivation environment, and unavoidably needs tempering in the storm of battles between the righteous and the evil.
Dafa has gone through unprecedented tribulations since July 20 of last year. The Chinese government banned Falun Gong. Our revered Master was wanted by the police. Thousands and thousands of practitioners in mainland China were arrested, thrown into prisons, forced labor camps, and mental hospitals, and brutally tortured for standing firm in their belief of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. More practitioners were sent to "transformation" brainwashing centers. The evil was as rampant as dark clouds blocking the sky.
More than one hundred million Dafa practitioners lost their cultivation environment, their jobs, their right to an education, and even their lives. However, as the Great Law has pointed out, practitioners who have learned the truth won't give up their cultivation in this righteous law because of losses in this world.
Facing such a huge tribulation, many Dafa practitioners have risked their lives to resolutely safeguard the Fa. With daring spirit and firm faith in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, they have done significant things to safeguard the Fa and made great contributions to spreading the Fa and regaining the right to practice.
Even though some practitioners were confused, wavered, or wrote so-called “guarantee statements” or “repentance” letters under enormous pressure or in complicated circumstances, they have quickly seen clearly the nature of the tribulation and started practicing Falun Gong again. They asked their company leaders to return their statements and publicly declared that those statements were void. They actively stepped forward to appeal for Dafa and did a huge amount of hard work to help more people learn the true story of Dafa and to help their fellow practitioners who had stumbled or been pulled down.
Ever since last April, Dafa has created a variety of cultivation environments for all true practitioners at different cultivation levels. Steadfast practitioners quickly advanced toward consummation. Their cultivation experience in this unique circumstance and rapid advancement validated the perfect harmony and greatness of Dafa:
"In realms ultra-finite, ultra-vast, all declined matter is subdued, Stretching the Ten Directions, tiny to vast, the Firmament meets the eye; The heavens clear, the cosmic body transparent, the universe rectified, With the ultimate catastrophe now past, lucent is the whole Cosmos." ("After the Catastrophe," Hong Yin)
At this special historic moment of darkness before the dawn, tribulations and tests go hand in hand with the process of this unprecedented opportunity for cultivation. A large group of practitioners are marching forward in a majestic procession of cultivators.
No matter what we did in the past, making contributions to Dafa or going astray, we should relieve ourselves of the burden in our mind. For those who went astray but have corrected themselves and made it up by working extra hard, why don't you let go the attachments to “regret” and “shame?” Consummation can't be reached if any attachment remains.
The living and cultivation environment Dafa has created for us is beyond imagination. If all one hundred million practitioners can cultivate to where no attachment is left, it will be the best reward to the great Fa of the universe and to our compassionate Master.
We hope that all true practitioners will “treat the Fa as teacher,” persevere and advance vigorously!
Minghui Editorial Board February 22, 2000
Published February 23, 2000 Updated January 2, 2013
