(Clearwisdom.net) In my over six years' experience of Dafa cultivation, I deeply feel that in every test or tribulation, a single thought may make a huge difference to a practitioner--it may lead one to make breakthroughs or drop in levels. Since Dafa cultivation is serious, it's very important that one can treat him/herself as a Dafa cultivator. I believe there have been three critical leaps forward in my cultivation.
1. From the ordinary Qigong practice to Dafa cultivation.
When I first came across Falun Gong, I also wanted to take it as an ordinary Qigong practice. After reading Zhuan Falun, I found the answers to many puzzling questions in my life, and recognized that Falun Dafa is very profound and extraordinary, and its purpose is offering salvation and cultivating Buddhahood. Thus, it requires believing in multiple dimensions and the existence of higher beings, or Gods. Therefore, I became determined in cultivating Dafa and returning to my true self. After I let go all pursuits, my body was quickly purified and all the diseases disappeared. However, some people hold onto a mentality of healing illnesses, and cannot move forward in cultivation for protracted periods of time.
2. From ordinary personal cultivation to Fa-rectification cultivation
Before April 25, 1999, I treated Dafa cultivation as ordinary personal cultivation. After July 20, 1999, for some time I mistakenly believed that appealing to the government was getting involved in politics, though I also sensed that my thought was not right. After searching the Internet, I eventually found Minghui Net (Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net). Master's new scriptures and fellow practitioners' articles made me realize that such a thought was only an excuse for not daring to step forward to validate Dafa. In personal cultivation, tolerance should always be practiced. However, when Dafa comes under attack, we must safeguard it. After studying the Minghui editorial article "Advance Towards Consummation Through Cultivation Within Fa Rectification," I came to understand what Fa-rectification cultivation is. Dafa disciples are the beings established for the Fa-rectification and protectors of the new cosmos, responsible for all righteous elements. When Master is rectifying the cosmos, it's a great honor for every Fa-rectification disciple to participate in Fa-rectification and assist the Master in his mission in the human world.
Some people gave up cultivation because they thought the tribulation had lasted too long. Some stopped cultivation because they only looked at the attitude of certain figures in human society. These things happened because they lacked confidence in the Fa and their standpoint was not cultivation but everyday human society. Therefore, they were vulnerable to tests and they were not determined cultivators. Some people dared not to step forward to validate Dafa and kept on cultivating at home. They enlightened along an evil path due to the attachment of fear.
3. Shaking off the shackles of a human heart
Some people do not have a deep understanding of the Fa and have been studying the Fa and doing Dafa work with mostly a human heart. It's very difficult for them to build up mighty virtues as Fa-rectification Dafa disciples. Although many of them said they would persist in cultivating in Dafa, they could not let go of the human heart at critical times, and stepped forward only with strong fear and an opportunistic mindset. To put it objectively, they still lacked a deep understanding of the Fa and could not remain firm in Dafa cultivation. While cultivation is absolutely serious, no one can achieve consummation without living up to the standard.
By stepping forward in clarifying the truth and maintaining a righteous mind in Fa-rectification, we can then give up all selfish thoughts and fear in offering salvation to the sentient beings. In validating Dafa and clarifying the truth, various methods can be employed. Fa-rectification cultivation means cultivating in Fa-rectification as well as rectifying the Fa in cultivation. As to how to make a judgment on whether one has walked out of the human realm, I believe a main criterion can be whether one has indestructible righteous thoughts and whether one has let go of fundamental human attachments.
To clean out the environment and to curb interference and damage in clarifying the truth, I think sending forth righteous thoughts is very instrumental. Since eliminating the evil with righteous thoughts is Fa-rectification disciples' magnificent task, as the Fa-rectification moves forward quickly, it becomes more effective and important to eliminate the evil by bringing our cultivated side--the divine side--into play. While all Dafa disciples around the world send forth righteous thoughts simultaneously, we are also cleaning out our own bodies, and it's also part of the Fa rectifying the cosmos. We Fa-rectification disciples should have the determination to forego the fundamental attachments, walk out of the human realm, and be ready to greet the arrival of the Fa rectifying the human world.
The above is my personal understanding. Comments and corrections from other practitioners are welcome and appreciated.