As we continue to clarify the true situation we must strive diligently to apply the principles of Dafa in every aspect of our lives so we can do our Dafa work well and so we can also leave a solid example for future generations

My marriage has helped me to realize the importance of true cultivation during Fa rectification. It has helped to truly harmonize everything in our lives as one body, together and not alone. To truly make efforts to look within and live every moment within Dafa's principles is, in my understanding, true Fa rectification.

It is not a matter of formalities such as being alone or being married, or forsaking material things in the human world. It all has to do with one's heart.

For a long time I was scared to think about marriage or having a family. Deep down I didn't know if I could handle a relationship, although my desire to get married has always been a huge attachment.

Because of this attachment I felt I went to an extreme. I felt I wasn't taking things naturally. I felt a lot of pressure and stress to suppress this attachment. For 10 years, I chose to be by myself. When I started to cultivate I thought I would probably live alone forever and cultivate by myself within the boundaries of my own comfort level. I didn't think I could handle the responsibility to think of another person during this time. I had too much Dafa work to do. I told myself, "This is Fa rectification." I remember Master said, don't think about anything else. One day as I drove my car the uncontrollable feeling to have a partner swelled up inside me. I tried to eliminate the desire. It was so strong I felt I couldn't control it. I called out for Master to help me. Thirty seconds later I enlightened to the reality that I was a Dafa disciple and this gift of the Fa was the highest honor in the universe. I realized that I would give up everything to follow Teacher no matter if it took my entire life time which I knew was only a tiny second, a blink of an eye in the vast journey of my existence. To sacrifice my wants was the smallest thing I could do in order to truly and fundamentally focus on helping Master to rectify the universe. At that moment I felt totally at peace. I felt I had truly and calmly and finally let go of my deep desire.

Then came this girl. We met in 2000 at the Geneva Fa conference. We met again this summer in another country doing Dafa work. I felt so good being around her. I asked her to come and visit me in Canada. She came in June. During the time we were together we communicated very well. We had so much respect for each other's understandings and our ability to look inside and to share. I felt like all my beautiful dreams and wishes for a relationship had been answered. I had met a fellow practitioner who I felt was everything I have ever wanted in a partner. I felt so lucky to be with her. I asked her to stay with me in Canada and on August 1st we were married.

I felt that I had everything in control. I felt strong and focused and knew that this was the next step on my path. I felt no fear in my decision whatsoever.

On August 2nd everything changed. I felt so confused and I felt extreme fear. My mind filled with so many destructive thoughts. Am I following Teacher closely or did I just follow my desires and attachments? Did I just fail a lifetime test? Did I just fall into the human world? Should I have been single minded in what I have to do during Fa rectification? I had a hard time seeing things from the perspective of the Fa. How do we best help Teacher in this time?

In the days that followed it started to become very clear why Master arranged my new path. I really didn't ever let go of my attachments fundamentally. I didn't truly live my life within the basic principles of Dafa and Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. I had so many deep attachments that I had hid from facing when I had been alone. These attachments were still there. They controlled my actions during Fa rectification and I didn't even know it. When I was alone I never made the effort to really dig deep into my self. When tribulations happened in the group I would just superficially realize the principles and sooner or later the situation would pass. I didn't really dig my attachments out from the roots because I never really wanted to face the pain within the group.

Now I was married and I couldn't run away. I had to face my attachments with another person, 24hours a day.

The demon of comfort also joined the party. I felt so comfortable being married and the comfort slowly turned into laziness. I started to feel my level start to slip. My mind became less focused when I sent forth righteous thoughts and I found it difficult to control my speech as a practitioner. I would say evil things even before I realized that they left my mouth. When we saw this we both realized that we must become extremely diligent in order to break through this tribulation.

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My wife brought it to my attention that I had become an expert at finding the shortcomings of other practitioners. A few times my awareness has helped some practitioners really see their situation and shortcomings. I felt pretty good about myself. My desire to focus on others started to affect my reading. Whenever I read the book passages would jump out at me and I would say to myself, "Oh this practitioner should really read this passage; it's just what he needs," or" Wow that practitioner must read this-- it really points out his attachments." It seems I read the Fa in order to "fix" others rather than cultivate myself.

A few weeks ago my attachment blew up in my face.

There was a situation in my city where practitioners were threatened by police that they would be arrested if they didn't comply with certain regulations when they handed out flyers in an important area. In the middle of the meeting I told everyone that I felt it was the over- zealousness of the older practitioners that caused the situation. They were too stubborn and had created this conflict by their pursuits.

In a room full of practitioners a Chinese practitioner talked very sternly to me. He told me that I had no respect for the Chinese practitioners and that I was deceived just like the Chinese citizens because I was conforming to the old forces' arrangements to also persecute the Chinese practitioners because of my lack of understanding, which was shown in my quickness to blame them for the problem.

I was floored. It took all I had to keep my mouth shut and to listen to this practitioner. I was so upset. I left the room and drove home fighting back the reaction to confront him and defend myself. I instead said to myself, "What have I done to bring this kind of response?" "Why would he say this to me if there wasn't a reason for it?" Through all of this I felt pain and confusion.

I realized that deep in my heart, because of my great ability to point the finger at others, I had lost all compassion, kindness and understanding in this situation. I didn't take the time or the effort to really listen to my fellow practitioners and to learn how they think and what their understanding was from the Fa's perspective. I just thought only of myself and what wisdom "I" was going to enlighten the group with. I had taken the role to once again "teach" others of their shortcomings. I felt I was right and I judged the actions of other practitioners and gave criticism. I also realized that deep down I didn't fully trust in my fellow practitioners and I truly did blame them for the problem.

I also realized that I as a western practitioner was nowhere to be found in the past year at this site where the problem manifested itself. I had not taken any initiative or responsibility to help my fellow Chinese practitioners who can hardly speak any English, to clarify the truth to the police at all.

I felt really bad that night and at the same time I felt like I was truly cultivating because I had taken advantage of a great opportunity to look within. Pointing out shortcomings in others had really become an attachment for me and the demons started to use it to destroy the fibers of being one body with the rest of my fellow practitioners. In "Non-Omission" (Essentials for Further Advancement) Master discusses abandoning attachments. Master says, "If a cultivator or an everyday person who cannot even make fundamental sacrifices also discusses this principle, he is actually undermining the Fa by making excuses for the attachments he cannot let go." I realized I wanted others to let go of attachments and to see their shortcomings when I was still lost in my own attachments of show off mentality and pride. This situation truly gave me the wakeup call I needed to do better for my environment.

Later a practitioner shared her view of the situation itself. She said that we have been at this site for so long and have never taken the time to tell the security about Dafa and the situation in China. They want to know so much. It is the only reason why they are here on this planet and we still haven't told them after all this time? Their beings in other spaces think, "We have waited here for you to tell us about Dafa and you still don't; now we are going to arrest you and force you to tell us about the Fa!"

This view was so light hearted but also so solid. This perspective took the heaviness away from the situation and opened up a new way of looking at it. She also explained how as one body we all compose different parts of the whole. Some practitioners are the nose, some are they eyes, some are the hands, some are the legs and some are the mouths. We as westerners are the mouths that talk for the face, the old Chinese practitioners who can't even speak English. "How can the nose speak for the face?" "It is the mouth that has to speak for the entire face!"

A few days later some of us had a meeting with local police to rectify another situation where they wanted us to remove some signs we had fixed in a very important area. After our meeting the end result was that the signs could stay where they were.

This view also opened up a fresh idea of what one body is between Chinese and westerners during Fa rectification. We all feel the deep respect for each other from Chinese to westerner and from westerners to Chinese. There is no separation. We are one body, as Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Conference" 2002:

"You are all disciples in the same practice, and you are giving your all for the cosmos' Fa-rectification, so you should cooperate well with one another." "The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things. We don't talk about the "unity" everyday people do, which is a forced, superficial thing. You are cultivators, and your realms are higher."

When I was able to eliminate my view of myself and my words I truly viewed my fellow practitioners for who they really were and once again was able to see how amazing and selfless my fellow practitioners are and I remembered how much respect I had for them. As we go through our cultivation experiences, together we learn and grow closer as one body. We share the most sacred bond together.

At this special time the cosmic climate is definitely changing. We can all feel it. Personal consummation is not what it is all about any more. Teacher gives us every opportunity to clarify the truth to people and gives us every opportunity to grow together as one body. Lately the emails on the web lists have become like they were in the beginning. Practitioners are openly and honestly sharing their understandings and feelings with no blocks. They are being compassionately answered by other fellow practitioners who are trying to help them make it up the mountain.

In my understanding our reaching consummation as one body is first and foremost and the only way we can do this is to help each other to cultivate in the Fa rectification.

I am so honored to have this opportunity. Sometimes when I can't stand the pain and confusion I look in the mirror and I have to laugh because in these painful times when I just want to disappear and hide away from the world I truly enlighten to the profoundness behind Masters words from Zhuan Falun, "Whether you can practice cultivation all depends upon whether you can endure, sacrifice, and suffer." ("Transformation of Karma," Lecture 4) This time is truly precious and hard to come by. I hope I can look inside much more in order to do better for the whole body. Let's work together with lighter hearts to really do well together in this special time.