Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Washington DC Fa Conference
(Li Hongzhi, July 24, 2004)
Good morning! (Audience responds: Good morning, Master!)
Time is flying by, and in the blink of an eye another year has passed. In the time that's passed since I attended the DC Fa Conference last year, Dafa disciples have changed a great deal, and so has the overall state of Fa-rectification. And Dafa disciples have done really well with the things that Dafa disciples should do as they validate the Fa. When you look at how they've been going, it might be getting clearer and clearer to you that a bright future lies ahead. (Applause)
In the not-too-distant future, the persecution and this form of cultivation that Dafa disciples have will draw to an end. (Applause) This first-of-its-kind form of cultivation where Dafa disciples are part of Fa-rectification while the cosmos undergoes Fa-rectification, along with the mighty-virtue exhibited by the Dafa disciples, and the magnificent feats that astonish the entire cosmos, they'll all come to an end very soon. (Applause)
So looking at the current situation, since you have been clearing out the evil with righteous thoughts and righteous actions while validating the Fa, at this point the number of evil lives is miniscule and they are merely trying to hide. However, in order to keep up this environment of so-called "tests" by evil, the dark minions that are in the Three Realms and that the old forces arranged in the past, as well as some gods who are playing negative roles--it is they who are directly doing those bad things. In other words, the factors left by the system of the old forces are still having negative effects. Then those lives won't be able to pay for the interference they've caused Fa-rectification or the hand they've had in harming Fa-rectification, and so all of them will be weeded out during the Fa-rectification, for sure. So they're part of the bad lives you clear away when you send righteous thoughts. Actually, there aren't many of those lives left. At this point only about five percent of the original dark minions are left, and very few of the gods who have played a negative role in Fa-rectification still remain. But they are still playing a wicked role within the mechanisms arranged in the past by the old forces. So in validating the Fa, no matter what the situation is, none of you should let down your guard, and when it comes to what a Dafa disciple should do, you should keep giving your best. Especially when it's toward the end, for some students there's really not much time left, and that's doubly-so for those who haven't done well--you should seize the day and do well.
Every time I talk about the state of Fa-rectification, I always need to add this: This is how Dafa disciples cultivate, and nobody should go to extremes. Carry on with what you would normally do. Whatever you would do, you should still just go about it as usual. That's because your every thought and whim, and each and every action, are affecting major things. No matter what big things are happening, pretend nothing is going on and just go about, as usual, doing what a Dafa disciple should do. This is the path you're taking today, and this is the [legacy of] mighty virtue you are leaving. The path you, the Dafa disciples, take, is how you have to cultivate as dictated by our cultivation way, and it absolutely cannot change with shifts in the ordinary world.
Looking at the things you've been doing in cultivating and validating the Fa as Dafa disciples, you still have lots of shortcomings, and you should abandon all the things you're attached to. When I bring up attachments, you won't understand it in an extreme way like you would have before. This path that you're taking and the way you cultivate are not attachments. Your own notions and the crooked thoughts that you're still holding on to among human beings as you validate the Fa, those are what you should abandon. As for this cultivation way of yours that's here in ordinary society--the fact that you work and lead a normal life among the masses while doing cultivation--that's not something I've ever told you to abandon, for it is something determined by your cultivation way.
Over the past few years of persecution you have displayed the mighty-virtue of Dafa disciples, but along the way, lots and lots of shortcomings have come to light. Yet in the process of validating the Fa, the vast majority of Dafa disciples have removed those shortcomings while cultivating and validating the Fa, and that's remarkable. Ordinary people aren't able to let go of human things. But cultivation, you know, that's different from being ordinary. The ordinary man lives just to pursue things that ordinary people want. Dafa disciples aren't attached to those things. You have clear cultivation goals, and you know what you are doing. While you validate the Fa, plenty of the things you do seem identical to what ordinary people do, and that's why a few people say we seem to be getting political, or that we're organizing some sort of social movement. Well, that's how human beings are. During this period of time, there's definitely not going to be millions of gods doing divine things in the human world, and Dafa disciples definitely won't be using their godly sides to do large-scale divine things, with full-blown divine means, in front of the masses of people in the ordinary world. Dafa disciples are utilizing ordinary people's means to validate the Fa. They haven't gotten involved in ordinary people's "politics." There's nothing wrong with utilizing some forms from ordinary people that are useful to validate the Fa.
Having made it to this point today, Dafa disciples should be even more clearheaded now. Dafa disciples aren't some ordinary-people politicians--you have lots of ordinary-people abilities, but you're not trying to gain anything of ordinary people. A Dafa disciple's cultivation is for the purpose of achieving Consummation in the course of validating the Fa. But as Dafa disciples, you are also saving all beings, you're allowing more lives to be saved and rescued during the Fa-rectification.
In the past I often said that none of the people in today's human society have simple [backgrounds]. Over the course of history, gods of different periods created people of different periods, and the appearances of different races are actually the images of different gods. What they created was mankind's physique in the Three Realms, which is known as "surface-level human skin." When we got to today, and especially when I went public with the Fa, a multitude of gods came down and incarnated as humans. What's in many ordinary people's bodies are no longer the souls (yuanshen) from when gods created man, because at that time man's soul was created out of matter from within the Three Realms, whereas now many people's souls came from high levels. And why did they come? As I've told you before, nothing in this world, in fact, is by chance. Every being and every object came for Dafa, was formed for Dafa and created for Dafa, and that includes all people. All of what has transpired in the Three Realms's history was created for Dafa. Whether it be all the gods in history who came down to save people, all the heroic figures who emerged in each nation, or all the different cultures that arose in history, they all came about for Dafa's final manifestation among mankind today. And for that purpose the culture for understanding Dafa was established among human beings, and the characteristics of different cultures were created, as were the ways of different cultures. Put another way, the process since the inception of the Three Realms and mankind has been one of establishing human beings' ways of thinking, establishing human beings' behavior, establishing principles for human beings, and establishing what allows people to ultimately understand this Fa, to cultivate by this Fa, to understand that they should cultivate, and to become Dafa disciples, and allow the masses of beings to be saved during the Fa-rectification. All of this was being shaped throughout the course of history for this final moment of the cosmos. In fact, when the many, many Great Enlightened Beings in history, such as Shakyamuni, Laozi, and Jesus, were saving people, imparting the Way, doing good works, and suffering on man's behalf, I can tell you, their true purpose was to establish a culture for the Fa-rectification.
The long history of the cosmos made complete preparations for this Fa-rectification, and the Three Realms was made and created for, and has grown and progressed for, the Fa-rectification. So all of the lives in that historical process have existed and come about for the Fa-rectification. In other words, during the long, drawn-out course of history, no matter how many lives have emerged or how many there still are in the world today, they all came for, and were all born and created for, this Fa. And this even includes those lives who were arranged by the old forces and have a negative effect. Back then the old forces arranged for them to have a negative effect so that they could Consummate. That's because the old forces thought, based on their notions, that those who play a negative role make it possible for those who play a positive role to Consummate. If this were just about cultivation in a normal time period, then you couldn't say, at least in a certain realm, that their logic was off. But when Fa-rectification of enormous firmaments is taking place, then it interferes with Fa-rectification and it's wrong, and it has caused severe disruption. All of what has played out has been the evil trying to steer Fa-rectification and the future. And that's what makes the sin of the old forces against Fa-rectification the greatest of sins.
But despite that, all lives came for this Fa, so they should assimilate to and harmonize with the Fa positively, and they can't impose things on the Fa or on the future. There are many lives who were supposed to have a negative effect in this process as the old forces arranged it. But they haven't, which means they can still be saved. When you clarify the truth, and when Dafa disciples are doing the things they're supposed to be doing, let me tell you, a big part of that is you saving them.
As you've seen, your Master hasn't said anything to ordinary people of late, and I don't do anything in person to save ordinary people anymore, and even when it comes to the things Dafa disciples do I seldom get involved. Maybe you're clear on why that is: I want to leave for you the opportunity to establish mighty-virtue. If I led you in doing something today, then that thing wouldn't have been done by you, and so you would have lost the chance to establish mighty-virtue. Meanwhile, as a Dafa disciple and a magnificent future Enlightened Being, when saving beings you should fully show your magnificence, your compassion, and your grandeur. That's why I want to give you plenty of chances to save the world's people, to save all beings, and let you do those things that you are supposed to do. Actually, in the future you will see that whether it was Jesus, Shakyamuni, or other Great Enlightened Beings in history, there's no difference between what they did and what you're doing today. It's only a difference in form. So you have to be clear about this, and you have to do well with what you're supposed to do.
It's Dafa--such an immense Law--and Fa-rectification--such a major event. That alone lifts you to a lofty place. And what's more, everything that you do in Fa-rectification is for sure the most magnificent, because even history was created for it. So you should try your best to do well the things that a Dafa disciple should do, and every single thing is of utmost importance. I've asked you to do the three things well. You must do the three things well. You should do those things well all the way up to your Consummation. Your mighty-virtue and everything of your future come from those things.
As for some shortcomings that still exist, you should in fact be able to see them with greater clarity. A lot of times I notice that when you're discussing certain things you still have the problem of your human side being attached, and you argue about things that you can't get over, which then affects the discussion you're having of the main Fa-validating things. I've seen that those are attachments which formed among ordinary people, and are notions that you can't let go, and it's things that were formed among ordinary people which flare up as soon as they're hit upon. But you can't be like that. Whatever it is you do for Dafa, you shouldn't do it with your own notions. I say this quite often, but some people routinely don't bother to think about it or don't give it enough attention.
There are still plenty of things that you haven't handled well, but in fact, at this point I don't want to talk about them anymore, because whenever I spell something out, the part that you cultivate disappears. Having gone through the [persecution] ordeal, Dafa disciples should be more clearheaded and rational, and they should be even clearer on how to cultivate and how to act. With a lot of problems, if you calmly think things through, you can recognize them on your own. And once you've realized what they are, you should correct them and not let them happen again.
I didn't want to say much today. This time I planned to talk about some things with a few specific students, but a lot of students didn't get to see Master at some Fa conferences and were a bit disappointed. I think that with the Fa here, you should be all set cultivating. And that also holds for the students in Mainland China. In an environment that trying, and without getting to see Master in person, they've still cultivated very well and have done an excellent job. When you see me, you're just seeing this side of me that manifests as an ordinary human being. (Teacher laughs) Whether you can see me or not, I hope that it won't affect you in terms of doing well the things that Dafa disciples should do, and you should do even better. In fact, when you really aren't able to see me and still manage to do better, then that's even more remarkable.
Actually, I like to see you, too. You know, in this social world of ordinary people, the people you come into contact with, you know, they're all ordinary. All those ordinary human thoughts and behaviors that people have are hard for me to take. I enjoy being with you, because you are quite far from the realm of ordinary people now. But for the sake of your Consummation, it's best I don't see you too often. (Teacher laughs) That's why I haven't met with you often. In short, I want to leave you with the opportunity to establish mighty-virtue.
Do well with all the things you should do. All the most magnificent, most wonderful glory and honor of the future await you.
I'll end here for today. (Applause)
Editor's note: The translation is subject to further improvement so as to be closer to the original text. Last updated: August 1, 2004.