(Minghui.org) At this final stage of our cultivation, after reading Master's recent lecture, “Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference,” many practitioners feel the urgency to save people. Some are very eager to make progress, but some became depressed and even gave up practicing, thinking they could not catch up even if they sprinted for the rest of their cultivation.
Here I would like share my understandings. If one fears that it's not possible to catch up, and thus slows down or stops practicing, I think the motive behind his or her cultivation may not be pure. When practitioners just aim to obtain things from Dafa to establish themselves, they may be faced with this issue. But for practitioners who truly let go of self and follow Master's words, they will naturally improve their xinxing and do the three things well. They may pay little attention to whether or not they can reach consummation.
Master told us in Zhuan Falun, “Different levels have different Fa, and Fa assumes different guiding roles at different levels.” and, “...there is Dharma at every level, and that none of them is the absolute truth of the universe. The Dharma at high levels is closer to the characteristic of the universe than that of lower levels.”
My understanding is that if practitioners think that their understanding is correct and absolute, they've fallen into a trap. Such a notion forms a barrier that prevents us from advancing in our cultivation. When we forget “No Dharma is definitive” as Master told us in Zhuan Falun, we may stagnate and be unable to identify our attachments on a deeper level.
For example, we know that many of our attachments and pursuits come from selfishness. It's important to remember that selfishness has different manifestations at different levels.
At levels close to the Three Realms, selfishness could be interpreted as pursuit of fame and material interest, or all sorts of desires. Many practitioners have done very well telling people the facts of Falun Gong and saving sentient beings. They've worked hard, spent a lot of time, energy, and money, and have sometimes even risked their lives. Such a sacrifice is indeed outstanding. Meanwhile, by forsaking fame and material interests, some may consider themselves selfless and are satisfied with their achievements.
As time continues, notions like this may hinder them from making further progress. This is because, when observed from a higher level, one may notice that although this practitioner has sacrificed so much in order to tell others about Falun Gong, with no pursuit of fame or interest, he or she may have done so to achieve consummation. More specifically, this practitioner might have done these things with the purpose of establishing more mighty virtue or to consummate at a higher level.
Thoughts like these may not be wrong at lower levels, but they could be seen as filthy and degenerated at higher levels. Without overcoming such a serious attachment, it may turn into a devastating loophole that causes our cultivation to stop at a certain level.
There are also other types of selfishness. For example, when a practitioner tells people the facts of Falun Gong and saves them, he or she may not consider personal gain or even their level of consummation. That is, this practitioner may appear selfless. But if one digs deeper to find out what is behind the practitioner's words, actions or thoughts, one may find that that practitioner did everything to make his or her paradise richer, so that sentient beings there would have a happier life.
This notion cannot be viewed as selfish at lower levels. But at higher levels, it is still impure and foul—after all, everything the practitioner did aims to improve his or her own paradise. Although this kind of selfishness covers a broader scope and may appear purer compared to many other situations we have discussed, it nonetheless still has a limit and does not encompass everything. As Dafa disciples, only by completely letting go of selfishness with absolutely no reservations can we reach higher levels.
My understanding is that if we don't get rid of our old thoughts and notions, we will still be deeply rooted in the old cosmos. No matter how much we sacrifice, or how good we seem to be, we are still within the boundary of the old forces. As a result, the old forces will be able to manipulate us. Our cultivation will be limited and ultimately run into a dead end.
Cultivation is the most serious thing; it is the transformation of our very being and existence at the most fundamental level.
(To Be Continued)