(Minghui.org) I’ve become very concerned that the recent change of political power in the U.S. has riled up many practitioners’ emotions and attachments, both for and against the newly elected president. I’d like to share my understandings on the matter, with the hope that more practitioners can calmly reflect on what is unfolding in the human world and what may be behind it.
Master wrote:
“‘Politics’ is a term of the modern, warped society. True human societies in history did not have this term or what politics encompasses. When politics appeared in human society, the society had already begun to warp, and moral values were being assailed by politics as well.” (“No Politics” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I believe that many practitioners, whether they work in the media or not, paid a lot of attention to the recent U.S. presidential elections. I feel that the rhetoric from all sides was exceptionally negative, and base, and a reflection of sentient beings in the cosmos during the final period of the Dharma-ending period. The debates were a display of demon nature, polarizing the country and leading people to have extreme political thinking like never before during a U.S. presidential election.
I noticed that practitioners have posted their opinions on the election and president on social media. Some practitioners put their hopes in a certain candidate, thinking that relations between the U.S. and China could change, favoring Dafa practitioners. I believe that this is a big loophole.
I’m reminded of Master’s Fa teaching:
“With a Dafa like this, how could so many magnificent future Gods, magnificent Dafa disciples, who've been forged through Dafa cultivation put their hope in some ordinary person? Aren't we insulting ourselves? Could human beings control Gods? But a lot of our Dafa disciples were thinking that way. It's not a big deal if one person thinks that way, and it's not a big deal if two people think that way--that's just their personal cultivation issue. But if everybody thinks that way, then what kind of situation will there be among the larger group of Dafa disciples? It'll be a major disruption, a strong attachment, and that can't be allowed. I saw it, and the old forces saw it, too. The old forces thought, ‘Wait a minute, what's this?’ So they made the outcome of the CCP's 16th Congress worse.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.”)
It’s been a week since the new U.S. president took office, and a lot has been done in that time. I’ve heard many Chinese practitioners say they believe that Sino-U.S. relations will change for the better, as well as Western practitioners criticizing immigration policies that have been enacted, with both sides becoming very emotional and worked up. It’s understandable that non-practitioners get caught up in these matters, but I feel very anxious when I see practitioners acting the same way.
My understanding is that the election campaigns magnified people’s demon nature and brought their bad sides to the fore. It’s understandable that ordinary people get dragged into the heat of it, but we practitioners are here to complete our missions and save as many sentient beings as possible before Fa-rectification ends, without getting dragged down with the continuous degradation of ordinary human society.
Master wrote:
“From another angle, how could Gods and Buddhas get involved in humans' politics? Even less would Gods and Buddhas affirm the politics that appear in a warped human society.” (“No Politics” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
My understanding is that we should continue doing the three things well, no matter how things evolve in the human world. At this point in time, every single action that ordinary people take is influenced by either the righteous gods, Master, or the old forces. It can be easy to lose sight of this when emotions get mixed in.
Master said:
“Things have been arranged for such a long time and this is such a major event, so things are really well-ordered! If I told you that even every step you take as you walk, and that even how big your stride is, were arranged, you might not believe it.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference”)
My understanding is that whatever happens to ordinary people has to be tied to the amounts of karma and virtue their bodies contain. If a person has more karma, he or she may have more misfortune in this world. It could manifest as health problems, financial loss, or government campaigns (I’m not referring to the persecution in China).
I’ve found myself spending time browsing social media, where I get inundated by people’s political opinions. Reading all the news and opinions has physically drained me and affected my resolve to be diligent in cultivation. I now understand that I should avoid social and news media so that my cultivation isn’t interfered with and my human attachments riled up.
While I may have my own personal feelings about the political state in the U.S., my understanding is that what is unfolding isn’t targeting practitioners or persecuting us directly. The new administration is a new group that we need to clarify the truth to. I don’t think it’s important that those in power do something that is beneficial to practitioners, as we should not be relying on ordinary people to do things for us. They are relying on us to save them!
I’d like to conclude my sharing with two passages of Fa.
“Nothing is by chance. Don’t be misled by how chaotic things seem, as they are not chaotic in the least. Things manifest in a variety of ways, targeting a variety of attachments, and as things add up, on the whole they give the impression that things are chaotic. Though they seem chaotic, they are not at all.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference”)
“Master is here, and the Fa is here, so nothing will get out of hand.” (“On the Responses to the Piece About Assistant Souls”)
Please point out if anything I’ve said that isn’t in line with the Fa.
Category: Improving Oneself
