(Minghui.org) Master said:
“However, you shouldn’t treat the little issues you have like they are nothing. The evil will seize upon any gaps. Many practitioners have even passed away on account of little things; it really was due to something very minor. That’s because cultivation is something serious, and requires having no gaps. If for a long time you haven’t dealt with those things through cultivation, small as they may be, if you haven’t taken them seriously for a prolonged period of time, then it is a big issue.” (Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference)
I read this Fa teaching many times and it has touched me deeply. I have seen some practitioners who were very diligent in cultivation in the past, but because they had left gaps on certain issues for a long time, they suffered serious consequences in the end. I would like to share my understandings on three issues.
Many practitioners who have been “transformed” under intense pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have yet to make a “Solemn Declaration” to nullify their statement on the Minghui website. Some of them are still in China and some have left the country. Some have also been traveling back and forth.
Making a “Solemn Declaration” is a very serious matter. It is different from making a “quit the CCP” statement with a pseudonym on the Epoch Times website.
The Minghui website requires Falun Gong practitioners to use their real names when making a solemn declaration.
For practitioners who had gone astray during the persecution, making such a declaration is a “must do” if they want to return to Dafa cultivation and make up for the losses their wrongdoings have caused. Making a public solemn declaration while the persecution is still going on requires one's complete faith in Dafa.
It's already a mistake when they failed to make such a declaration while in mainland China, and it is an even bigger mistake or gap if they still have not made such a declaration after they have come to live overseas. Since they have failed to pay attention to this issue for a long time, it may well be seized upon by the old forces to bring them sickness karma and tribulations, resulting in serious losses to themselves, their families or the projects they have been involved in.
It does not matter if one has made mistakes, and it should be fine as long as one corrects his/her mistakes. Master has talked about this on a number of occasions.
However, there are prerequisites: admitting that you were wrong and demonstrating that you want to amend your wrongdoings. Making a solemn declaration is one of the ways to show remorse.
Some practitioners are actively doing the three things practitioners should be doing, but they find it hard to see the root cause of the tribulations they encounter. It could very well be that they still have not made a solemn declaration on the Minghui website.
A veteran practitioner in our local area has suffered serious sickness karma lately and he had to be hospitalized for emergency treatment. This practitioner started to practice Dafa before July 20, 1999, and has been very diligent in cultivation and in clarifying the truth.
He was illegally arrested numerous times while in China and suffered cruel torture. He was also twice unlawfully sentenced to imprisonment and jailed for over ten years.
This practitioner has been doing the three things well and has made many sacrifices and helped many practitioners.
Once, he even managed to walk out after being illegally arrested by the CCP police. He always leaves a very good impression on people wherever he goes and is indeed a very nice person.
Then why did he encounter such huge sickness karma all of a sudden? We discovered that he had failed to balance his family relationships well. Before he was admitted to the hospital, he had agreed to grant his wife a divorce. Even when his life was in danger, his son refused to visit him in the hospital.
Some practitioners warned him as long as three years ago that he needed to improve the handling of his family situation and he agreed, but he failed to truly understand the importance of the matter. He has not done well in this regard and the old forces have taken advantage of this gap.
Master taught us:
“Under all circumstances, we must be good and kind to others, not to mention to our family members. We should treat everyone in the same way. We must be good to our parents and children and be considerate of others in all respects. Such a heart is thus unselfish, and it is a heart of kindness and benevolence.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
We cultivate in everyday people's society and we all have a family. If we truly conduct ourselves according to Master’s teachings, then our family members will surely recognize and support Dafa, support our cultivation, and support us in doing the “three things.”
There have been many sharing articles at the Minghui website that address such issues. But some fellow practitioners have gone to extremes for a long time in handling family relationships, which in turn brought them very serious consequences.
Falun Gong practitioners come from all parts of the social spectrum. Some are multimillionaires, some are billionaires, well-known figures, scholars, experts, and so on. Of those from the high-end, some have special talents, some used to be CEOs. Among such practitioners, a deeply-rooted attachment is that they feel they are “special.” When it comes to the issue of making an open “Solemn Declaration,” they think: My situation is special, so I should not have to make such a declaration.
Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“Also, after seeing the demeanor of the students who travel with me, some people will imitate them without realizing whether they are good or bad. In fact, it does not matter who the person is— there is only one Fa. Only by observing this Dafa can one meet the genuine standard. The people who work by my side have not received any special treatment and are the same as everyone else; they are just staff members of the Research Society. Do not develop those attachments.”
My personal understanding is that nothing can qualify as “special” exceptions when measured by the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Practitioners who have been “transformed” must truly recognize their wrongdoing and sincerely make a solemn declaration.
Not long ago, I heard a young practitioner talking about a nightmare she had, in which a harsh voice said to her, “All those Dafa practitioners who do not treat cultivation seriously will die!”
Our revered and compassionate Master is the only one believes that we can achieve consummation in cultivation, whereas the old forces have been doing their utmost to drag down practitioners who have gaps in cultivation.
As the Fa-rectification nears its end, every Dafa practitioner must treat cultivation seriously and regard the Fa as Teacher. We must not ignore “little things.”
The above is only my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything improper.