(Minghui.org) I've been busy and lazy recently, so I have not studied much Fa, done the Falun Dafa exercises very often, or sent righteous thoughts enough. I always wanted to find time to make up for it. My schedule eased up somewhat these last few days, so I relaxed a little, caught up with my Fa study, doing the exercises, and sending righteous thoughts. But I did not use the time to go out and clarify the truth.
Master gave me hints twice in one day that I wasn’t doing my part to save people. I realized that I had no reason to slack off and live comfortably when the big catastrophe is coming and all beings are on the verge of death. I need to act before it is too late.
The Situation and the Reactions
With the Chinese New Year around the corner, the second wave of the pandemic has been hitting various parts of China, including my city, though the city's response this time is different from the last time. There was no blanket lockdown of all neighborhoods. Only certain neighborhoods with confirmed CCP virus cases are sealed off. Most of the neighborhoods are still open. Some installed cameras at their entrances, while others seem to have done little.
It seemed that some fellow practitioners were affected. Even though their communities were not sealed off, they still seemed worried and they believed the speculations that on a certain date their subdivisions would be completely locked down. They stopped group Fa study, refused to pick up truth-clarifying materials for distribution, and some even cooperated with their families to shelter in place.
In fact, sealing off the communities is a hindrance to us Dafa disciples' efforts to communicate with each other or clarify the truth to save people. It has no effect on pandemic prevention either. The CCP is incompetent and evil in imposing the lockdown. As Dafa disciples, we should not passively acknowledge and accept the lockdown but should resist and negate it in our minds. It is alright to stock up food and supplies because some communities have indeed been sealed off, but we shouldn’t acknowledge it and stop fulfilling our mission to save people.
In fact, many practitioners around me have read information online about a possibly more fatal second wave of the pandemic predicted by both scientists and prophecies. There were also talks about a possible famine and other shocks to the economy and life in general. At any rate, these practitioners seemed certain that 2021 may be doomed, so they rushed to hoard supplies, waiting for the big plague. Their dedication to themselves and their family members is obvious. But did they think about the sentient beings waiting to be saved?
I know that many practitioners still have not done much to clarify the truth, and it's actually not on their agenda at all. Some clarify the truth now and then and are content with the status quo – they are nonchalant and have no desire to break through their stagnant cultivation state.
Some have not been harassed or persecuted in recent years, but they have not taken on any truth-clarification projects. They seem to enjoy their comforts and leisure and want their life to continue like this until the end.
Other practitioners had clarified the truth years ago. They feel that it is enough for them to reach consummation – they did it and now they don't need to do it anymore. They think they have earned enough “merit” to enjoy an early “retirement” from truth-clarification efforts.
There are also some practitioners who were persecuted in the past. They could not handle the torture and wrote the guarantee statements to renounce their faith while in jail. They nullified those statements when they were released, but fear set in. They became very cautious or even cunning and no longer get involved in truth-clarification. They have all sorts of excuses, such as distributing information is no use since people trash the materials and no one reads them. They feel that, since they are cultivators, the plague has nothing to do with them, so there is no need to clarify the truth and share with people how to stay safe amidst the pandemic.
True Cultivation Is Arduous and Grueling
Master told us:
“You are not here to change history, but rather, to save people at this most dangerous time in history, by raising awareness, persuading people to withdraw from China’s three major communist organizations, encouraging people to sincerely say the magic words,2 and so on. All of these are the best medicine possible, the best way to rescue people—when people’s morals change, things will change for the better.” (“Stay Rational”)
“Any Dafa disciples who have not been diligent, or who are prone to acting in extreme ways, should immediately straighten themselves out, and sincerely study the Fa and work on themselves, for you are at great risk. True Dafa disciples have higher energy and are able to destroy karma and germs; they are emissaries of salvation in these latter days, and bring their wisdom to bear upon saving people as they share truthful information related to our practice.” (“Stay Rational”)
This shows that it is not the case that after learning Dafa, one is assured to be safe from danger. We have to be a “true disciple of Dafa” to be safe.
We all say that we want to assimilate to the Fa. Whether one can do it or not determines one's outcome in cultivation. It is, of course, not easy. With the ongoing persecution, organ harvesting, and pressure from family and society in China, it is not easy for us to clarify the truth.
On the other hand, when we let go of ourselves and set out to save people, what we achieve isn’t ordinary either. This environment in China is like the ancient “alchemy furnace.” One has to endure the heat, sweat, and pain to be made into an elixir! Without suffering, how can a substance be refined into an elixir? We can't just become a man with virtue by drinking tea, chitchatting, counting our money, and enjoying yummy food. We are at the right place! We really have to let go of self and all attachments, let go of the fear of life and death, let go of our aversion to hardship and hard work, in order to be made a man with great virtue!
After such a long historical process, everything has come to where it is today. If we don’t do well now, we will fail to fulfill the vow that we made before coming to this world. We also fail the expectations Master and sentient beings have for us. In fact, we have no chance to retreat or choose again. Only a steadfast walk to the end will do the job.
Seizing the Moment to Fulfill the Historic Vow
The pending calamity of all living beings is a comprehensive assessment for us. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is a final exam. Whether one is selfish, self-protective, lacks compassion, or disregard others, one's true realm will basically manifest at this point.
If everything really happens in 2021 as predicted by the prophecies, our cultivation will be over, and it will really be over soon. There will be an assessment of every Dafa practitioner. If one still thinks it is fine to just muddle through, they are only fooling themselves.
What a serious matter it is to ascend to heaven. It must be strict and stern. Who has such great abilities so as to fool the divine? We came into the world to save all sentient beings at the last moment before the calamity. What are we doing, how much do we accomplish, and how well we carry out our duties, all will be evaluated and assessed by Master and all gods!
Recently, sending righteous thoughts has become easier for me than before. That is because there is very little evil left and we have more strong righteous thoughts. It is high time to do so! The time left for cultivation is limited. We should seize the moment to fully let go of our attachments to selfishness and fear.
Master expects us to let go of all attachments and save more sentient beings. He doesn’t want to leave behind a single Dafa disciple. We should all seriously measure ourselves against Dafa, and have more courage and motivation to carry out our duties in due seriousness and accomplish our mission in the final moment of our cultivation.
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Category: Improving Oneself
