Spiritual practice in Dafa is serious. When Master first came to this world it was for the sole purpose of saving all lives from destruction, and he set out for this degenerate place alone, without any familial ties or concerns, and incarnated among human beings. He proceeded to reincarnate into countless bodies, simultaneously, all throughout the world and in every nation—into those of everything from kings to commoners, from celestial beings in the Three Realms to beings in the underworld. There was nowhere he didn’t reach. In doing so, he formed ties of kinship with a vast range of lives spanning all realms. Over lifetime after lifetime he formed familial ties with innumerable parents, wives, children, and siblings in various realms. This was to, first of all, safeguard the moral well-being of this human world; and secondly, it was to form a sacred bond with the lives, which could be utilized at the time when those with human bodies would be saved. Over the long course of history, most lives, and most people on this earth, have had some form of tie of destiny with me. Most of the people on this earth, in particular, have had kinship with me. And most Dafa disciples, more notably still, have been members of my immediate family in multiple lifetimes. And this is the main reason they had the destiny to become Dafa disciples.
The Fa-rectification of the universe is now underway. Some lives came here to become Dafa disciples; some came to await the salvation of all lives; and some came to become my relatives, friends, classmates, or colleagues. And of course, some came here to be my brother, sister, wife, or child. Unlike Master, however, they are all spiritually developing themselves in Dafa, and shoulder the mission of saving themselves as well as others, and assisting me in saving beings.
But having arrived at the final period of the end time, people have become woefully degenerate, their morals are badly lacking, and their thinking and conduct have become deviant. And the harm done to people’s morals by the wicked Chinese Communist Party has been particularly evil. It’s impossible for Dafa disciples to be unaffected by their current environment as they try to save people and spiritually develop themselves in a world so troubled. Once they let up in their spiritual practice, they tend to look at things with human attachments and in worldly ways, which is dangerous if it carries on for long. This is why I urge everyone not to become lax in their spiritual discipline.
How you regard and act toward the members of my family in this lifetime has become another significant issue that reflects human thinking on your part, and this is what I want to address here. Sometimes you don’t listen to or follow even the guidance I have given. If you don't follow my guidance, are you still my disciple? When you are either fawning toward or act poorly toward my family it can affect their spiritual development. Has this not occurred to you? Look, when you unduly flatter my family members, you are harming them. Some people treat them as if they were me, while some give them money or other things. What’s motivating you to do that? No Dafa project is allowed to do fundraising among practitioners. And even if there are special circumstances, no project may accept more than a thousand dollars without permission. Those who act on their own and give money are harming others as well as themselves. And you are dishonoring my family as well as me! Some people are actually hoping to get something from my family members when they do that, and some are hoping for a shortcut on their spiritual path. There are all kinds of absurd human attachments at work in these cases. And some people were hoping that I would give them special treatment of some sort after finding out what they did. How could they think of me that way? The truth is, my family members wouldn’t dare to tell me even if they did accept your gifts. It didn’t sit well with some people when they didn't get anything out of it, after giving money; some of them wanted to go back on their word, and have thus stirred up trouble. But all of that is exactly what the Red Beast behind the CCP wants you to do!
The universe is undergoing destruction, and only by encountering and accepting Dafa can a being escape this fate at the end time. How can you not take something of cosmic weight like this truly seriously? In the past even the universe’s divine beings didn't know about the existence of the Way in the universe, and yet today it is being offered to human beings for their spiritual development. What a special destiny you have! And how immense is the grace behind it! Think about how you should regard it, then! All along, since the day Dafa was first taught to the public, I have taken into consideration that human beings, and even divine beings, have committed countless sins during their many lifetimes in the long span of the universe. And this holds especially true for human beings. Lives can only be saved, when that’s the case, by having their past sins forgiven. Think about how incredibly immense Dafa’s saving grace is, how tremendous the compassion being shown is, and how sacred the divine grace that’s being bestowed is! And yet how many people have realized this? Are those who look at Dafa and Master with human attachments and in human ways demonstrating mindsets worthy of the tremendous missions being given them and the divine grace being shown them?
The truth is, though the aim is to save as many lives as possible, it’s not that during salvation there is no minimum standard involved when it comes to forgiving beings’ past sins; the mind and heart are looked at, for beings both human and divine, when it is the Fa-rectification of the universe that’s taking place. Since you are doing spiritual practice in a world that’s troubled like never before, it is allowed for you to take some time to come to understand things; it is allowed for there to be individuals who are diligent as well as those who aren’t for a little while; and for there to be individuals who understand [our teachings] as well as ones who are briefly confused. Human wisdom is limited, after all. But as a member of today's human race, and as a Dafa disciple, there are two things you must never do. The first is that you must not deceive your master! The second is that you must not interfere with the salvation of lives! For these are the ultimate criteria that decide whether a life gets to remain. They are not something to flout!
Finally, I would like to tell you that although my compassion is nearly infinite, the requirements in place for a being to gain salvation and the standards that a Dafa disciple must meet are serious and extremely rigorous!
Teacher Hongzhi Li
September 13, 2023
