To the Shandong Falun Dafa Assistance Center 

To the Shandong Falun Dafa Assistance Center:

With regard to Qingyun practitioners’ effort to build a temple, or monastic facility, you should tell them clearly that this is not something our Dafa wishes to do, that it has nothing to do with their spiritual practice in Dafa, and that they should not put their minds on such a matter. The wish for those devoted to a monastic life to build a temple is an act of their own initiative, as individuals, and a matter that concerns only those devoted to a monastic life. In earlier years, because monastic persons had taken up our Dafa practice, as their Master, I considered the issue of my disciples needing a roof over their heads, and thus I had given this matter some attention. But now the matter has stirred up people’s minds and made some people unable to downsettle their thoughts when they study the Fa. And instead of calmly studying the Fa at home, some practitioners from other regions have gone to Qingyun and gotten mixed up in all of this. This matter has severely interfered with the spiritual practice of our practitioners. Some non-monastic practitioners have also focused their minds to some degree on temple building, and when other practitioners pointed out that that kind of behavior is not in line with Dafa’s teachings, they concealed their attachments by asserting Master had been here, and this and that. Some of their behavior has very seriously interfered with the normal self-cultivation of our practitioners. They have gotten lost in their attachments and have failed to realize their problems even when what they are doing goes against Dafa’s form of practice. Tell our practitioners to forgo all attachments and study the Fa, and advise those from other regions to return home.

How spiritual practice is done in Dafa must not be changed no matter where you are. A non-monastic individual must not follow a monastic person and go all over the place with him, much less go from practitioner to practitioner in various regions, or even ask for money from practitioners in the name of building a temple. I don’t think that donating a certain amount of money toward building a monastic facility will be helpful to a practitioner’s self-cultivation. On the contrary, it has nothing to do whatsoever with self-cultivation and spiritual elevation. And it could create a certain burden for practitioners with limited financial means, thereby interfering with their self-cultivation. I don’t concern myself with things that individuals personally want to do, yet the behavior [exhibited by these practitioners] is certainly not in line with my guidance, and has nothing to do with spiritual practice. Disciples, why can’t you let go of your desire to do certain things?!

As a matter of fact, when they were doing wrong, I kept giving them hints, but their insistence in what they wanted to do covered up their attachments, and they neither wanted to nor dared to face them. When they studied the Fa they held on to their attachments, and looked for words that might support what they were attached to doing and could be used as a basis for [keeping] their attachments. That is not how a person should study the Fa, nor how he should go about developing himself spiritually. I have said many times that practitioners should not travel all over the place, and should stay composed and focus on their self-cultivation. I have also taught that no one is permitted to go around to places and “teach” the Fa to practitioners. The aforementioned individuals’ behaviors have caused quite a reaction in various regions. I have been observing them and have given them opportunities to wake up on their own. But time and again they have pushed away the opportunities I provided, and have repeatedly done things that go against Dafa. Not only are they unable to solidly cultivate themselves, but they have also interfered with other practitioners. They have lost their opportunities again and again. They’d better shape up! I am watching the path they choose to take from now on… When there is a problem, look inward to find the cause—this is the fundamental difference between a Dafa disciple and a non-practitioner.

Li Hongzhi

March 3, 1999