Genuinely Guiding People Toward High Levels

Throughout the entire course of my lectures on the Fa and cultivation practice, I have been responsible to society and practitioners. The results we have received have been good, and their impact upon the entire society has also been quite good. A few years ago there were many qigong¹ masters who taught qigong. All of what they taught belonged to the level of healing and fitness. Of course, I am not saying that their ways of practice were not good. I am only pointing out that they did not teach anything at a higher level. I also know the qigong situation in the entire country. At present, I am the only person genuinely teaching qigong towards high levels at home and abroad. Why has no one done such a thing as teaching qigong towards high levels? It is because this relates to questions of major concerns, profound historical reasons, a wide range of issues, and very serious matters. It is not something that an everyday person can teach, for it involves the practices of many qigong schools. In particular, many of our practitioners who study one practice today and another tomorrow have already messed up their own bodies. Their cultivation is bound to fail. While others advance by taking the main road in cultivation, these people are on the side roads. If they practice one way, the other way will interfere. If they practice the other way, this practice will interfere. Everything is interfering with them, and they can no longer succeed in cultivation practice.

We will straighten out all these matters and, by preserving the good part and removing the bad part, ensure that you are able to practice cultivation later. However, you must be here to genuinely study this Dafa.² If you hold various attachments and come to gain supernormal abilities, have illnesses cured, listen to some theories, or come with some ill intentions, that will not work at all. As I have mentioned, this is because I am the only person who is doing such a thing. There are not many opportunities for something like this, and I will not teach this way forever. I think that those who can listen to my lectures in person, I would say, honestly... you will realize in the future that this period of time is extremely precious. Of course, we believe in predestined relationship. Everyone sits here all because of a predestined relationship.

Think about it, everyone: What matter is it to teach qigong toward high levels? Isn’t this offering salvation to humankind? Offering salvation to humankind means that you will be truly practicing cultivation, and not just healing illness and keeping fit. Accordingly, genuine cultivation practice has a higher xinxing³ requirement for practitioners. Everyone sits here to learn this Dafa, so you must here conduct yourselves as true practitioners, and you must give up attachments. If you come to learn the practice and this Dafa with various pursuits, you will not learn anything. To tell you the truth, the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments. In ordinary human society, people compete with, deceive, and harm each other for a little personal gain. All of these mentalities must be given up. Especially for people who are studying the practice today, these mentalities should be given up even further.

I do not talk about healing illness here, and neither will we heal illness. As a genuine practitioner, however, you cannot practice cultivation with an ill body. I will purify your body. The body purification will be done only for those who come to truly learn the practice and the Fa. We emphasize one point: If you cannot relinquish the attachment or concern for illness, we cannot do anything and will be unable to help you. Why is this? It is because there is such a principle in the universe: Ordinary human affairs, according to the Buddha School, all have predestined relationships. Birth, old age, illness, and death exist as such for ordinary people. Due to karma resulting from past wrongdoing, one has illnesses or tribulations; suffering is repaying a karmic debt, and thus nobody can casually change this. Changing it means that one would not have to repay the debt after being in debt, and this cannot be done at will. Doing otherwise is the same as committing a bad deed.

Some people think that treating patients, curing their illnesses, and improving their health are good deeds. In my view, they have not really cured the illnesses. Instead of removing them, they have either postponed or transformed the illnesses. To really dispel such tribulations, karma must be eliminated. If one could truly cure an illness and completely remove such karma, one’s level would have to be quite high. One would have already seen a fact: The principles of ordinary human society cannot be casually violated. In the course of cultivation practice, a practitioner, out of his or her compassion, can do some good deeds by helping treat diseases and heal others’ illnesses, or maintain their health—these are permitted. However, one cannot completely heal other people’s illnesses. If the cause of an ordinary person’s illness were indeed removed, a non-practitioner would walk away without any illness. Once this person steps outside this door, he would remain an everyday person. He would still compete for personal profit like ordinary people. How can his karma be casually eliminated? It is absolutely prohibited.

Why can this be done for a practitioner, then? It is because a practitioner is most precious, for he or she wants to practice cultivation. Therefore, developing this thought is most precious. In Buddhism, people talk about Buddha-nature. When a person’s Buddha-nature emerges, the enlightened beings are able to help him. What does this mean? If you ask me, since I am teaching the practice at high levels, it involves the principles of high levels as well as issues of great importance. We see that in this universe a human life is not created in ordinary human society; the creation of one’s actual life is in the space of the universe. Because there is a lot of matter of various kinds in this universe, such matter can, through its interactions, produce life. In other words, a person’s earliest life comes from the universe. The space of the universe is benevolent to begin with and embodies the characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren. At birth, one is assimilated to the characteristic of the universe. Yet as the number of lives increases, a collective form of social relations develops in which some people may develop selfishness and gradually their level will be lowered. If they cannot stay at this level, they must drop down further. At that level, however, they may again become not so good and not be able to stay there, either. They will continue to descend further until, in the end, they reach this level of human beings.

The entire human society is on the same level. From the perspective of supernormal abilities or of the great enlightened beings, these lives should have been destroyed upon falling to this level. Out of their benevolent compassion, however, the great enlightened beings gave them one more chance and constructed this special environment and unique dimension. All of the lives in this dimension are different from those in other dimensions of the universe. The lives in this dimension cannot see the lives in other dimensions or the truth of the universe. Thus, these human beings are actually lost in a maze. In order to cure illness or eliminate tribulations and karma, these people must practice cultivation and return to their original, true selves. This is how all the different cultivation schools view it. One should return to one’s original, true self; this is the real purpose of being human. Therefore, once a person wants to practice cultivation, his or her Buddha-nature is considered to have come forth. Such a thought is most precious, for this person wants to return to his or her original, true self and transcend the ordinary human level.

Perhaps everyone has heard this statement in Buddhism: "When one’s Buddha-nature emerges, it will shake ‘the world of ten directions.’"⁴ Whoever sees it will come to give a hand and help this person out unconditionally. In providing salvation to humankind, the Buddha School does not attach any condition or seek returns, and it will help unconditionally. Accordingly, we can do many things for practitioners. But for an everyday person who just wants to be an everyday person and to cure his or her illness, it will not work. Some people may think, "I’ll practice cultivation after my illness is cured." There is no precondition for practicing cultivation, and one should practice cultivation if one wants to. Yet some people’s bodies have illnesses, and some people carry disorderly messages in their bodies. Some people have never practiced qigong. There are also people who have practiced it for several decades and still wander about at the level of qi,⁵ but without making progress in cultivation.

What should be done about this? We will purify their bodies and enable them to practice cultivation toward high levels. There is a transition at the lowest level of cultivation practice, and this is to purify your body completely. All of the bad things on your mind, the karmic field surrounding your body, and the elements that make your body unhealthy will be cleaned out. If they are not cleaned out, how can you, with such an impure, dark body and a filthy mind, practice cultivation toward a higher level? We do not practice qi here. You do not need to practice such low-level things, and we will push you beyond it, making your body reach a state free of any illness. In the meantime, we will install in your body a system of ready-made mechanisms necessary for laying a foundation at the low level. This way, you will practice cultivation at a very high level.

According to the conventions of cultivation practice, there are three levels if qi is included. In genuine cultivation practice, however, there are altogether two major levels (excluding practicing qi). One is In-Triple-World-Fa⁶ (Shi-Jian-Fa) cultivation practice, while the other is Beyond-Triple-World-Fa (Chu-Shi-Jian-Fa)  cultivation practice. The cultivation practices of In-Triple-World-Fa and Beyond-Triple-World-Fa are different from the "beyond-world" and the "in-world" in temples, which are theoretical terms. Ours is the genuine transformation of the human body through cultivation practice at two major levels. Because in the course of In-Triple-World-Fa cultivation practice one’s body will be constantly purified, it will be completely replaced by the high-energy matter when one reaches the highest form of In-Triple-World-Fa. The cultivation practice in Beyond-Triple-World-Fa is basically cultivation of a Buddha-body. That body is made of the high-energy matter, and all supernormal powers will be redeveloped. These are the two major levels to which we refer.

We believe in predestined relationship. I can do such a thing for everyone sitting here. Right now we have only more than two thousand people. I can also do it for several thousand or more people, even over ten thousand people. That is to say, you do not need to practice at a low level. Upon purifying your bodies and moving you up, I will install a complete cultivation practice system in your body. Right away you will practice cultivation at high levels. It will be done, however, only for practitioners who come to genuinely practice cultivation; your simply sitting here does not mean that you are a practitioner. These things will be provided as long as you fundamentally change your thinking, and it is not limited to just these. Later on you will understand what I have given everyone. We do not talk about healing illness here, either. Rather, we talk about holistically adjusting practitioners’ bodies to enable you to practice cultivation.  With an ill body you cannot develop gong⁷ at all. Therefore, you should not come to me for curing illnesses, and neither will I do such a thing. The primary purpose of my coming to the public is to guide people to high levels, genuinely guiding people to high levels.

Different Levels Have Different Fa

In the past, many qigong masters said that qigong has a so-called beginning level, intermediate level, and advanced level. That was all qi and only something at the level of practicing qi, but it was even classified as beginning-level, intermediate-level, and advanced-level qigong. With regard to genuine high-level things, the minds of the majority of our qigong practitioners were blank, as they simply did not know them at all. From now on, all of what we address will be the Fa at high levels. In addition, I will restore the reputation of cultivation practice. In my lectures I will talk about some unhealthy phenomena in the community of cultivators. I will also address how we should treat and look at such phenomena. Moreover, teaching a cultivation system and Fa at high levels involves many aspects and quite important issues, some of which are even very serious; I would like to point these out as well. Some interference in our ordinary human society, especially in the community of cultivators, comes from other dimensions. I would also like to make this public. At the same time, I will resolve these problems for practitioners. If these problems go unresolved, you will be unable to practice cultivation. To fundamentally resolve these issues, we must treat everyone as genuine practitioners. Of course, it is not easy to change your thinking right away; you will transform your thinking gradually during the lectures to come. I also hope that everyone will pay attention while listening. The way I teach cultivation practice is different from others’. Some people teach it just by talking briefly about the theories of their practice methods. Next, they connect their messages with you and teach a set of exercises, and that is all. People are already accustomed to this way of teaching a practice.

Genuinely teaching a cultivation system requires teaching the Fa or the Tao. In ten lectures I will make known all of the high-level principles so that you can practice cultivation. Otherwise, you cannot practice cultivation at all. All of what others have taught are things at the level of healing and fitness. If you want to practice cultivation toward high levels, you will not succeed in cultivation without the guidance of the high-level Fa. It resembles attending school: If you go to college with elementary school textbooks, you will still be an elementary school pupil. Some people think that they have learned many practices, such as this practice or that practice, and they have a pile of graduation certificates, but their gong still has not made any progress. They think that those are the true essence of qigong and what qigong is all about. No, they are only a skin-deep part of qigong and something at the lowest level. Qigong is not confined to these things, as it is cultivation practice as well as something very broad and profound. In addition, different Fa exist at different levels. Thus, it is different from those practices of qi that we know at present; it will be the same no matter how much more you learn. For instance, although you have studied British elementary school textbooks, American elementary school textbooks, Japanese elementary school textbooks, and Chinese elementary school textbooks, you remain an elementary school pupil. The more low-level qigong lessons you have taken and the more from them you have absorbed, the more harm you will incur—your body is already messed up.

I must emphasize yet another issue: Our cultivation practice requires teaching both a cultivation method and Fa. Some monks in temples, especially those of Zen Buddhism, may have different opinions. As soon as they learn about the teaching of Fa, they will be unwilling to hear it. Why is it? Zen Buddhism believes that Fa should not be taught, that Fa is not Fa if it is taught, and that there is no teachable Fa; one can only understand something via heart and soul. As a result, to this day Zen Buddhism has not been able to teach any Fa. Patriarch Boddhidarma of Zen Buddhism taught such things based upon a statement made by Sakyamuni⁸ who said: "No Dharma⁹ is definitive." He founded Zen Buddhism based on this statement by Sakyamuni. We consider this cultivation way to be "digging into a bull’s horn."¹⁰  Why is it said to dig into a bull’s horn? When Boddhidarma began to dig into it, he felt that it was quite spacious. When Patriarch II dug into it, he felt that it was not very spacious. It was still passable by the time of Patriarch III, but for Patriarch IV it was already quite narrow. There was almost no room to move further for Patriarch V. By the time of Huineng, Patriarch VI, it had reached a dead end and could move no further. If today you visit a Zen Buddhist to study Dharma, you should not ask any questions. If you ask a question, he or she will turn around and whack your head with a stick, which is called a "stick warning." It means that you should not inquire, and you should become enlightened on your own. You would say, "I came to study because I don’t know anything. What should I become enlightened about? Why do you hit me with a stick?!" This indicates that Zen Buddhism has reached the dead end of the bull’s horn, and there is no longer anything to teach. Even Boddhidarma stated that his teaching could be passed down to only six generations, after which it would no longer serve any use. Several hundred years have passed. Yet there are people today who still hold firmly to the doctrines of Zen Buddhism. What’s the actual meaning of Sakyamuni’s pronouncement, "No Dharma is definitive"? Sakyamuni’s level was Tathagata.¹¹  Many monks later on were not enlightened at Sakyamuni’s level, to the thinking in his realm of thought, to the real meaning of his professed Dharma, or to the actual meaning of what he said. Therefore, people later on interpreted it this way or that way with very confusing interpretations. They thought that "No Dharma is definitive" meant that one should not teach it, and it would not be Dharma if taught. Actually, that is not what it means. When Sakyamuni became enlightened under a Bodhi tree, he did not reach the Tathagata level right away. He was also constantly improving himself during the forty-nine years of his Dharma teaching. Whenever he upgraded himself to a higher level, he looked back and realized that the Dharma he just taught was all wrong. When he made progress again, he discovered that the Dharma he just taught was wrong again. After he made further progress, he realized again that the Dharma he just taught was wrong. He constantly made such progress during his entire forty-nine years. Whenever he reached a higher level, he would discover that the Dharma he taught in the past was at a very low level in its understanding. He also discovered that the Dharma at each level is always the manifestation of the Dharma at that level, that there is Dharma at every level, and that none of them is the absolute truth of the universe. The Dharma at high levels is closer to the characteristic of the universe than that of lower levels. Therefore, he stated: "No Dharma is definitive."

In the end, Sakyamuni also proclaimed, "I haven’t taught any Dharma in my lifetime." Zen Buddhism again misunderstood this as meaning there was no Dharma to be taught. By his later years, Sakyamuni had already reached the Tathagata level. Why did he say that he had not taught any Dharma? What issue did he actually raise? He was stating, "Even at my level of Tathagata, I’ve seen neither the ultimate truth of the universe nor what the ultimate Dharma is." Thus, he asked people later on not to take his words as the absolute or the unchangeable truth. Otherwise, it would later limit people at or below the Tathagata level, and they would be unable to make breakthroughs toward high levels. Later, people could not understand the actual meaning of this sentence and thought that if taught, Dharma is not Dharma—they have understood it this way. In fact, Sakyamuni was saying that there are different Dharma at different levels, and that the Dharma at each level is not the absolute truth of the universe. Yet the Dharma at a given level assumes a guiding role at that level. Actually, he was telling such a principle.

In the past, many people, especially those from Zen Buddhism, held such prejudice and an extremely warped view. How do you practice and cultivate yourself without being taught and guided? There are many Buddhist stories in Buddhism. Some people may have read about a person who went to heaven. Upon arriving in heaven, he discovered that every word in the Diamond Sutra¹²  up there was different from that down here, and the meaning was entirely different. How could this Diamond Sutra be different from that in the ordinary human world? There are also people who claim: "The scripture in the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss is totally different from that down here, and it’s not at all the same thing. Not only are the words different, but the implications and the meaning are all different, as they’ve changed." As a matter of fact, this is because the same Fa has different transformations and forms of manifestation at different levels, and it can play different guiding roles for practitioners at different levels.

It is known that in Buddhism there is a booklet called A Tour to the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. It states that while a monk was sitting in meditation, his Primordial Spirit¹³ (yuanshen)  went to the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss and saw its scenery. He spent one day there; when he returned to the human world, six years had passed. Did he see it? He did, but what he saw was not its true state. Why? It is because his level was not high enough, and what he was shown was only the manifestation of the Buddha Fa at his level. Because a paradise like that is a manifestation of the Fa’s composition, he could not see its actual situation. This is what it means when I talk about "No Dharma is definitive."

Zhen-Shan-Ren is the Sole Criterion to Discern Good and Bad People

In Buddhism people have been discussing what the Buddha Fa is. There are also people who believe that the Dharma stated in Buddhism is the Buddha Fa in its entirety. Actually, it is not. The Dharma that Sakyamuni professed two thousand five hundred years ago was only for everyday people at a very low level; it was taught to those who just evolved from a primitive society and still possessed very simple minds. Today is the Dharma-ending Period¹⁴ to which he referred. Now people can no longer practice cultivation with that Dharma. In the Dharma-ending Period, even monks in temples have difficulty saving themselves, let alone offering salvation to others. The Dharma Sakyamuni taught at that time took that situation into consideration, and he did not articulate fully the Buddha Fa that he understood at his own level. It is also impossible to keep it unchanged forever.

As society develops, the human mind becomes more sophisticated, making it no longer easy for people to practice cultivation in this way. The Dharma in Buddhism cannot summarize the entire Buddha Fa, and it is only a tiny portion of the Buddha Fa. There are still many other great cultivation ways in the Buddha School that are being passed down among people. Throughout history they have been passed down to a single disciple. Different levels have different Fa, and different dimensions have different Fa, all of which are the various manifestations of the Buddha Fa in different dimensions and at different levels. Sakyamuni also mentioned that there were eighty-four thousand cultivation ways for cultivating Buddhahood. Buddhism, however, includes only over ten cultivation ways, such as Zen Buddhism, Pure Land, Tiantai, Huayan, and Tantrism; these cannot represent all of the Buddha Fa. Sakyamuni himself did not articulate all of his Dharma; he only taught the portion of it befitting people’s ability of comprehension at that time.

What is the Buddha Fa, then? The most fundamental characteristic of this universe, Zhen-Shan-Ren, is the highest manifestation of the Buddha Fa. It is the most fundamental Buddha Fa. The Buddha Fa manifests different forms at different levels and assumes different guiding roles at different levels. The lower the level, the more complex. This characteristic, Zhen-Shan-Ren, is in the microscopic particles of air, rock, wood, soil, iron and steel, the human body, as well as in all matter. In ancient times it was said that the Five Elements¹⁵  constitute all things and matter in the universe; they also carry this characteristic, Zhen-Shan-Ren. A practitioner can only understand the specific manifestation of the Buddha Fa at the level that his or her cultivation has reached, which is his or her cultivation Fruit Status¹⁶ and level. Broadly speaking, the Fa is very immense. From the perspective of the very highest level, it is very simple, for the Fa resembles a pyramid in form. At the highest point, it can be summarized in three words: Zhen, Shan, Ren. It is extremely complex when manifesting at different levels. Take a human being as an example. The Tao School considers the human body a small universe. A person has a physical body, yet a person is not complete with only a physical body. One must also have human temperament, personality, character, and Primordial Spirit in order to constitute a complete and independent person with individuality. The same is true with our universe, which has the Milky Way, other galaxies, as well as life and water. All things and matter in this universe are aspects of material existence. At the same time, however, it also possesses the characteristic Zhen-Shan-Ren. All microscopic particles of matter embody this characteristic—even the extremely microscopic particles have this property.

This characteristic, Zhen-Shan-Ren, is the criterion for measuring good and bad in the universe. What’s good or bad? It is judged by this. The de¹⁷  that we mentioned in the past is also the same. Certainly, the moral standard in today’s society has already changed and become distorted. Now, if someone learns from Lei Feng,¹⁸  he or she might be branded mentally ill. But who in the 1950’s or 1960’s would say this person is mentally ill? The human moral standard is declining tremendously, and human moral values are deteriorating daily. People only pursue self-interest and will harm others for a tiny bit of personal gain. They compete and struggle against each other by resorting to all means. Think about it, everyone: Will this be allowed to continue? When someone is doing a wrong deed, he will not believe it if you point out to him that he is doing a wrong deed. That person indeed will not believe that he is doing something wrong. Some people evaluate themselves with the declined moral standard. Because the criteria for assessment have changed, they consider themselves better than others. No matter how the human moral standard changes, this characteristic of the universe remains unchanged, and it is the sole criterion that distinguishes good people from bad people. As a practitioner, one must then conduct oneself by following this characteristic of the universe rather than the standards of everyday people. If you want to return to the original, true self and move up in cultivation practice, you must conduct yourself according to this criterion. As a human being, you are a good person only if you can follow this universe’s characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren. A person who deviates from this characteristic is truly a bad person. In the workplace or in society, some people may say that you are bad, yet you may not necessarily be bad. Some people may say that you are good, but you may not really be good. As a practitioner, if you assimilate yourself to this characteristic you are one that has attained the Tao—it’s just such a simple principle.

In practicing Zhen-Shan-Ren, the Tao School emphasizes the cultivation of Zhen. Therefore, the Tao School believes in the cultivation of Zhen to nurture one’s nature; one should tell the truth, do things truthfully, become a truthful person, return to the original, true self, and in the end, become a true person through cultivation. Nevertheless, it also includes Ren and Shan, but with an emphasis on the cultivation of Zhen. The Buddha School emphasizes cultivating Shan of Zhen-Shan-Ren. Because the cultivation of Shan can generate great, benevolent compassion, and when compassion develops one will find all beings suffering, the Buddha School thus develops an aspiration to offer salvation to all beings. It also has Zhen and Ren, but with an emphasis on the cultivation of Shan. Our Falun Dafa is based upon the highest standard of the universe, Zhen, Shan, and Ren, all of which we cultivate simultaneously. The system that we cultivate is enormous.

Qigong is Prehistoric Culture

What is qigong? Many qigong masters speak about this. What I am saying is different from what they say. Many qigong masters talk about it at their levels, while I am talking about the understanding of qigong from a higher level. It is completely different from their understanding. Some qigong masters claim that qigong has a history of two thousand years in our country. There are also people who say that qigong has a history of three thousand years. Some people mention that qigong has a history of five thousand years, which approximates that of our Chinese civilization. Still others say that, based upon archaeological excavations, it has a history of seven thousand years, and thus far exceeds the history of our Chinese civilization. But no matter how they understand it, qigong would not exist much earlier than the history of human civilization. According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, humans evolved from aquatic-plants to aquatic-animals. Then, they moved to live on land and eventually trees. Again on land, they became apes, and in the end evolved into modern humans with culture and thought. Based on that calculation, it has not been over ten thousand years since the actual emergence of human civilization. Looking further back, there was not even notekeeping through tying knots. Those people were dressed in tree leaves and ate raw meat. Looking back still further, they were completely wild or primitive people. They might not have even known how to use fire.

Yet we have found a problem. A lot of cultural relics in many places of the world date back far beyond the history of our human civilization. These ancient remains have quite an advanced level of craftsmanship. In terms of artistic value, they are at quite an advanced level. Modern humankind is simply imitating the arts of ancient peoples, and their arts are of great artistic value. They are, however, relics from over 100 thousand years ago, several hundred thousand years ago, several million years, or even over 100 million years ago. Think about it, everyone: Aren’t they making a mockery of today’s history? It is, in fact, no joke, for humankind has always been improving and rediscovering itself. This is how society develops. The initial understanding may not be absolutely correct.

Many people may have heard of "prehistoric culture," also known as "prehistoric civilization." We will talk about prehistoric civilization. On this earth, there are continents of Asia, Europe, South America, North America, Oceania, Africa, and Antarctica. Geologists call these the continental plates. From the formation of the continental plates to this day, several tens of millions of years have passed. Namely, many continents have emerged from the ocean floor, and many continents have also sunk to the sea bottom. It has been over tens of millions of years since they stabilized at the present state. Under the water of many oceans, however, some tall and large ancient architecture has been discovered. These buildings were crafted very beautifully and are not the cultural heritage of our modern humankind. Then they must have been built before sinking to the ocean floor. Who created these civilizations tens of millions of years ago? At that time, our human race was not even apes. How could we create something of such great wisdom? Archaeologists around the world have discovered an organism called trilobite that existed between 600 and 260 million years ago. This kind of organism disappeared 260 million years ago. An American scientist has discovered a trilobite fossil with a human footprint on it; the footprint was clearly printed on the fossil by a person in shoes. Isn’t this mocking historians? According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, how could there be human beings 260 million years ago?

In the museum of the National University of Peru, there is a rock engraved with a human figure. Upon investigation, it was determined that this human figure was engraved thirty thousand years ago. This human figure, however, is dressed in clothes, hat, and shoes, with a telescope in hand, and he is observing the celestial body. How could people weave cloth and wear clothes thirty thousand years ago? More inconceivably, he was observing the celestial body with a telescope and had a certain amount of astronomical knowledge. We always think that it was Galileo, a European, who invented the telescope, giving it a history of only over three hundred years. Yet who invented the telescope thirty thousand years ago? There are still many unsolved puzzles. For instance, there are frescoes engraved in many caves of France, South Africa, and the Alps that appear realistic and lifelike. The figures therein engraved look remarkably exquisite and are colored with a mineral paint. These people, however, all don contemporary clothes that look something like Western suits, and they wear tight pants. Some people hold something like smoking pipes, while others carry walking sticks and wear hats. How could the apes of several hundred thousand years ago reach such an advanced artistic level?

To give another example of a more remote age, the Gabon Republic in Africa has uranium ore. This country is relatively underdeveloped. It cannot make uranium on its own and exports the ore to developed countries. In 1972, a French manufacturer imported its uranium ore. After lab tests, the uranium ore was found to have been extracted and utilized. They found this quite unusual and sent out scientists to study it. Scientists from many other countries all went there to investigate. In the end, this uranium mine was verified as a large-scale nuclear reactor with a very rational layout. Even our modern people cannot possibly create this, so when was it built then? It was constructed 2 billion years ago and was in operation for 500 thousand years. Those are simply astronomical figures, and they cannot be explained at all with Darwin’s theory of evolution. There are many such examples. What today’s scientific and technological community has discovered is sufficient to change our present textbooks. Once humankind’s conventional mentalities form a systematic way of working and thinking, new ideas are very difficult to accept. When the truth emerges, people do not dare to accept it and instinctively reject it. Due to the influence of traditional conventions, no one today has systematically compiled such findings. Thus, human concepts always lag behind developments. Once you speak of these things, there will be people who call them superstitious and reject them—despite their already having been discovered. They are just not yet publicized widely.

Many bold scientists abroad have already publicly recognized this as prehistoric culture and a civilization prior to this of our humankind. In other words, there existed more than one period of civilization before our civilization. Through unearthed relics, we have found products that are not of only one period of civilization. It is thus believed that after each of the many times when human civilizations were annihilated, only a small number of people survived and they lived a primitive life. Then, they gradually multiplied in number to become the new human race, beginning a new civilization. Later, they were again exterminated and would then once again produce a new human race. It just goes through such different periodical changes. Physicists hold that the motion of matter follows certain laws. The changes of our entire universe also follow laws.

It is impossible that our planet Earth, in this immense universe and the Milky Way, has been orbiting very smoothly at all times. It might have bumped into a certain planet or run into other problems, leading to great disasters. From the perspective of our supernormal abilities, it was just arranged that way. I made a careful investigation once and found that humankind has undergone complete annihilation eighty-one times. With a little remaining from the previous civilization, only a small number of people would survive and enter the next period, again living a primitive life. As the human population increased, civilization would eventually emerge again. Humanity has experienced such periodical changes eighty-one times, and yet I have not traced them to the end. Chinese people talk about cosmic timing, favorable earth conditions, and human harmony. Different cosmic changes and different cosmic timings can bring about different conditions in ordinary human society. According to physics, the motion of matter follows certain laws—the same is true with the motion of the universe.

The above reference to prehistoric culture primarily tells you that qigong was not invented by this humankind of ours, either. It was inherited through a quite remote age and it was also a type of prehistoric culture. From Buddhist scriptures we can also find some related statements. Sakyamuni once said that he succeeded in cultivation practice many hundred millions of kalpa¹⁹ (jie)  ago. How many years are there in one kalpa? One kalpa is a number for hundreds of millions of years. Such a huge number is simply inconceivable. If true, doesn’t this agree with the history of humankind and the changes of the entire earth? In addition, Sakyamuni also mentioned that there were six primitive Buddhas before him, that he had masters, etc., all of whom succeeded in cultivation practices many hundred million kalpa ago. If all this is real, are there such cultivation ways among those true, traditional practices and genuine teachings taught in our society today? If you ask me, it is certainly so, but they are seldom seen. Nowadays, sham qigong, phony qigong, and those people possessed by spirits  have all made up something at will to deceive people, and their number exceeds that of genuine qigong practices by many times. Discerning the genuine and the sham is difficult. A genuine qigong practice is not easy to distinguish, and neither is it easy to find.

In fact, not only is qigong passed down from a distant age, Taiji,²⁰ Hetu, Luoshu,²¹ the Book of Changes,²² the Eight Triagrams,²³ etc., are all inherited from prehistory. Thus, if we study and understand them from the perspective of everyday people today, we will not be able to comprehend them by any means. From an everyday person’s level, perspective, and frame of mind, one cannot understand real things.

Qigong is Cultivation Practice

Since qigong has such a long history, what’s it for? Let me tell everyone that since we are of a great cultivation way in the Buddha School, we of course cultivate Buddhahood. In the Tao School, one of course cultivates the Tao to attain the Tao. Let me tell everyone that "Buddha" is not a superstition. It is a word from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. When it was introduced to China, it was called "Fo Tuo."²⁴ There were also people who translated it as "Fu Tu."²⁵ As the word was passed around, our Chinese people left out one character and called it "Fo." What does it mean in Chinese? It means "an enlightened person," one who has become enlightened through cultivation practice. What’s superstitious in this?

Think about it, everyone: One can develop supernormal abilities through cultivation practice. In the world today, six supernormal abilities are recognized, yet they are not limited to these alone. I would say that over ten thousand genuine supernormal abilities exist. As a person sits there, without moving his hands or feet, he is able to do what others cannot do even with their hands and feet, and he can see the actual truth of each dimension in the universe. This person can see the truth of the universe and things that an everyday person cannot. Isn’t he a person who has attained the Tao through practicing cultivation? Isn’t he a great enlightened person? How can he be considered the same as an everyday person? Isn’t he an enlightened person through cultivation practice? Isn’t it correct to call him an enlightened person? In ancient Indian language he is called a Buddha. Actually, that is it. This is what qigong is for.

Speaking of qigong, some people might say, "Without an illness, who would practice qigong?" This implies that qigong is meant for healing illness. That is a very, very shallow understanding. This is not your fault because many qigong masters indeed do things such as healing illnesses and maintaining fitness. They all talk about healing and fitness. Nobody teaches anything toward high levels. This does not mean that their practices are not good. Their mission is to teach things at the level of healing and fitness, and to publicize qigong. There are many people who would like to practice cultivation toward high levels. They have such thoughts and wishes, but they have not obtained the right methods for cultivation, thereby causing great difficulties and many problems. Of course, genuinely teaching a practice at high levels involves very profound issues. Therefore, we have been responsible to people and society, and the overall outcome of teaching the practice has been good. Some of the things are indeed quite profound and, when discussed, may sound like superstition. Nevertheless, we will try our best to explain them with modern science.

Once we talk about certain issues, some people will call them superstitions. Why is that? Such a person’s criterion is that he will consider what science has not recognized, what he has not yet experienced, or what he thinks cannot possibly exist, all to be superstitious and idealistic—this is his mentality. Is this mentality correct? Should what science has not recognized or what is beyond its development be labeled as superstitious and idealistic? Then, isn’t this person himself being superstitious and idealistic? With this mentality, how can science develop and make progress? Neither will human society be able to move forward. Everything that our scientific and technological community has invented was unknown to people in the past. If such things were all regarded as superstitions, there would, of course, have been no need for development. Qigong is not something idealistic. There are many people who do not understand qigong and, thus, always consider qigong idealistic. At present, with scientific apparatus we have found in a qigong master’s body infrasonic waves, supersonic waves, electromagnetic waves, infrared, ultraviolet, gamma rays, neutrons, atoms, trace metal elements, etc. Aren’t these something of material existence? They are also of matter. Isn’t everything made of matter? Aren’t other time-spaces also made of matter? How can qigong be labeled "superstitious?" Since it is used for cultivation of Buddhahood, it is bound to involve many profound issues, and we will address them all.

Since qigong serves such a purpose, why do we call it qigong? It is, as a matter of fact, not called "qigong." What’s it called? It is called "cultivation practice," and it is just cultivation practice. Of course it has other specific names, but generically speaking it is called cultivation practice. Then, why is it called qigong? It is known that qigong has been promoted in society for over twenty years. It first appeared in the middle of the Great Cultural Revolution.²⁶ Later on it reached its peak of popularity. Think about it, everyone: The leftist ideology was quite prevalent at that time. We will not mention what names qigong had in prehistoric civilizations. During its development, this human civilization underwent a feudalistic period. Therefore, it usually has names with feudalistic ingredients. Those practices related to religions usually have names with heavy religious overtones. For instance, the so-called "The Great Cultivation Way of Tao," "The Dhyana of Vajra," "The Way of Arhat,"²⁷ "The Great Cultivation Way of Buddha Dharma," "Nine-fold Internal Alchemy," etc., are all such things. If these names were used during the Great Cultural Revolution, wouldn’t you be criticized? Though those qigong masters’ wish to promote qigong was good and they intended to help the general public heal illnesses, maintain fitness, and improve their physical conditions—how great that would be—it would not be allowed. People simply did not dare to use names this way. Therefore, in order to promote qigong, many qigong masters took out two words from the texts of Dan Jing  and Tao Zang,²⁸  and named it "qigong". Some people even concentrate their research in qigong terminology. There is nothing there to study. In the past, it was just called cultivation practice. "Qigong" is only a newly-crafted term that complies with modern people’s mindset.

Why Doesn’t Your Gong Increase with Your Practice?

Why doesn’t your gong increase with your practice? Many people think this way: "I haven’t received genuine teaching. If a master teaches me some special skills and a few advanced techniques, my gong will increase." Nowadays, ninety-five percent of people think this way, and I find it quite ridiculous. Why is it ridiculous? It is because qigong is not a technique of everyday people. It is something completely supernormal. Accordingly, the principles of high levels should be applied to examine it. Let me tell everyone that the fundamental reason for one’s failing to increase gong is this: Of the two words "cultivation" and "practice," people only pay attention to practice and ignore cultivation. If you search externally for something, you will not obtain it by any means. With an everyday person’s body, an everyday person’s hands, and an everyday person’s mind, do you think that you can transform high-energy matter into gong or increase gong? How can it be so easy! In my view, it is a joke. That is the same as pursuing something externally and seeking something externally. You will never find it.

It is not like a skill of everyday people that you can acquire by paying some money or learning some techniques. It is not like that, as it is something beyond the level of everyday people. You will thus be expected to follow supernormal principles. What’s required of you, then? You must cultivate your inner self and not pursue things externally. So many people are seeking things externally. They pursue one thing today and another tomorrow. In addition, they are obsessively attached to seeking supernormal abilities and carry all kinds of intentions. There are people who even want to become qigong masters and make a fortune by healing illnesses! To truly practice cultivation, you must cultivate your mind. This is called xinxing cultivation. For example, in a conflict among one another, you should care less about various personal feelings and desires. While competing for personal gain, you want to improve your gong—how can that be possible? Aren’t you the same as an everyday person? How can your gong increase? Therefore, only by emphasizing xinxing cultivation can your gong increase and your level be upgraded.

What is xinxing? It includes de (a type of matter), tolerance, enlightenment quality, sacrifice, giving up ordinary people’s different desires and attachments, being able to suffer hardships, and so on. It encompasses various things. Every aspect of xinxing must be upgraded for you to make real progress. This is a crucial factor in improving gong potency (gongli). 

Some people may think: "The xinxing issue you mentioned is something ideological and a matter of one’s realm of thoughts. It has nothing to do with the gong we cultivate." Why isn’t it the same issue? Throughout history, the issue of whether matter determines mind or vice versa has been constantly discussed and debated in the world of philosophy. In fact, let me tell everyone that matter and mind are one thing. In scientific research of the human body, today’s scientists hold that a thought generated by the human brain is a substance. If it is something of material existence, isn’t it something of the human mind as well? Aren’t they the same thing? Just like the universe that I have described, it does not only have its material existence, but also, at the same time, it has its characteristic. An everyday person cannot detect the existence of this characteristic, Zhen-Shan-Ren, in the universe, because everyday people are all on the same level. When you rise above the level of everyday people, you will be able to detect it. How do you detect it? All matter in the universe, including all substances that permeate the universe, are living beings with thinking minds, and all of them are forms of existence of the universe’s Fa at different levels. They do not let you ascend. Though you want to ascend, you cannot. They just do not let you move up. Why don’t they let you move up? It is because your xinxing has not improved. There are different criteria for every level. If you want to reach a higher level, you must abandon your ill thoughts and clean out your filthy things in order to assimilate to the requirements of the standard at that level. Only by doing so can you ascend.

Once you upgrade your xinxing, your body will undergo a great change. Upon xinxing improvement, the matter in your body is guaranteed to transform. What kind of changes will take place? You will give up those bad things that you are attached to. For example, if a bottle filled with dirty things is sealed tightly and thrown into water, it will sink all the way to the bottom. You pour out some of its dirty contents. The more you empty the bottle, the higher it will float in the water. If it is emptied entirely, it will float on the surface completely. In the course of our cultivation practice, you must clean out various bad things in your body so that you can move up. This characteristic of the universe exactly plays this role. If you do not cultivate your xinxing or upgrade your moral standard, or if your ill thoughts and bad substances have not been removed, it will not let you ascend. How can you say that they aren’t the same thing? Let me tell a joke. If a person, with all kinds of human sentiment and desire among everyday people, is allowed to ascend and become a Buddha—think about it—is this possible? He may have a wicked thought upon finding a Bodhisattva²⁹  so beautiful. This person may start a conflict with a Buddha because his jealousy has not been eliminated. How can these things be allowed to take place? What should be done about it, then? You must eliminate all ill thoughts among everyday people—only then can you move up.

In other words, you should pay attention to xinxing cultivation and practice cultivation according to the characteristic of the universe, Zhen-Shan-Ren. You must completely dispose of the desires of ordinary people, immoral thoughts, and the intention of wrongdoing. With every bit of improvement in your state of mind, some bad things will be eliminated from your body. In the meantime, you should also suffer a little bit and endure some hardships to reduce your karma. You can then move up a little bit; that is, the characteristic of the universe will not restrict you as much. Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master. The master gives you the gong mechanism that develops your gong, and this gong mechanism will function. It can transform the substance of de outside of your body into gong. As you constantly upgrade yourself and move up in cultivation practice, your gong column (gongzhu) will also continually make breakthroughs toward high levels. As a practitioner, you must cultivate and temper yourself in the environment of everyday people and gradually abolish attachments and various desires. Oftentimes, what our humankind considers good is usually bad from the perspective of high levels. Thus, what people consider good for a person is to fulfill more self-interest among everyday people, thereby living a better life. To the great enlightened beings, this person is worse off. What’s so bad about this? The more one gains, the more one infringes upon others. One will get things one does not deserve. This person will be attached to fame and profit, thus losing de. If you want to increase gong without emphasizing xinxing cultivation, your gong will not increase at all.

The community of cultivators holds that one’s Primordial Spirit does not become extinct. In the past, people might call it superstitious to discuss the human Primordial Spirit. It is known that research on the human body in physics has found molecules, protons, electrons, going further down to quarks, neutrinos, etc. At that point, a microscope can no longer detect them. Yet they are far from the origin of life and from the origin of matter. Everyone knows that it requires a considerable amount of energy collision and a great amount of heat to enable fusion or nuclear fission to occur. How can the nuclei in one’s body easily become extinct as one dies? Therefore, we have found that when a person is dead, only the largest molecular elements in this dimension of ours have sloughed off, while the bodies in other dimensions are not degenerated. Think about it, everyone: What does a human body look like under a microscope? The entire human body is in motion. While you sit there still, the whole body is nevertheless in motion. Cell molecules are in motion, and the whole body is loose as if composed of sand. A human body looks just like that under a microscope, and this is quite different from what is seen with our naked eyes. This is because this pair of human eyes create a false impression for you and prevent you from seeing these things. When one’s Celestial Eye³⁰ (tianmu)  is open, it can see things by magnifying them; it is actually a human instinctual capability that is now called a supernormal ability. If you want to develop supernormal abilities, you must return to your original, true self and go back through cultivation.

Let us talk about de. What specific connection does it have? We will analyze it in detail. As human beings, we have a body in each of numerous dimensions. When we examine the human body now, the largest elements are cells, and they comprise the physical human body. If you can enter the space between cells and molecules or the spaces among molecules, you will experience being in another dimension. What does that body’s form of existence resemble? Of course, you cannot use the concepts of this dimension to understand it, and your body must meet the requirement of that dimension’s form of existence. The body in another dimension can become big or small to begin with. At that time, you will find it also a boundless dimension. This refers to a simple form of other dimensions that exist simultaneously in the same place. Everyone has a specified body in each of many other dimensions. In a specified dimension there is a field that surrounds the human body. What kind of field is it? This field is the de that we have mentioned. De is a white substance and not, as we believed in the past, something spiritual or ideological—it absolutely has a kind of material existence. Thus, in the past, elders talked about accumulating or losing de, and they spoke very sensibly. This de forms a field that surrounds one’s body. In the past, the Tao School held that a master selects a disciple instead of a disciple choosing a master. What does it mean? A master would examine whether this disciple’s body carried a great amount of de. If this disciple had a lot of de, it would be easy for him to practice cultivation. Otherwise, he would not be able to make it easily, and he would have much difficulty developing gong toward high levels.

At the same time, there exists a black kind of substance that we call "karma" and Buddhism calls "sinful karma." These black and white substances exist simultaneously. What kind of relationship do these two substances have? We obtain that de through suffering, enduring setbacks, and doing good deeds; the black substance is accrued by committing bad deeds and doing wrong things or bullying people. Nowadays, some people are not only bent solely on profit, but they even go so far as committing all evils. They will do all kinds of evil things for money, and they will also commit murder, pay someone to kill, practice homosexuality, and abuse drugs. They do all kinds of things. One loses de when one commits wrongdoing. How does a person lose de? When a person swears at another, he thinks that he has gained the upper hand and feels good. There is a principle in this universe called "no loss, no gain." To gain, one has to lose. If you do not want to lose, you will be forced to lose. Who plays such a role? It is precisely the characteristic of the universe that assumes this role. Thus, it is impossible if you only wish to gain things. What will happen then? While swearing at or bullying another person, he is tossing de at this other person. Since the other person is the party that feels wronged and has lost something and suffered, he is compensated accordingly. While one person is here swearing, with this swearing, a piece of de from his own dimensional field leaves and goes to the other person. The more he swears at him, the more de he gives him. The same is true with beating up or bullying others. As one hits or kicks another person, one will give one’s de away according to how badly one beats up the other person. An everyday person cannot see this principle at this level. Feeling humiliated, he cannot put up with it and thinks, "Since you hit me, I’ve got to return the same." "Wham," he gives that person a punch back and returns de to him. Neither have gained or lost anything. He might think, "You have hit me once, so I should hit you twice. Otherwise, I won’t feel avenged." He will hit him again, and another piece of his de will be given away to the other person.

Why is this de valued so much? What kind of relationship is there in the transformation of de? Religions state: "With de, one will gain something in the next lifetime if not in this life." What will one gain? With a lot of de, one may become a high-ranking official or make a big fortune. One can obtain whatever one wants, and this is exchanged with such de. Religions also mention that if one does not have any de, both one’s body and soul will become extinct. One’s Primordial Spirit will be exterminated, and upon death one will be completely dead with nothing left. In our community of cultivators, however, we hold that de can be directly transformed into gong.

We will address how de is transformed into gong. The community of cultivators has a saying: "Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master." Yet some people talk about "setting up a bodily crucible and furnace to make dan³¹  using gathered medicinal herbs"³²  and mind activities, and they consider these very important. Let me tell you that they are not at all important, and it is an attachment if you think too much about them. Aren’t you attached to a pursuit if you think too much about it? Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master. It is good enough if you have this wish. It is the master who actually does this, as you are simply unable to do it. With an ordinary person’s body like yours, how can you transform it into a higher life’s body made of high-energy matter? It is absolutely impossible and sounds like a joke. A human body’s transformation process in other dimensions is quite intricate and complex. You cannot do such things at all.

What does the master give you? He gives you the gong mechanism that develops your gong. Since de exists outside one’s body, one’s real gong is generated from de. Both the height of one’s level and the strength of one’s gong potency are generated from de. The master transforms your de into gong that grows upward in a spiral form. The gong that truly determines one’s level grows outside one’s body, and it grows in a spiral form, eventually forming a gong column after it grows above one’s head. With just one glance at the height of this person’s gong column, one can discern the level of his gong. This is one’s level and Fruit Status  as mentioned in Buddhism. While sitting in meditation, some people’s Primordial Spirit can leave their bodies and reach a certain level. Even if it tries, his Primordial Spirit cannot ascend any further, and it does not dare to move up. Since it moves up by sitting on his gong column, it can only reach that level. Because his gong column is just that high, it cannot move up any further. This is the issue of Fruit Status mentioned in Buddhism.

There is also a yardstick that measures xinxing level. The yardstick and gong column do not exist in the same dimension, but they exist simultaneously. Your xinxing cultivation has already made progress if, for instance, when someone swears at you among everyday people, you do not say a word and feel very calm; or when someone throws a fist at you, you do not say a word and let it go with a smile. Your xinxing level is already very high. So as a practitioner, what should you obtain? Aren’t you going to obtain gong? When your xinxing is upgraded, your gong will increase. One’s gong level is as high as one’s xinxing level, and this is an absolute truth. In the past, whether people practiced qigong in parks or at home, they did it with much effort and dedication, and they practiced quite well. Once they stepped out the door, they would act differently and go their own way, competing and fighting with others for fame and profit among everyday people. How could they increase gong? It could not increase at all, and for the same reason neither would their illnesses be healed. Why can’t some people cure their illnesses after a long period of practice? Qigong is cultivation practice and something supernormal, as opposed to everyday people’s physical exercises. One must focus on xinxing in order to cure illness and increase gong.

Some people believe in setting up a bodily crucible and furnace to make dan from the gathered medicinal herbs, and they think that this dan is gong. It is not. This dan only accumulates a portion of energy, and it does not include all energy. What kind of matter is dan? It is known that we also have some other things for cultivating life, and that our bodies will develop supernormal abilities and many other abilities; the majority are locked up and not allowed to be applied. There are many supernormal abilities—as many as ten thousand. As soon as one is developed, it is locked up. Why aren’t they allowed to manifest? The purpose is to not let you apply them casually in ordinary human society to do things. You are not allowed to casually disturb ordinary human society, and neither are you allowed to casually display your abilities in ordinary human society. This is because doing so could disturb the state of ordinary human society. Many people practice cultivation by way of enlightening. If you demonstrate all your abilities to them, they will see that everything is real and all will come to practice cultivation. People who have committed unpardonable evils will also come to practice cultivation, and this is not permitted. You are not allowed to show off this way. Also, you may easily commit wrongdoing since you cannot see the predestined relationship and the true nature of things. You think that you are doing a good deed, but it may be a wrong deed. Therefore, you are not allowed to apply them, because once you commit wrongdoing, your level will be lowered and your cultivation will be in vain. As a result, many supernormal abilities are locked up. What will happen? By the time one reaches the state of Unlocking Gong (kaigong) and is enlightened, this dan will be a bomb that explodes and opens up all supernormal abilities, all locks in the body, and hundreds of energy passes. "Bang," everything will be shaken open. This is what the dan is used for. After a monk is cremated at death, sarira  remain. Some people claim that those are bones and teeth. How come everyday people do not have sarira? Those are just the exploded dan, and their energy has been released. They contain in themselves a lot of substances from other dimensions. After all, they are also something of material existence, but of little use. People now take them to be something very precious. They contain energy, and are lustrous, as well as very hard. That is what they are.

There is still another reason for failing to increase gong. Namely, without knowing the Fa of high levels, one cannot move up in cultivation practice. What does it mean? As I just mentioned, some people have practiced many qigong exercises. Let me tell you that no matter how many more you study, it is still useless. You remain only an elementary school pupil—an elementary school pupil in cultivation practice. They are all principles at a low level. Such low-level principles cannot play any role in guiding your cultivation practice toward high levels. If you study elementary school textbooks in college, you will remain an elementary school pupil. No matter how many you study, it will be useless. Instead, you will be worse off. Different levels have different Fa, and Fa assumes different guiding roles at different levels. Thus, low-level principles cannot guide your cultivation practice toward high levels. What we will talk about later are all principles for cultivation practice at high levels. I am incorporating things from different levels in the teaching. They will thus always play a guiding role in your future cultivation practice. I have several books, audiotapes, and videotapes. You will find that after watching and listening to them once, they still guide you as you watch and listen again after a while. You are also constantly improving yourselves, and they continually guide you—this is the Fa. The above are the two reasons for not being able to increase gong. Without knowing the Fa at high levels, one cannot practice cultivation. Without cultivating one’s inner self and one’s xinxing, one cannot increase gong. These are the two reasons.

Characteristics of Falun Dafa

Our Falun Dafa is one of the eighty-four thousand cultivation ways in the Buddha School. During the historical period of this human civilization, it has never been made public. In a prehistoric period, however, it was once widely used to provide salvation to humankind. In this final period of Last Havoc,³³ I am making it public again. Therefore, it is extremely precious. I have talked about the form of directly transforming de into gong. Gong is not, in fact, obtained through practice. It is acquired through cultivation. Many people attempt to increase their gong and only pay attention to how to practice, without caring for how to do cultivation. Actually, gong is completely acquired through xinxing cultivation. Why, then, do we also teach the exercises here? First, let me talk about why a monk does not practice any exercises. He basically just sits in trance, chants the scriptures, cultivates xinxing, and his gong then increases. He increases the gong that upgrades his level. Since Sakyamuni taught people to give up everything in the world—including their bodies, so physical exercises became unnecessary. The Tao School does not offer salvation to all beings. What it faces are not all kinds of people with different mentalities and levels, some of whom are more selfish and others less selfish. It selects its disciples. If three disciples are selected, only one of them receives the real teaching. It has to make sure that this disciple is very virtuous, very good, and will not go awry. It thus emphasizes teaching technical things to cultivate life and to cultivate something like supernatural powers, skills, etc. This requires some physical exercises.

Falun Dafa is also a cultivation practice of mind and body, and it requires exercises. On the one hand, the exercises are used to strengthen supernormal abilities. What is "strengthening?" It is the reinforcement of your supernormal abilities by your powerful gong potency, thus making them progressively stronger. On the other hand, many living beings need to be developed in your body. In high-level cultivation practice, the Tao School requires the birth of the Immortal Infant (yuanying),  while the Buddha School requires the Vajra’s indestructible body. Furthermore, many supernatural abilities must be developed. These things need to be developed through the physical exercises, and they are what our exercises cultivate. A complete cultivation practice of mind and body requires both cultivation and practice. I think that everyone now understands how gong comes into being. The gong that really determines your level of achievement is not at all developed through practice, but via cultivation. By upgrading your xinxing and assimilating to the characteristic of the universe in your cultivation among everyday people, the characteristic of the universe will no longer restrict you; you are then allowed to move up. Your de will then begin transforming into gong. As your xinxing standard improves, so grows your gong. It is just such a relationship.

Ours is a genuine cultivation practice of both mind and body. The gong that we cultivate is stored in every cell of the body, and the gong of high-energy matter is even stored in the original minuscule particles of matter at an extremely microscopic level. As your gong potency becomes greater, the density and power of gong will also increase. Such high-energy matter has intelligence. Because it is stored in each cell of the human body all the way to the origin of life, it will gradually become the same form as the cells in your body, assuming the same molecular combinations and form of nuclei. Its essence has changed, however, for this body is no longer composed of original physical cells. Won’t you be beyond the Five Elements? Of course, your cultivation practice is not over yet, and you still need to practice cultivation among everyday people. Therefore, on the surface you still appear to be an ordinary person. The only difference is that you look younger than those of your age. Certainly, the bad things in your body, including illnesses, must be removed first, but we do not treat illness here. We are purifying your body, and the term is not "healing illness," either. We just call it "purifying the body," and we clean out the bodies of true practitioners. Some people come here just to have illnesses healed. As to seriously ill patients, we do not let them attend the classes since they cannot give up the attachment to having illnesses cured or the idea of being ill. If one has a serious illness and feels very uncomfortable, can one let go of it? This person is unable to practice cultivation. We have stressed from time to time that we do not admit patients with serious illnesses. This is cultivation practice here, which is too far from what they think about. They can find other qigong masters to do those things. Of course, many practitioners have illnesses. Because you are true practitioners, we will take care of these things for you.

After a period of cultivation practice, our Falun Dafa practitioners look quite different in appearance. Their skin becomes delicate and reddish-white. For the elderly, wrinkles become fewer or even extremely few, which is a common phenomenon. I am not talking here about something inconceivable, as many of our veteran practitioners sitting here know this situation. In addition, elderly women will regain their menstrual period since a cultivation practice of mind and body requires menses to cultivate the body. One’s period will come, but the menstrual flow will not be much. At present, that little bit will suffice. This is also a common phenomenon. Otherwise, how can they cultivate their bodies without it? The same is true for men: The elderly and the young will all feel that the entire body is light. As for true practitioners, they will experience this transformation.

This practice of ours cultivates something very immense, as opposed to the many practices that imitate animals in their exercises. This practice cultivates something simply quite enormous. All of the principles that Sakyamuni and Lao Zi³⁴  discussed in their time were confined to principles within our Milky Way. What does our Falun Dafa cultivate? Our cultivation practice is based upon the principles of the universe’s evolution, and it is guided by the standard of the universe’s highest characteristic, Zhen-Shan-Ren. We cultivate something so enormous that it equates to cultivating the universe.

Our Falun Dafa has another extremely unique, most distinctive feature that is unlike any other practice. At present, all qigong practices popular in society take the path of cultivating dan or practicing dan. In qigong practices that cultivate dan, it is very difficult for one to achieve the state of Unlocking Gong and enlightenment while among ordinary people. Our Falun Dafa does not cultivate dan. Our practice cultivates a Falun in the lower abdomen. I personally install it for practitioners in the class. While I am teaching Falun Dafa, we install it for everyone in succession. Some people can feel it while others cannot; the majority of people can feel it. This is because people have different physical conditions. We cultivate Falun instead of dan. Falun is a miniature of the universe that possesses all of the universe’s capabilities, and it can operate and rotate automatically. It will forever rotate in your lower abdominal area. Once it is installed in your body, year-in and year-out it will not stop and will forever rotate like this. While rotating clockwise, it can automatically absorb energy from the universe. Additionally, it can itself transform energy to supply the energy required for transforming every part of your body. Also, it emits energy while rotating counter-clockwise, releasing undesirable elements that will disperse around your body. When it emits energy, the energy can be released to quite a distance, and then it will bring in new energy again. The emitted energy can benefit the people around you. The Buddha School teaches self-salvation and salvation of all sentient beings. One does not only cultivate oneself, but also offers salvation to all sentient beings. Others can benefit as well, and you can unintentionally rectify other people’s bodies, heal their illnesses, and so on. Of course, the energy is not lost. When Falun rotates clockwise, it can collect the energy back since it rotates continuously.

Some people may wonder, "Why does this Falun rotate continuously?" There are also people who ask me, "Why can it rotate? What’s the reason?" It is easy to understand that dan can form when energy accumulates, but it is inconceivable that Falun rotates. Let me give you an example. The universe is in motion, and all of the universe’s Milky Ways and galaxies are also in motion. The nine planets orbit the sun, and Earth also rotates by itself. Think about it, everyone: Who’s pushing them? Who has given them the force? You cannot understand it with an ordinary person’s mentality, as it is just this rotating mechanism. The same is also true with our Falun, for it just rotates. By increasing the exercise time, it has solved for everyday persons the problem of practicing cultivation amidst normal living conditions. How is it increased? Since it rotates continuously, it constantly absorbs and transforms energy from the universe. When you go to work, it is cultivating you. Of course, in addition to Falun, we will also install in your body many energy systems and mechanisms that will, together with Falun, rotate and transform you automatically. Therefore, this gong transforms people all automatically. Thus, it becomes that "the gong cultivates practitioners," which is also called "the Fa cultivates practitioners." The gong cultivates you when you are not practicing, just as it also cultivates you when you are practicing. While having a meal, sleeping, or working, you are always being transformed by the gong. What are you exercising for? You exercise to strengthen the Falun and reinforce all of these energy mechanisms and systems that I have provided. When one practices cultivation at high levels, it should be completely in the state of wuwei,³⁵ and the exercise movements also follow the mechanisms. There is not any guidance of mind, and neither should one use any breathing methods, etc.

We practice without any concern for time or location. Some people have asked, "What’s the best time to practice? Midnight, dawn, or noontime?" We do not have any requirement for the exercise time. When you do not practice at midnight, the gong cultivates you. When you do not practice at dawn, the gong also cultivates you. When you are asleep, the gong cultivates you as well. When you are walking, the gong still cultivates you. The gong also cultivates you when you are at work. Doesn’t it greatly reduce your practice time? Many of you have the heart to truly attain the Tao, which, of course, is the purpose of cultivation practice. The ultimate goal of cultivation practice is to attain the Tao and complete cultivation. Yet some people have limited time left in their lives. Their years for living are numbered and may not be enough for cultivation. Our Falun Dafa can solve this problem and shorten the course of practice. Meanwhile, it is also a cultivation practice of mind and body. When you continually practice cultivation, you will constantly prolong your life. With consistent practice, your life will be constantly prolonged. Those elderly people with good inborn quality will have sufficient time for practice. There is a criterion, however, that the life prolonged beyond your predestined time to live is completely reserved for your practice. If your mind goes wrong a little bit, your life will be in danger because your lifetime should have long been over. You will have such a restriction until you reach Beyond-Triple-World-Fa cultivation. After that, one will be in another state.

We do not require facing certain directions for practice or require certain ways to end the practice. Because Falun rotates constantly, it cannot be stopped. If there is a phone call or someone knocks at the door, you may go ahead and take care of it right away without having to finish the practice. When you stop to do something, Falun will immediately rotate clockwise and take back the emitted energy from around your body. For those who intentionally hold qi and pour it into their heads, it will still be lost, no matter how you hold it. Falun is something with intelligence, and knows itself to do these things. We do not require directions, either, because the whole universe is in motion. The Milky Way is in motion, and the nine planets are orbiting the sun. Earth is also self-rotating. We practice according to this great principle of the universe. Where is east, south, west, or north? There is none. Practicing in any direction is practicing to all directions, and practicing in any direction is the same as practicing to the east, south, west, and north simultaneously. Our Falun Dafa will protect practitioners from deviating. How does it protect you? If you are a true practitioner, our Falun will safeguard you. I am rooted in the universe. If anyone can harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe. What I have said may sound quite inconceivable. You will understand it later as you study further. There are also other things that are too profound for me to make known. We will systematically expound the Fa of high levels, from the simple to the profound. It will not work if your own xinxing is not righteous. If you pursue something, you may get into trouble. I have found that many veteran practitioners’ Falun have become deformed. Why? You have intermingled other things with your practice, and you have accepted other people’s things. Why didn’t Falun protect you, then? If it is given to you, it is yours, and it is dictated by your mind. It is a principle of this universe that nobody should interfere with what you pursue. If you do not want to practice cultivation, no one can force you—that would be the same as doing a wrong deed. Who can force you to change your heart? You must discipline yourself on your own. Taking the best of every school is accepting things from everyone. If you practice one qigong practice today and another tomorrow to cure your illness, is your illness cured? No. You can only postpone it. Practicing cultivation at high levels requires one to focus on one school and stay with it. If you follow a practice, you must give your heart to it until completely enlightened in that school. Only then can you practice cultivation in another school, and that will be a different system. Because a system of genuine teachings is passed down from a very remote age, it will have gone through quite a complex process of transformation. Some people go by how they feel in practicing something. What does your feeling account for? It is nothing. The actual transformation process takes place in other dimensions and is extremely complex and intricate. There cannot be one bit of error. It is just like a precision instrument that will be out of order as soon as you add a foreign part to it. Your body in each dimension is changing; this is extraordinarily subtle and cannot go wrong for even a bit. I have already told you that cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while transformation of gong is done by one’s master. If you casually take other people’s things and add them to your practice, the foreign messages will interfere with the things in this school of practice, and you will go awry. In addition, this will be reflected in ordinary human society and bring about problems of ordinary people. This is caused by your pursuit, and others cannot intervene. It is an issue of your enlightenment quality. Concurrently, what you add will mess up your gong, and you can no longer practice cultivation. This problem will take place. I am not saying that everyone has to study Falun Dafa. If you do not study Falun Dafa and have received true teachings from other qigong practices, I will approve of it as well. Let me tell you, however, that to truly practice cultivation toward high levels, one must be single-minded with one practice. There is one thing that I must also point out: At present, no other person is truly teaching people toward high levels like me. In the future you will realize what I have done for you. Thus, I hope that you do not have very poor enlightenment quality. A lot of people want to practice cultivation toward high levels. This is now provided right before you, and you may still be unaware of it. You have been everywhere looking for a teacher and spent a fortune, yet you have found nothing. Today, it is offered to you at your doorstep, and maybe you have not realized it! This is an issue of whether you can become enlightened to it and whether you can be saved.

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1 qigong (chee-gong)—a form of traditional Chinese exercise which cultivates qi or "vital energy."
2 Dafa (dah-fah)—"Great law," or "Great Way"; principles.  
3 xinxing (shin-shing)—mind or heart nature; moral character.
4 "the world of ten directions"—a Buddhist conception of the universe. 
5 qi (chee)—In Chinese culture, it is believed to be "vital energy"; compared to gong, it is a lower form of energy.
6 In-Triple-World-Fa—Buddhism holds that one must go through samsara (the cycle of reincarnation) if one has not reached Beyond-Triple-World-Fa cultivation or the Three Realms.
7 gong—1. cultivation energy; 2. a practice that cultivates such energy.
8 Sakyamuni—the historical Buddha, Guatama Siddhartha.
9 Dharma—Buddha Sakyamuni’s teachings.
10 "digging into a bull’s horn"—a Chinese expression for going down a dead end.
11 Tathagata—an enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha School who is above the levels of Bodhisattva and Arhat.
12 Diamond Sutra—an ancient scripture in Buddhism.
13 Primordial Spirit—this is sub-divided into the Main Spirit (zhu yuanshen) and the Assistant Spirit (fu yuanshen). In traditional Chinese thought, it is believed that many spirits exist in the body, governing certain functions and processes (e.g., many believed that a spirit resides in the liver and governs it’s functions).
14 Dharma-ending Period—According to Buddha Sakyamuni, the Dharma-ending Period would begin five hundred years after he passed away, and his Dharma could no longer save people thereafter.
15 Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. 
16 Fruit Status—one’s level of attainment in the Buddha School, e.g. Arhat, Bodhisattva, Tathagata, etc.
17 de (duh)—"virtue," "merit"; a precious white substance.
18 Lei Feng (lay fung)—Chinese moral exemplar in the 1960’s.
19 kalpa—a period lasting for two billion years; here the term is used as a number.
20 Taiji (tie-jee)—the symbol of the Tao School, popularly known in the West as the "yin-yang symbol."
21 Hetu (huh-too), Luoshu (luoa-shew)—prehistoric diagrams that appeared in ancient China and are thought to disclose the change of the course of nature
22 Book of Changes—an ancient Chinese book of divination dating from the Zhou dynasty (1100 B.C.-221 B.C.).
23 Eight Triagrams—from the Book of Changes, a prehistoric diagram thought to disclose the changes of the course of nature.
24 Fo Tuo—classical Chinese term for "Buddha."
25 Fu Tu—classical Chinese term for "Buddha."
26 Great Cultural Revolution—a communist political movement that denounced traditional values and culture (1966-1976). 
27 Arhat—enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha School and one who is beyond the "Three Realms."
28 Dan Jing (dahn jing), Tao Zang (daow zang)—classic Chinese texts of cultivation practice.
29 Bodhisattva—enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha School, and one who is higher than an Arhat but lower than a Tathagata.
30 Celestial Eye—also known as the "third eye."
31 dan (dahn)—energy cluster in a cultivator’s body, collected from other dimensions.
32 "setting up a bodily crucible and furnace to make dan using gathered medicinal herbs"—Taoist metaphor for internal alchemy.
33 Last Havoc—The community of cultivators holds that the universe has three phases of evolution (The Beginning Havoc, The Middle Havoc, The Last Havoc), and that now is the The Last Havoc’s final period.
34 Lao Zi (laow-dzz)—founder of the Tao School and author of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), thought to have lived and taught in China around the 5th or 4th century B.C.
35 wuwei (woo-way)—"non-action," "inaction"; "without intention."

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