Transformation of Karma
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        There is a transforming process between the white and the black substances. After a person to person conflict has taken place, there is a transforming process. One will get white substance, De ( Virtues), when doing something good, and will incur black substance, karma, when doing something bad. Both substances can be carried forward. Somebody may be wondering whether it is because one has done something bad in the first half of his life. It is not all necessarily so because a human has accumulated the karma not during one lifetime. It is held in the world of cultivation that one's Yuanshen (True Spirit) is immortal. If so, he might have had social activities in his previous lives. One might have owed somebody, bullied somebody or done some other bad things such as killing, etc., which would incur such karma. Those substances can be accumulated in other spaces and are always attached, and so can the white substance. They come not only from this source. Another source is to be carried over from one's family and ancestors. Old people in the past often talked about accumulating virtues, and accumulating virtues from ancestors; this person is losing his virtues and decreasing virtues. Those words are quite right. Nowadays ordinary people would no longer listen to these words. The young will not keep them in their minds when you talk about losing virtues or being short of virtues. Actually, these words have profound implications. They are not only a modern spiritual and mental standard but also have a real material existence. Both substances can be found in the human body.

        Someone asks whether one can not cultivate towards a high level when he has too much black substance. That is somewhat true. Too much black substance will influence one's awakening quality, because it has become a field surrounding your body and has just enveloped you inside it and cut you off from the cosmic qualities, Zhen Shan Ren. Such people may have a poor capability of understanding. When a person talks of cultivation or qigong, he regards all those as superstition, considers them ridiculous and does not believe in them at all. This happens frequently but not absolutely. Does that mean it is very difficult for such a person to cultivate and to increase his high energy? It does not. We say the Great Law is boundless and it all depends on your will to cultivate. The master teaches the trade but the perfection of the apprentice's skill depends on his own efforts. It all depends on your will to cultivate. Whether you can cultivate or not all depends on whether you can endure, give and suffer. If you can make up your mind to overcome all kinds of difficulties, I say it will not be a problem.

        A person who has a lot of black substance often pays more than those who have a lot of white substance. Because the white substance directly assimilates itself to the cosmic qualities, Zhen Shan Ren. He may increase his cultivation energy simply and directly as soon as he improves his Xinxing and improves himself in his own contradictions. A person with a lot of De has a good capability of comprehension and can endure hardships as well. He can endure hardships, tire his bones and muscles with toil, and temper his heart and mind. He can increase his cultivation energy even if he suffers more from physical pains than mental ones. However, it would not be possible for a person who has a lot of black substance, who has to pass through a process: first transform the black substance to the white substance. Even such a process is also extremely agonizing. Therefore, a person of poor quality of enlightenment normally needs to suffer more pains, and it is even harder for him to cultivate because of his huge karma and bad quality of enlightenment.

        Take a specific case, for example, let us see how such a person is cultivating. When keeping still and sitting in deep Ding, one has to cross his legs for a long time. After a long time the legs become painful and numb, which makes one mentally quite uneasy. Suffering from physical and mental pains makes the physical body as well as the mind quite uncomfortable. Some people are afraid of pain while sitting with their legs crossed, and wish to give up by taking the legs off. Some people cannot stand the pain any more even after sitting for a little bit longer. Once the legs are taken off, the practice is in vain. We consider it useless if one quits sitting with his legs crossed once they begin to feel pain, and resume doing so after some warm-ups. Because while his legs are suffering pain, we can see that the black substance is moving to his legs. The black substance is karma and can be eliminated and transformed into De through suffering pain. Once the pain is felt, karma will begin to be eliminated. The more karma comes the more pain his legs will feel. Therefore, his pain in the legs does not come without a reason. Normally, a person sitting cross-legged often suffers labour pain one moment and another of relatively ease, and then, a moment of pain again. Oftentimes, it goes this way.

        Because karma is removed piece by piece, the legs will feel better after a piece is eliminated, and will feel pain again when another piece comes up. After the black substance is removed, it does not disappear as this substance does not become extinct. Upon being removed, it is transformed into the white substance which is De. How come it is transformed this way? This is because he has suffered, given, and endured pain. We have said that De is attained through enduring, suffering pain, and doing good deeds. Therefore, this situation will occur while one is sitting in the state of Ding. Some people put their legs down when their legs begin to feel pain, and do some warm-ups before resuming the practice of sitting. That will not work at all. While doing standing practice with their arms up, some people feel pain in the arms and cannot endure it, and then put down their arms. This does not work at all. What does this little pain account for? I would say that it would be simply too easy for one to succeed in cultivation by just raising the arms up. This is the situation which occurs when people sit in the state of Ding.

        Our school does not mainly proceed in this way though there is a portion in this aspect which also plays a role. Most of us transform karma through person to person Xinxing conflicts. It is oftentimes manifested this way. While we are in trouble, the conflict between one and another even surpasses the pain. I would say that physical pain is the easiest thing to endure and can be overcome by biting one's teeth tightly. The mind is the most difficult to control when a conflict occurs between one and another.

        For instance, a person might become extremely mad if he overhears two people speaking ill of him in terrible language when he comes to work. However, we have mentioned that a practitioner should set high demands on himself, and should not return the same when being hit or abused. He remembers that: the teacher has said that as practitioners we do not behave like others and should conduct ourselves in a better manner. He does not quarrel with those two people. Yet, when the conflict arises, it oftentimes would not matter, or become useful in improving oneself if it does not irritate one's mind. Thus, his mind will not give up and is still bothered by it. He will always wish to turn around to look at those two persons. Looking back over his shoulders, he will see the two evil-looking faces in a heated conversation. He will not be able to put up with it any more, and become very angry. He will probably start a row with them. The mind is very difficult to control during a conflict between one person and another. I would say that it would be easy if everything is experienced by sitting in the state of Ding. However, it would not be always so.

        As a result, you will run into all kinds of tribulations in your future cultivation. How can you cultivate yourself without these tribulations? How can you upgrade your Xinxing by just sitting there when everyone is good to each other without conflicts of interests and the interference of the human mind? That is impossible. One needs to genuinely cultivate oneself through experiencing reality in order to steel oneself. Some people have said: how come we always meet with problems while we cultivate, and there are almost as many problems as a non-practitioner would have? Because you cultivate among ordinary people, you will not be suddenly turned upside down in the air and suffer in the sky. It will not happen like that. It will all come from ordinary people's situations such as whoever may irritate you today, or whoever may upset you and treat you badly with ill language, which are used to see how you react to these problems.

        Why do you run into these problems? They are all tribulations caused by your own karma. We have already removed many pieces, except for that tiny bit which is left and arranged as obstacles placed on different levels for you to upgrade your Xinxing, test your mind and discard your various attachments with. All these are your own tribulations which you should overcome, and we make use of them to improve your Xinxing. As long as you upgrade your Xinxing, you will be able to overcome them unless you do not wish to do so. You will be able to make it if you want to do so. Therefore, from now on do not regard it as accidental when running into a conflict. Because when a conflict occurs, it will happen suddenly. Yet, it is not a coincidence. It aims to improve your Xinxing. As long as you conduct yourself as a practitioner, you will be able to deal with it properly.

        Of course, you will not be informed of the conflict or the tribulation ahead of time. How could you cultivate if you are told of everything in advance? That would not be of any use. A conflict will oftentimes occur suddenly so that it can test one's Xinxing and make one's Xinxing genuinely improve. It is the only way to judge whether one can maintain his Xinxing. Therefore, a conflict arises not by accident. During the whole process of cultivation this issue of karma transformation will occur, and it will be much more difficult than suffering from physical pain. How can you increase your cultivation energy simply by practising a little bit more exercise with sore arms and tired legs as well as long hours of practice? Those only function to transform one's Benti ( True Being ). However, they still need energy to reinforce them. They do not help one to raise one's attainment level. Tempering one's heart and mind is the key to genuinely heightening one's levels. Speaking of tiring one's bones and muscles with toil to make progress, I would say that Chinese farmers suffer the most. Should they all be qigong masters? No matter how much physical pain you suffer from, you do not suffer as much as a farmer would, who works hard and wearily in the field under the burning sun. It is not such a simple matter. Therefore, we have mentioned, to genuinely improve oneself, one should genuinely upgrade his mind. That will be a genuine improvement.

        During the process of karma transformation, to keep yourself in control unlike an ordinary person who would make things worse, we should normally maintain a benevolent and serene state of mind. When suddenly running into any problems, you will be able to deal with them properly. When you often maintain a benevolent mind, you will have time and room to slow down and think when suddenly meeting with a problem. If you always think about competing for something with others, I would say that I am sure you would start a row with others once there is a problem. Therefore, I have said that when you run into a conflict, what I mean is to transform your black substance into the white one and into De.

        When our mankind has developed to today's stage, almost everyone was born rolling in karma. Everyone has a considerably huge amount of karma. Therefore, in karma transformation a situation often occurs that your karma is being removed and transformed and in the meantime your cultivation energy and Xinxing can make progress. When running into a conflict, it might be displayed in Xinxing friction between one person and another. If you can endure it, your karma will be removed and your Xinxing will also be improved, and your cultivation energy will increase, too. They are so integrated. In the past, people could increase their cultivation energy because they had a lot of De and their Xinxing was already high. But people today are not so. Once they suffer a little, they do not want to cultivate any more. In addition, they are getting more and more unable to become enlightened, and it has become more difficult for them to cultivate.

        During cultivation there may be two cases in terms of dealing with specific conflicts and when someone ill-treats you: one is that you might have ill-treated this person in a previous life. You are not balanced and wonder why he treats you this way. Then, why did you treat him that way before? You may argue that you did not know at that time and this life has nothing to do with the one in the past. This is not allowed. The other case is related to karma transformation during a conflict. Therefore, in dealing with specific conflicts we should conduct ourselves more forgivingly instead of acting like an ordinary person. This is true in the office, other work environments, and in private enterprises as well, where there are also human interactions. It is impossible for you not to interact with society. At least there are relations between neighbours.

        All kinds of contradictions can be encountered in social intercourse. In our school, as far as the portion of cultivating among ordinary people is concerned, it does not matter how much money you have, how high ranking an official you are, whether you are self-employed or operating a company; it does not matter what business you are dealing with, but you should be honest and fair in buying and selling. Every trade in society ought to exist. What counts is one's heart rather than his career. There was a popular saying that nine out of ten merchants are dishonest. Ordinary people say so. I would say it is a question of one's heart. Everybody ought to straighten out his intentions and do business fairly. It is natural and right that one earns more when giving more. No pains, no gains. People of different strata can be good people. There exist different contradictions for different strata. Contradictions in the high stratum have their own form and people of a high stratum can also correctly handle them. People of all strata can care little about their desires, and their attachments, and therefore become good people. Good people can be found in different strata. So they may cultivate in the strata they belong to.

        Human conflicts have become very unique nowadays whether in the nationalized companies or other enterprises in the country. This phenomenon has not occurred in other countries nor historically happened here. As a result, the conflicts over interests are shown to be particularly tense. People use tricks, and compete for a tiny profit. The thoughts they have and the tricks they play are very vicious. It is difficult to be a good person. For instance, a person may feel the atmosphere at the office is abnormal upon reaching the office. Later someone tells the person that so and so has spoken badly of you and reported on you to the boss to put you in an awful situation. Others look at you with a strange look. How could an ordinary person tolerate that? How could he put up with such an injustice? If one makes trouble for me, I will return the same to him. If he knows someone, I do, too. Let us have a competition. If you do so among ordinary people, they will say that you are powerful. However, as a practitioner, that would be terrible. If you compete and contend like an ordinary person, you will be an ordinary person. If you have done more than an ordinary person would in that regard, you are worse than that ordinary person.

        How should we deal with this issue? We should first of all keep our heads cool upon running into such a conflict, and we should not behave the same as he does. Of course, it does not matter if we explain the matter kindly and state the issue clearly to him. Yet, we should not become too obsessed with it. If we run into such problems, do not compete and contend like others. Would you not be an ordinary person if you do the same as he does? Not only you should not compete and contend like him, but you should not hate him in your mind, and genuinely not hate him. Would you not become angry if you hate him? In this way you have not exercised forbearance. We believe in Zhen Shan Ren. You are not in a position to practise compassion. Therefore, you should not do the same as he does or become really angry with him though he puts you in such an awful situation that you cannot even look up to face people. Instead of being angry with him, you should thank him in your mind, and thank him genuinely. An ordinary person may think that: Is that not Ah Q? I am telling you that it is not so.

        Please think about it. Shouldn't we make a high demand of you because you are a practitioner? You should not conduct yourself with the standard of ordinary people. Is not what you achieve something belonging to the high dimension as a practitioner? Then, we must make the high demand on you by the principles guiding high dimensions. Wouldn't you be like him if you do the same as he does? Why, then, should you thank him? Think about it. What will you attain? In the universe, there is a principle which says: to gain one needs to lose, and one must lose to gain. He puts you in an awful situation among ordinary people. He is considered to have gained advantages. The worse situation he puts you in, the greater the impact it will have, and the more you will have endured. And the more he will lose his De. Such De will all be given to you. At the same time when you endure all that, you probably will care little about it, and not take it seriously.

        There is another principle in this universe: You have endured a lot of pain; thus, your own karma will be transformed. Because you have paid for it, how much you have endured will be all transformed into the same amount of De. Does a practitioner not want such De? You will gain in two ways when your karma is also removed. How can you upgrade your Xinxing if another person does not create such an environment? How is it possible if you and I are both nice to each other, and sit there practising in peace? It is just because he has created such a conflict and an opportunity which you can make use of to upgrade your Xinxing. Will your Xinxing be improved this way? You have gained in three ways. As a practitioner, will cultivation energy increase with the improvement of your Xinxing? You will have gained in four ways at once. How can you not thank the person? You should genuinely thank him from the bottom of your heart. It is indeed so.

        Of course, the thought he has had is not decent. Otherwise he would not have given you De. Yet, he has indeed produced an opportunity to upgrade your Xinxing. It means that we must pay attention to the cultivation of Xinxing. At the same time of Xinxing cultivation, karma will be removed and transformed into De so that you can move up to a high dimension. They agree with one another. From the perspective of the high dimension, reasoning has changed completely. Yet, an ordinary person can not understand it. If you see this principle from the high dimension, everything will be different. Among ordinary people, you may believe that a principle is correct. But it is not really correct. It is correct only if it is seen to be so in the higher dimensions. It often happens this way.

        I have expounded this principle thoroughly, and I hope that in your future cultivation everyone will treat himself as a practitioner, and genuinely cultivate himself as the principle has been clearly stated here. Perhaps, some people still feel that the concrete material interests are practical because they live among ordinary people. Such a person still can not conduct himself according to the high standard in the current of ordinary people. In fact, if you want to become a good ordinary person, there are heroes and model workers for you to follow because they are examples for ordinary people to follow. If you want to be a practitioner, it all depends upon your mind and your awakening quality because there are no model workers. Fortunately, today we have made Dafa public. If you had wished to cultivate in the past, nobody would have taught you. In this way you can act upon the Great Law, and can probably do well. It all depends upon you whether you can cultivate yourself, whether it is possible for you to make it and which level you will be able to break through.

        Of course, the transformation of karma does not always take place just as I have described. It can be manifested in other aspects. It could happen in a social environment or at home. One may run into some troubles while walking on the street or in some other social surroundings. You will be made to give up all those attachments that can not be discarded by ordinary people. All the attachments which as long as you have will have to be worn out in different environments. You will be made to fall down, and to understand why from it. This is the way we should make it in our cultivation.

        There is another relatively typical case in the course of cultivation for many cultivators. It often happens that when you practise qigong your spouse becomes extremely unhappy. As soon as you start the practice, she will start a row with you. She will not mind, though, if you do any other things. She might not be happy at the time you waste on playing Mahjong, but not as unhappy as if you practise qigong. Your practice will not bother her. What a good thing it is since you practise to keep fit. Yet, once you start the practice she will throw things around and start quarreling. Some couples almost get divorced because one of them wants to practise qigong. Many people have not thought about the reason for the occurrence of such a situation. If you ask her later: Why did you get so upset when I practised qigong? She can not explain it, and really can not: Indeed, how come I became so angry, and so upset at that time? What is in fact the reason? At the time of the practice one's karma will be transformed. To gain one has to lose, and what you lose are still the bad things. You have to give.

        Probably your wife will throw a fit right in your face as soon as you walk in the door. If you endure it, your practice today is not in vain. Some people know that one should treasure De while practising qigong. Therefore, such a person normally gets along with his married partner pretty well. If he thinks: I normally issue orders and she listens to me, and yet, today she is overriding me, he would not be able to control his temper and start a row. The practice for that day might end up in vain. Because the karma is there, and she is helping you to remove it, but you do not accept it and start a row with her. It is still there without being eliminated. There are a lot of such cases which many of our practitioners have experienced. They have not thought about why it is this way. She will not care if you do something else. She will always find fault with you though this practice is actually a good thing. In fact, she is helping you to remove karma, and yet you have not realized it yourself. She is not quarreling with you just superficially while she is kind to you from her heart. It is not so. It is a genuine anger from the bottom of her heart because whoever receives karma will feel uncomfortable. That is for sure.