(Minghui.org) Editor’s note: The environment in mainland China is filled with Communist Party culture. Immersed in such an environment, one can gradually be influenced by Party culture without realizing it. This 8-part series explores some commonly seen problems among practitioners that may be attributable to the Party culture. We hope it serves as a reminder as we work to break free from the grip of the communist party.

In traditional Chinese culture, truthfulness or faithfulness was regarded as a very important virtue. Together with benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, they form the five cardinal virtues.

However, in recent decades, as a result of the Communist Party's systematically destroying traditional culture and replacing it with Party culture that is centered on “deceit, wickedness, and violence,” many Chinese people have lost connection with traditional values and developed the habit of lying or not staying true to their word.

As many Falun Dafa practitioners grew up in China, they, too, weren’t spared from the contamination of Party culture. Unless one constantly looks within and works hard to align each and every thought with the Fa, it would be very hard to identify these problems in oneself.

I observed that although many practitioners are studying the Fa, they are not being truthful all the time. This will significantly hinder them from improving in their cultivation.

Cultivating Truthfulness on Smaller Things

Often, what we do regarding seemingly trivial things is a true reflection of our xinxing level. If we don’t cultivate ourselves in these cases, the evil would take advantage of our gaps and persecute us.

There was one practitioner who almost never kept her promise and wasted much of other practitioners’ time. For example, she told one practitioner that she would come and pick up something in the evening, but she never came. When that practitioner went to deliver the things to her workplace, a faraway place, as they had agreed to do later, she wasn’t there. The third time, another practitioner agreed to go to her workplace to deliver things for her, but that practitioner waited a long time, and she still didn’t show up.

Another example is that this practitioner owned a computer herself, but when another practitioner bought a better computer, she found an excuse to take it over and use it. When that practitioner wanted to get the computer back, she found all kinds of excuses to keep the computer with her and declined to pay for it. She later gave that practitioner a very old computer in exchange.

This practitioner was persecuted and harassed by the police quite a few times, and she is now having trouble crossing her legs when doing meditation. Perhaps it is all related to her xinxing issue.

I hope each of us can truly rectify ourselves with the Fa, look within at all times, improve our moral character, and be stricter with ourselves on all things, no matter big or small.

Master said:

“For cultivators, though, when it comes to raising the requirement on your xinxing and letting go of your attachments, there's absolutely no wiggle room, and the standard can absolutely not be lowered, because we need to be responsible to the future, and to the cosmos and the sentient beings of the future. Many Dafa disciples will achieve the status of gigantic beings in the future, and they will encompass many sentient beings, even boundless beings. So if your standard is lowered, then that level of the cosmos won't last long and that level of the firmament won't last long, so you have to meet the standard.” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003)

Admit the Mistake and Correct It

There was another practitioner who wasn’t being truthful. Master revealed to me that the evil wanted to persecute her a year ago, but she escaped the danger under Master’s protection.

However, a year later, she still hadn't changed. I noticed that she often dozed off during Fa study, and her palm drooped when sending righteous thoughts. She often spread rumors among practitioners, stirred things up, and lied to cover up her mistakes.

She had a small Fa study group at home. The eight practitioners going there often spent a long time chatting about ordinary things rather than talking about their cultivation.

I was really worried and talked to them several times. In my presence, they thanked me for pointing out their problems and said that they had learned a lot from the sharing and would look within in the future.

But afterwards, they told other practitioners that they all had a headache after talking to me, and all of them stopped taking truth-clarifying materials from me, even though they didn’t have any other channels for getting the materials.

I felt really sorry for them. Each and every thought we have, whether it’s on the Fa, whether we are being responsible to sentient beings, or whether it is to protect ourselves, Master and all the divine beings see it very clearly. If our thought isn’t righteous and yet we don't cultivate on it, our level will drop as a result.

Master said:

“I have said before that, for a Dafa disciple, it’s okay if you’ve made mistakes. Just openly and honestly admit to your mistakes and show that you’re getting back on track and want to do well, and everyone will admire you for that. But if you try to hide those things and cover them up, those human thoughts of yours will only grow more complicated and stronger. And if on top of that your cultivation is a complete mess, what will practitioners think of you? What will they make of it? And how will gods regard it? And what am I to do with you in the future? Saving people, saving lives, is an act of compassion. But there will always be those who aren’t savable, after all. And who are they? They are the ones who don’t treasure their own lives. Those are the ones who can’t be saved.” (Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference)

One’s attitude towards one’s mistakes depends on one’s realm and morality. One may attempt to cover up one’s mistakes. Although one might protect his reputation, he would lose the opportunity to correct the mistake and improve. As a cultivator, we should directly face our shortcomings, mistakes, and attachments, cleanse ourselves of the contamination of Party culture with the Fa, and truly cultivate ourselves.

Continued in Part 2