We Chinese Falun Dafa practitioners have been illegally detained, arrested, and incarcerated in labor camps while appealing for justice and safeguarding Dafa. Not only we, but also our families and work units are all under mounting pressure. Some of us have been shocked with high voltage, had tubes inserted into our stomachs, been beaten up and inhumanely tortured, been forced into psychiatric institutions, been dismissed from our jobs, had our party memberships rescinded, had our houses ransacked, had our salaries deducted, and have been terrorized for cash ransoms. Some have even lost their lives. We have not succumbed to such oppression. We still firmly believe in Dafa and our teacher, and we have never wavered in safeguarding the universal truth.
But what pains us is that at the crucial moment, we deviated from Dafa and accepted the "transformation." This was due to our shallow and limited understanding of the Fa (the principles and laws of Falun Dafa.), the egocentrism that was deeply ingrained in us through the ages, and the loss of our original nature through postnatal indoctrination. But at the time, we thought we had enlightened to some higher principles, and that we could relinquish our egos and the sentimentality we had for Dafa and our teacher, and thoroughly assimilate into Dafa. We wrote the "three letters" dissecting and criticizing Dafa in order to transform other practitioners. This in fact sabotaged Dafa from within--something that the evil forces could not otherwise have accomplished. We are deeply remorseful for what we did. We are too shameful to face our teacher; our hearts are bleeding. After we realized our mistakes, we immediately declared to the labor camps, the local governments, and work places, that all the critical statements we made, including the "three letters, were invalid. We want to return to Dafa and do whatever is necessary to make up for the damage we caused.
Below, I'd like to talk briefly about my understanding of the "transformation" theory, and to share with those who have been subjected to this same "transformation" process. My plea is for everyone to wake up now and not stray further away from Dafa, so that we may not forever regret losing this precious opportunity to cultivate in Dafa.
1. To safeguard Dafa is most unselfish and truly benevolent. If there were no Dafa, there would be nothing. Whether we can let go of Dafa and our teacher is thus never an issue. The origin of "fame, profit, and sentimentality" is selfishness. We cannot attempt to reach consummation while disregarding others. To safeguard Dafa, we should not hesitate to lose all we have. Isn't this being selfless?
2. When we were on the evil path, we thought we had enlightened to higher principles. But in actuality, we had a muddled understanding of the Fa. We separated Falun Gong from Falun Dafa; we made distinctions between the Teacher in heaven and the teacher in the human world. This was symptomatic of our divisive and distorted understanding of Dafa. Teacher said on page 228 in Zhuan Falun: " It is all my Fa, and what I have taught is only this Fa." This explains everything.
3. Some came to believe that if the great Tao (translator's note: Dafa can be translated as the great Fa or great Tao) is formless, then nobody can sabotage Dafa. Our safeguarding Dafa could therefore be regarded as human behavior and attachment. But we forgot that the slandering of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" Dafa as an XX religion is the evil's doing, which is against heavenly principles. If we, as Dafa practitioners, do not safeguard Dafa, but instead let the evil forces make false accusations at will, how can we help our teacher in Fa-rectification? How can we deserve to be Dafa practitioners?
4. One might also think that to fulfil the principles at the level of the human world, and return to the human world as "good human beings" is to assimilate to Dafa. Our teacher said: "If you are the same as everyday people are you still a practitioner?" To undergo "transformation" is to walk away from Dafa, as there is no such a principle as "undergoing transformation" in Dafa. Isn't the so-called transformation theory based on a mental disturbance that is a reflection of our attachments, and which is then exploited by the demonic forces? Only if we correct our faults and return to Dafa, can we truly be assimilated with Dafa.
5. If we do not strike an appropriate balance between individual cultivation and Fa-rectification, our "transformation" will actually comply with the arrangement of the evil forces. Our teacher said: " real Buddhas are guardians of the cosmos and are responsible for all righteous elements in the cosmos." The fundamental reason for this is the selfishness deeply etched in our minds. We become preoccupied with our consummation. At the crucial moment, we forget our primary responsibility-- to safeguard Dafaand let the evil forces exploit this weakness.
The above is my understanding and what I have enlightened to. Please advise if anything is incorrect or inappropriate. I hope all of us will treat the Fa as our teacher, and no longer remain confused and lost on an evil path.
A Dafa practitioner
March 2001
