(Clearwisdom.net)
As Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, our responsibility is to save sentient beings. One important way to do this is to "speak up," that is, to clarify the truth. Based on my cultivation experience, I feel that there are some practitioners around me who are still unwilling to "speak up." There are four main reasons: some are too lazy, some feel that it is beneath them, some are afraid, and some don't know what to say.
Hiding behind a lack of effort to speak up is laziness and indifference. To show disdain is actually using one's own standard to judge if a sentient being can be saved or not. Being fearful of speaking is being afraid that one's words are not good enough and the fear of being persecuted if one clarifies the truth, which is actually interference by the attachment of selfishness. Not knowing what to say is actually restraining one's divine side with human notions, thus preventing one's original nature from doing Fa-rectification.
When I was in a forced labor camp, an inmate was instructed by the camp officials to watch me. Suddenly he asked, "What does 'Eat but taste not----Mouth free from attachment' mean?" I was very surprised, because in the past he was very cruel to Dafa practitioners, and here he had memorized a part of Teacher's poems! I immediately explained the poem to him. He was very happy after listening to my explanation and told me that when he was in a detention center, he had heard a practitioner reciting this poem. He asked about the meaning, but the practitioner wouldn't tell him. Later on, I found out that this practitioner's last name was Chen, and he was detained in the same forced labor camp. Afterwards, I was locked in the same room with this same Chen, and I thought, "This is Teacher's merciful arrangement for me to point out to this practitioner his attachment of laziness and feeling that speaking to this guard is beneath him." When I clarified the truth to another inmate, who also was assigned by the labor camp to watch Dafa practitioners and detained in the same room, Chen looked very displeased and criticized me for speaking out, clearly exposing his attachments. After discussing this situation with other practitioners, we held a small Fa conference to help Chen see clearly his attachments in this regard. After that, Chen gradually got over his laziness and disdain, and started to clarify the truth. Actually, many practitioners face these obstacles, including practitioners who have always steadfastly faced the evil. They were unshakably determined while placed under extremely brutal torture. However, many of them are unconsciously controlled by laziness and indifference, and have forgotten their sacred mission of clarifying the truth.
Being afraid to talk is a common phenomenon. Fear is an enormous attachment and a stumbling block that obstructs us in assisting Teacher in Fa-rectification. We are pure, truthful, and fearful of nothing. Being fearful of speaking is a postnatally acquired concept and something to be eliminated in cultivation. Teacher has always used every means to expose all of our attachments and dig them out at the root, hoping that we can face them head on and eliminate them through cultivation. As a Dafa practitioner, it is not terrible to expose the attachment of fear. What is terrible is trying to cover up the attachment of fear. As a matter of fact, bit by bit through cultivation, we can make great breakthroughs in the weakest areas of our attachment of fear, tempering our will and getting rid of our attachment of fear. For example, when some practitioners are fearful of clarifying the truth face to face, they can send out truth-clarification materials. For those who have ability, they can use other methods that require more technical skills. Through clarifying the truth in the most expedient manner, our attachments will gradually diminish, and our courage will become stronger. Sometimes, fear is magnified by imagination. In fact, as long as one can study the Fa with a calm heart, clarifying the truth is not as terrible as imagined. "Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while transformation of gong is done by one's master." If we don't even have a desire to eliminate our attachment of fear through cultivation, Teacher will not be able to do anything for us. When our main consciousness predominates and we are full of righteous thoughts, Teacher is able to do anything for us.
I know a veteran practitioner who kept silent after the persecution began. When I repeatedly encouraged him to step forward to clarify the truth, he always said that he had not adjusted his mentality well enough. After more than two years, he was still not confident enough. We all knew that he was obstructed by the attachment of fear, yet he always covered up his fear. Recently when I came across him again, I asked him how he was. He said that he was still in the same state. Teacher said: "Cultivation practice must take place through tribulations so as to test whether you can part with and care less about different kinds of human sentimentality and desires. If you are attached to these things, you will not succeed in cultivation." (From Zhuan Falun, Lecture Four: Upgrading Xinxing)
Not knowing what to say is actually giving in to human notions and restraining our divine side. We Dafa practitioners all originally came from very high levels with a magnificent wish to offer salvation to all sentient beings as we assist Teacher in Fa-rectification. As Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, how can we be restrained by those base, postnatally acquired concepts and foster the evil? In fact, this occurs when the main consciousness is not strong and the mind is not righteous. Especially when Teacher has been more and more explicit in his lectures and articles, if we don't clearly understand our great responsibility, we are then not qualified to be "Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples"
In fact, there are many different ways to clarify the truth: speaking the truth face to face is clarifying the truth; distributing flyers is also clarifying the truth; doing internet-related work is clarifying the truth; using TV and radio broadcasting is clarifying the truth; writing articles is clarifying the truth; making banners is clarifying the truth; painting is clarifying the truth; composing music is also clarifying the truth. As long as our minds are on the Fa, as long as we speak with benevolent and kind hearts, it does not matter how we say it, we will all be able to display Dafa's power of smothering the rampant evil, and we will all be able to demonstrate the mighty virtue of saving all sentient beings. When our righteous thoughts are strong, miracles will happen. Because they firmly believed in Teacher and Dafa, some elderly female practitioners who had never spoken in front of an audience were able to manifest their divine side and eloquently clarify the truth. Even some people who participated in persecuting them gave them a thumbs-up sign of approval. If we are able to consistently demonstrate our original nature, human language and everything in the human world can be used by us at will for our truth-clarification.
Fellow practitioners, let us eliminate our postnatally acquired notions and clarify the truth with a pure, courageous mentality. All that is most remarkable and most wonderful will be created in the course of our validating the Fa.
