(Clearwisdom.net) Recently I discussed the security issue for Dafa materials sites with a fellow practitioner. I could see obvious potential security problems and thought it was necessary to take some preventive measures. However, she believed that as long as we kept righteous thoughts, Master would protect us, and talking about the security issue was being fearful in and of itself. As a result, she refused to talk about it further in a roundabout way. Here I would like to share some of my understandings on the issue.

It is true that if we keep strong righteous thoughts and leave no loopholes for the evil to take advantage of, Master would protect us. However, the meaning of righteous thoughts is very profound, it encompasses a broad scope and should not be understood simply with everyday people's "fear-nothing" mentality. We should not go to extremes by ignoring one side while emphasizing another. Actually when one thinks that one's "righteous thoughts" are so strong that there is no need to take security measures, one is precisely demonstrating that his or her thoughts are not righteous. Through two years of cultivation, Fa-study and contemplation, I have come to the following understanding on the issue:

1. It is necessary to discuss the security issue and take proper measures. The key is what kind of mentality one has when talking about such issue. It is just like the issue of eating meat. If one has no attachment to meat, then it does not matter what he eats, including meat. There is a fundamental difference between talking about a security issue or taking security measures out of fear and talking about the issue out of responsibility to Dafa, to fellow practitioners and to break away from the arrangements of the old forces. The same issue, when handled with different attitudes, can lead to different results. Master looks at our hearts. The old forces also try to take advantage of our attachments to persecute us, especially our fears.
2. Regarding the security issue, we should also conform to the state of everyday people. While Master mentioned in his teaching of the Fa about protecting practitioners, he also criticized the person who was walking on the street with a Dafa book in his hand, yelling, "I have Teacher Li's protection, so I'm not afraid of being hit by a car." I think those who don't care about security issues, but wish Master to protect practitioners more or less have a similar problem. Master said that we must conform as much as possible to the state of everyday people in our cultivation. The Buddha Fa is extraordinary. Yet as disciples who practice among everyday people, we should do our best to conform to the state of everyday people whenever we can in our cultivation. If one intentionally behaves as if he or she were extraordinary, or consciously or unconsciously shows that he or she is fearless while having many underlying everyday people's mentalities such as complacency and showing off as well as being irresponsible to Dafa, how could Master protect such a person? Master said, "This was undermining Dafa. This type of person will not be protected. Actually, a true practitioner will not do such a thing." (Zhuan Falun)

Therefore, we should take necessary security measures and proactively eliminate any hidden dangers. When the evil forces cause damage, they also do it in a way that conforms to everyday people's mentality. For instance, when you are sitting at home, the evil would not dare hang you upside down. If you don't call somebody on a bugged phone about going to appeal, the evil would not tell those ruffians that you were about to appeal and ask them to arrest you even though they could see it very clearly in other dimensions. Those who don't take any security measures when they can or who don't eliminate hidden dangers when they have the chance are very similar to that person who was walking on the street claiming he was not afraid of being hit by a car. Those who think they have strong righteous thoughts by behaving this way are in fact demonstrating that they do not have strong righteous thoughts. They may also have many unrighteous thoughts that they are not aware of, and they wish that Master would use the divine powers of the Buddha Fa to protect their extraordinary behaviors that do not conform to the state of ordinary people. Aren't they making it difficult for Master? If Master protects you, what would the old forces say?

3. While it is necessary to take security measures and to proactively eliminate hidden dangers, it is far from enough by itself. That is because this persecution is not an ordinary human persecution against human beings. We should see the true nature of this persecution, and see the underlying cause. This is a persecution by the old forces through their manipulation of bad people under the excuse of testing Dafa and Dafa practitioners. We should first of all totally deny the arrangements of the old forces, including the persecution under the excuse that Dafa practitioners have loopholes. We should send forth righteous thoughts more frequently so as to use our divine powers to proactively eliminate all evils that are damaging Dafa, and at the same time take righteous steps on our path and keep strong righteous thoughts. We should eliminate various unrighteous thoughts of our own accord, and not be interfered with by everyday people's mentality. This way, we will be rock-solid and unassailable to the evil. Righteous thoughts have deep profound inner meanings; therefore, although it is very important to have firm beliefs, it is only one aspect of righteous thoughts. We should not understand righteous thoughts in a simplistic way. How do righteous thoughts come into being? "It comes from have built a solid foundation in cultivation, and it's built through studying the Fa for a long time." (Touring North America to Teach the Fa)

There have been so many lessons as a result of our not paying attention to security issues. We must take necessary measures and proactively eliminate any hidden danger, and at the same time, keep strong righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil and to break through the arrangements of the old forces. We should do well in all these respects, and should not go to extremes and take a one-sided view on the issue or understand Master's Fa by quoting out of context. We should understand Dafa in a way that is comprehensive and harmonious. Only by doing so can we handle the problems we encounter in our cultivation properly. Our inability to understand the Fa in a comprehensive way demonstrates that we are not mature enough in our cultivation, and this is also one of the excuses the evil uses for its persecution. Among those who enlightened along the evil path, quite a few have the tendency of going to extremes. They grasped one sentence Master said and refused to listen to everything else Master said. They even went so far as to use one paragraph of the Fa against another paragraph. The Fa enables us to take our steps even more righteously, to do even better and to avoid detours, thus reducing losses to Dafa.

Recently some fellow practitioners mentioned in their experience sharing that some fellow practitioners who have not suffered arrest and detention tend not to pay attention to the security issue. I share the same feeling. Master said, "I have seen from most students' actions that they have, after being persecuted, come to understand with greater composure and rationality the seriousness of Dafa and cultivation. At the same time, they see the seriousness of this persecution more clearly, and they no longer do things with so much human attachment, as they did before. They've gradually let go of these attachments, so the things they do are more and more pure and righteous, and better and better. They have become more and more steadfast, and more rational." (Touring North America to Teach the Fa) After my experience of being arrested and detained, I personally pay more attention to the security issue and take it more seriously. However, I often read news on the Clearwisdom website about material sites being destroyed. I feel very sad. I hope the lessons that I have learned will help fellow practitioners on their journey of Fa-rectification. I hope fellow practitioners will take a righteous path while taking steadier and better steps, and not making the same mistakes that I made. If we understand the seriousness of cultivation only after we have been persecuted, then wouldn't the old forces claim that their persecution actually helped us to raise our xinxing?

I hope fellow practitioners in Mainland China will treat the security issue seriously on the basis of being responsible to the Fa, sentient beings, fellow practitioners and yourself, so that we could avoid causing damage to Dafa. Material sites are the focal point of destruction by the evil, and they will take every means possible to do damage. We should eliminate our loopholes and break away from the arrangements of the old forces.

The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything improper.