(Clearwisdom.net) In our years of coordinating Dafa truth clarification with other practitioners, we've learned from our many successful experiences and painful lessons. Only with Teacher's compassionate care and the encouragement, and help from fellow practitioners, could I have reached the point where I am today. In the following article, I'd like to share my experiences on coordinating the work of truth clarification.
1. Take the task in hand and do things on our own initiative
In April 2004, many practitioners in our area were arrested. Some of our material centers were ransacked, which resulted in great losses. Practitioners who stayed home didn't have the courage to step forward, our truth-clarification material site nearly collapsed, and housing for our homeless practitioners was very tight, with many practitioners sharing single rooms. Basically, nothing was going well.
We didn't, however, fall apart when the evil was rampant. I spoke with three other steadfast practitioners, exploring the possibilities and cooperating in taking on the work we needed to do in our region. Each of them immediately agreed that we needed to coordinate our efforts. We then made assignments. One was in charge of experience sharing to improve as a whole, another was responsible for downloading and publishing truth clarification materials, the third would handle equipment maintenance, and the fourth was responsible for coordinating with practitioners from other regions. We also looked for the reasons that had caused the recent persecution. We concluded that: 1. The coordinators hadn't paid much attention to Fa-study and had neglected cultivation and self-improvement. Some practitioners had developed the attachment to "self," and others had become attached to "doing the work." 2. One of Dafa's requirements is that, as a group, we may keep no money or property. At that time we had a storeroom, and sometimes our truth clarification materials were kept there too long, causing waste. Some coordinators weren't prudent with money for truth-clarification and didn't always do things correctly. 3. We sometimes failed to search within ourselves during conflicts.
After realizing our shortcomings, we soon set up new materials centers in our area, and we began to work together more successfully. We realized that we must do things correctly in every respect. Learning from our previous experiences, we kept up with Fa study and emphasized experience sharing and maintaining the connection between our coordinators. We understood that experience-sharing conferences aren't merely formalities, and that we mustn't compete with other regions in terms of the number of conferences we hold. When the persecution was at its worst, we continued to communicate and coordinate with our fellow practitioners and kept improving steadily in cultivation. Actually, we had more reason to do better during times of severe persecution.
2. Rectifying ourselves during conflicts
Before 2002, the materials in our region were produced in mass printings, since the area we were responsible for was very large. Accordingly, there were many difficulties in transportation and distribution of the materials. Many practitioners were exposed to persecution while delivering the materials. During that period, our printing equipment frequently broke down. Some practitioners debated as to whether we should break up the large operation into smaller parts. Later, I also agreed that we should change our printing methods, but some practitioners argued that over the last two years we had gotten used to doing things this way, and that if we were to switch to partial printing, some of our materials would be wasted.
What I was most concerned with was the safety of our practitioners. Practitioners carrying big bags of materials to the materials dispersal sites could easily be identified. The loss of one practitioner to the persecution could not be compared to a loss of money. Having Dafa material production sites spread throughout the city is safer and can reduce the pressure on the practitioners who deliver the materials.
At that time, we experienced many difficulties because we had never done things this way before. One practitioner suggested that we could test our method in a specific local area to see if a smaller material production site would work or not. So we went forward in this fashion, unsure of ourselves at first. After a period, we began to achieve good results. We therefore hosted a conference to share our experiences with other practitioners. Soon all the practitioners realized the advantages of smaller material production sites. In the beginning, there were many difficulties. Some practitioners were afraid to set up production sites, older practitioners didn't know how to use computers, and some had difficulty using the Internet. We organized the practitioners with abilities to train the others to use computers and the Internet. We all continued to communicate and improve together in the Fa.
Nowadays the smaller material production sites in our area have achieved consistent production. When we first set up these production sites, most of us were hesitant, relied on others, asked for a lot of help, and did our work passively. Now we do our Dafa work on our own initiative and ask a lot of ourselves. Actually, the process of doing this Dafa work is the process of cultivating. If the Dafa work depends on a minority of practitioners, and the majority of practitioners don't get involved, it can be a hurdle for them in their cultivation. When purchasing the materials and equipment, practitioners should get rid of selfishness, throw away the attachment of fear, and consider others first.
From this event, I realized that the coordinators should rectify themselves first during conflicts, discuss the situation with other practitioners, and fully utilize the power of the whole body. When we take the correct path, everything will be smooth sailing.
3. Taking hardship so sentient beings enlighten to the truth
Doing the coordinating work is sometimes a tough job with many difficulties, but how you view it depends on whether or not you can treat yourself like a Dafa practitioner.
In 2003, housing was very tight. It was too expensive for me to rent a house due to my financial situation. I shifted around every day. One night, I stopped by a tall residential building. It was very late. The lights were turning off one by one, but I found no place to stay. That was the first time I felt the pain of homelessness. I understood, however, that ordinary people fall asleep easily, but they don't know what their lives will bring or what they are living for, while we are cultivators on the path of deities. Although I am homeless in this dark night, I salute the dawn on my own initiative.
The New Year was around the corner, and the stores were full of special products and crowded with shoppers. I went to the post office to buy some envelopes and stamps for truth clarification. On the way I called my sister and asked how she was and what she was doing. She said that she was going shopping for the Spring Festival, which was the next day. Herein lies the key. The practitioner and the ordinary person are both busy at the same time, but the purpose is totally different. As Teacher said in the Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,
"Your path is, and I think you've all seen this now, actually very narrow. If you deviate just a little bit you won't measure up to the standard of a Dafa disciple. There's only one very righteous path we can walk on, and we can't deviate even just a little bit, because this is required by history, and required by the lives of sentient beings in the future cosmos. The cosmos in the future can't have any deviation or errors due to your having omissions during the Fa-rectification, so it's important for you to walk each and every step well during your own validating the Fa. It only looks as if it's ordinary. Don't leave any stain or regret on the path that you walk when you validate the Fa and during this period when you establish your mighty virtue. Those can never be erased."
Above is the experience on coordinating I'd like to share. Please kindly point out anything improper.