(Clearwisdom.net) I have always felt that I have improved very slowly since I obtained the Fa in 1997 because of my deeply rooted human notions. I liked to hear praise and not criticism. I fought back immediately when others pointed out my faults and refused to accept other opinions. I often argued with others and refused to look inward for what I did wrong. I could only see others' mistakes. Every time something happened, I realized that I hadn't acted like a practitioner and became troubled and hurt. But somehow I couldn't break this negative cycle. Teacher said,
"When Dafa disciples make mistakes, they do not like to be criticized. No one can criticize them, and when someone does, it sets them off. When they are right, they don't like others bringing up things they could improve on; when they are wrong, they don't want to be criticized. They get upset as soon as others criticize. The problem is becoming pretty bad."
"I'm not blaming you, but from now on you all must pay attention to this. You must get to the point where you are able to take criticism, regardless of who it's from. If there is truth to it, you correct yourself, and if not, you are mindful of it. If you can stay unruffled while being criticized or chided, you are improving."("Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles")
Teacher pointed out my fundamental attachment and woke me up with a hammer. I knew why I couldn't improve diligently: I was self-centered, superficial, and had attachments of fear and the mentality of "doing things."
As soon as I was determined to eliminate these bad elements, something happened. A few days after the Chinese New Year, local practitioners decided to clear the deep snow because it was blocking the road. As we were clearing the snow, practitioners told passersby the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and asked them to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It took us seven days to clear the snow. One day, practitioner A helped quite a few people quit the CCP. I helped one. Practitioner A said that the one person I helped didn't really quit the CCP. My human mentality rose up and I asked A, "Then what is really quitting the CCP?"
I realized something was wrong with me and this wasn't an accident. It was geared specifically to exposing my attachments of jealousy and wanting to accuse others. I might not have explained the importance of quitting the CCP to that person clearly. I wanted to talk to that person again the next time we met. Several days later, I met that person and I explained the importance of quitting the CCP in great detail. That person gladly agreed to quit the CCP. I learned from this incident that, whatever I encounter, I must look inward first in order to walk the path Teacher has arranged for me righteously.
Teacher's new articles, "New Year's Greetings" and "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World," were published as the Fa-rectification progressed. At the same time, the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party triggered a great trend of Chinese people quitting the CCP. We are Dafa practitioners during the Fa-rectification period. We shoulder great responsibility to save sentient beings. Teacher gave us endless glory and divine power. In 2000, when the evil forces were still furious, I started to distribute truth-clarifying materials. I was scared and my mind wandered when I gave out materials. However, I found the materials in my hands were shining. I was enlightened that Teacher was right by our sides protecting students. With Teacher and the Fa, I must not be scared and do what I must. In the following several years, I saw truth-clarification materials and Zhuan Falun shining with a golden light many times. This provided me great confidence in the practice and in validating the Fa.
To enable more people to understand the truth, we utilized various means, including hanging banners, posting slogans, spray-painting words on open spaces, and writing the truth on money, to spread the Fa to every corner of town. The Nine Commentaries, truth-clarification fliers and pamphlets were widespread. So as not to leave anyone behind and to clarify the truth face to face, I persuaded my family to let me go out of town with another practitioner. We talked to people in every household. With Teacher's help, sometimes we could get more than 50 people to quit the CCP in one day.
People who understood the truth knew how to cherish Dafa materials and stopped tearing down the banners we posted. Some even picked up banners that had fallen on the ground and hung them back up.
For several days, the town police station sent out officers to tear down posted Dafa messages and announced they would arrest and send away whoever posted them again. I sent righteous thoughts to clear away all the dark minions, meddling deities, and communist evil spirits and still went out that night to distribute materials. I remember what Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference:"
"We negate even the very emergence of the old forces and everything that they've arranged; we don't even acknowledge their existence. We're fundamentally negating all of their things, and all of, and only, the things you do while negating and getting rid of them is mighty-virtue. It's not that you're cultivating amidst the ordeals they created. Rather, you are to walk your own path well while not acknowledging them, not even acknowledging the elimination of their ordeals' manifestations."
I will walk the path Teacher arranged. I won't care what the situation looks like to human society, my heart will stay calm and righteous. When the police arrested people who posted truth-clarification materials, it wasn't a coincidence but something geared toward my attachment of fear. I must do what I have to do and get rid of my fear.
As I was leaving, my husband tried to stop me and said, "You are not allowed to go out today. Didn't you hear they are arresting those who post and distribute the materials? You are not scared but I am. Would you listen to me for once?"
I replied kindly and righteously, "Please be calm. Nothing will happen to me." I left as soon as I finished talking. Knowing he couldn't stop me, he told me he wouldn't let me in when I got home. I didn't mind. That night, several of us walked through seven small villages distributing and posting materials and spray-painting messages. The next morning, my husband acted like nothing had happened and went to work as usual. Letting go of attachments and walking the righteous path aren't just things we talk about, but are for us to physically carry out. When we act righteously, our families will help us with validating the Fa and, hence, we are saving our families.
Dafa practitioners' unshakable resolution to validate the Fa can't be moved by anything in this changing society. We are totally safe as long as we walk the path Teacher arranged, let go of human notions, and save sentient beings. When we act and think righteously, we will see "the shady willow trees, the bright flowers, and another village ahead" ("The Ninth Talk," Zhuan Falun) (Official translation).
