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Negating the Old Forces in Cultivation

November 18, 2010 |   By a practitioner in Jilin Province, China

(Clearwisdom.net) The police were enraged at the Changchun TV Falun Gong truth-clarification program broadcast interruption that occurred on March 5, 2002. They arrested Falun Gong practitioners across the city on a large scale. I was sentenced to forced labor.

I thought that I had studied the Fa well, and I was always the first one to step forward. I had been to Beijing three times and every time I came back in an upright and dignified manner. Why was I arrested? I was very confused. It was not until 2003, when I was released from the forced labor camp, that I figured out the reason. I studied Teacher's lectures over and over again and finally came to realize that I was walking on a path arranged by the old forces, even though I sacrificed a lot and experienced much pain. I had one thought in mind, that I had to go to Beijing, but then I would be arrested and sentenced to forced labor. If I were sentenced to forced labor, I would by no means break away from Dafa and I would deal with the police. Was I pursuing the persecution every day? Though I was studying the Fa every day, I didn't really understand the Fa teachings about negating the old forces. Though I was saying that I would negate the old forces, I was actually pursuing them.

Teacher said,

"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." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference")

On April 25, 2003, a fellow practitioner asked me to find a safe place to stay because the police were arresting practitioners everywhere. My daughter was very scared when she heard that and prevented me from going downstairs. I studied the Fa and was aware of my incorrect state. I thought, "I am a great Dafa disciple. Why am I afraid? If I try to evade the police, I am acknowledging the old forces." I denied the old forces immediately. When I laid down the attachment of fear, I felt that Teacher eliminated the substance of fear in me. When I later encountered a police car, I was no longer afraid.

Several months later, on July 20, my daughter told me that the police had come to see me. My daughter and son-in-law came upstairs together to remind me, "You must not go downstairs these days." I was in a dilemma. If I didn't go downstairs, I would be acknowledging the old forces. If I did go, my daughter would worry about me. I had been detained in the forced labor for one year. During that time, my children were burdened with a lot of pain, and I always felt that I owed them. Finally the sentimentalities triumphed, and I stayed upstairs for several days. I looked inside and identified my fear, as without this fear the police wouldn't have come to my home. I started studying the Fa systematically, especially all of Teacher's lectures after July 20, 1999. Several days later, I felt that my own field was clear and another layer of substance had been eliminated. I went downstairs feeling at ease.

Wow! That was the action of negating the old forces! Teacher said,

Should you have fear,
it will seize upon you
If thoughts are righteous,
evil will collapse

("What's to Fear?" from Hong Yin II)

Fear is selfish. It's an attribute of the old universe. If you are fearless and totally live for others, then you are a life that belongs to the new universe and assimilates to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. All the gods will admire you. Who dares to move you? At that moment I felt that I was very grand. What do the old forces count for? From then on, it seemed that the so-called sensitive days such as July 20 and the Olympic Games had nothing to do with me. I just did whatever I should do, and whatever I liked, no matter what day it was.

Teacher said,

"No matter what big things are happening, pretend nothing is going on and just go about, as usual, doing what a Dafa disciple should do. This is the path you're taking today, and this is the [legacy of] mighty virtue you are leaving." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Washington DC Fa Conference")

One time in 2006 I went to the countryside to distribute the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. One day a fellow practitioner said to me, "The police bureau appointed 300 officers to keep watch. Each township police station appointed eight more local policemen to watch in the bush. Moreover, a police motorcycle is on patrol. Aren't you going to stop for a while?" When I heard this, I thought, "I am validating the Fa. No one can interfere with me." I ordered the car as usual and organized several practitioners to work together as scheduled. The driver said, "Are you going to the countryside today as usual? It seems that someone was following us." I was very calm. I thought, "During the daytime the evil threatens me by means of the police. One scheme fails, now another one comes. This is a fight between righteous and evil. As Dafa disciples, we can't allow the evil to succeed." Then I asked another practitioner, "What do you think? Should we continue or stop tonight?" She said, "Such a big event can't be interfered with. We have Teacher. Why are we afraid?" Finally, we took action as scheduled. On the way, we asked Teacher to strengthen us, and sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil elements that prevented us from saving sentient beings. The driver said, "Ah! I just laid down my worries." We asked the driver to go back and take a break, then we took the Nine Commentaries and other truth-clarifying materials and distributed them door to door. With Teacher's protection, we did well that day. When we finished distributing all the materials, there were still several hours left before the earliest bus arrived, but none of us complained of feeling tired or sore. We felt very pleased because we did what Dafa disciples should do.

Teacher said,

"The old forces don't dare to oppose our clarifying the truth or saving sentient beings. What's key is to not let them take advantage of the gaps in your state of mind when you do things." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston")

When we followed Teacher to descend to this human world, we had heavenly courage to make the decision. Today we have great courage and risk our lives again to save people while the old forces are watching us. Without Teacher's protection, we would not be here today. How could several old women have such great wisdom and courage? We felt happy and pleased because we are Dafa disciples during the Fa-rectification period and we are together with Teacher. Nothing else in this world could be so divine. We can only be diligent in distributing Teacher's compassion.

My home is very small, and it's very stuffy and hot in the summer. We have to turn on the electric fan as soon as we enter the room. This year we installed window screens and a door screen downstairs. Because of fear, I dared not open the door in previous years. It happened that the police were currently checking residential certificates, but I realized that the old forces were nothing in front of Dafa disciples and I had to negate them. The door screen made the room cooler, and also helped save electricity. Teacher said,

"If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist. This is not to be self-imposed, but is achieved by truly and calmly letting go of it. " ("Eliminate Your Last Attachments," from Essentials for Further Advancement II)

Negating the old forces is a reflection of our belief in Teacher and the Fa. If you can really do whatever Teacher has told you, then Teacher will definitely stand up for you.