(Minghui.org) Since June 2012, the Chinese Communist Party has been attacking Hong Kong's Falun Dafa truth clarification sites. The battle between good and evil has been a major test for Hong Kong practitioners, who have different views on the CCP interference and how to maintain our truth clarification environment. During this time, practitioners have experienced regular challenges to our xinxing and understandings. I'd like to share my understandings on how to assist Master in Fa-rectification with righteous thoughts and acts.
Practitioners were sad when the CCP's vicious groups hung banners with slogans insulting Dafa and Master all over our truth clarification sites in Hong Kong, covering our display boards and banners. Although we refuse to acknowledge their behavior and don't want them to insult Master and spread lies to harm sentient beings, we all have different opinions on what should be done.
Some practitioners suggested that, no matter how hard they try to cover our banners, we should still display our banners and refuse to acknowledge their behavior. Other practitioners think that insisting on displaying our banners is an attachment to competitiveness, and we should just ignore them when they try to do that, continue to send forth righteous thoughts, distribute materials, and do what we need to do.
During the past six months, practitioners have been clarifying the truth with compassion and asking them to stop helping the CCP to persecute Falun Gong. Nevertheless, they refuse to listen and have done many bad things. They have used filthy language to insult practitioners and Master and have threatened to take us to court. They have used banners with Master's name to surround practitioners, so that we would have to step on Master's name in order to leave. They also did something unpardonable, that is, they poked a hole in Master's photo where the heart is, put their hands through the hole, and turned the photo around and around. I can't even describe all the bad things they've done.
I've looked inward and thought, “Is the interference in Hong Kong testing practitioners to see if we can continue to clarify the truth? Haven't we been clarifying the truth all these years, even before this interference? What is this interference truly testing?”
Of course, as we cultivate in Dafa, we are validating the Fa according to our own understanding at our levels. Some practitioners said, “We should be kind and harmonize our environment.” So they chatted and laughed with the CCP's cohorts at the truth clarification sites. Subsequently, they began to separate us and say to one, “I think you are very kind. The practitioner over there, the one insisting on displaying your banner to cover our banner, is so mean. We are going to attack him.” When the CCP group walked over to attack him, other practitioners stood there and watched. Some practitioners even negotiated with the CCP flunkies and let them hang two banners on one side, while we hung two banners on the other side. I felt terrible when I saw that. These practitioners had cried when they first saw the CCP's banners, then they became numb, and now there are cooperating with them. Is our kindness not based on any principles? Is our kindness not solemn?
Master said:
“The Fa is merciful to all beings, but at the same time it's solemn and dignified. And the Fa has standards, before sentient beings it's unchanging and unbreakable, and it's not something that can be influenced casually.” (“Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference”)
We should negate, eliminate, and suffocate the evil elements that are harming sentient beings. Since when are we supposed to be friendly with and cooperate with them?
As more people and groups began to support us, practitioners who worked in the media gave feedback from those who supported us. Some of them suggested we act as the weaker one and put up fewer banners and displays. Their logic was that, if people saw us being bullied, more people would stand on our side. Some groups advised us to leave temporarily, and after they settled with the evil group, we could display our banners again. I'd like to share my thoughts about these suggestions.
Although we are being persecuted by the CCP, we are not the weak ones and should not act meek either. We have withstood 13 years of brutal persecution because of our righteousness. Many people have witnessed our perseverance in telling the facts and saving sentient beings amidst the persecution. They have received truth clarification flyers, understood the CCP's lies, and obtained salvation. As Dafa practitioners we should not adopt ordinary people's ways of doing things to gain their pity. We should think and act with nobility and righteousness.
Master said:
“The reason is, validating the Fa and clarifying the truth are things that Dafa disciples are to do, and are not the tasks of ordinary people. They don’t have such mighty virtue, and it still won’t work no matter how big the company is.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference”)
and
“The principles of the Fa-rectification won’t change on account of things that occur in the human world. Cultivating and saving people are Dafa disciples’ magnificent missions.” (“Stay Clearheaded”)
More and more people are supporting us now, and that is a good thing. But we need to be clear on this, and that is, they are the ones being saved. They can help us any way they want, which comes from having understood the facts. Practitioners are the ones who handle the situation of the Fa-rectification. If we took their advice and put away the banners and displays, or even went away temporarily, then we wouldn't need anyone's help, and the evil group would gather their things and leave, because they would have achieved their goal to make Falun Gong disappear. And they would show up again as soon as we returned.
At the truth clarification sites, the CCP sympathizers spread lies through Twitter. Practitioners distribute flyers to passersby, clarify the truth, and urge people to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. That is truly great! Nevertheless, many practitioners could not understand why some practitioners insisted on covering the evil group's banners with our banners, and thought they had an attachment to competitiveness. Some of the practitioners who agreed to share banner space with them said, “You keep blocking our banners, and we keep blocking yours. In the end, how many banners can we display? At least we can guarantee the space to display two banners.” I thought to myself, “What would Master want us to do? As Fa-rectification Dafa disciples, how should we think and act with righteousness?”
The reason the CCP group is covering our banners is to prevent the sentient beings from being saved. They've even said, “You can distribute newspapers or practice the exercises, but you cannot display banners that say 'Heaven will eliminate the CCP.'” Why don't they let us hang our banners? Because the CCP has been persecuting Falun Gong, and even the heavenly principles would not allow that. Therefore, heaven will eliminate the CCP. And if the sentient beings could see that, they would quickly quit the Party to safeguard their future. The CCP is afraid that people will learn the truth about Falun Gong. When practitioners display banners and obscure the CCP's banners, we are preventing sentient beings from being deceived. How could that be an attachment to competitiveness? The CCP group outnumbers us. When we display our banners, they try to cover them. But as long as we insist on displaying our banners, they eventually give up. Sometimes when they surrounded practitioners with their banners, practitioners would clarify the truth loudly to passersby, “Everyone, please come find out what they are trying to cover up.” Those who had refused to take the newspaper before came and took the papers, and some of them walked around the CCP's banners to look at our banners. People saw our peaceful resistance, and admired the fact that we continued to display our banners. They said to us, “You must persevere.”
During this time, even if we can only display one banner, we are negating the evil elements. If we negotiate with them and let them display even one banner, it means that Dafa practitioners are accepting them, and that is a disgrace for Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples.
Master said:
“Moreover, Gods are not like humans. For example, some students were arrested and imprisoned. When they couldn’t endure the severe torture, they wrote repentance statements. But in their minds they were thinking: 'This is to fool them. I’ll still practice after I get out. I’ll still go out to validate the Fa and I’ll still go to Tiananmen.' But this is unacceptable. It’s because this kind of notion is something developed in the human world after humans have become degenerate. But Gods aren’t like that. They don’t have thoughts like these. Once they’ve decided on a certain path they’ll definitely stick with it.” (“Guiding the Voyage” - “Teaching the Fa at the Great Lakes Fa Conference in North America”)
Fellow practitioners, haven't we decided to take the path to assist Master with Fa-rectification? Then let's continue on the path with perseverance, with the glory of a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple. Let's not hide our attachments to apprehension, idleness, and fear, and attempt to conceal them with Fa principles. Master said, “There’s not much further to go on the path to divinity.” (“Stay Clearheaded”) Let's walk our final path with nobility and openness.
The above are some of my understandings. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.