(Minghui.org) Master said:
"I told you a long time ago that a Dafa disciple, or a cultivator, has no enemies. The only thing you have a role in is saving people..." ("Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago" in 2005)
I came to understand that as Dafa practitioners of the Fa-rectification period, we should never forget our mission, regardless of our environment. This makes Dafa practitioners of the Fa-rectification period different from cultivators of any other period. My experiences during 14 years of cultivation have shown that following the requirements of the Fa and walking on the path arranged by Master is our only true cultivation path.
When I first started clarifying the truth to people face to face, I had all kinds of human notions. I often preferred to speak to those who I thought had good character or were good looking, those who had a close relationship with me, or those who I thought were inclined to listen because they appeared kind.
I preferred not to talk to someone I did not get along with. As a result, the effect of my truth clarification was very limited; even those who listened to me barely believed what I said.
As I kept studying the Fa and correcting myself, I gradually came to understand the meaning of Master's words:
“You are future Enlightened Beings who are becoming Buddhas, Daos, and Gods, and you are not concerned with the losses and gains of this world. So you should be able to let go of everything.” (“Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)” in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I then followed this requirement of the Fa in my truth-clarification. I let go of the attachments to fame, personal interests, and sentiments. I corrected my words and deeds according to the Fa, looked within when I experienced difficulties, and read fellow practitioners' sharing articles on Minghui.org.
Depending on the situation, I chose the proper starting point to explain the facts to people, with consideration for each person's mentality of fear, pursuit of fame, and personal interest. I used every opportunity to clarify the truth and advise people to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
Since all I had in mind was to save people, Master guided people with a predestined relationship to me. Regardless of whether I was at work, shopping, or meeting with friends, I would run into predestined people. I eliminated all of my distracting thoughts and kept in mind only that Master wants us to save people and I would do my best with that.
I kept in mind Master's teaching:
I patiently explained the facts from different angles and advised people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations in daily conversations.
At work, I discarded my ordinary mentality and talked to colleagues about traditional art and culture and why people should pay attention to virtue. I also talked to them about the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and the state of the current society.
I talked in a way that they could accept, even with their attachments, and kept sending forth righteous thought to cleanse my field. I discarded ordinary thoughts and fear and held only one thought, “I am here to offer you salvation!”
The majority of people took my advice and withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Some of them withdrew after only one statement from me. If people did not have time to withdraw on the spot, I gave them software to break through the Internet blockade so they could complete the process later. For those with whom I did not have much opportunity to speak, I left them with kind thoughts.
Some of my relatives and friends knew that I was persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. They tried to talk me into giving up cultivation. I knew that Master sent them to me so they could learn the truth about Falun Gong. I had wanted to talk to them before, but could not find the time. Their coming to me now gave me the opportunity to explain the facts to them.
I talked to them about the CCP's corruption and why people's morality has been rapidly deteriorating. Through the conversation, they came to understand the truth and agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
One time I visited a relative who was critically ill and unconscious. I told him, "Don't forget that Falun Dafa is great and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great, and you will go home safely." In the afternoon, he regained consciousness. His family thought it was a miracle. After they listened to my truth clarification, they withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
In this way, I finally broke through a barrier that had been blocking me from explaining the facts to many people face to face.
It was just like Master said:
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughts Master has the power to turn back the tide” (“The Master-Disciple Bond”, Hong Yin Vol. II)
One time I went to a funeral out of town. In the morning, on the way there, a taxi dropped me off in the middle of nowhere. I had to stop a car and ask for a lift to my destination. At the dinner following the funeral, I used the opportunity to clarify the truth to people; 27 of them agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
At the end of the day, I missed the last public transport to get back home. Since I needed to work the next day, I asked Master for help and tried to flag a vehicle to get a lift home.
It was dark, and the mountain path was slippery. As a woman, walking along a mountain path to the highway by myself and trying to flag a vehicle for a ride was something that I had not even dared to think about before. When I arrived to my hometown and met with local practitioners, I said with tears in my eyes, “Master protected me all the way home!”
A person I had known for 30 years invited me to a party, with more than a dozen of his acquaintances attending. I asked Master for strengthening and sang the songs composed by Dafa disciples at the party. By talking with the people there, I learned everyone's situation and clarified the truth to them. Seeing my great physical and mental health, they changed their attitude towards Dafa and withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Treasuring Opportunities to Save People
I distributed truth-clarification materials, used the paper currency that had truth-clarification messages written on them, and made telephone calls to clarify the truth.
Sometimes I even explained the facts about Dafa in my dreams; when I woke up, I realized that I had spoken to people who had already passed away. I also clarified the facts to people who were still alive in my dreams, but I could not remember their names when I woke up. I understood that the part of me that had cultivated well was trying to encourage me to seize the time to save more people.
In the process of clarifying the truth, I paid attention to breaking through the notions I had formed in ordinary society.
I was not discouraged by those who would not withdraw from the CCP after multiple attempts to clarify the truth to them. Whenever I saw them, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate and benevolently resolve all factors in other dimensions that blocked them from accepting the truth.
I firmly believe in Master's teaching, “Dafa Disciples’ Righteous Thoughts are Powerful” (Essentials for Further Advancement II)
A person came to see my employer at work. I had clarified the truth to him three times, yet he still refused to withdraw from the CCP. The story Master had told us about a furnace of molten steel burning up wood residue appeared in my mind.
I eliminated my human thoughts and strengthened my belief in Master and the Fa; I firmly believed that I could offer salvation to this person. As a result, as he was about to leave, he suddenly asked, “Could we go upstairs to look around?” I knew Master was helping me and giving me another opportunity.
I said: “You are a nice person. Did anyone ever talk to you about the way to avoid man-made and natural disasters?” He replied, “Never.” It looked like he had forgotten that I had talked to him about it several days ago.
I said: “Then let me tell you now. Withdrawing from the CCP and its affiliated organizations is the way. The heaven will eliminate the CCP. If you go down with it, won't you feel that it is not fair to you?” He responded with deep emotion: “Yes. I did not get any goodness from them. All I got was being laid off!”
I said: “Let me give you a nickname and help you erase the vows you made to the CCP that you would strive for it all your life. Then whether it is man-made or natural disaster, it will not hurt you. All right?" He replied, "Ok, please help me to withdraw from the CCP.”
Before he left, I told him: “Please remember that Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good! Recite these words whenever you can and divine beings will protect you!” He smiled. I sincerely thanked Master for help. Another life was saved.
Saving People without Prejudice
Master said:
“The most difficult things for people to abandon are their notions. Some people cannot change, even if they have to give up their lives for fake principles. Yet notions are themselves acquired postnatally.” (“For Whom do You Exist?” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
I came to understand that to change a person who had once persecuted you, while cultivating yourself well, you must set aside prejudice. You must walk on the path of saving people arranged by Master, instead of following the old forces' arrangement, and you must keep looking for the opportunity to clarify the truth to this person.
Due to pressure from the higher administration, the manager of the unit I worked for tried to force me to renounce my faith multiple times, even though he knew it was impossible. After three years of supervising me, he knew that I was a diligent employee and did well whatever was assigned to me, without considering my own personal interests.
He told me: “I was pressured by the upper management to 'transform' you. I've learned a lot about you over the years, so did not follow their instruction. As a manager of the work unit, I feel satisfied as long as everyone does a good job.”
I replied: “What do they want to 'transform' me to do? What they want to do is their choice. What you do is your choice. Whoever persecutes the kind is evil. Since you have chosen the kind, you have already brought good fortune to the work unit and have chosen a good future for the whole unit!” He nodded.
I then explained to him the principle of “good will be rewarded and evil will be punished.” I told him: “You know that regardless of which manager assigned work to me, I did my best to do the assignment well, unconditionally. Do you know why? The people of this work unit all know that I practice Falun Gong. I hope that everyone can see that Falun Gong practitioners are good people.”
With thumbs up, he replied, "You are indeed a good person!"
I told him: "The Communist Party is a ghost from the West. Can the ghost bring any good luck to people? Now people are withdrawing from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. I am not trying to make you do anything, but I want you to have a clear picture.”
He said that he was a Party member and did not want to talk anymore. He then stood up to leave. I asked Master to strengthen me and said to my manager: “Now people are practicing Falun Gong in more than 100 countries around the world. More than 100 million people have withdrawn from the CCP and its affiliated organizations, and many of them are highly educated people. Please remember that Falun Dafa is good and in the future disasters will not hurt you.” He smiled and said, “Ok! Thank you!”
Afterward, I thought about how I had done in my truth clarification. I realized that I had been anxious and tried to validate myself. I did not explain the facts to him in a thorough way. I made up my mind to improve in my cultivation.
Improving in Cultivation
When I was previously forced to leave work (because I refused to renounce my faith), a group leader told others to stay away from me.
I remembered Master's teaching:
“... if in your personal cultivation you are unable to love ordinary people who have once been against you, you will not become a Buddha. That’s the truth, because cultivators need to be compassionate. Being compassionate means casting aside all past history and grievances had with ordinary people, and it means not getting attached to anything associated with ordinary people, not seeking the fame or gain of ordinary people, and letting go of human attachments. It means taking everything associated with ordinary people lightly as you go about cultivating, and that is how you will be able to free yourself of it.” (“First Fa Teaching Given in the United States,” 1996)
I sent forth righteous thoughts to cleanse my field and let go of my resentment toward the group leader and my fear of facing difficulties. I became determined to offer her salvation and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the bad factors behind her. I then explained the facts to her. She happily accepted the truth.
I truly experienced an easiness after letting go of human notions. I give my sincere thanks for Master's great kindness.
Through these experiences I came to understand that in such a complex human society everyone is struggling for personal interests. If one does not let go of selfishness according to the requirement of the Fa, he would not be able to save people.
I also came to realize that to clarify the truth and validate the Fa, one must keep cleansing his own field, to ensure that he is not moved by ordinary thoughts and human sentiment.
Master taught us:
“Get rid of any attachment you have, and don't think about anything. Just do everything a Dafa disciple should do, and everything will be covered.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference”)
The above is my personal understanding. Please point out anything not based on the Fa.
