(Minghui.org) I have been living abroad for five years, and with the help of Master's compassionate care and assistance from fellow practitioners, I am fortunate to be able to participate in the global RTC platform project.
I have overcome many hardships, and through this process, I have been able to temper my xinxing amidst conflicts and help save more sentient beings. I would like to share the following insights with fellow practitioners.
Starting out on the RTC platform
Talking to people directly to expose the Chinese Communist Party's crime of organ harvesting from Falun Dafa practitioners is an important responsibility of practitioners, so I decided to undergo training to join the RTC project. Initially, I experienced some interference. I was involved in other Dafa projects at the time, and my child suddenly became ill. Even our family business was not doing well.
I realized that I needed to greatly improve my cultivation state, or I would not perform well in this new endeavor. I sent forth righteous thoughts to deny this evil interference, as I firmly believe that Dafa and Master will guide us if we all do our part.
Exposing the atrocity of organ harvesting is the one thing the CCP fears. So when we started to make the phone calls, we focused on sending forth righteous thoughts during the transmission of the pre-recorded and scripted messages to make sure everything went smoothly.
Many of my fellow practitioners did not understand that aside from having to deal with the pressure of trying to help save sentient beings, we also had to withstand the conflicts that came up among ourselves. There were only two of us who were newcomers on the RTC platform and it was really tough for me during the first couple of months. I experienced what Master said:
“Doing any form of cultivation entails undergoing a trial such as this and a path with such features. Only if one can persevere and continually forge ahead does it amount to true diligence. It's easy to talk about, but putting it into action is tremendously difficult. That is why it's said that always cultivating as if you were just starting will surely result in achieving your ultimate rank.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference”)
Some of us were more aware of the importance of this project and had strong righteous thoughts and a pure heart when making the phone calls. This also had a positive affect on new practitioners joining the project. With Master's arrangement, we had some practitioners who were able to focus on the technical side of things, while some were good at broadcasting. We worked together as one body and helped each other improve so that we could save more sentient beings.
Getting rid of human attachments
Our project was initially quite difficult due to a lack of manpower, and not many practitioners knew about the technical aspects required. When a software program needed to be installed, my husband would help them get started as soon as he could. I then began learning to teach computer skills and was able to assist with the technical support.
I had to figure out how to balance my time between making phone calls to clarify the facts and assisting practitioners with online technical support. Initially, I could help solve an issue immediately, but later found that I needed to spend a much longer time helping the elderly practitioners who were technically challenged. This took time away from making phone calls. My dilemma was: Should I choose to help them or do my own work?
I decided that if any practitioner needed my help, I would assist them only after midnight, which was during the working hours in China. But unfortunately, other practitioners were often busy during that time and could not wait for me. I felt very guilty. I realized I was being selfish. From then on, if practitioners needed immediate assistance, I resolved myself to sleeping less and helping them out as needed.
One day, I finished making my phone calls and was ready to sleep, when a practitioner sent out a request for technical assistance. Half an hour passed, and I was still unable to reach her. A thought suddenly came to me - her problem is my problem! Sentient beings are waiting to be saved by her. I then spent one hour to help resolve her issue. She said: “I'm not involved in any other project, so I am pleased about being able to help. Not only am I willing take on a bigger caseload, I will also recruit more practitioners to make phone calls.”
My heart was full of gratitude for Master's infinite grace and encouragement. I had not slept that night, but I carried on making phone calls to China for two more hours. I realized that my technical contributions weren't too significant. It was better to say that my fellow practitioners were helping me to improve myself. During this process, I removed attachments related to having an irritable heart and selfishness. I saw that our team members were helping to save people with urgency, and we were also working well together as one body.
Since we were short of practitioners on the RTC platform, I spent most of my time online helping others to manage the project. I had a difficult relationship with another coordinator and became extremely upset over it. This led to me being kicked off the project. This occurred when there was only two weeks left before the Shen Yun performance in our area. I was so busy and under a lot of pressure. As a cultivator, I knew I could only look inward.
Master said:
“No matter what it is you have encountered as you've gone about validating the Fa, it is all, I will tell you, a good thing--and that's especially so in these years of persecution--for those things have come about specifically because you do cultivation. Those ordeals and the suffering, no matter how great or harsh you find them to be, are good things, because they take place solely on account of your cultivation. A person can eliminate karma and shed human attachments when he goes through ordeals, and through ordeals he can improve. Whether your motive is to save sentient beings, to validate the Fa, or to make progress in your own cultivation, they are ordeals all the same. They aren't supposed to make way for you just because you think, "I'm doing this for Dafa" or "I'm doing this to save sentient beings." You know that Master may look at it that way, but the forces of the old cosmos and its beings won't see it that way, and that is part of the challenge you face. It is precisely because of this that those ordeals came into being, and this is the hardest thing Dafa disciples have had to deal with.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference”)
I was very upset and realized that I should cultivate myself without any conditions or complaints. I knelt in front of Master's picture and asked Him for help: Did I do something wrong? Should I stop being involved in the RTC platform project?
I felt Master's compassion and encouragement to not be influenced by others. It was time for me to let go of any selfish concerns and attachments. No matter how other practitioners misunderstood me, nothing should get in the way of our focus to help save sentient beings.
By looking inward, I found my attachment to fame, not forgiving others and looking down on certain practitioners. When I realized these attachments, I had no more complaints. I understood what it was like to be in that coordinator’s shoes. Shortly afterward, that project coordinator asked me to return to the project.
Working on two projects does not present a conflict
Our area is short of manpower, and so the pressure on selling tickets for Shen Yun is huge. The coordinator said that no one was available to work at the ticket booth. My husband's English is better than mine, so I asked him to work there for that shift. We own a convenience store, and our hours are very long. Sometimes, if he is gone for a whole day, I have to work there for over ten hours. I decided that when there were no customers I could make use of the time to make truth clarification phone calls to China. I also sent forth righteous thoughts to support the Shen Yun ticket sales.
Nine practitioners were normally involved in making phone calls to China. We coordinated well with each other and also worked together on the Shen Yun project. Our local practitioners normally waited for me and my husband to join the group Fa study after our store closed. When they left our home, it was already close to 2 a.m. Sometimes it was snowing, but they never complained. This touched me so much! I came to realize that it wasn't such a big deal to get rid of my selfish concerns and just wanted to cooperate well with my fellow practitioners.
As it turned out, the tickets were sold out for all three Shen Yun performances. Once the show was over, we recruited two more practitioners to assist with the RTC platform. We worked together as one body to assist Master with Fa-Rectification. I take it to be very precious when I see practitioners who are eager to help save sentient beings. Their enthusiasm encourages me to do well.
Getting rid of attachments related to the Party culture
When looking at my long-held notion of always insisting on my own opinions, I found that the Communist Party's culture had influenced my behavior. I corrected myself and was now more accepting to the positive nature of others' ideas.
Our team initially had around ten people, but it has since grown into the hundreds after the New York Fa conference.
At the beginning, when there were not so many people on the project, it was easy to find time to study the Fa and do the exercises. But when twenty to thirty practitioners suddenly joined our project, we faced more pressure. I no longer had a regular time to have meals and also found it difficult to study the Fa.
But as a cultivator, I can only look inward to find solutions. In fact, my husband now spends seven to eight hours on the platform, and also works every day in the store for another seven to eight hours. He contributes a lot!
Master said:
“In validating the Fa, you must let each Dafa disciple walk his own path and give them [chances for] mighty virtue. If you hoard too many things for yourself, you might not do them well, in fact. Looking at it from another angle, is it attachments that caused you to do things this way? Then that’s actually a problem in cultivation that you haven’t overcome. In my case, I’m willing to let go of things. I can let anything go. These things are meant to temper people anyway, so why not let things go? You’re all cultivators, and with the Fa here, what’s there to fear? I’m willing to hand over anything to others, so why can’t you? My purpose is to temper people, so why don’t you let other people do it?” (“Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference (Questions and Answers)”)
Our project runs well because we coordinate very well. When I got rid of my attachment to self, I strongly experienced the power of righteous thoughts. I can only thank Master and fellow practitioners for their compassion.
In closing, I would like to share this quote from Master's Fa teaching:
“The form that Dafa’s cultivation takes is different from all forms of cultivation in history. That is because you shoulder the responsibility of a Dafa disciple: the sacred mission of saving sentient beings at a critical moment in history for mankind. Conveying the truth to the world’s people may appear simple, yet it impacts the futures of sentient beings. In order to do this task well, you must cultivate yourselves well.” (“Congratulations to the Taiwan Fa Conference” in 2012)
