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The Effectiveness of One's Truth-Clarification Reflects One's Realm

November 06, 2016 |   By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China

(Minghui.org) My mother was recently arrested for practicing Falun Dafa. I clarified the truth to staff in the police department to rescue her. I would like to share some understandings I gained during the process.

There is a saying in my field of work: “Sales is not about pleasing customers or begging them. Instead, a salesperson should understand customers' perspectives and provide reasonable suggestions like a friend, instead of persuading them to buy. If you can do this, the sale will naturally be successful.”

This is something practical among everyday people, and it represents an attitude that both sides find acceptable. This approach came to mind when speaking to the various authorities to rescue my mother. It made me think about how Falun Dafa practitioners can be more effective in their efforts to expose the persecution.

This effort was the first time I spoke to someone in a police department. The officer didn't seem to be too disagreeable. She told me that police officers are human, too. Even though I didn’t untie the knots in her heart, I could feel her thirst for the truth, a thirst that needs to be quenched by Dafa practitioners who convey heartfelt understanding and compassion.

A few days ago, I went to the Procuratorate to inquire about my mother's case. A clerk in the Arrest Approval Section showed me the list of calls on his cell phone.

He said, “Ever since I started working on Falun Gong cases, I have been receiving these phone calls every day. The calls are from Hong Kong and all over the world.”

“They keep saying we have persecuted Falun Gong practitioners, and that we should wait for the scores of wrongdoing to be settled with retribution.”

“They call without explaining to me why they're calling. I hang up, and they would call again shortly after. Sometimes I can't help but wonder, 'What do you want from me?’ I need to report this to my superiors...”

I could feel his anger and frustration from being “harassed.” Everyone needs compassionate communication, not just have information pushed at them constantly.

In a very friendly tone, my fellow practitioners and I told him that people called him because they want him to have a fair understanding of Dafa, and more importantly, to help him to understand the facts about the persecution.

I said, “The investigations into the miscarriage of justice has increased nowadays, and a system of personal accountability is being promoted. If you don't have a full understanding of a matter and you made a wrong judgment, wouldn't it be bad if you were put under investigation in the future?”

He nodded in agreement and accepted what we told him.

I have no intention of pointing fingers at the practitioners who made those phone calls. They acted quickly and risked their safety to rescue practitioners. Its starting point was not wrong. But this is only part of the issue!

How many of us can put ourselves in a staff person’s shoes and sincerely be considerate of him/her, as if they are a family member? Would we just preach to them or threaten them? Of course not. Coercion and persuasion are often used by everyday people. But we are different; we are Dafa disciples, and we are kind.

In the past, I tended to understand the three words of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance separately. This morning, I suddenly thought of the phrases, “True Compassion” and “True Forbearance!”

Presently, Chinese policies have placed a certain degree of restrictions on law enforcement officers. Many people make their living from the Chinese Communist Party. But they feel conflicted and do not want to lose their conscience.

Perhaps they are afraid to hear words such as “settling the score” and “retribution.”

Maybe their puzzled hearts want to hear something warm amid the turmoil of life, something from another living being that shows true caring and serves as guidance. This approach would help them feel accepted so they could let their guard down and expose their hearts.

It might be very difficult for us to achieve truth-clarification at this level, but it’s not impossible. Master has already taught us this, though we may not have absorbed the concept completely.

I have observed a similar situation. In treating fellow practitioners, we tend to use Master’s Fa to criticize them by intermingling it with blame and resentment. In attempting to force others to accept our ideas, are we truly “being considerate of others?”

In the past, I often gave advice to others and blindly thought, “It’s for his own good. Now it's up to his heart whether he can accept it or not.” Now, I realize this was inadequate.

I recalled reading about a conversation between Confucius and his disciples. The main idea was: When one fails at persuading others, one should ponder if one’s own attitude is problematic.

In my understanding, true compassion does not involve preaching to others or trying to change them. It encompasses putting oneself in another person's shoes and understanding them with a broad heart. One has no right to judge others without having been in their place!

I believe that unconditional trust, encouragement, and tolerance are a manifestation of compassion, and that such compassion will be rewarded with positive responses.

In my understanding, the effect of truth-clarification can indeed reflect a practitioner’s realm.

Please kindly point out anything improper.