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Looking Inward to Untie the Knots in My Mind

February 02, 2017 |   By a Falun Dafa practitioner from Heilongjiang Province, China

(Minghui.org) It has been over 20 years since I started practicing Falun Dafa. Since then, I have been involved in many local activities to raise awareness about Dafa and the persecution.

However, it never occurred to us, until about three years ago, that people in the surrounding areas were also waiting to hear about Dafa. So, since then, we have been traveling to villages, towns and markets throughout the county. This year we have extended our efforts to neighboring counties.

Hardships Can Turn into Blessings

In the winter of 2013, I came across an elderly man who told me that he was the director of the State Security Bureau at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He was viewed as being sympathetic to the students, and so was implicated and arrested.

“Speaking of being implicated,” I added, “what will happen to all those people who are part of the Party when it faces its final days? Will all of its members be held responsible for being a part of it, for being accomplices to its horrible deeds? A book called the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party explains the issue very well. Have you heard of it?”

We chatted more, and spoke about the history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the persecution of Falun Dafa. He ended up quitting the CCP.

Untying Mental Knots

A fellow practitioner once verbally abused me during a meeting. Instead of arguing, I thought of Master’s teachings:

“Whatever it is that you encounter, the first thought should be to scrutinize yourself, and it’s called “looking within.”” (“What is a Dafa Disciple”)

However, I couldn't stop thinking about it after returning home. I first thought that the practitioner who accosted me should cultivate her speech better. The more I thought about it, the more upset I became. I felt miserable, and human thoughts occupied my mind.

Then I remembered that I am a practitioner, and should not keep dwelling on the issue. It was the old forces that wanted me to get depressed, pulled down, and conflicted with other practitioners. I almost fell into the trap.

Instead of sleeping, I decided to study the Fa.

Master said:

“I think both of those things are related to your cultivation. It’s either to help you eliminate karma or to help you improve your xinxing. So you have to look at them in the right way. Some people are in terribly difficult situations, but those are guaranteed to be good for you, since you are cultivators. The reason you think they aren’t good for you is that you haven’t shed your human side.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in New Zealand”)

I realized that the incident occurred because of my impure thoughts. I told myself to calm down and dig out those attachments of mine that led to the incident.

The root of every attachment is selfishness, which is the nature of the old universe. Only by improving myself through Fa study and letting go of selfishness can I change.

I felt so relaxed after deciding to let go of my selfishness, jealousy, competitiveness, looking down on others, and resentment. All the knots in my mind were untied by looking inward.

Establishing a Strong Accounting System

Buying a sim card for a cell phone in China requires giving one’s real name, which can be dangerous for a Dafa practitioner during the persecution.

A practitioner began buying sim cards in bulk from other places. However, this involved the transfer of large amounts of money. Some practitioners were uncomfortable with how this process was being managed.

Master has already explained very clearly on how we should handle funds for Dafa projects.

Master said:

“... in any project run by Dafa disciples where money is involved, you must establish a strong accounting system, and not violate any applicable laws. Handle it the same way ordinary companies do.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference”)

I went to the home of the practitioner in charge of the funds and asked to see his financial records. His bookkeeping was non-existent, and he couldn't tell me how much money he'd received or paid out.

We changed the procedures and put another practitioner in charge of the funds for Dafa projects. We tried hard to set up a transparent accounting system and follow Master's accounting requirements. Now, every penny is accounted for and we know that all funds go towards Dafa projects.