(Minghui.org) As Falun Dafa disciples, our mission is to validate the Fa and save sentient beings, which requires us to look at things positively with compassion.
Master Li said,
“Whatever you experience during your cultivation—whether good or bad—is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating.” (“To the Chicago Fa Conference”, The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
My understanding is that no matter what happens, if we can truly consider it a good thing, we would be able to improve our xinxing and help people see that Falun Dafa is good through the incident.
Treat Arrests As Opportunities to Clarify the Facts
For example, suppose we are arrested with Dafa informational materials confiscated. On the surface, this is a bad thing. When looking at it with righteous thoughts, however, we could treat it differently.
Master said,
“...because I don't acknowledge them. But I knew that they'd do things this way, so I was left with no choice but to go along with their ploys and turn their ploys against them. That's the situation.” (Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
If we end up being in the police station, we could send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil elements controlling the police and help the officers understand that Falun Dafa is nothing like what's depicted by the Chinese communist regime's slanderous propaganda. After the officers agree to stop participating in the persecution of Falun Dafa, they'd release us and return our confiscated materials. Therefore, treating the whole arrest thing as a good opportunity to clarify the facts would eventually achieve a good overall effect – police officers are saved and they will not arrest practitioners anymore.
In real life, some practitioners may not be able to help all police officers in one police station understand the illegality of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s persecution of Falun Dafa. It is likely that the same police station may conduct another arrest of practitioners, which would then become another good opportunity for practitioners to save the police. As practitioners continue to treat each arrest with righteous thoughts, the environment in the concerned region will improve with fewer or no arrests of practitioners, who would then be able to save more people.
An Example
Here is an example published on Minghui in 2012 titled “Saving People Wholeheartedly with a Sense of Urgency: Walking on the Path of Godhood with Master's Protection:”
“Nearly five months after I started the practice, Jiang's regime began the persecution of Falun Gong. I exposed the evil crimes committed by Jiang Zemin and his gang to every person I met. Everywhere I went I told people the truth. I was not afraid at all.”
“In addition to growing crops, I also sell candied fruit at fairs to supplement my income. People liked to buy candied fruit from me and listened to me talk about the persecution of Falun Gong. In this process, I saved many people.”
“In 2009, around two dozen practitioners in my area were arrested. I continued to tell fairgoers the facts about Falun Gong in an open and dignified manner. Some practitioners tried to stop me, but I was not moved.”
“I never shut myself off from other practitioners. My house is open to every practitioner. There was a practitioner living in the next village. Her husband was poisoned by the regime's propaganda and forbade her from practicing Falun Gong. He beat her so badly that she nearly died. She left home. No one dared to take her in; hence I brought her home and we studied the Fa together. I also helped to resolve her financial problems. Master wrote,
‘Broadly shines a Buddha’s light,Justly setting all things right.Advance together, ever diligent,To a glorious future.’(“One with the Fa,” Hong Yin)
“When I clarify the truth about Falun Gong to police officers in the police stations, I am as natural as when I do it at home to my guests. On one occasion, as I was preparing to go to a police station, a practitioner happened to drop by. I told her my plan, and she immediately said: ‘I would like to come along.’ I was happy with her progress in cultivation.”
“We bought some fruits and went to the police station. I started to clarify the truth to an officer and helped him quit the CCP. An older officer asked my companion: ‘You practice Falun Gong too?’ She answered: ‘Yes, and Falun Gong is great. You must not be deceived by Jiang Zemin and those who follow him. Don't go against Falun Gong.’ This elderly policeman kept nodding and agreed with her. A third policeman asked me: ‘Aren't you afraid of us?’ I replied: ‘If I'm afraid of you, who will save you then!’ The officers were touched by our compassion. Everyone in the office agreed to quit the CCP. Since then, this practitioner became very much at ease when clarifying the truth to the police.”
“Whenever a new head of police arrived at the police station, I went and told him the truth about the persecution and advised him to quit the CCP. Once, I told a new head the facts about Falun Gong and assisted him to dissociate from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. He personally sent me home in his car and told me he was in ill health. I asked him to recite ‘Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good’ and shared with him how I recovered from the dozen illnesses I previously had by reciting this phrase. Because I persisted in telling them the facts about Falun Gong all these years, most of the police officers would shout: ‘Falun Dafa is good’ when they see me.”
This practitioner wrote,
“Every opportunity to improve our xinxing does not come around again. Cultivation is a serious matter, and to do well in cultivation, one must break through the human shell and open our closed hearts. When you truly think of others, you are no longer an ordinary person. When you are compassionate, the other party will agree to quit the CCP.”
Faith in Master and the Fa
The practitioner mentioned above has deep faith in Master and the Fa. She wrote, “When I clarify the truth about Falun Gong to police officers in the police station, I am as natural as when I do it at home to my guests.” As she created this favorable environment, officers from the police station, domestic security division, and 610 Office have all learned the facts.
Therefore, we practitioners shall have no fear if we are targeted by police since that could be a chance for us to validate the Fa. If all practitioners could do things this way, the situation would change and we would be able to save people on a large scale.
Another Example
Here is another example, which was published on the Chinese language of Minghui.org on December 22, 2019, with a title of “Because of Cultivating Falun Dafa, Our Path Gets Wider and Wider.” In the article, the author wrote,
“One day, I talked with two people on a bus about Falun Gong. After I explained to them the bad deeds the CCP had committed to harm innocent people including Falun Gong practitioners, both people agreed to quit the CCP and its subordinate organization. By then, a stout police officer got on the bus. Upon hearing us discussing Falun Gong, he rushed towards me, but I was very quick and able to escape being arrested.”
“Another time as I chatted with someone about Falun Gong, we walked in a restaurant. Upon getting inside, I saw the stout officer again. He also saw me and called out, 'Hey! It's you again!' Again, I was able to get away before he reached me.”
“The third time I met that officer was when another practitioner handed a Falun Gong DVD to another officer. Seeing this stout officer was about to arrest that practitioner, I decided to talk with him directly. I walked up and greeted him. He also recognized me and said, ‘We have met several times and you always ran away before I arrested you.’ I let go of all human notions and said to him, ‘Please let me finish and you can then decide what to do.’”
“I went into the police van and sat on the passenger side. I told him that the entire world already knows that the CCP is persecuting Falun Gong. Arresting innocent practitioners will not do him any good; instead, it will bring consequences when the CCP is wiped out by history. At that moment, I had no fear, since I just wanted to save him. The compassion of Dafa dissolved vicious elements behind him. He accepted Falun Gong informational materials, agreed to quit the CCP organizations, and said, ‘Please don't worry. I will not arrest people like you again. If you need help, please let me know.’”
“Once, as a practitioner told someone about Falun Gong, a police officer chased her and the practitioner was able to escape. As that practitioner described the situation in detail, I knew it was the stout officer. I thus found him and asked why he still arrested practitioners. Upon confirming the date and time, he said, ‘That was a misunderstanding. My supervisor assigned me on duty that day, so I had to pretend I was doing something. If I really wanted to arrest her, she could not have gotten away.’ I thanked him and we became friends.”
“One time when I distributed materials along the street, I went in a room packed with officers. As I backed off, the stout officer came out and asked me for a copy of the material. On another day during the holiday season, I saw him on the street and greeted him, ‘Happy New Year!’ He was happy to see me and called aloud, ‘Falun Dafa is great! Falun Dafa is great!’ These words moved me to tears.”
“Once as I handed a copy of materials to a man, his face changed and said, ‘Do you know who I am? I am from the Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC) and specifically deal with Falun Gong!’ Without fear or intention to protect myself, I said, ‘That is why I gave you this—because compared to other people, you need these materials the most to know what’s really going on.’ He accepted the material and I could tell the viciousness behind him was suppressed by my righteous thoughts.”
“Another story occurred near a department store. Noticing a plainclothes officer following me as I talked with people about Falun Gong, I went around the store to make sure he was gone. When reflecting on it later, I realized I should have faced him instead of dodging him. I went back on another day and talked with him. As we chatted, he still remembered me and his attitude also changed after I told him my personal experience of Falun Gong.”
At the end of the article, this practitioner wrote,
“When saving people, I am not selective anymore. I intentionally went to those luxury cars and talked with people inside, including police officers, about Falun Gong. I am so thankful that Master gives me opportunities and wisdom to save these people who had been misled by the CCP propaganda. Because I cherish these sentient beings, my path of saving people becomes broader and broader.”
A Genuine Dafa Disciple
As described by the practitioners above, since we are Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples with the mission to save sentient beings, we must fulfill our responsibilities. That means we need to position ourselves well and, regardless of time and location, play a leading role. If we treat the old forces’ arrangement as persecution, we are actually thinking of ourselves as victims. That is not what the leading role is supposed to be. If so, we are following the old forces’ plot while deviating from Master’s arrangement. We should play our role in saving people all the time as Master has expected. Our role should not change because of the circumstances.
To put it differently, if all Dafa practitioners oppose arrangements from the old forces and do not consider them as persecution, will the old forces still have opportunities to make a plot? Do the old forces still have excuses to exist?
In reality, even if something from the old forces’ plot is materialized, we do not have to worry about whose arrangement it was. Rather, we just look within and continue to do well the three things. For example, the issue of illness karma involves life and death, while an incident of arrest involves breaking free or being in police custody. If we have full faith in Master and trust Master’s arrangement of us, we just need to continue doing the three things.
If we do not handle things this way, that means we do not have full faith in Master. Then, the next question is—when thinking deeper, do we have more power or is Master more capable than us?
In fact, when we are hesitant to fully rely on Master, it is because our human notions are at play. The human notion is selfish—it does not want to get harmed, and thus protects itself. But that is different from our true self—a genuine Dafa disciple. As a Dafa disciple, we are clear that we fully rely on Master.
Therefore, when things come up, we should first think about letting go of human notions and selfishness. Our main consciousness should play a leading role and let Master arrange everything. By doing so, we would have enough righteous thoughts and energy to do things to validate the Fa.
Master said that,
“Do things well in an upright and dignified way, negate them, and strengthen your righteous thoughts some. ‘I'm Li Hongzhi's disciple, I don't want other arrangements or acknowledge them’--then they won't dare to do that. So it can all be resolved. When you can really do that, not just saying it but putting it into action, Master will definitely stand up for you.” (Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
This is the expectation for us from Master.
The Issue of Safety
The word “safety” can be tricky. From an everyday person’s point of view, being arrested is not safe; from the vantage point of a Dafa disciple who validates the Fa, it is an opportunity to clarify the facts.
Master said,
“The old forces have done some things, but amidst their interference Master has been turning the tables on them.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
In fact, those practitioners who do well validating the Fa rarely worry about safety. They just want to follow Master’s words to save more people. Especially some elderly female practitioners, their pure heart and compassion could help a person quit the CCP organizations by just saying a few words. Some practitioners have done very well and they have created a favorable environment in their regions where practitioners could validate the Fa openly. The issue of safety is less of a concern.
Some practitioners have yet to do well or fully believe in Master or the Fa. Without a righteous mindset to evaluate the situation or sufficient efforts of validating the Fa, the old forces’ plot could work. For such practitioners, thinking about safety is legitimate, either regarding validating the Fa or being responsible for sentient beings. That is, the starting point is a sense of responsibility, not being afraid of the persecution.
Nonetheless, Dafa is encompassing. Suppose the old forces’ plot has been unfolded, that is, Dafa materials have been confiscated during home ransacking. As Master mentioned above, “...turning the tables on them,” we can go to the officers to seek the return of confiscated items and use the opportunity to save them. Once officers know the facts of Dafa and return Dafa materials, we will not lose anything in the end, plus we have saved police officers in the process.
An ancient Chinese proverb says, “Failure is the mother of success.” For us Dafa disciples, whether it is good or bad on the surface, as long as we keep doing the three things and do them well, the incident will lead to a favorable outcome. That is, the Fa is profound and Master’s arrangement is boundless. No matter what circumstances we are facing, we only need to walk well the cultivation path arranged by Master. Everything else will be taken care of and this is a path towards the divine.
Everything a Dafa disciple needs to do to validate the Fa is included in doing well the three things. That involves letting go of self and doing things out of true, selfless compassion. When studying the Fa, we are humble and sincere, with no pursuit. Once learning the Fa principles, we use them to guide our cultivation and validating the Fa. Looking within and eliminating human notions is not to avoid persecution; rather it is to assimilate ourselves into the Fa and to better save sentient beings. Sending forth righteous thoughts is not for avoiding persecution, either. Instead, it is fulfilling a Dafa disciple's responsibility of eliminating the viciousness and safeguarding the Fa. Similarly, truth-clarification is to save people, not to accumulate mighty virtue for ourselves.
Cultivation practice appears complicated on the surface, when it is up to our heart at its core. Throughout history, that has been foundations laid for this—uplifting one’s heart. The entire process of our cultivation is also uplifting our heart, from selfishness to selflessness, which is required for reaching consummation.
Once clear on this, we would know everything in our cultivation is to test our heart. If we just focus on superficial phenomena, we cannot resolve it. Only when our heart changes, will it change.
Poor cultivation is often derived from the inability to look within. If the human notions persist and one always looks outwards, such as shortcomings of other practitioners, we have no way of cultivating ourselves. From looking outward to looking within is a fundamental change from a non-practitioner to a Dafa practitioner. Without that, we are not genuine practitioners since we did not follow Master’s instruction of looking within.
Whether a person is compassionate or not depends on whether he or she could let go of selfishness. Only by letting go of self and being completely selfless can one become compassionate. Only then can one cherish, respect, and care about others. Only then can one evaluate the situation positively and focus on the strength of others. Such a person will not gossip about others, will not be resentful or judgmental. Instead, he would be considerate, and truly cooperative, in order to complete what Master intends to achieve.
Let’s cherish our compassion, walk well the path of validating the Fa, save sentient beings, and fulfill our mission as Dafa disciples.
Category: Improving Oneself
