Being Careful What We Say When Helping Practitioners in Tribulation

(Minghui.org) The daughter of one of my college classmates suffered from depression and did not get better after various treatments. My classmate used to practice Falun Dafa so she knew Dafa was good. She felt only Dafa could help so she asked her daughter to read the Fa. Her daughter did as she asked and after she started to read Zhuan Falun her condition improved. My classmate visited me several times with her daughter. I shared with the girl and encouraged her. Her situation kept improving. 

A few days ago, my classmate told me her daughter stopped reading Zhuan Falun and no longer wanted to practice. Her condition became worse as a result. I was surprised and asked what happened. My classmate said another practitioner told her daughter about the Changchun TV interception. (On March 5, 2002, Dafa practitioners in Changchun, China intercepted cable TV signals and broadcast truth-clarification videos. Hundreds of thousands of residents learned how Falun Gong had been well-received around the world and how the CCP had staged the self-immolation incident to defame Falun Gong.) 

He described how the practitioners who participated in the broadcast were severely tortured and killed—only one practitioner survived. Her daughter was so frightened that she could not sleep. She was afraid of being persecuted and no longer wanted to read Zhuan Falun.

I did not know exactly what the practitioner told my classmate’s daughter, but what he said frightened her and made her give up studying the Fa.

Remember to Cultivate Our Speech

We should all pay attention to how we help fellow practitioners in tribulations. The reason we clarify the truth is to tell people about Falun Dafa and help them understand why the persecution is wrong. We should let people know how wonderful Dafa is and inspire their righteous thoughts to recognize the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We cannot blindly do or say whatever we think is right and great. If we do, it may lead some people to believe the opposite.

We all know that the TV signals interception in Changchun was a righteous act and some practitioners talk about this when they clarify the truth. However, we should clearly explain why these practitioners risked their lives to do this. Some people may be frightened and develop misunderstandings if we only tell them how these practitioners were persecuted to death.

This reminded me of something that happened seven years ago. An elderly practitioner developed uremia and had to undergo dialysis three times a week for three years. After I learned about her situation, I studied the Fa with her once a week. In addition to reading Zhuan Falun, we read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. After several weeks, her condition improved. The number of dialysis sessions per week decreased. She became stronger and also felt more confident.

We all thought her condition was nearly resolved. However, the next time I went to her home to study the Fa, I was told she was hospitalized and in the ICU.

I later learned that another practitioner asked her to break through the tribulation. Under her persuasion the elderly practitioner stopped undergoing dialysis. Within two days, her condition rapidly deteriorated. Her family could not afford the ICU cost. They had no choice and stopped her treatment—she soon passed away.

It is undoubtedly a good thing to reach out to fellow practitioners who are experiencing tribulations. However, we should consider their thoughts and feelings. We must think about their situation and how they might react to what we say. We should not use our ideas as the standard and force others to do what we suggest. 

Also, we should avoid drawing conclusions about other practitioners. We should not judge another practitioner’s cultivation state. Similarly, we should not say a practitioner has problems with his cultivation if something he says or does, does not conform to our ideas or understanding.

In short, when anything happens, we should first look at ourselves and develop the habit of looking within and cultivating ourselves. We should spend more time examining our attachments instead of pointing out others’ problems. We can avoid many unnecessary conflicts and losses if we could all do this.

Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions, for which the author is solely responsible. Readers should evaluate the article's merits on their own.