(Clearwisdom.net) Since Falun Dafa was introduced to our city in 1994, the practitioners here have transitioned from individual cultivation to Fa-rectification cultivation. While the cultivation form has changed, one fundamental thing that has never changed is "regard the Fa as Teacher." Following Teacher's words, improve xinxing in a solid manner, and validate Dafa with a steadfast mind in order to meet Teacher's requirements. Teacher wants us to improve as one body, during both individual cultivation and Fa rectification cultivation. Teacher cherishes every being who came for Dafa and does not want to leave a single practitioner behind. The only difference is that improvement as one body is even more important during Fa rectification cultivation than during individual cultivation. Every Dafa practitioner is validating the law of the universe, and whoever is left behind will cause losses to Dafa and will bring difficulties to the saving of sentient beings. The old forces will also interfere and take advantage of our gaps as a whole body. Even if we do not regard ourselves as a whole body, the old forces will still test us as one body. In practice, we have also seen that when we pay attention to our improvement as one body, our work of validating Dafa runs smoothly, otherwise we are passive and it's hard to eliminate various interference.
I. It is necessary to have an environment for us to improve as one body
During the period of individual cultivation, we had a city-level assistant center, as well as practice sites and Fa study groups in the districts. This was the cultivation form through which we did the exercises and studied the Fa as a group. And it provided us with an environment to melt into Dafa. After Fa study, we exchanged our opinions and shared our experiences, and we helped each other with issues that we sometimes didn't realize we had, and we all improved in this environment, in the Fa.
After July 20, 1999, our cultivation environment was disrupted. We clearly realized that it is not that our Fa-validating cultivation does not require this environment, but the old forces are testing us because they regard our cultivation as individual cultivation. The government announced that three Dafa practitioners seen together would be an "illegal gathering." Because we lost the environment, a group of practitioners didn't enter the phase of Fa-rectification cultivation under the old forces' "test," and some even gave up cultivation.
Because some practice site assistants in our city had some understanding of the cultivation environment and the form of cultivation, after the persecution began, even though we lost the practice sites, we still maintained contact throughout the city and the different areas. We coordinated with each other and changed the coordinators as needed. In short, the environment as one body has always existed, and whenever Teacher publishes a new article or an article on Fa-rectification is published on the Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net), we always study the Fa and exchange understandings to ensure with our collective knowledge that we were walking on the righteous path of Fa-rectification cultivation.
For example, going to Beijing to validate Dafa, establishing "Falun Dafa Week," helping practitioners in surrounding cities and counties to keep up with the Fa-rectification, and other large-scale projects, all require our collective wisdom to ensure that we take the right step along the way. Moreover, we built more and more Fa study groups according to the situation of the local practitioners.
Through our experiences, we further understood that Teacher left us with this form of cultivation, and in practice it has indeed enabled more practitioners to improve and mature in this environment.
II. Improving as a whole requires our sense of one body and our coordination as a whole
Teacher told us,
"The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference 2002")
Teacher gave comments on a fellow practitioner's article, "Do Not Differentiate Between Fa-Rectification Projects; 'A Great Way Has No Form' But Exists As a Whole,"
"Well said. Dafa disciples are one body, and I affirm everything they've been doing during Fa-rectification --they're all doing what Dafa disciples should do. Different approaches are in fact the all-encompassing way in which roles are dynamically distributed in the operations of the Fa, and the Fa-power is a reflection of the one body."
We understood that every practitioner should have a sense of the whole body, which is not only manifested through consideration for others, which we can achieve through Dafa cultivation, but is also necessary for us to do well with the three things Teacher requires of us.
In practice, we select the Minghui website articles on doing well with the three things and improving as a whole and compile them into pamphlets. We also hold Fa conferences and exchange our understandings to help the formation of a whole body of all Dafa practitioners in our city. We regard each other's things as our own things. As Fa-rectification constantly pushes forward, we increasingly feel that no matter how well one practitioner does, he would still have omissions if he doesn't have a sense of the whole body. The improvement in the Fa-rectification environment in a certain area is the result of the practitioners in that area improving in the Fa as a whole. Only when we improve as a whole can we have Dafa material production sites throughout that area and to allow the people in that area to be maximally saved. Only by forming a sense of being one body can Dafa practitioners improve as a whole.
In the past five years, we have used our city as a base and actively participated in global activities of Dafa practitioners' validating Dafa. We helped practitioners in surrounding cities and counties to become diligent in Fa-rectification. We tapped into the TV system to broadcast truth clarification videos. Then we taught the practitioners in surrounding cities and worked with them together. Those who have learned the technique went to other province(s), cities and counties to help the practitioners there with the technology. In the past five years, dozens of practitioners from our city have gone to other cities and counties to help with the coordination, exchange technical knowledge and understandings of the Fa. The truth clarification newspapers made in our city were distributed in at least six cities and ten counties. We also created newspapers according to the situation of other counties and cities and made it a priority to make new VCDs and other truth clarifications for the surrounding counties and cities. We eliminated the notion of border and maximally utilized our money, equipment and resources. We thought of coordinating as a whole body in terms of manpower, physical resources, xinxing improvement and eliminating the evil.
III. Improving as a whole requires more coordinators who have a sense of the one body and are clear on Fa principles
During individual cultivation, we set up practice sites and had assistants and contact people. It is not that we didn't need this environment during Fa-rectification, but it was disrupted. Through practice we have realized that Fa-rectification cultivation requires more coordinators and contact people who have a sense of the whole body, who are willing and who are good at coordinating the whole body. We have had a group of this type in the past five years.
Coordinator A was a practice site assistant. She broke free from incarceration many times and did away with the old forces' arrangements. When the former practice site assistant was persecuted, she volunteered to take over the post and created an environment to coordinate the citywide work. Because she clearly knew that a coordinator or the contact person should practice cultivation in this environment, she was coordinating with other practitioners to improve as a whole. At the same time she motivated some former assistants and prevented greater loss from taking place due to the persecution of certain coordinators in the city. Regardless of the change in situation, the Fa-rectification work operated without any interruption. Her understanding is, "I'm not choosing coordinators; it is Teacher's arrangements to choose whoever is more fitting to do the work during Fa rectification. One person has limited abilities, so we should utilize every particle's energy in Fa rectification cultivation. A practitioner certainly has negative elements because he is still cultivating; as a fellow practitioner, we should not be affected by their negative side but we should also be tolerant and understand and improve as a whole." She always coordinated well with other practitioners on major issues and she was able to apply the best ideas, which is acknowledged by other practitioners.
Coordinator B used to be in charge of a small area. He is righteous during this period of Fa-rectification. Although no one said he was a coordinator and he didn't regard himself as a coordinator, he had the effect of a coordinator. He helped solving problems wherever they arose, and he kindly pointed out when a practitioner deviated from Dafa, or he repeatedly helped that practitioner to rectify himself according to Dafa. He used his strength to coordinate the coordinators in the vicious environment. His understanding is, "In Fa-rectification, it requires our enlightened side to be responsible for the Fa; give up our attachment to the self and unconditionally cooperate with other practitioners to harmonize Dafa. Every Dafa practitioner should require themselves to do well according to Teacher's requirements, the improvement of individuals guarantee that we keep up with Fa rectification, build Dafa's mighty virtue, and as individuals we gain without pursuing it."
Coordinator C was not an assistant during the period before the persecution. She learned bit by bit during Fa-rectification cultivation and she complemented wherever there was a need, and she always regarded Fa study as the top priority. Because more and more practitioners exchanged understandings with her, her field of contacts increased, so naturally practitioners acknowledged her to become the coordinator in a large area. Because she was clear on Fa principles and she always regarded validating Dafa as the top priority in Fa-rectification cultivation, her work was organized and she helped to establish independent material production sites throughout the area. She put coordination of practitioners as a whole body before the work itself, and she never validated herself. The Fa study groups in her area were relatively stable. Her understanding is, "Believing in Dafa means believing in fellow practitioners who are practicing Dafa. Dafa has different requirements for practitioners on different levels. We cannot require others with the principles and understandings we have enlightened to. The pre-requisite is to study the Fa well ourselves, which will double the effect with half the effort. At the same time, we should make sure that practitioners who do work for Dafa have an environment to study the Fa calmly and to exchange their understandings; otherwise their xinxing will not improve and they will have lots of interference. The coordinators would then become mired in the mechanics of solving and eliminating the interference. They wouldn't be able to ensure the smooth operation of Fa-rectification work and they would also be unable to free themselves from the troubles."
IV. Shortcomings and lessons during improvement as a whole
In the past five years, Dafa practitioners in our city have learned some lessons as well as success tips.
First is the coordinators' attachment to the work itself. Some practitioners didn't do according to Teacher's requirement,
"Even if you do work for me, your Master, you still need to study the Fa every day with a calm mind and cultivate yourself solidly." ("Towards Consummation," Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Many coordinators had strong points among ordinary people. For instance, they were good at giving speeches; they had good organization skills; they were quick thinkers; or they had clear train of thoughts. Maybe they had made a prehistoric vow and their abilities were formed accordingly.
However, since we live in the ordinary society, the negative elements of these abilities also manifest themselves. If we don't calmly study the Fa, the negative elements such as pursuit of fame, show-off mentality, competitive mentality, and attachment to the work itself would surface. These attachments can bring about terrible outcomes. For example, a former coordinator was very good at expressing himself with words, many practitioners thought he cultivated well and they liked hearing him talk. However, later he was abducted many times and the groups he established disintegrated. Practitioners who used to do truth clarification work went home, and they said, "He cultivated so well but even he was arrested, so we'd better be careful." The environment of Fa-rectification cultivation was disrupted repeatedly. Some coordinators had such strong attachments to the work itself that they didn't even follow Teacher's words and didn't regard the Fa as the teacher. They didn't study the Fa for a long time and their work was chaotic; they encountered increasing interference. They not only could not overcome the problems, but also caused interference to other people. In the end, the practitioners at the material production site left, the printing equipment broke and various kinds of interference caused disruption to the cultivation environment.
Secondly, sometimes we look at the grand momentum of Fa-rectification with notions and fears formed during the period when the evil ran rampant. We use the excuse that Teacher has made everything clear in his lectures, thus we negate the necessity of the environment of studying the Fa and exchanging experiences. There was isolation among individual practitioners and between different areas. The old forces isolated us so we could not form one body and could not share our resources, which resulted in a great waste of manpower, money and resources. An even more serious outcome was that it prevented us from improving as a whole body.
The third issue is that the coordinators didn't practice cultivation of speech. They spread rumors and even created misunderstandings among fellow practitioners. They said some things that they should not have said as the result of being affected by attachments; sometimes they didn't look inward when encountering problems and they emphasized themselves, which had adverse effect on improving as a whole.
The last issue is that the coordinators were brainwashed with the CCP culture. They didn't completely understand and eliminate its poisoning effect, and as a result their words and actions are affecting our environment of improving as a whole body. They acted in a domineering manner and argued incessantly when different opinions arose, they also triggered jealousy, which was when they could only see others' shortcomings and could not harmonize Dafa.
We need to eliminate these shortcomings through calmly study the Fa and improve in the environment of a whole body.
Teacher said,
"Each of you is like an Assistant, each of you is a particle of Dafa, each of you is immersed in and being tempered in the Fa, and each of you knows what to do." ("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
Every particle's improvement propels the improvement of a whole body, and this environment in turn helps every particle to utilize their abilities to better validate Dafa, save sentient beings, and harmonize what Teacher wants.
03/30/2005
