(Clearwisdom.net) I recently encountered some interference when I was clarifying the truth. My xinxing was challenged and my heart was affected by things of ordinary people. I want to share my experiences.
1. Intensify your Fa study, think and take action.
Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005 (Q&A portion)":
"Nothing is simple. If you can truly let go of your attachments, and if attachments have no sway over you, then the conflicts will vanish like a wisp of smoke."
I understood that, in fact, ordinary people should be unable to affect practitioners. It is because I had a deeply hidden attachment that I was affected. I did not look at it seriously, nor did I subdue or negate it. I somehow felt the attachment, yet I did not require myself to reach a higher standard. My attachments and notions interfered with my doing the three things well.
I was clarifying the truth on the internet to a person from China and he would not take it seriously. No matter how hard I tried to tell him the facts of Falun Dafa, his tone remained disrespectful. I told him about the situation at Sujiatun and he told me that he lived at Sujiatun for several years. I sent him a video about the persecution of Falun Gong, which he accepted. I was emotionally affected by his words and I didn't really, from the bottom of my heart, want him to learn the truth. I just wanted to finish the talk quickly, so I did not need to suffer his words of nonsense. My lack of compassion and righteous thoughts shocked me. How could my heart be affected? My xinxing had not improved.
I know that I should be diligent in my cultivation. Why am I so easy on myself and reluctant to hold myself to a higher standard? Teacher said in "Dafa Cannot Be Used" from Essentials for Further Advancement:
"As I said, superficial changes are for others to see. Whether or not you can be saved depends on the change and ascension of your own heart. If change does not occur there, you cannot improve and nothing can be achieved."
Recently, I have not been able to study the Fa with a pure heart. I always think the Fa is so precious and I should memorize it. I found my heart unable to quiet down, because I was always thinking about truth clarification or projects that need immediate attention. Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005 (Q&A portion)":
"You are to save others, and it wouldn't work if you failed to do well yourselves. Were that the case, you wouldn't be able to save others and would even fail to save yourselves."
When I read Teacher's words, I realized the need to be diligent about my cultivation.
2. Get rid of the attachment of zealotry
I met a traditional Chinese doctor of internal medicine. I had talked with him about the importance and urgency of quitting the CCP for at least half a year. He always tried to avoid the topic, either saying, "I have a patient coming," or "I need to have a rest." He made up various excuses to stop me from talking about it. Later, he told me, "I am not one of them, thanks." I said to him, "Even though you are annoyed at me, I will keep talking, because it is for your own good." I told him about the crimes committed by the CCP and what is happening. I sent him other people's articles about quitting the CCP, along with audio and video files.
Later, he would not respond to my messages. Finally, one day he said, "Do it for me, the way you suggested! Write what you feel is best. I am a member of three of them (indicating he is a member of CCP, and was a member of Communist Youth League and Young Pioneers)." After I wrote the letter quitting the CCP for him, I clearly realized my big attachment of zealotry. The person finally understood the evilness of the CCP. My thoughts were not on the Fa, yet, I thought that I did very well clarifying the truth.
I was so happy at his kind and caring words to me. I found an attachment of zealotry. I thought, he was nice to me because he felt my compassion. In fact, my qing could easily become a loophole that the evil could use. Teacher said in "A Heavy Blow" from Essentials for Further Advancement:
"The success of his work is only a manifestation among ordinary humans. It is the mighty power of Dafa itself and the specific arrangements made by my Law Bodies that enable people to obtain the Fa and spread the Fa widely."
3. Not being able to accept criticism
Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference":
"Think about it, everyone, isn't it ordinary people who, living in the ordinary world, care about enjoying those pleasing things and who enjoy hearing pleasing words? You're a cultivator, so do you want those ordinary things? Let me tell you, since you're cultivators and you're among ordinary people, you just have to listen to those displeasing words, and you have to be able to listen to those displeasing words. (Applause) Otherwise, when you haven't even resolved this most basic cultivation issue, how could you call yourself a Dafa disciple?"
I realized that I had such an attachment, but my thoughts were not righteous enough to deny or rectify it. Teacher let me meet a practitioner from China who helped me improve. Practitioners from China are usually frank and direct on the main points. Taiwan practitioners are very tactful when speaking. This practitioner from China noticed my attachment and talked frankly with me about it. First, I was reluctant to look inward and only found excuses for myself. The practitioner used Teacher's words to remind me, but I thought that he was using Teacher's words to force me. So, I had a big conflict with him. The next day, I read "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles," I was so ashamed of myself.
Teacher said,
"Be sure to pay heed! From this point on, whoever can't take criticism is not being diligent, whoever can't take criticism is not displaying the state of a cultivator, or at least on this issue. (Applause) If someone still can't pass this test, I'll tell you, he is in a very dangerous situation, because for a cultivator this is the most fundamental thing, it's at the top of the list of things to eliminate, and it has to be eliminated. If you don't get rid of it, you won't achieve Consummation."
A fellow practitioner said to me, "You seem to openly accept criticism, but rarely change." I realized that I should not only listen to others opinions, but also take action to subdue or get rid of those bad attachments.
In the future, I should not neglect my attachments.
4. Pay attention to sending forth righteous thoughts
Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles [Questions and Answers, Part II]":
"Dafa disciples need to do three things well on their way to Consummation, right? And sending forth righteous thoughts is one of those things. If it's that important, why can't you do it well?! Why do you think of it as such a simple thing and not take it seriously? You do know how important it is. Besides, if you don't do one of the three things well, then what?"
and
"How could you not get rid of the bad and wicked elements, then, within the scope that you encompass, in the place that you are responsible for? You have to eliminate them."
For a very long time, I did not arrange my time carefully and it negatively impacted my sending forth righteous thoughts. I knew the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts, but I just did it as a formality. I regret that I was so careless about such an honorable responsibility. I did not cultivate myself well and potentially affected the whole.
5. Treasure the opportunity to clarify the truth with a practitioner's compassion
A person I met on the Internet wrote me a letter saying that besides supporting Dafa, he promised to help us spread the truth by helping his classmates and friends learn the truth. At the end of his letter was written, "Keep on, work harder and harder!" I was moved when I saw it, because I see the hope sentient beings have in us Dafa practitioners.
Another person wrote asking me to call. I immediately called him at home. Since he is from Guangdong, I asked if he knew about the incident happening in the Shanwei area. Then we talked about the current situation of quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He immediately asked me to help him quit the Communist Youth League and Young Pioneers of the CCP.
It seemed that he just happened to be home sick with a cold. I understand that every sentient being is given a chance to learn the truth. He was at home waiting for me to call and help him quit the CCP.
Teacher said in "We Are Not Getting Political":
"And these people include those who felt deceived and cheated after experiencing firsthand the mass campaigns of the past, or were even persecuted in them, and they include as well those who grew up amidst the Party's culture right from birth. There truly are many among them who are good people and have good inborn quality. Even so, they have been fully taken in by the Party's propaganda and brainwashing."
In communication with people on the Internet, Teacher's Fa gave me deep guidance. Though these people had misunderstandings about Dafa, there are really kind people among them. They accepted our truth clarification very smoothly. Their thoughts became purified as well.
Once I told a person on the Internet about the brutality of the CCP. He asked me, "Can you help me to quit the Young League and Young Pioneers of CCP?" I helped him to write a declaration and sent him the website link for the truth of Falun Gong. After receiving the information, he asked me, "Why do you spread Falun Gong? You know it is against the law?" I told him of the happenings in Sujiatun and the persecution cases of Falun Gong practitioners. I said, "A person can fool others, but he can never fool his conscience. If you knew that the evil CCP harvests organs from live people and then cremates their bodies, how could you scold the person who exposed the truth? Isn't it against your conscience?"
"You said that you live for yourself and your friends. You would pay attention only if today it were your friends who were treated in such a way by the CCP? Is it so hard to learn the truth and tell right from wrong? If I kept silent on the truth and wouldn't tell you, it is the same as letting you become one of the perpetrators." He said to me, "I heard [Falun Gong] from others. In fact, I did not know much about [Falun Gong]. Now I know, I will listen to you. I am sorry." I asked him, "Do you really understand [the truth of Falun Gong]? If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me." He said, "Yes, I will support you from here on, forever."
Clarifying the truth in the past, I found that many people misunderstood Falun Gong because of the so-called "Tiananmen Self Immolation" staged by CCP to frame Falun Gong. Now the situation has changed. People are very willing to watch the video analyzing what really happened. They immediately understand the truth of Falun Gong and the evilness of the CCP after watching it.
A middle-aged man listened to our recorded phone message about quitting the CCP. He wanted us to call him again personally. He did not sound very nice when I called him. He kept bringing up questions and only gave me 30 seconds for each question. I felt a little nervous and worried that I might not be able to answer him thoroughly and clearly.
I calmed myself down by reminding myself that I should have a compassionate heart and deny the anxiety. In the end, he said, "You answered very honestly and correctly on each of the points. What can I do for you?" I told him, "I did this for your good. How about letting me help you quit the CCP?" He happily agreed.
There is a lot of enlightenment during truth clarification. Let us take every opportunity to meet people, and keep spreading the truth to every sentient being.
