(Clearwisdom.net) For a long time it seemed difficult to make advances with Fa-rectification efforts in our region. Although every practitioner has tried to do well, we always feel we have not achieved the desired state.
One of the noticeable shortcomings is inadequate cooperation among practitioners. Many practitioners are aware of this but do not know how to correct the issue. I am one of them. I have personally experienced, witnessed or heard of the barriers and even misunderstandings among practitioners, resulting in the affected practitioners being unwilling to meet with other practitioners. This has lasted for a long time and left room for numerous bad substances to accumulate, making it increasingly more difficult to solve this issue. Even when the affected practitioners tried to explain, unhappy and fractured situations would result; different practitioners understand and see things differently. The one explaining expressed the desire for the other to listen and understand, while the one who listened thought that the one who explained had just spoken from his or her own motives. Some practitioners have chosen to dodge the issues to avoid new conflicts.
This has puzzled me for a long time, and I have tried to find a way out. Although I know that Master has told us to look inward, once I encountered these conflicts, I would, without being aware of it, say how other practitioners were at fault. Why have I always felt that other practitioners are wrong while I could not unconditionally look inward?
I studied the Fa and tried to find the answer from the Fa. After I studied Master's Fa regarding this type of issue, I seemed to have understood it, but the next time I encountered a new conflict, I would still unknowingly fall into the trap and discuss the superficial wrong and right of the problem.
When I read an article from the 2009 Fa Experience Sharing Conference in New York, I suddenly understood what I should do; that is, I should use righteous thoughts to overcome the barriers and stop the persecution!
The bewilderment that plagued me for a long time vanished; suddenly I see the light again.
Now when it comes to problematic situations, I am aware not to judge the issue itself, or whether or not practitioners are correct in their assumptions; instead, I should unconditionally look at the issue with righteous thoughts. Enlightened beings are the guardians of all righteous elements in the universe. They can let go of everything, even their lives, to safeguard the truth. When one gets attached to right or wrong in this surface dimension, one's mind has already fallen into the realm of non-practitioners.
My realization came with an added understanding - suddenly knowing the answers to questions I had tried to understand for several years, but failed. For example, several years ago, a persecuted practitioner told the police about me. Although under Master's benevolent protection I eventually escaped real danger, I could not understand the reason for this person doing what she did.
What exactly had I done wrong? Several practitioners shared their thoughts and told the practitioner who was illegally arrested not to tell the police about other practitioners, but she still told them, for the sake of protecting her family members. The vicious police told her they would let her family members go if she told them about other practitioners. I understood the pressure this practitioner was under from the persecution, but my encountering the tribulation meant that there must be something I had not done well; otherwise, I would not be in this position.
Eventually I asked that practitioner to tell me where she felt I had not done well enough, and I would certainly correct my shortcomings, but she remained silent. Now I have suddenly understood and no longer need to ask why this happened, nor do I think about whether what the woman did was wrong. I now know that my duty is to cultivate myself and seek the answer inside myself rather than outside, from another practitioner.
The other issue I had failed to understand in the past was this: During the time when the practitioner worked with me in coordinating the overall Dafa activities our region and her family members were being persecuted, I once said, "I am the one who has been in contact with you the most, and I am also responsible for what happened. Why didn't I find the existence of this gap before?"
What shocked me was that before I could finish my words, she started to cry painfully, something I could not comprehend then; so, it was impossible for me to further share understandings with her. Later on, when I mentioned this incident a few times, I was still unable to see the cause clearly. It seemed we were unable to find common ground. Now I have suddenly understood: although I wanted to help the practitioner to quickly find the gap and overcome the tribulations, my hidden mindset whispered, "The practitioner was persecuted because of her gaps." Subsequently, when I, whom she trusted most, failed to support her with my righteous thoughts, she felt completely helpless.
I also came to understand another common scenario: When practitioners, out of their wish to help, tell other practitioners how they should act, they felt they were not righteous thoughts. The "counseled" practitioners even felt they were being interfered with. This made certain practitioners mum when they experienced tribulations and they wouldn't share their problems with others. This resulted in mistrust among fellow practitioners.
Recently there are more practitioners in our region who are experiencing sickness karma. Some who have failed to pass the tribulations went to hospitals for treatments. Since they returned, they have completely isolated themselves. Does this not also relate to inadequate cooperation among our local practitioners and teach us we have not used our righteous thoughts to eliminate all interference and meddling?
Furthermore, I have also not done well with rescuing detained practitioners. We have spent a lot of time and energy, but the result is always unsatisfactory. We have thus become dejected and fallen into passivity. Were our righteous thoughts inadequate to negate the persecution when we tried to rescue the practitioners? Do we instead still unknowingly harbor thoughts of acknowledging excuses that the evil had used to persecute practitioners?
One practitioner told me several times about one of her dreams. Numerous practitioners were persecuted during the several years after the onset of the persecution. She saw in her dream that each and every practitioner had been enveloped inside a dark shell and fallen into a state of isolation and helplessness. Every practitioner inside the dark shell had been persecuted; only one other practitioner and she were not enveloped by the dark shells. A voice reminded her, "Just because you two oftentimes stay together, the dark shells could not cover you two, and thus you two were not persecuted. However, you two have failed to cooperate well!"
I remembered a Minghui website article that told a similar story: Several male and female practitioners went to Beijing to validate the Fa. When the police beat the male practitioners, the female practitioners resolutely stepped forward to protect them. When the police tried to send the male practitioners to an even more vicious location, the female practitioners again firmly stood by the male practitioners' side. Because these practitioners had the mighty righteous thought, "We all are one body," everyone returned home safely.
Dafa has already been disseminated for seventeen years, to one hundred and forty countries and regions. But why is the persecution that has happened in Mainland China so severe? Is it correct to assume that our jealousy and competitive mentality have created difficulties for Master's Fa-rectification?
When all Dafa practitioners use righteous thoughts to deal with everything they encounter, all evil elements will instantly be eliminated, and all things connected with the persecution will instantly disappear, which will signify that the great Buddha Fa has been truly validated!
This is my understanding at my current cultivation level; so, it inevitably has limitations and shortcomings. Please point out anything I have incorrectly understood.
Heshi!