(Clearwisdom.net) I have a friend who practices Falun Gong. His story is both heart wrenching and moving. He is very frugal and sometimes hardly has enough food to eat, but he has spent several thousands of yuan on buying a computer, VCDs and paper to print Falun Dafa informational flyers. One time, he was imprisoned and tortured. Even today, the Public Security police constantly harass him. In spite of all the risks, he still makes and distributes Falun Gong truth-clarification materials. It doesn't matter if it is the hot summer or the cold winter. I often told him, “You'd better save yourself. You are so skinny and poor. Who can you save?” He only replied with a smile, “Even if it's hard to do, we need to think of others. We cannot just watch when others' lives are in danger. You will understand me one day.”
I considered myself to be a realist and smart. I know how to protect and love myself and how to develop myself. To me, he sometimes seemed irrational. I felt this way until one day when I read a short article entitled “Love Is an Instinct.” It was about a taxi driver who saved someone's life one January 15. It was extremely cold and windy that day. Later, when asked what he was thinking at that moment, the driver said, “I truly did not think too much about getting into the water to save that person. It was simply instinctive, like needing to eat when hungry or drink when thirsty.”
Reading this brought tears to my eyes. When I thought of my friend, I started feeling guilty and ashamed. I realized why I could not understand him. It was because I was too selfish and narrow-minded. I always measure others' compassion and kindness with my own selfishness. I once read Mengzi's words, “If one doesn't have sympathy, he is not a human being.” Kindness and compassion are part of one's nature, as is saving sentient beings. It is only I who forgot about this.
When I shared my realization with my friend, he smiled and said, “Because of the CCP's propaganda, black is said to be white. The magnificent Falun Buddha Fa is slandered and attacked. They have deceived all the Chinese people and are pushing them toward hell.” He then added, “If we don't tell the Chinese people the truth about Falun Gong, they might participate in slandering and attacking the Buddha Fa. Aren't they committing crimes by persecuting the Buddha Fa? Aren't they facing danger? Sooner or later, retribution will take place. Therefore, clarifying the truth and telling Chinese people not to participate in attacking the Buddha Fa is saving them.”
In the past, I always related nobleness to great characters, magnificent acts, and profound theories—but I was wrong. Nobleness is a realm—to always consider others first, to sacrifice oneself for others and to be utterly selfless. It cannot be measured by ordinary wealth, knowledge, or accomplishment. A poor person can also be noble and pure. As long as he can do this, he is noble and respectable.
The book Zhuan Falun my friend reads every day teaches people to always consider others first and to be tolerant and compassionate. If one reads this book day after day, he would certainly follow these principles. He would be able to let go of self interest and consider others first, be selfless when in danger. The more harsh and dangerous the environment, the better we can see a person's true nature. I feel that my friend is very noble. Even under pressure, he does not choose to protect himself. Rather, he chooses to sacrifice himself to save others. It is truly remarkable.
It is like the sun that shines on the earth and the water that nourishes the living things. For practitioners of Falun Buddha Fa, compassion and saving sentient beings has become and expression of their nature. They don't need any other reason. They do this only because they have a loving heart.
Do you have such friends? Have you ever misunderstood them and hurt them before? Have you torn up Falun Gong truth clarification materials? Have you thought about the hardships and torture they have endured? In fact, each Falun Gong flyer is hard to make. Some practitioners saved every penny and others suffered hardships for it. Please cherish their compassion and nobleness. The Party tries everything to drag you down into hell, yet the practitioners sacrifice their own lives to save you. Please ask yourself what you want. Please cherish the sincerity of Falun Gong practitioners, understand and trust them. They only give love without complaint and sacrifice without seeking anything in return.