(Clearwisdom.net) Master taught us in “Be More Diligent:”
“It’s just that many people are afraid to acknowledge this reality and its progressive unfolding; that the number of lives to be saved before the final moment arrives has not reached the amount it should; and that there is still a portion of Dafa disciples that hasn’t kept up. That is the key reason why the end of this undertaking still hasn’t been enacted.”
My understanding of “...a portion of Dafa disciples that hasn't kept up” refers to those who have failed to step forward and let people know the facts about Falun Gong, as well as those who have stopped practicing. Each practitioner should try to help them return to the Fa.
Becoming selfless
When the persecution began in July 1999, under Master's protection and with fellow practitioners' help, I managed to stay on my cultivation path, although there were many tribulations along the way. When I felt that I had become steadfast in my cultivation, I started to seek out fellow practitioners who had stopped practicing. I had a pure heart, for I simply did not want my fellow practitioners to lose such an opportunity to cultivate in such a glorious Fa. Master has also told us that He does not want to leave a single practitioner behind.
I lived in a village two miles away from a town where a lot of former practitioners live. I felt that I must use my spare time to try to connect with them. I rode my bike in all kinds of weather to take Master's new lectures to them and share my understandings with them. I bore a lot of hardship during that long period of time.
One time, I was taking a copy of Master's new lecture to a former practitioner, who had not been at home the first six times I had gone there. I had to be cautious with his family environment and have patience while talking with him, which was a difficult task. Although I endured hardship, I was able to help many former practitioners return to cultivation, including some that had already joined other religions. However, not all of them persisted in cultivation and several returned to other religions. This made me very sad, and I complained that they did not appreciate my painstaking effort and precious time, which I could have used to study the Fa for myself!
A local coordinator recently asked me to continue my efforts in talking to former practitioners and try to help them return to cultivation. When I thought about it, I recalled the first time I tried and the low success rate I encountered, so I thought I would rather use my time to study the Fa or clarify the facts to people. Through further Fa study and experience-sharing with other practitioners, I found my attachment to selfishness. As a Fa-rectification period practitioner, I should not think of myself before others. We should save sentient beings, and these former practitioners are predestined lords and kings of celestial bodies. We must save them, as once they come back, they can help save more sentient beings.
We promised that when we came down to this world, we must remind each other why we are here, if any of us got lost in humanness. So, I continued to wholeheartedly help practitioners who had lost their way to return to their cultivation path. I also reduced my time for sleep to be able to study the Fa.
Cultivating compassion and patience
Encouraging former practitioners to return to cultivation requires compassion. It is different from saving ordinary people, which sometimes only requires several explanations of the facts about the persecution before they agree to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When talking to practitioners who have stopped practicing, we have to consider their family environment and understand why they stopped practicing. This requires a great deal of patience. Most difficulties on our cultivation path are caused by fear, especially our fear of the CCP. We must understand these practitioners, treat them with compassion, and remind them that Master is waiting for us to seize the time to save our sentient beings, and follow Master back home. We should help these practitioners untie the knots in their hearts, so that they can enlighten and quickly catch up. Whether they returned to cultivation immediately or not, I would treat them with compassion and never blame or criticize them, because they still have the chance to come back to Fa-rectification.
Ridding myself of the attachment to validating myself
My original goal was to do what Master wanted: bring practitioners back. But during the process, I found that I had a bad attachment, that the pursuit of fame and a good reputation was part of my motivation. I wanted to show my fellow practitioners that I could accomplish something. I could then write my experiences down and have them published on the Clearwisdom website, to show off and gain a little bit of fame. When a practitioner once told me that he managed to help a former practitioner return to cultivation, my immediate response was to tell him the number of practitioners that I had helped. My attachment to showing off and validating myself was exposed.
Another attachment of mine is zealotry. I became so happy when I could easily encourage practitioners to return to cultivation. Thanks to Master and the Fa, sometimes I could find these attachments quickly and get rid of them. Other times I would find my attachments later, and then cultivate them away. It is Master who arranged for me to meet these former practitioners, and for me to say the right words to them. I could not accomplish any of these without Master, so I have nothing to show off about.
Ridding myself of the attachments to comfort and fear
I have to use my lunch hour, after working hours, or the weekends to go to former practitioners' homes. If my Fa-study is affected, I must make it up by shortening my sleep time. I also recite the Fa when I travel. This hard work has helped me cultivate away my attachment to comfort.
My attachment to fear sometimes interferes with me. If a former practitioner's family is against Falun Gong, they may report me to the authorities and not want to listen to me. But this is the old forces' arrangement to make practitioners fail, so that they can destroy sentient beings. If I have fear, my appearance would manifest it, and that would directly cause former practitioners to hesitate in returning to the Fa. I have to eliminate my fear. One practitioner's family was against him returning to cultivation, but he was very determined. Finally, his family's attitude went from being against him, to waking him up to do the exercises in the early morning. His righteous actions encouraged me to firmly cultivate away my fear.
Ridding myself of the attachment to self
I used to be a volunteer assistant before the persecution. I was proud because I was well-educated, and often looked down on others. Although I was able to rid myself of a good deal of this strong attachment, I still have some left. When I face former practitioners, I often feel I am way above them, and I want to tell them how they can follow my example. I quickly found this attachment and got rid of it.
We should not look down on former practitioners, and we should be patient with them. They must be allowed to gradually upgrade themselves through Fa-study. Each practitioner has his or her own qualities, which helps me look inside and improve my own xinxing. When I help fellow practitioners, it is the same as helping myself.
Not being attached to results
Master has taught us that the process is more important and we should not become attached to the results. But I still feel anxious sometimes, and I want practitioners to return to the Fa immediately. This attachment will block them from returning, and it has often reminded me to always look inward. Do I have enough compassion? Am I showing off or do I have an attachment to zealotry?
Learning these lessons, I try to encourage former practitioners to join group Fa-study. If they cannot join, then I go to study the Fa with them, so that they can gradually walk steadily on their path of cultivation.
Please point out anything inappropriate.
