(Clearwisdom.net) True Dafa disciples are clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings. Some do well while others do not. They sometimes do better and sometimes do less than satisfactorily. What is the difference? The key is what our starting point is and state of mind when we do these things. Only if we open our hearts and keep sentient beings in mind, can we save them, better fulfill our mission and do our duty.
A while ago, a fellow practitioner told me that one practitioner did not want to clarify the truth to his family member because he held a deep grudge against him. I was surprised to hear that. How could we be in that state after cultivating for so long? The practitioner should find a way to ease the resentment and conflict, thus having an opportunity to save him.
However, when I reflected and looked within, I found that I also did poorly in this regard. Once, I deliberately invited a roommate to a restaurant so that I could clarify the truth to him. At the beginning we had a good chat, but as soon as I clarified the truth about Falun Gong, he was reluctant to listen and the dinner broke up. I thought to myself that he was really beyond saving. I deleted his cell phone number immediately and did not want to contact him again. I never thought about the reason for why he refused to accept what I was telling him. Did I clarify the truth well enough? Did he have a mental block?
Another time, I wanted to contact a fellow practitioner. I only knew that he had practiced previously but I had not communicated with him. However, when I saw him at the wedding of a colleague's child, he was smoking and I immediately gave up the idea of trying to communicate with him. I thought that he must have done poorly in his cultivation, as how could a true disciple smoke? I did not think that perhaps he needed my help. Shouldn't I find out more about him and help find the cause of the problem?
Master told us early on:
“Who is fake? Who is genuine? The fake ones might become genuine tomorrow, while the genuine ones might not truly study the Fa tomorrow for some reason. My Fa has therefore opened such a huge door….”(“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Europe”).
How could I draw a conclusion so easily? If Master treated us this way, would we still be cultivating today? Just before I finished writing this article, I found a practitioner who quit before July 20, 1999, and he said that now he was determined to continue to cultivate.
Whether it was the practitioners mentioned above or my wrong thoughts and actions, did I not act according to my own preferences and human notions? Did I open my heart or sincerely keep sentient beings in my mind? If we did well, it was because we fulfilled our historic missions and built the mighty virtue of an enlightened being; if we failed, it was because we could not do it. If we do everything based on saving sentient beings and for the sake of practitioners' futures, rather than for ourselves, what's the result? Would the evil dare to interfere with us in that case? Would we still have so many obstacles?
How a practitioner I knew handled a difficult situation
After a practitioner I knew clarified the truth to his former colleague, he was turned in by her and subsequently persecuted. As a result, he was depressed for nearly a year. During that time, although he thought that this female colleague, and even her family members, were not worth saving, he still felt a little pity for them. Maybe this person had been confused for just a moment or perhaps the practitioner had not really let her know the facts well enough. So when he again met her, he did not disclose to her that he knew about what she did, so as not to create obstacles to saving her in the future .
With in-depth Fa study and steadfast cultivation, he gradually let go of the grudge he held against her, and he began to deliberately approach her. He could talk freely with her now because he had made the decision to find the time to clarify the truth to her again. Besides, she had done such a bad thing under the control of the old forces, wouldn't she end up having a bad future? Especially when the practitioner heard that his former colleague's daughter was working as a high ranking official in the public security system, he knew it was time to clarify the truth to her again.
One day, she asked the practitioner for help and he went to her home without even thinking about it. After they chatted for a while, he started to directly clarify the truth to her. Since he prepared well in advance, and he talked with compassion to save her whole family, he never thought about the possible consequences or his own safety, and the result was very good. Finally the practitioner told her, “In fact, to tell you the truth, it is your daughter who is in danger. If she refuses to accept the truth and participates in the persecution of Falun Gong, then she will receive karmic retribution. It's that serious. You must tell your family members about the truth.” She said that her daughter regretted taking the police job. She used to be in charge of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners for a while, but now she is not. The practitioner told her with compassion, “We cannot see your daughter at the moment, but as her parent, it’s your responsibility to make sure she does the right thing.” As the practitioner left her home, she clearly made up her mind, “Don't worry, we'll certainly do as you say.”
This practitioner really opened his mind and followed the requirement Master gave us in “Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference.” We have not seen the true manifestation of his deed yet, but we will certainly be able to see it in the future. All gods in the universe can see it, and sentient beings who remain are going to see it.
Of course, to open the mind doesn't mean being unreasonable or acting without wisdom; keeping sentient beings in mind does not mean that we should behave senselessly. Instead, we should use the compassion Master taught us to harmonize everything.
More than ten years have passed and how many of us can really do it? As the Fa-rectification is nearing the end, shouldn’t we do what we are supposed to do? If we regard our family members or friends as sentient beings to be saved, then we won't have the problem of fear. What else can we not do well? If we can do all of this, then all evil will be disintegrated! Master has suffered a lot for us and sentient beings, what can we not let go of or sacrifice?
