(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, I met a married couple who both practiced Falun Gong. The husband had suffered from constant interference—the local 610 Office often came to harass him, and his employer kept telling him to divorce his wife. His wife was diligent in cultivation; the authorities tried several times, but failed to arrest her so they tried other tactics. Since the husband rarely studied the Fa, he hardly had any righteous thoughts at all. He was grateful to his employer, thinking that the employer was trying to protect him, rather than recognizing the evil's intention to ruin a Dafa disciple. After we shared our understandings on the Fa, he developed righteous thoughts and said he would publish a “solemn declaration” to return to cultivation, study the Fa more and keep up with Fa-rectification.
I thought about this some more afterward and here I'd like to share my understandings on maintaining righteous thoughts in the face of tribulations.
We know from the Fa that this persecution is not human beings persecuting other human beings, so we must be clearheaded when facing major decisions and cannot use human methods in an attempt to muddle through tribulations. In our conversation with persecutors we should be rational and calm, but our words must be clear. The more one wants to use human methods, the more one is restrained by human factors.
In the midst of tribulations, if the thought is not righteous, the evil will take advantage of the loophole and reach for a yard after taking an inch. The persecutors will force one to denounce cultivation. If a practitioner gives in, even if against his will, it will leave a stain on his cultivation path. Master said,
“Don't leave any stain or regret on the path that you walk when you validate the Fa and during this period when you establish your mighty virtue. Those can never be erased.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference”)
There are many articles on the Clearwisdom website about practitioners stopping the evil persecution with their righteous thoughts and actions. I have also experienced that righteous thoughts can subdue the evil.
In the beginning of the persecution, my department was considered a so-called “disaster area.” Some people who didn't practice Falun Gong were also ordered to attend brainwashing sessions and take a stand. When the department head saw me, her first sentence was: “I heard that you attended [one of Master Li Hongzhi's lecture series].” I replied calmly, “Yes, twice.” She could not utter another word after that.
One time, a company leader told me, “I blocked off all the questions about you. When they asked whether you still practiced Falun Gong, I told them that you don't practice any more.” I told him, “I appreciate your help. If they ask again, please tell them to come directly to me.” To my understanding, I cannot acknowledge someone else representing me.
Before the Chinese Communist Party's 16th Congress, the leader of our institute asked to have a discussion with me. He started with, “We won't mention what's already happened. From now on you...” – as if I had done something wrong before and they were being generous to forgive me. I could not go along this, so I interrupted him immediately with, “I did very well in the past because I know that if I didn't do well, …” I felt that our conversation was controlled by a Dafa disciple's righteous thoughts.
Just by being upright and firm, we will not give the evil any opportunity or gap through which to attack us. Using an analogy, it's like the phenomenon “like dissolves like” in physics. The more righteous your field is, the less likely the presence of things that are not righteous.
Master has told us:
“So as a cultivator, what is truly remarkable is when you can be steadfast and have righteous thoughts so firm that nothing can sway you. Be solid and firm like diamond or granite, and then nothing can affect you--evil will be afraid at the mere sight of you. If upon encountering trying circumstances your thinking can be truly righteous, then, when faced with the evil's persecution and when faced with interference, just one sentence of yours fortified with steadfast righteous thoughts can instantly make the evil disintegrate (applause), and it will make those who are being used by the evil turn and flee, it will make the evil's persecution of you dissolve, and it will make the evil's interfering with you disappear without a trace.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference”)
Therefore, in cultivation our thoughts must be righteous.
The above is my understanding only. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.