Understandings Gained After Submitting an Article for the Minghui Call for Articles by Westerners

(Minghui.org) When I first heard about the Minghui website’s call for experience sharing article submissions from Western practitioners, I immediately saw it as a precious opportunity. We do need more articles by Westerners–that was my reasoning. With all my heart, I encouraged local and regional practitioners to participate, and I even wrote an encouraging article. But I didn’t plan to write one myself. I had written an article in the past that wasn’t selected to be published, so my thought was to participate by encouraging others to write.

I usually send articles I write directly to Minghui, but this time something made me ask a fellow practitioner for his opinion. His answer was totally unexpected: He said that I was missing the point–we should write articles strictly for new practitioners or non-practitioners.

Before I began cultivation practice, I wrote and published literary works. I later used literature to clarify the truth, which had a limited effect, so I stopped writing for everyday people and prioritized other Dafa projects.

Recently, however, my close friend (a non-practitioner) complained to me, “Many of us loved to read your literary works. Why did you stop writing? If you have this special skill, don’t you think it’s selfish not to use it for the benefit of others?”

I was left without words. How could I explain to him that I write my sharing articles and reports for Fahuis on the Minghui website for the benefit of practitioners, as well as to clarify the truth in writing for the benefit of the general public? My skill is fully utilized!

I said nothing and only smiled. I did some thinking later, though. I received the same message from a practitioner and a non-practitioner. Could it be more obvious? Shouldn’t I settle down and write for the Minghui call for articles, something everyone, including my friends, could relate to?

With that thought, it was easy to accomplish the task. After looking within, I found so much to tell! By openly presenting details from my life prior to Dafa and my life within Dafa, readers will get the opportunity to understand what Dafa is about without a need to encounter higher principles of the practice. That was my final conclusion from this episode. Practitioners can know Dafa, while non-practitioners can only know Dafa disciples. We are a manifestation of Dafa in this world, and we are their link to Dafa’s principles.

That’s when I understood that no matter how much I prioritized truth clarification, I still neglected to include the people around me. My friend knew a lot about the persecution and even helped spread the word, but he still had a slight obstacle in his mind, the thought that once upon a time he had lost a good friend over Dafa. For that reason, even before submitting the article to Minghui, I forwarded it to him. I asked him later if it helped and if it cleared up some things for him. He confirmed that it did and thanked me.

In cultivation, balance is crucial. We are supposed to continue living within ordinary human society and blend with non-practitioners without becoming one of them. Otherwise, they might find us arrogant, overzealous, and distant. I realize now that was exactly how I had behaved, even though I tried to be humble on the surface. Master mentioned many times that everyday people should not find us strange. I think that if there’s anything about us that they cannot understand, it must be our own mistake.

A few days after I submitted a new article to Minghui, that fellow practitioner sent me an email saying that actually, any sharing from Westerners should work, as if he had made a mistake before. But actually, it was I who'd made a mistake. I should have written that article a long time ago.

This is my current understanding. Please correct me if there’s anything wrong in my thinking.