(Minghui.org) About a year ago, I heard a sad story about a young man who was very sick. His relatives introduced him to Falun Dafa. He learned the exercises, got a copy of the book Zhuan Falun, was told to read it every day, and was then left alone. He died six months later because he hadn't truly cultivated and was thus unable to overcome his illness.
As the Fa-rectification is moving quickly and vast numbers of practitioners are clarifying the truth, more and more people now know that Falun Dafa is a powerful spiritual practice. But problems have developed as the old forces increased their interference. We as veteran practitioners must take the time to help the new practitioners study the Fa and share cultivation experiences. Without such guidance, it may be difficult for them to stick with it.
It is especially precious for those people who decide to practice Dafa even as the persecution continues. With all kinds of interference from the evil beings in other dimensions, veteran practitioners need to find time to study the Fa with new practitioners, point out for them some basic issues and problems, guide them to enlighten based on the Fa, and reinforce the principle that improving one's character is more important than doing the exercises.
Over the years, veteran practitioners have overcome many tribulations with Master’s protection. The people who begin cultivating now are in a different situation. They entered Fa-rectification cultivation when they joined, so their individual cultivation and Fa-rectification cultivation are occurring at the same time.
Some of the new practitioners in our area are doing very well because the veteran practitioners keep in contact with them and give them the support they need. However, some people have stopped cultivating and some even handed their books back because the practitioners who introduced them to Dafa didn’t do much, if anything. They did not check on them.
A new practitioner in our area had a stroke and needed surgery. He has been studying the Fa with us for two-and-a-half years and is now in pretty good shape. Due to interference by the old forces, he did not want to read the teachings, so he listened to the recordings of Master’s lectures every day while sitting with his legs crossed and repeatedly recited “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” He rejected his bad thoughts and disavowed them. He also avoided discussing Dafa matters when his cell phone was nearby.
This practitioner went through a major tribulation last year. He was in a coma for 24 hours. His mother was so worried that she began to prepare for his funeral. Another practitioner and I encouraged her to try not to be so worried, to believe in Master, and that Master is omnipotent. At the same time, we sent righteous thoughts to disintegrate all dark minions, rotten ghosts, and communist party evil spirits and their factors that tried to interfere with the person's cultivation.
The practitioner eventually woke up. After this major tribulation, he believed in Master and the Fa even more, which strengthened his determination to keep practicing. It not only tested him and his family but also tested us fellow practitioners. In the end, he managed to break through with incomparable faith in Master’s Fa.
Because domestic security officers arrest Dafa disciples covertly, new practitioners are often unaware of the seriousness of the persecution. People discussed Falun Dafa matters casually, since the TV and radio stopped reporting such incidents and they thought the police were no longer harassing practitioners. Veteran practitioners need to remind the new practitioners of the true situation.
One more thing. We must pay attention to what we say when we are with new practitioners. We should not mention the name of any other practitioner, their home address, or information about Dafa materials. If necessary, use a pseudonym for other cultivators. Some fellow practitioners thought that using a pseudonym was the same as lying and that it wasn’t truthful. This is not true because safety needs to be considered at all times.
While the persecution continues in China, everyone should be vigilant. In some areas, the police train the unemployed to pretend to be new practitioners. They hide in the circle of practitioners, ask about Dafa information centers, and wait to catch a big fish. Therefore, we need to do everything wisely and carefully and be responsible for everyone.
We veteran practitioners learn while we grow, just as the new practitioners do. We elevate while we enlighten to the Fa and cultivate ourselves solidly. Helping new practitioners is also part of our cultivation. Since Dafa connects us, we should cherish this sacred predestined relationship and quietly supplement it. When we consistently go to the homes of new practitioners to study the Fa with them, we are also ridding ourselves of the attachments to fearing trouble or suffering, complaining, and so on.