Cultivation is Key to Saving People and Coordinating Dafa Projects

(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1997 and have participated in a number of projects over the years. I also serve as a coordinator. Some recent events led me to reflect on a fundamental question: Why are we really here?

Many practitioners would say that we came here to assist Master in rectifying the Fa and saving sentient beings. But if we think about it, it is Master who rectifies the Fa and saves people. Our priority is to cultivate well so that we can better assist Master. As Dafa practitioners during the Fa-rectification period, we shoulder the missions of clarifying the truth and helping Master to save people, and how well we accomplish our missions is closely related to our cultivation state.

After the persecution in China began in 1999, Dafa students started many initiatives to expose the brutality of what was happening. Gradually, some practitioners equated working on Dafa initiatives with cultivation. Some practitioners also thought that working on a certain project that they believed was more important than other projects made them better cultivators. Others even thought that if they were not part of a Dafa initiative, they were not cultivating.

Some practitioners in charge of Dafa initiatives work very hard but have neglected to provide a good cultivation environment for project members. While there is nothing wrong with conforming to societal norms to make the companies more competitive and influential, almost all employees of the Dafa initiatives are practitioners, and those in charge should guide and remind others to think and act like cultivators while carrying out their work. Otherwise, problems can appear. For example, if the company only wants to make more money, money issues will arise; if the company only aims to boost traffic and views, that won’t happen.

Some of our initiatives are filled with young, capable practitioners who speak the local language well and understand the culture better than practitioners from China. These young people would be paid more if they worked for everyday people’s companies. They chose to work on Dafa initiatives because they want to improve their cultivation and fulfill their missions. If the environment in the initiative cannot help them with their cultivation, then they may leave for a better-paying job or for a different Dafa project.

Another problem I see is that practitioners involved in Dafa initiatives seldom participate in public activities that promote Falun Dafa. These activities are mostly done by practitioners who recently came from China, don’t understand Western culture, and speak the local language poorly. They often act aggressively when they hand out flyers or promote Dafa initiatives, which leaves a bad impression on the public. As a result, some everyday people even refuse to let practitioners participate in local activities. When this happens, the practitioners, the coordinators, and the people in charge of the initiatives are responsible.

Speaking of the responsibilities of a coordinator, when I initially became one, I expected that everyone would naturally follow the rules and was very strict with the practitioners who didn’t perform well. Over time, through looking within, I knew that I wasn’t being compassionate or considerate toward my fellow cultivators.

I gradually came to realize that coordination is a journey of reinforcing one’s tolerance. To coordinate a team of ten people, I need to have tolerance for all ten, and if I want to coordinate an even larger team, my tolerance needs to expand accordingly. Each cultivator has a different path to take, a different state and understandings of Dafa’s principles, and different challenges to handle in society. Now, I try to understand others more, listen to their problems and difficulties, and help them reach their full potential when doing Dafa work. I can feel my mind broadening, and I owe it to the power of Dafa.

As my coordination responsibilities increase, a sense of duty calls on me, and I know it is Master pushing me forward. I cherish these opportunities and am grateful for them. At the same time, my mind is more settled because I firmly believe in the power of Dafa. I can really feel how great other practitioners are, and it is truly an honor to be able to serve them.

Practitioners in charge of Dafa initiatives have a great responsibility because they have to run their companies well while creating a positive cultivation environment. I truly hope that all coordinators can lead other cultivators well, approach issues from the perspective of cultivation, and hold themselves and their teams to a cultivator’s standard. They should also encourage their team members to attend local Fa study groups and activities so that practitioners in their region can truly form a whole body.

The world is filled with evil in these latter days, and we cannot expect our cultivation to be smooth sailing the whole way through. If we encountered no tribulations in our journeys, how could we elevate ourselves spiritually? If the world’s people all lavished praise on Dafa, what would there be for us to enlighten to? If no one interfered with our cultivation or tried to suppress practitioners, how could true cultivators who follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance distinguish themselves?

Time is flying by. We should cherish this opportunity by studying the Fa with a calm mind and cultivating ourselves solidly. We are most fortunate because we are Dafa practitioners and follow the Great Way!