(Clearwisdom.net) There are thirteen ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, where all minority races have their own languages. When people from different ethic groups communicate with each other, they commonly use the Uyghur language. The language problem then becomes an additional barrier to the truth-clarification there.
I started to clarify the truth after I read Master's year 2000 article "Rationality." I then could not access the Minghui website [the Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net], so I did not know much about the facts of the persecution, nor did I completely understand the meaning of truth clarification. Looking back over the past five years, I have roughly done things this way: Initially I used only the Chinese language to clarify the truth and I did it only for people I knew. Among them were all my friends of the minority races who speak Chinese. During the second stage I clarified the truth to everyone I met, but only using Chinese; however, the number of people I know is, after all, limited. Later, in my third stage of truth clarification I have clarified the truth to people from different ethnic groups by using two languages.
When I was young, I lived in the countryside for one year. In that type of environment I had learned some Uyghur language, and knew some simple words useful for daily living. Clarifying the truth, however, is to disclose the lies and eliminate misunderstandings, and only in this way can we save people. I had never thought of using the Uyghur language to clarify the truth. During my actual truth clarification work though, I deeply realized that if the practitioners in Xinjiang, a place with so many minority races, only used Chinese to clarify the truth, half of the population would not have the opportunity to know the truth.
But Master requires of us to "Do it on a large scale, do it with all the wisdom that you can, and as long as something can save the people, go do it." ("Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A." on December 29, 2001)
Gradually I realized that I had to clarify the truth to people from all the different ethnic groups. I then started to learn some specific Uyghur words for use in my truth clarification such as, killing, suicide, jealousy, the sentence "kindness will ultimately be rewarded and wickedness will ultimately be punished," and others. While learning, I kept using these words to clarify the truth.
For an older person like me, by relying on the wisdom endowed by Dafa I broke through the language barrier and the human notions. Of course, I needed to spend a lot of effort and humbly learn the language from others. When a person taught me on the phone, I would note the Uyghur words in a book. I read, recited and wrote each Uyghur word dozens of times. After a while I would give the homework to one of my friends who knows the Uyghur language and ask him to make the corrections for me. As a matter of fact, I had only learned some Uyghur letters and phonetics fifty years ago in my spare time. I could hardly imagine that I would regain the memory of the things I had learned decades ago. This is a reflection of the wisdom Master gave us and the power of Dafa, and it is unbelievably wondrous. Since then I have been able to clarify the truth to many people in Xinjiang, using two languages.
Next, let me talk about my understandings.
1. Dafa gives me the power and wisdom
Master said,
"And in order to enable you to do cultivation practice and improve, I've infused this Fa throughout with every element that can enable a person to improve and ascend through cultivation. As long as you study, any problem can be solved. As long as you cultivate and as long as you're able to understand the Fa from the Fa, there's nothing you can't achieve." ("Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A." on December 29, 2001)
Every day in the morning I go out to clarify the truth, while in the afternoon I study the Fa and do the exercises. I also study Zhuan Falun and Master's new articles.
When I started to learn Dafa, the phone numbers in Xinjiang had only six digits. Without using the phone book I could not remember any phone number. I often thought that I was old, but this is an ordinary people's notion. For a Dafa cultivator, without letting go of this notion, how could I, at such an age, dare to think about learning another language and using it to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa?
"The innate you is your true self and never changes. But humans have the tendency of forming a notion when they look at a problem; this kind of notion does not belong to you." ("Budhha Nature" in Zhuan Falun Volume II) (Provisional translation subject to further improvement)
On this issue, I have negated my human-ness, continually broken through the confinements of my notions, and understood the Fa from the Fa. Only this way can I find my true self, a life created by Dafa.
In fact, through nine years of cultivation, my mind and body have undergone many changes. In terms of facial appearance, the wrinkles around my eyes have disappeared, the colored spots on my face faded, and my skin became smooth and radiant. What is more important, though, is from learning the Fa and cultivating my heart and mind, I have not only completely extricated myself [from human notions], but also obtained wisdom from the Fa. I can not only remember many phone and cell phone numbers, but can also recite Lunyu and others of Master's short articles. Master said,
"In order to explore this domain, humankind must fundamentally change its conventional thinking. Otherwise, the truth of the universe will forever remain a mystery to humankind, and everyday people will forever crawl within the boundary delimited by their own ignorance." ("Lunyu" in Zhuan Falun)
Master also said,
"If human beings are able to take a fresh look at themselves as well as the universe and change their rigid mentalities, humankind will make a leap forward." ("Lunyu" in Zhuan Falun)
I have thought that these unbelievable miracles that have happened to me are merely testimony that Dafa has changed my body and mind. So, being a cultivator,
"Since you are a being produced from this plane, you are identified with the notion of the Law of this plane. When your true nature comes out, you have got its criterion of cognition, and that criterion is none other than you yourself.." (""Buddha Nature" in Zhuan Falun Volume II)
When I break through the ordinary people's notions, and when I return to my true self, my reborn life is that of the state of an enlightened being with boundless ability.
After a period of hard work I finally could clarify the truth to people from all ethnic groups. I have clarified the truth to people from the Han, Hui, Kazak, Uzbek, Tatar, Kirgiz, Mongol, Daur, Russian, and other minorities.
Master said,
"...no matter where you are, no matter which ethnic group, which region, or which country you're in, on the surface you're an average, ordinary person, and you're just another being, but in reality, there are always people who have karmic relationships with you." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference" on April 20, 2003)
I have met many people from remote regions, either south or north of the Tianshan Mountain Range who have karmic relationships with me.
Last year a family had returned from seeing their college student son in Kashi. I met them right after they got off the train, and all four of them listened to my truth clarification. There were ones who had come from Atushi City to attend a relative's marriage ceremony; they stayed here for just three days. Right before they left they met me. Another family came from Yili City to do business in the beverage industry; the family members took turns being on duty, so they took turns listening to my truth clarification. The final time two of their relatives also listened to my truth clarification. A local Uyghur lady listened to my truth clarification last year and I met her this year again on a bus. Once she got on the bus she stood in front of me, obviously pleased. I told her of "The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" during the ride. She immediately told me her name and asked me to help her write a declaration of withdrawal from the CCP.
In fact, it is Master who has done all these things. As long as I always have the salvation of people on my mind, Master is always with me and helps me. These people from all different races, when they heard "doing good deeds is met with good rewards, and being evil is met with evil returns," almost all repeated this sentence immediately after me. When I asked them to convey what I had said about the truth to their family members and also told them that they would receive a great reward, many of them thanked me repeatedly.
2. Cultivating myself during the truth clarification
"It's only that the earlier a lot of fundamental attachments are recognized the better. Recognizing them is, in itself, improvement. Being able to eliminate them, or overcome them, weaken them, and in the end completely eliminate them--that process is one of continually improving yourself, and it's the fundamental transformation of a being." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference" on November 29, 2003)
I did not have fear when I started to clarify the truth, nor did I have fear when I was later illegally detained. I clarified the truth to the two policemen in the detention center, as well as to the detainees in the cell where I was held. The detention center officials later broadcast some pre-recorded lies that slanders Dafa to all the cells. The officials also ordered me, in a discussion meeting, to write down my understanding. I wrote, "These reports are all contrary to the facts. I, being one who has benefited from Falun Dafa, demand reinstatement of the innocence of my Master and Dafa, and my unconditional release." When they collected what I had written, they released me before my term was over.
I thought that I had passed the test of life and death; however, once I got home I again returned to the human mindset. When I got truth-clarification materials I would remember that my fingerprints were on all the materials, so my attachment of fear came out. I soon realized that this is a human attachment, and this persecution is not just a human-against-human suppression; this attachment to fear should be eliminated.
What I did then mainly included putting up placards and other truth-clarification materials. I found that my attachment of fear was eliminated during my actual truth clarification efforts. When the time of personally clarifying the truth to people presented itself, it felt natural to do it that way. When "Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A." was published, I came to understand that clarifying the truth was not just to disclose the lies; what was more important was to rescue the sentient beings who have been deceived by the lies. I started to understand the meaning of truth clarification; this has increased my awareness of this mission and sense of urgency.
Although some of those on sentry duty were inside the compound where I lived, and although the police vehicles were parked right outside my windows almost year-round, no one could prevent me from going out to clarify the truth. In the hot summer, when it was about 37 to 40ºC [that is, 98.6 to 104ºF], I dared not slack off. In the bitter winter, in the ice and snow that covered everything and made the road very slippery, it could not stop me!
Nevertheless, just when I was clarifying the truth on a large scale, I showed symptoms of sickness karma. My legs hurt so much that it took me two steps for each stairway step I went down, and I even could not cross my legs. I looked within myself and corrected the attachments once I found them; however, my legs still hurt. I kept searching within myself, until I realized the fact that the new local policeman often came to my home to harass me, and I only cared about going to the public locations to clarify the truth and forgot to clarify the truth to him. This was a different policeman than the previous one. The previous one came to my home only during the sensitive days, while this one came once every ten or fifteen days. Furthermore, he always came after 10:00 p.m., the time that I had fixed for my Fa study. I had no choice but deal with him and then let him go; but I forgot to make use of this opportunity to clarify the truth to him. When I found my problem, my leg pain immediately disappeared. Regretfully, I was later compelled to leave my home to avoid further persecution, and I have had no chance to clarify the truth to him.
Also, there was a certain agency official who came to harass me every day. I promptly clarified the truth to her and she has not come again. People have all been put on this earth for the Fa, so I need to cherish all opportunities.
One day I went to a store near my home to buy candles. The Uyghur store-owner praised me for my Uyghur language, which meant to me that he wanted to listen to my truth clarification. I thought though that I should first clarify the truth to people living further away from me, and I could later deal with the people living near me. This was in fact a reflection of my hidden attachment to fear. A few days later, when I went to the store to look for the owner, the store had already been closed. I have not met him again. So I missed this opportunity. Even now, whenever I walk by that area, I always remember him with a mind full of sorrow for having missed him. This lesson has made understand that if not taken advantage of right away, any opportunity will be gone.
Cultivation is to let go of human mentalities and attachments. Sometimes when getting a phone call, no one will speak on the other end. If this situation repeats itself several times, it can make one think of changing the phone number or moving to another place. One practitioner who was forced to leave home to avoid further persecution had several bad dreams. He suddenly asked you to help him finding a temporary housing; if you are not clearheaded, you would let him go his way. His repetitive dreaming of family members who had passed away meant that he had not completely let go of his attachment of qing.
"But since these attachments will often show up in your cultivation and your life, they show up in your words and actions in different settings, and can even show up in every single thought of yours during your daily life. When you're affected by a human attachment, then at that moment, or for that short while, or on that matter, your behavior is the same as an ordinary person's." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference" on May 23, 2004)
Why is one moved by a human attachment? This means the existence of loopholes in one's cultivation. So one needs to look within oneself, find the attachment and correct it according to the Fa; this is cultivation. The lesson I learned from this is that whenever I can think from the Fa, my righteous thoughts will be strong, and I will know how to deal with things when I encounter problems and furthermore, the effect will be favorable. On the other hand, while I am [stuck] in the mentality of human-ness I am not clearheaded. I even become muddleheaded, do things wrong, and cannot promptly recognize the problem; then the evil will take advantage of the loophole.
3. Do well all the three things
"So, in order to do Fa-rectification more effectively, while you clarify the facts you have to take sending righteous thoughts very seriously, and in a timely manner purge the evil and your own problems so that you won't be taken advantage of by the evil." ("Righteous Thoughts" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Besides the four chosen times to send forth righteous thoughts, I also send forth righteous thoughts every evening at 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11:00 p.m., targeting the evil in my local area. When sending forth righteous thoughts I definitely follow Master's requirements to cleanse myself thoroughly; every thought is cultivation.
"Indestructible righteous faith in the cosmos's Truth forms benevolent Dafa disciples' rock-solid, Diamond-Like Bodies, it frightens all evil, and the light of Truth it emanates makes the unrighteous elements in all beings' thoughts disintegrate. However strong the righteous thoughts are, that's how great the power is. ("Also in a Few Words" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I understood that one's righteous thoughts come from one's truly studying the Fa with the mind open, while doing well in sending forth righteous thoughts in turn affects one's own cultivation state and the power of one's truth-clarification.
With the progress of Fa rectification, the truth clarification in these several years has become much easier. There are still some people, though, who have been profoundly deceived. They are raising doubts about the fabricated nature of the "April 25" incident and the staged Tiananmen Square "Self-Immolation." We need to disclose the abased tactics that Jiang's political gang has used to frame Falun Gong, and we should clarify the truth justly and assertively. While people are listening, their misguided thoughts are disintegrated. Many people thanked me, saying, "If you had not told us, how could have we known this?"
The fabricated Tiananmen Square "Self-Immolation" has many obvious flaws, and we can clearly list them one by one. There is no such saying, "burning oneself to reach consummation and go to heaven." Falun Gong books say that committing suicide is a sin. The Tiananmen Self-Immolation was a plot and a ploy. List the flaws and raise the question: do any police on duty carry fire extinguishers and video recorders? The ones who learn the truth are usually righteously angry about this kind of fabrication and frame-up.
Additionally, I have also understood that cleansing oneself not only happens when one is sending forth righteous thoughts. When one's mind is not in a good state, one also needs to promptly rectify one's thoughts. We must measure ourselves against the Fa and search within ourselves and correct the attachment once it is found. When one's state is corrected and when one's righteous thoughts are firm, going to rescue the people will achieve even better outcome. As a cultivator, when one uses the Fa to measure oneself, one will be able to find the one's own shortcomings; in this way one will cultivate diligently without becoming lost.
Finally, I want to use the last two sentences of Master's "A Will That Ebbs Not (in Song Dynasty poetic form)" to end my article:
"Disciples of Fa, be diligent,
with a will that ebbs not
The countless years of hardship were all for this time."