(Clearwisdom.net) During the 2007 Chinese New Year many practitioners went to visit their relatives. Some stopped working on producing materials at home because their family members are non-practitioners. As a result, our local material production site had to finish the workload of five production sites. It is easy to imagine how busy we were. I would like to share my thoughts about being unable to continue material production during the Chinese New Year holidays because family members are non-practitioners. If there is anything inappropriate in my opinions, please kindly point it out to me.
It is my personal understanding that those practitioners who were unable to continue working on producing materials during the Chinese New Year because their family members are non-practitioners failed to do an excellent job in clarifying the truth to their family. When making truth-clarification materials, they often do it secretly, which has left a loophole for the evil to take advantage of by manipulating their family members.
Every practitioner in our Fa study group produces materials at home. Of the five in our group, two belong to families where all family members are practitioners; the other three have non-practitioner family members. The latter practitioners' family members initially forbade them from working on materials because they thought it was too dangerous. Through constant truth clarification, their family members agreed to have a materials production site at home. They even offer help by posing as guards to ensure the practitioners' safety. If other relatives raise objections, they help to stop them and clarify the truth to them.
As an example, practitioner A's home environment was poor prior to establishing a materials production site. When other practitioners went to visit her, they always had to figure out first whether or not her husband was at home before they knocked on the door. (Her husband does not have to go to work every day.) When she helped to store materials she had to hide them. On one occasion her husband found the materials and questioned her as to where they came from and where she would distribute them. She decided to lie to her husband for fear he would be too worried, saying that fellow practitioners would come to get the materials and go out to distribute them.
When I first came into contact with practitioner A, other practitioners instructed me not to contact her when her husband was at home. One day when I went to visit her, her husband happened to be at home. I greeted him and chatted a bit. Practitioner A told me her husband was not a talkative person. It was already a friendly gesture to chat with me about family issues.
After several contacts in their home I spoke with her husband saying, "You must know that I am a cultivator." He smiled. I told him, "When I first came, your wife told me you did not know anything, nor did you care. She asked me to communicate with her in your absence. However, I don't agree. I think you know about everything, and you know Falun Dafa is great. You didn't want to offer help simply because you are worried about her safety." He smiled again.
There were no barriers between us. Nevertheless, we still had to make materials together in his absence. Sometimes when it was impossible to do things behind his back, practitioner A told her husband, "My friend is coming soon. Can you go out for a while?" Her husband initially disagreed and said, "We each handle our own things. We will not interfere with each other." Practitioner A then told him, "If you stay at home, we cannot communicate freely." Because the relationship between husband and wife was very harmonious, her husband agreed and went out.
After several such occasions I thought it would not do if we continued to handle it this way. It was winter and it was cold outside. An ordinary person normally would love to stay at home on an off-duty day. I then told practitioner A not to ask her husband to leave and to simply pretend that he could not hear anything when we discussed things. The next time I visited practitioner A her husband remained at home and did not bother us at all. I thought it was time for us to clarify the truth to him. I said to him, "Don't be nervous. All other practitioners are making materials at home. If you forbid her to do it at home, she will have to go to another's home to work on it. It would be an even greater safety issue if she came and left all the time. If she can do it at home, she can keep a low profile and can get things cleaned up as soon as she finishes everything. We all do it this way." Her husband didn't say a word, but agreed silently.
Practitioner B's family members were also non-practitioners. When she first started to make materials, her husband slammed the printer down on the floor and told me to take the materials away. Her child also strongly opposed her. When we had a discussion together, her son came to interrupt. Neither one of us was moved. We thought it was interference and we should negate it. We should continue to do what we were supposed to do. We needed to explain the matter rationally and clarify the truth if her family did not understand what we were doing. If they were not supportive we needed to make an effort to turn their attitude around and to become supportive.
When they interrupted the first time, I said nothing. Neither did I say anything the second time. I kept sending forth righteous thoughts for them and remained unmoved. The third time, her son was manipulated by evil in other dimensions and came toward us. He yelled viciously at his mother, saying: "Mom, go prepare lunch. For a whole day you don't do anything but focus on this!" I smiled at the boy and told him, "I seldom come to visit your mother. She wanted to chat with me for a while and delayed your meal. Your mother does not have a bike, but I do. I can go grocery shopping with you." The mother replied, "We have food at home. My son is just not behaving." The boy didn't argue further and went away to prepare his own lunch.
Practitioner B told me her husband had torn Dafa books apart and had met with retribution. I then asked her husband about this incident. I asked him why he would tear a Dafa book. He replied, "Even if she studies Dafa all day, she is not doing well. Why continue studying?" I replied, "You are being irrational. Why do I say that? Think about it, a teacher may have students at all levels. He or she has the top student as well as the student with the worst grade. Can you simply blame the teacher for not doing well in teaching? It was because the student did not learn well. Then the student should continue to study. If the student cannot do well even though she is studying, it would be even worse if she ceased to study."
He laughed. I then asked him why he opposed having a material site at home. He said, "Too dangerous. If one practitioner gets arrested, the police will get information on all the other practitioners." I told him, "A female practitioner was arrested a while ago. She did not betray anyone." He said, "That is no guarantee. If someone else is arrested, he may betray other practitioners." I then said, "Those practitioners who dare to work on it will do it anyway. Those who dare not, even if you force them, they will not do it." He didn't say a word. I continued to say, "You also know that your wife was in poor health, yet after practicing Dafa, she became healthy. Now Dafa is being persecuted and your wife wants to tell the truth to people. She wants to learn to make materials and share the workload of practitioners."
He did not raise any objections later.
On one occasion, her husband told me, "I want to give you some money so that you two can rent a place together. We have many guests coming in and out. What if someone spots what you are doing?" Practitioner B said to me, "Do not listen to him. No one has spotted us. I usually work on it when no one is around." I then asked her husband,"Did you hear anything?" He told me, "A friend of mine working in the city government told me the authorities are taking the persecution of Falun Gong very seriously recently and to tell my wife to be more cautious."
I told him I would think about it. The next time I visited them, I told him, "I gave consideration to your plan. I think home is the safest place. If we are to rent a place, there are neighbors above and below, as well as next door neighbors on our left and right. We have to spend money to rent, yet it cannot guarantee safety. It is different at home. Family members can help to safeguard us."
He never said anything to oppose us from having a home materials site from then on.
In fact, after constant truth clarification, he published a solemn declaration revoking all his previous words that had wronged Dafa and announcing that he believes in Dafa and supports Dafa. Her children have also become supportive.
Our cultivation experience was exactly like what Master said: "Clarifying the truth is 'like a master key.'" ("Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference") and that "The environment is created by you, yourselves, and it, too, is essential for your improvement." ("Environment," Essentials for Further Advancement)
