(Clearwisdom.net) Before the persecution began on July 20, 1999, I didn't fully understand the significance of living according to the state of ordinary human society as much as possible. As a consequence, I was easily bullied instead of being a person with high moral standards. I dared not insist on my legitimate rights. I yielded again and again when faced with conflicts. With this attitude, I failed to eliminate the unrighteous thoughts displayed by my family, which escalated as time went by.
They said, "You are a Falun Gong practitioner. Therefore, you should tolerate whatever we do." After the onset of the persecution, the evil demons took advantage of my forbearance in this manner and I was persecuted relentlessly until I got divorced.
Today, I believe that to forbear does not mean giving the evil free rein. In the face of injustice, the forbearance of practitioners is manifested in not being moved by loss or gain of personal interests, but it absolutely doesn't mean giving up everything in this world, much less resigning oneself to adversity.
Teacher said,
"Meanwhile, people also must have a human living space and living conditions, and these should also be maintained. Human beings still need to maintain their lives and live normally."(from Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)
We are able to give up everything in this human world, and yet live within the constraints of all that is available in human society. We do not care about the various interests in this human world, but this doesn't mean that we have to give up these interests, much less resign ourselves to being bullied by unrighteous elements.
In the face of injustice, we have to remember at all times that we should eliminate all unrighteous elements that persecute Falun Dafa. To protect Falun Dafa means that Dafa disciples assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification on this earth. It's the basic requirement for every practitioner during this Fa-rectification period and whether one is able to judge everything based on Dafa. If a practitioner hides his cowardice and fear under the excuse of having a "mind of great forbearance," then his enlightenment quality is poor. It means that one is not able to let go of human attachments and walk out of being human.
We need to ask ourselves, "Do we truly hold righteous and steadfast faith in Dafa?" If we truly believe that we are cultivating in Dafa and have really eliminated from our minds the poisonous notion that "the CCP is always glorious, great and correct," then why can't we insist on our legitimate rights when they are infringed upon? Is it correct that practitioners' rights can be violated and that they can be bullied? Is this right? Why are we satisfied with the current situation of "not being harassed or not being detained"? When we are timid and give up our legitimate rights in this human world, aren't we giving free rein to the evil?
The above is my personal understanding after reading the five articles written by practitioners, on which Teacher comments. They are, "Good People," "The Dignity of Dafa," "What is True Kindness (Shan)," "Do Not Forget Cultivation Amidst Fa-Rectification," "While Eradicating the Evil, Eliminate Demonic Nature."