(Clearwisdom.net) Often when we try to clarify the facts about Falun Gong, we run into people who are not willing to listen or who do not believe us. Some people may even quibble with us, using the warped mindset that has arisen due to the communist culture instilled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When we encounter these people, we should not argue with them, but tell them kindly about the risks of remaining a member of the evil CCP's organizations. We tell them that the demise of the CCP is heaven's will, and is due to the terrible sins the CCP has committed. The decision is made by heaven, not by an individual, and it is up to the individual to believe it or not.
Before I achieved this state of my mind, I would be unhappy and take it personally whenever someone didn't believe me when I tried to clear up misconceptions about Falun Dafa. I would stop talking to that individual, as if he/she no longer deserved to be saved. If someone spoke in favor of the CCP and belittled Falun Gong with strong words and emotions, I didn't stand up for what I believed in by responding in an upright manner, but instead I stopped talking. I used the reasoning, "don't give it an ear" to remove myself from the situation. However, through diligent Fa study, I realized that this reaction was due to my fear of being hurt and losing face. I behaved that way because I wanted to safeguard my own interests and was being selfish. But cultivation is not about safeguarding our attachments to self or saving face, but is the opposite. It is to cultivate away those attachments. During the course of arduous cultivation, we need to remain unperturbed in every environment and with all sorts of people. This is a basic requirement for a cultivator. If I couldn't break through this problem, when would I be able to "...attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism."? (from "Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature" in Essentials for Further Advancement)
After I realized this, I adjusted my state of mind when clarifying the facts about Falun Gong. I first kept in mind that I must be kindhearted toward those I talked to, have confidence that I would be able to save the person, and be assured that they will have a bright future. I then used strong righteous thoughts to dissolve all the interference hiding behind that person. I resolved that I would not allow the old forces to stop any beings from being saved. Lastly, I would ask Teacher to strengthen me so I could accomplish my mission of saving sentient beings. Doing it this way has proven to be very effective.
Clarifying the Facts to a Deeply Poisoned Relative
My father's oldest sister had been heavily influenced by the CCP's doctrine of atheism. She did not believe in the existence of gods, let alone the destruction of the CCP by heaven. I tried to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to her many times, and every time she argued with me forcefully. No matter what I said, she didn't believe me, and she said that Dafa practitioners are following a wrong course. She even jumped up out of her chair, and stomped her feet to reinforce her opinion. Each time after talking to her, I felt very bad, and I didn't want to communicate with her for several days.
This time, I changed my manner, and instead of insisting on my points, I chose to talk to her according to her frame of mind. She wears a Maitreya Buddha talisman, so I used this to introduce the topic, "The CCP doesn't allow people to believe in divine powers, but wants people worship it as a god. Who dares to say 'no' to the Party publicly in China? Whoever dares to say something negative about it is branded as anti-revolutionary and faces harm. Even in ancient times, wise emperors issued imperial decrees when he was at fault and asked his subjects to remonstrate him once in a while in order to restrain his own behavior, show respect to heaven and gods, and use his own virtue to educate his people. As the Son of Heaven, he would pray for heavenly blessings and protection for his people so they would enjoy good and prosperous lives. However, under the evil communist party regime, there are corrupt officials everywhere. Everything is filled with pollution and garbage, and cheap counterfeits are sold by all trades. These situations cause harm not only to others but also to the person him or herself, because they too have to use those poisonous products. Isn't this a vicious circle?"
I observed that even though she still muttered something about not believing me, she was not jumping up and down anymore. When I mentioned that the CCP would be eliminated by gods, due to its massive sins, she still didn't want to believe me. After a while, she said, "The CCP doesn't want to be bothered with Falun Gong, but the Falun Gong people are picking a fight [with the CCP]." I told myself firmly, "I must dissolve those evil beings that control her mind." I asked her, "Then why was there no trouble caused by practitioners during the first seven years of its existence, from its public introduction in 1992 to the beginning of the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong in 1999? Falun Gong existed harmoniously in society. It was only because the CCP thought that Falun Gong had too many followers that it considered it a threat to its power. Consequently, Jiang Zemin, out of jealousy, started the persecution of Falun Gong. In the past, it took less than three days for the CCP to eliminate a group or an individual, including the former president of the country, Mr. Liu Shaoqi. But the persecution of Falun Gong is a different issue, as it has been ten years since the beginning of this persecution. Falun Gong does not only still exist in China, it has been introduced in 114 countries and the number of practitioners is still increasing. If it is true that the CCP is not bothered with Falun Gong, then why does it consider the Falun Gong issue to be its biggest political issue? Why is it still monitoring practitioners? Its policy on the Falun Gong issue is to behave in a relaxed way on the surface, but it secretly uses every means in its power to persecute Falun Gong. Why does it block the Clearwisdom website? This shows that the CCP is afraid of Falun Gong. Falun Gong talks about Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, while the CCP promotes fraud, evil and violence. That is the fundamental difference. The CCP now exists for Falun Gong. It is not that Falun Gong practitioners are picking a fight. What they do is to tell people that Falun Gong is not at all like what the CCP says about it, and practitioners also talk about how brutal the persecution is." My aunt stopped talking after I finished. It was obvious that the evil beings controlling her had dissolved. She calmed down, and no longer defended the CCP.
Clearing up Misconceptions about Falun Gong at Work
One of my colleagues is a cadre who was a good follower of the dictates of the CCP. Since I had been imprisoned in a labor camp because of practicing Falun Gong, she treated me with disdain, and once in a while talked badly about Falun Gong, while singing the praise of the CCP. At first, I would become angry and considered her to be unsalvageable. I saw in her someone who would be eliminated along with the CCP. Then, I asked myself, "Am I not a practitioner? Why do I think like an everyday person? Teacher told us to save those who have predetermined relationships with us and I don't want to save her because she said something bad?" There must be a strong predetermined relationship between us, as we worked in the same office. After I changed my thinking, I no longer was sick of her. I wanted to also save her and eliminate her misunderstandings about Falun Gong.
One day, someone told me, "She told people from the 610 Office that you are still practicing Falun Gong." This did not affect me. I was not scared, but I worried that she might have to pay dearly for participating in the persecution of Falun Gong, so I talked to her. I said, "Who told you that I am still practicing Falun Gong? Tell him to come and talk to me." It wasn't that I was afraid to acknowledge that I was still practicing Falun Gong, nor was it important to find out who that person was. I also didn't have explain anything to her. But I wanted her to understand her wrongdoings and see how she would react to my questions. To my surprise, she looked very nervous and began to stutter. I then said, "It isn't important, let's let bygones be bygones. But don't make irresponsible remarks behind my back. If you want to talk, come talk to me." After that, she no longer seemed scared or nervous. I realized that as practitioners, we should do things in a dignified manner. We are the leading characters in this play and we are saving people. What is there to be afraid of?
One day, when my colleague and I were chatting, we touched on the topic Falun Gong. I told her what Falun Gong is, why the CCP persecutes Falun Gong, the truth behind the "Tiananmen Self-Immolation" incident and how Falun Gong had spread throughout the world. So finally, although she didn't recognize the evil nature of the CCP and did not quit the CCP or its affiliated organizations, she agreed that being truthful, compassionate and forbearing is good. I told her, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is what Falun Gong is all about." I made sure she understood that if one said, "Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are good," one would be saved in times of danger, and that one would be successful and prosperous. I also told her, "Don't you believe in fortune-telling and go to different places to burn incense and pray for blessings, wishing to keep your family safe and sound? Repeating these two sentences is more effective than anything else." After hearing that, she changed her attitude. Now, whenever we talk, she is no longer hostile when talking about my Falun Gong practice, and she no longer praises the evil CCP in front of me.
It is the mighty power of Dafa that changes people's hearts and dissolves the evil elements in people. I have confidence that as I continue studying the Fa and strengthening my righteous thoughts, and with Teacher's guidance, I can save her.
As a practitioner, one should behave in a dignified manner, maintain righteous thoughts, and act righteously at all times and in any environment. We must display the compassionate demeanor of practitioners. We should touch people's hearts through our behavior so they learn about Dafa in a positive way. If we can act according to Teacher's requirements, we can form a strong energy field, and dissolve the evil CCP and all evil elements. We can fulfill our sacred mission of assisting Teacher in rectifying the Fa.
