In sharing experiences, we found the problem of some practitioners when they went through tribulations. The knowledge of human beings block the rational understanding of Falun Dafa . The following are just some experiences of ours after passing through some tribulations, to share with everybody.
1. Contrast everything with Falun Dafa and follow the truth, why notsay anything, and why not be sincere?
Facing the questions of the policeman, some practitioners think we should be truthful, say everything or say something selectively.
Actually, common people also think the same way; it is indeed at the same level as a human being. In the book "Falun Dafa: Lectures in the United States", it is said, "But if you want to succeed in cultivation and become a Buddha, your understanding of all matters has to be extraordinary." In the book "Falun Dafa Explication", it is said that: "the person in one level doesn't know what is in the other." The one in the lower level does not know the arrangement made by the enlightened being in the higher level. The former will not be told even if the latter comes down. The people in the lower level would take the measurement by the mind and thinking of human being, which, in itself, is not respectful. Telling him actually is not "benevolent" to him. Is it hiding? Isn't it contented and composed? One level doesn't know the arrangement s of others, which is the manifestation of defending one or several levels of Law. "Zhuan Falun" says that: "I would not say what I do not want to say, but what I said must be the truth."
It has been drawn by the ill matter as one fell into the questioning of everyday people to answer questions. Upon hearing it, the other side would measure it with the deteriorated laws and regulations, and thoughts. And it would help the policemen in prosecuting Falun Dafa and the practitioners, isn't it to encourage the evil? Isn't itself utilized by politics? In "Dafa Will Forever be Pure Like Diamond", it is said that: "Disciples, keep in mind that in the future, no matter how much pressure there might be from political and powerful forces, Dafa can never be used by political powers."
Facing great pressure, I calmly explained why I didn't want to talk, why I didn't cooperate with such work. I was willing to bear what comes after. The power of compassion constrained that field. Finally, I didn't receive additional tribulation and instead I passed it with ease.
2. Cultivated the firmness of Liu Hu-lan (a heroine in a Chinese civil war)? Ignored the power of benevolence.
A lot of information on the Internet describes how the practitioners cultivated their firmness from being beaten and tortured. This is of course cultivation. Two female practitioners stayed on "the death bed " for 4 hours before they came down. The change in their physical body and the realm of benevolence surprised the other practitioners. This is what the people who don't truly cultivate cannot experience.
In the book "Lectures in Singapore Conference":" We eliminate the evil side and only use the benevolent side to defend the Law. Others may say something bad to us, we can let them understand why we are good, explain to them the reason, do it only with the benevolent side. " Some practitioners had explained the reason with benevolence. At the beginning, the policemen were very fierce, but gradually, they could not do anything bad, they were restricted by the power of benevolence, some were even moved and affected. The practitioners have changed the jails into pure lands, rectifying all abnormality. They read the books, practice and teach exercises openly and aboveboard. The manager and even the director admired them and never interrupted them again.
Always being beaten and enduring that tribulation for a long time, again and again, aren't you artificially growing the evil? Why don't you change yourself from the root and break through it quickly? The tribulation directly points to one's heart, which let us enlighten to the Tao. There is a higher standard as we cultivate our firmness. "The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities." Why cannot we rectify the abnormal conditions around us? As long as one's great benevolence comes out, any evil will disappear.
I am not good at debating, but during the interrogation, I tried to talk and correct the environment with benevolence, which is just like what is said at the end of "Zhuan Falun": "When you are overcoming a real hardship or tribulation, you should give it a try. When it is difficult to endure, you try to endure. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, you give it a try and see if it is possible. If you can really make it, you will indeed find: 'After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!' "
3. The extreme understanding of "the great Tao without form"
Many practitioners have an extreme understanding of "the great Tao without form", they think that it is unnecessary to do anything of a form. But in "Environment": "The cultivation practice form that I have left for Dafa disciples ensures that disciples can truly improve themselves." In "A Letter to Shijiazhuang Dafa General Assistant Center": "Everything we do today is to lay a foundation for future dissemination of Dafa over countless years to come, and to leave a perfect, correct, and error-free form of cultivation practice. Today I point this out not to criticize anyone, but to correct the form of cultivation practice-[a form which is] to be left for future generations." In "Stability of the Fa", it is said that: "Every step I, Li Hongzhi, takes is to establish an unchangeable and unalterable way for the dissemination of Dafa in future generations. Such an enormous Fa will not be over after momentary popularity. There cannot be any slight deviation in the countless years to come. Protecting Dafa with your own conduct is forever the responsibility of Dafa disciples, because Dafa belongs to all sentient beings of the universe, and this includes you."
Sharing experiences, holding conferences, practicing, writing joint letters, reporting situations in group and so on, all is loose without fixed members, time and location. It is just like what is said in "Lectures in the United States": gathering into a form and dispersing into matter". Is it tangible?
The extreme understanding of "the great Tao without form" would negate the form of cultivation that our teacher left for us. Doesn't it take the same disastrous path of Zen Buddhism?
Many practitioners think that doing good at home, at the working unit is harmonizing Falun Dafa; the practitioners who appeal in Beijing disturb the family life, delay the work, how can they be a good person? Some of them even said that they were damaging Falun Dafa. If your parents suffer an un-redressed injustice, won't you go to say something fair? ...
In "Digging Out the Roots": "I have long noticed that a few individuals do not have the heart to protect Falun Dafa, but instead intend to protect certain things in human society. If you were an everyday person I would have no objection; it is certainly a good thing to be a good person who protects human society. But now you are a cultivator. What standpoint you take in treating Falun Dafa is a fundamental issue; it is also precisely what I want to point out to you."
5. Pay much attention to the shortcomings of others, the effect of negative side blocks oneself.
Some people heard many examples in which people didn't pass the tribulation well, were arrested because of appealing and then wrote a letter of guarantee, and even went to the inverse side. Thus, they are full of worries, not only do they worry about themselves, but they even suspect the way that some practitioners took a step forward to break apart with human beings and dedicated their lives to protect Falun Dafa.
In "The Buddha Fa and Buddhism", it is said, " It seems that people can never learn positive lessons from history. Instead, they always learn from negative lessons for the sake of their own self-interests."
In "A Dialogue with Time", it is said that: " Some of them have come looking for the aspect of the Fa that they consider good, but they are unable to give up the aspect that prevents them from having a complete understanding of the Fa."
"A person is like a container: he is whatever he contains." ("Dissolving Into the Fa") Why don't you pour away those things of the negative side? Why are you reached by those low and negative things, and even blocked by them? Break through them and take a look, they are nothing.
6. Make a conclusion on what one doesn't understand.
On the Internet, there are often articles criticizing the action of the practitioners, often using words of conclusion.
For example, about hunger strike, the majority of practitioners naturally reached the condition of not eating or even drinking. In the jail, this is the only way to express their wishes, to draw the attention of the government. The people use their own method to express their injustice to "parental official", do they participate in politics, and do they interrupt the national affairs? Not to mention that they used the benevolent side. In those years, to convince Lu Wen-Long (a general of one side) to forsake darkness for light, Wang Zuo (a general of the other side) cut one of his arms and entered the enemy's camp. Finally, he affected the enemy's general to surrender under Yue Fei (Chinese hero in ancient). That was Wang Zuo's personal action. Now, practitioners hold hunger strikes in jail, which is also a personal action, but it shocked all evil beings and affected many people. "To protect the dignity of Falun Dafa with our life", "To voice grievances of Falun Dafa with our life", such a realm shocks the evil and makes the conscience shed tears.
Further more, for example, about practicing Falun Gong at Tiananmen on the eve of the Chinese New Year, although it caused some reproach, why do we take it so seriously as a common human? The practitioners could give up everything, only with their pure hearts to protect Falun Dafa, where is their realm? How much tribulation should we let our master suffer for his disciples? The disciples still comfortably spent the New Year at home? On the eve of New Years, a family of practitioners had made stuffing for dumplings, but they could not stay home any longer. The whole family went to Tiananmen Square, to petition to the central government. They were arrested. They passed the tribulations openly and aboveboard. 4 Days later, they were released and went home for a reunion holiday, ----- the stuffing was still fresh. The God looks at one's heart!
Try to imagine, after Falun Dafa corrects everything, is it possible to remember today's hardship in protecting Falun Dafa in some way? Isn't it making future stories? Only with today's corrupted mentality would one reproach it. One will regret upon their reproach today. Could the practitioners reproach it together with common people?
In the poem "Riding on the Boat of the Righteous Law", it is said that:" Truth, Incredibility and Cultivation". If one doesn't cultivate, how can he experience the profound things in that realm, this is what the practitioners have enlightened to. In "Further Comments on Superstition": "The understanding of the truth of the cosmos by students of Dafa cultivation is their elevation through reason and application."
I was the kind of person who liked to criticize what I didn't understand. But now, I am clear in my mind. I have already owed karma in that realm. If I could not cultivate to that realm, I will never be able to pay it back. In "Falun Dafa Explication": "... dare to make conclusions casually, speak assumedly, or accord to one's own feelings for the questions that they have not understood. In fact, it is to damage the Law, very seriously damage the Law."
This is my lesson. My hope is that some practitioners could learn from it.
(Translated Mar. 28, 2000)