I'm from the United States and I've been practicing Falun Dafa for about two years.

For those of you who don't know, ClearWisdom Net is a website run by practitioners and for practitioners, primarily. It publishes stories about practitioners and experiences from practitioners around the world, news reports on Falun Dafa, and news of awards given to Master Li. Most importantly, though, it publishes new teachings--articles and remarks--by Master. I have benefited tremendously from reading ClearWisdom Net, and I want to share some of my experiences with you.

I used to not read ClearWisdom that much until I saw a statement by Master that was published there. It said, quote, "It's not that ClearWisdom Net doesn't make mistakes. However, on important matters practitioners must watch the position of ClearWisdom Net. The purpose of posting my photo and article, "The Knowing Heart" on ClearWisdom Net was to build a trustworthy website for practitioners." (end quote) It seems crystal clear from this statement that practitioners need to read ClearWisdom, so I realized that to not do so is to not meet this requirement of Teacher. Later on Master published a short comment about an experience-sharing article submitted to ClearWisdom by a Western practitioner from the United Kingdom. Master wrote good things about this practitioner's article, saying that the practitioner's understanding was very good. In fact, he had never commented on any practitioner's article before that one. Reflecting on that, I've felt that now Master is not only encouraging everyone to read ClearWisdom, but is encouraging more Westerners to submit articles. For the past several months I have visited the ClearWisdom site every day, and reading the articles there has not only helped me improve personally, but has helped me allow the world to know the truth about Dafa and the persecution in China.

Reading other practitioners' stories on the website touches my heart and makes me more firm in my cultivation. Upon reading these, I often cry at the China Dafa disciples' steadfastness and righteousness in the face of extreme suffering and evil. Reading about those practitioners' determination inspires me to be more determined, as I incorporate what I learned there into my own cultivation. I remember once I read about a few practitioners in China that were detained and tortured by making them strip down to their underwear and stand outside for some 14 hours or more out in the snow in the dead of winter. These practitioners did not waver due to the challenge, but faced it head on, and didn't give up. I've often thought of this story during cold outdoor practices, when I've begun to have feelings of discontentment or thoughts of being unable to endure the cold. In fact, knowing the stories of practitioners in China who've suffered so much has inspired me to get through many trials and tribulations.

Another incredible article was one entitled "Our Venerable Master," (I think) which described how Master Li's body became negatively affected and how his hair had turned grey during a period of time when he was fighting the Evil so ferociously and bearing students' karma. I was moved to tears at his great compassion in all that he has endured for us. After reading that, enduring pain during meditation became much easier. I would think to myself, "Master has borne so much karma and suffered so much for us. By taking down my legs, won't I be adding to what he has to bear, or won't I not be bearing the portion that I'm supposed to bear"? I was thus able to sit through some extremely painful mediations, eliminating evil and bearing karma on a smaller scale.

Reading ClearWisdom articles has helped me keep up with the Fa-rectification process, holding myself to a high standard during this important time. It has helped me look beyond my own personal cultivation and myself to instead offering salvation to others and assisting our Teacher in Fa-rectification. I've been able to guard my thoughts more diligently after reading stories about the incredible power of righteous thoughts in the face of evil. There is so much I've learned on a personal level from reading ClearWisdom articles.

Besides all of those things, my staying in touch with the situation in China through ClearWisdom and other news outlets has allowed me to share the Fa with many more people, in particular by way of stories about the persecution. Some people have a positive feeling towards Dafa when they hear of the China practitioners' conviction to principles and their commitment to nonviolent resistance. Others have sympathy towards practitioners in China and therefore feel connected to Dafa in that way. When I read what seems like an important or good article for everyday people to read, I send it out to an email list, which includes friends, family, and even some of my (now former) college professors. They've remarked many times at how glad they are that I help keep them updated, and have expressed admiration and compassion for those suffering in China. I've found also that knowing individuals' stories not only touches us, but it can really touch those around us. The suffering in China can become much more real to us and to others when we tell them about individuals' stories or details about the persecution, torture, etc. Simply knowing about the persecution in a general sense isn't enough if we want to assist Master in the world to the greatest extent possible, I feel. Everyday people find statistics and personal stories compelling, and we have to keep up with them in order to clarify the truth to people. Telling people about the persecution is a way to do all three of what Master asks us to do (quote) "clarify the truth with wisdom, validate the Fa with reason, spread the Fa and offer people salvation with benevolence." (end quote)

We need to know on a deep level what's going on with the persecution to be able to tell people about it.

If I didn't read ClearWisdom, I wouldn't know that over 130 practitioners have died thus far in police custody, due to maltreatment. I wouldn't know that China's President Jiang Zemin is the main one behind all of the persecution and that his health is failing quickly. I wouldn't know that the Fa-rectification is moving so fast, or how to keep up.

In the Great Lakes Lecture, Master said, "students both inside and outside of China are one body." For me, reading ClearWisdom articles everyday has allowed me to connect to the other parts of the body, particularly the ones in China. How can we act as one body if we have little idea what the rest of the body is doing? How can we assist the other parts of the body if we don't know their needs or their suffering? How can we clarify the truth about the situation in China, as Master asks us to do, if we don't know what the truth is? How can we expose the Evil, as Master asks us to do, if we don't really know what the Evil is doing? How can we keep up with the Fa-rectification process and truly assist the Teacher in the human world if we don't follow what's happening at the heart of the Fa-rectification? How can we act according to our Master's requirements during this special time if we don't read master's articles published there? Using the tool of ClearWisdom can allow us to step out of our own cultivation, step out of selfish thoughts about our own improvement, and see ourselves as part of the whole, a whole body that needs to act together and support one another, no matter where we are. I encourage everyone to spend some time reading ClearWisdom and to submit articles to it--you'll do both yourself and Dafa a great favor, and you'll be able to better meet Master's requirements for us.

Thank you.