(Clearwisdom.net)

It's a tradition for family members to get together during the Chinese New Year. On January 28, 2003, the three of us took the train to our hometown and began our trip.

Because my father has much experience, he is very proud and self-assured. Because he has attachments and does not read the Dafa books very often, he had many doubts. Other family members who are Dafa practitioners asked him to look at Dafa thoroughly and with a long-term perspective. They also used facts to supplement their advice. Gradually, my father was able to look at Dafa with the right mindset and eventually he actively participated in truth clarification activities.

My father always looked for opportunities to talk to us and he wanted to learn more about Dafa. At the same time, he also wanted to talk about his personal understandings. I used to think that since I practiced Dafa, I was better than any ordinary person in everything I did, and I always thought that all my opinions were correct. I treated all words by non-practitioners as low-level because I stubbornly thought they represented thoughts and understandings of ordinary people.

I now understand that we are extremely lucky to have obtained the Fa, but it's not because we ourselves are great. We also began cultivation from an ordinary person's level. We were ordinary people with notions belonging to ordinary people. And it's not as if we are perfect and everything we do conforms to the standards of Dafa once we start practicing Dafa.

I have many shortcomings: for example, I don't always think about others. I can't stand great hardships, and I also need to improve in the ways I clarify the truth. I should think of others more so that they will be able to accept the facts about Dafa more easily.

I realized my shortcomings and tried to improve. While talking with my father, I paid attention to adjusting my mentality and sincerely listened to him. I acknowledged some of his good understandings and encouraged him. In this way I made him feel like he is connected to Dafa. This was very important!

As Dafa practitioners, we must be clear about the profound nature of Dafa and Dafa disciples, and we must correctly position the two. A Dafa practitioner is a practitioner who treats the Fa as the teacher. For us to become pure immediately after we begin practicing is impossible. We still have many attachments. Dafa practitioners improve themselves through a process of constant self-purification.

When ordinary people are disrespectful of Master and Dafa, we should firmly uphold Master and Dafa, but we need to do it with compassion. When ordinary people point out our personal shortcomings and attachments, we should look inward and not cover up our attachments, using standing up for Dafa as an excuse. If we do that, we would unconsciously create a negative image for Dafa. By doing that, we would also create difficulties for offering salvation to people.

My mother was previously attached to her own understandings and pursued human comforts. She didn't do things strictly according to Dafa's requirements. When influenced by a relative who went astray due to brainwashing, she gave up Dafa practice and even advised us to stop studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. She said that we should relax and have some fun.

This certain relative didn't give up her fundamental attachment and cultivated with strong selfishness. She didn't have a good understanding of the Fa. Later, she hurried to make up for the loss she caused. She did some inappropriate things while clarifying the truth, though, and the evil took advantage of it. She was sent to a labor camp. In that dark and vicious environment, with great pressure from all sides, she began taking parts of Dafa and twisting the meaning. She used it as an excuse to turn against Master and Dafa. She gradually deviated from Dafa.

This relative could recite some of Master's Fa very well, but through singling parts out and twisting the meanings, she won my mother's trust. At the same time my mother found justification for her own pursuit of comfort and show-off mentality.

We solemnly pointed out that this was extremely wrong and dangerous! We said that Master has always told us that Dafa practitioners must both study and practice, and they should not stop, even at the last moment of their cultivation!

When mother asked, "Why are you so afraid of being 'reformed?'" We used an analogy to explain: this is not an issue of fear! If there is an outhouse and someone says to you, "You are afraid because it's dirty, and you dare not jump in", and you say, "I'm not afraid!" and to prove you are not afraid of filth, you jump in. So what's the result? Why would you dirty yourself to prove you're not afraid? Why would you do such a foolish thing? Once you go against Dafa, what would you have to face? In order to show yourself off, you are "not afraid of being reformed," but that is being irresponsible!

Through cultivation our body was purified and our xinxing was improved; our lives are infinitely better than before. If we stop studying and practicing in exchange for temporary comfort, the so-called "ease" will bring eternal regret.

The aforementioned relative practiced with a selfish mentality, including strong attachments to Consummation and wanting to obtain benefits in the human world. She studied the Fa with attachments and could not understand Fa principles with a righteous mind. She clarified the truth imprudently, and someone turned her in. Because she couldn't endure the torture, her attachments eventually led her astray. When the evil deluded her, she didn't realize the evil was persecuting her, and she developed hostility and hatred toward Master and Dafa.

My wife and I kept sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil in other dimensions that manipulate people to persecute Dafa practitioners. At the same time, we harmonized with the Fa on the human level with righteous thoughts and righteous actions; we didn't treat this relative any differently, and consoled her with the compassion of a Dafa practitioner. "The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities." (Zhuan Falun)

Later, this relative went to my wife and told her about her suffering. I joined their conversation and solemnly pointed out, "Dafa practice is voluntary. So many people are practicing, clarifying the truth, exposing the evil and offering salvation to people. When they encounter problems, they look inward and bear no regrets, while you refuse to check yourself and turn around and complain about Master and Dafa. What is this? Secondly, because you practiced Dafa, you and your family benefited tremendously; great changes took place in your home. You should have a proper conscience and not turn around to attack Master and Dafa." She couldn't say anything in reply. In this way, we helped to eliminate the evil elements that were interfering with her.

Before we went back, this relative wanted to talk some more. Through more conversations, this relative awakened and she is returning to Dafa.

From this experience, I realized that I lacked a great deal of tolerance and compassion, and my human notions were too heavy. Because we are all relatives, we knew each other's temperament. When I first heard what this relative did to Dafa C making wild comments about Master and Dafa, I could not hold back my anger. As I talked, I raised my voice and my heart raced. Bad human notions surfaced.

There is one thing we should pay attention to when talking to people who go astray: we must be compassionate and harmonious throughout. With benevolence that melts steel, we can change them with our compassion and rationality.

In fact, these people who went astray are in deep anguish. We absolutely cannot tolerate their crimes against Dafa and Dafa practitioners, and we must firmly stop it. But we should be as compassionate as possible for their human side. They unwillingly went astray and did it while being manipulated by the evil beings in other dimensions.

Regardless of these practitioners' motives when they first began practicing Dafa, they cultivated because they thought Dafa was good. If it were not for the evil's persecution, these people would not have taken such a tragic detour. We must help these fellow practitioners and encourage each other. Let us continue on the Fa-rectification cultivation path arranged by Master, which leads to Consummation. This would be a manifestation of our improvement as a whole.

We are Dafa practitioners and also members of society. Master tells us to maximally conform to the ways of ordinary human society while cultivating. That means that the Fa also requires us to carry out our responsibilities and duties in human society during Fa-rectification cultivation; this is needed to uphold and harmonize the Fa on the human level, and it is needed to create a path for humans to become gods in future.

When there are chores around the house that need to be done or things that need fixing up, I always try my best to do them. This is the right thing for a Dafa practitioner to do in thinking about others, and also helps non-practitioners to see Dafa practitioners in a positive light.

In writing this article, I realized more than ever that everything we do and encounter has a purpose in Fa-rectification. Things look simple or trivial, but they are not. As long as we take the Fa as Teacher and look at things from the perspective of the Fa and of Fa-rectification, we will see that it is a magnificent, solemn process.

In Fa-rectification cultivation, we need to change our ways of looking at things with human notions. We should truly regard ourselves as Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, take the Fa as Teacher in everything, see through the superficial and recognize the true cause behind all things, and take solid steps with the righteous thoughts and righteous actions.

The above are some of my understandings and experiences. Please compassionately point out anything inappropriate.

April 6, 2003