(Clearwisdom.net) Students in China, including those attending elementary, middle and high schools as well as colleges, have been poisoned by the official propaganda against Falun Gong. They often have misunderstandings about Dafa. As a teacher I would like to share the following experiences and lessons I learned in clarifying the truth to this group of people.
This semester I have been assigned to teach fine art. When I clarified the truth to fourth-grade students, I told them, "I will show you the work of Falun Dafa practitioners. Because they all believe in Truth, Compassion and Forbearance, their work is very beautiful." I noticed that one child was somewhat surprised when I mentioned Falun Gong, but he continued to listen. At the end of the class, after they had finished their drawings, I solemnly told them to be good people and good students, and that they need to be tolerant and kind to others. Finally I asked them what their impression of Falun Gong was. Many children said, "Not good." I then sincerely asked them to remember what I had told them and that Falun Dafa was good. They replied that they would remember.
Some children have complicated thoughts on this issue. My class had such a student. When I first mentioned Falun Gong to him, he was very resistant and accused me of having ill intentions. He said that I should not tell him all these things. He even cried. But I still tried my best to help him. I talked with him whenever there was a chance. Later, when I clarified the truth in class, he was no longer that resistant. One time he told me, "Teacher, I have a thought that I know is wrong. I hope that everyone around me practices Falun Gong but that I do not need to practice. That way everyone will be kind towards me." I smiled and said, "If everyone around you practices Falun Gong, then you will also become good-tempered." Although his change is not very obvious, at least he is no longer that resistant.
In a literature class where parents accompanied their children, I had a concern: If I clarified the truth to them, what would the parents think? But I tried to suppress this concern and told them that I practice Falun Gong and that Falun Gong is very good. The education system in China is not very responsible for children and does not teach them to be kind to others. But many children who practice Falun Gong are very kind to others. I also gave some examples of young practitioners. In the end I told them that I was going to have to resign from my position for various reasons. Those parents later expressed regret at my leaving and said that their children came to class just for me.
I initially did not know how to bring up the issue of my resignation with the principal of the school. When I learned that he used to be a physical education teacher, I asked him whether he was interested in qigong. Later we discussed Falun Gong. He did not understand the mass appeal. I then told him the following story: In the Ming dynasty there was a righteous official named Yu Qian. He was framed and slandered by a corrupt official, Wang Zhen. As a result, he was put in jail. Many people in Yu Qian's area went to appeal in Beijing, requesting his release. Over 10,000 people gathered outside the imperial palace. Wang Zhen finally had to surrender. Such appeals occurred even in ancient China, so it is not surprising that it happens today. However, the person in power may deal with those appeals in different ways. I hoped that he would have a positive attitude toward Falun Gong. He said that he would read the book and judge for himself. He also did not want me to resign from my position.
Later I realized that I needed to get rid of my ordinary people's attachments and have righteous thoughts to save sentient beings.
We, ourselves, can cause tribulations. When I worried that the parents would report me for promoting Falun Gong in class I thought, "I hope this never happens because the parents would generate karma. On the other hand, if the officials do find out about this, I will treat them as sentient beings who need to be saved. Of course, I need a stable job and I cannot lose my job because I wish to clarify the truth." As a result of these conflicting thoughts, an official indeed came to investigate me. He asked me to give up my practice. I then told him to be compassionate and not to persecute practitioners. After talking for an hour, he said he wanted to read the book, so I gave him a copy.
After this incident, I examined my thoughts closely and realized that I was not dealing with the issue of cultivation very seriously. When I encounter difficulties, I can be very diligent in studying the Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts. I can suppress any attachments and be rational. But once the environment becomes peaceful, I relax. This causes me to be complacent in my cultivation. As a result, I sometimes mix in ordinary notions when I clarify the truth and other people cannot feel that I am truly helping them.
All of my attachment to fear originated from being not compassionate and being worried about fighting. I also feared that I would mess things up. I need to try very hard to suppress those attachments. However, I can only face them. There are already two children in my class who want to obtain the Fa. They are already reading Zhuan Falun. I feel that I need to protect them and be responsible for what I do. I should keep righteous thoughts and not let the evil interfere. That way Teacher will support me and every righteous factor will support me, too. Meanwhile I decided to clarify the truth to the parents so that they will know what the persecution means.
