(Clearwisdom.net) I may be far away from home [to avoid further persecution,] but I have never forgotten about fellow practitioners imprisoned in jail. I wonder what more I can do to help them.
As I read Teacher's Fa, I burst into tears because I have let Teacher down and failed to carry out my mission and responsibilities as a Falun Gong practitioner. For the past year, the police have repeatedly destroyed Falun Gong practitioners' truth-clarification materials sites. The money that fellow practitioners saved to make Falun Gong truth-clarification materials fell into the hands of the police. I have witnessed dozens of fellow practitioners being illegally arrested. Their homes were ransacked and they have been subjected to torture. I have repeatedly escaped because of Teacher's compassion and protection, but it does not mean that I have nothing to do with the arrest of fellow practitioners in my area. The evil has been exploiting our area's failure to cooperate and coordinate with each other. These problems are the reason why the evil is able to survive in our area.
Teacher said,
"Since today I'm going into greater depth about the format and state of cultivation and spelling things out, when you cooperate with each other [from now on] you shouldn't have the attachment of putting up your guard against others anymore. Whether it be your blaming each other, using human attachments to push each other away, or all kinds of states--I can tell you, all of those are new attachments that appeared due to your not understanding the format of [Dafa] cultivation. Isn't that the case? Yes, it is! So, don't develop a new attachment as a result of not understanding the state of cultivation. That attachment would itself be a giant impediment to progress in your cultivation, so you need to get rid of it, too." ("Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital")
When the practitioners in our area had conflicts and failed to coordinate with each other, I always found faults in others. This practitioner is confrontational in his tone and mentality. This practitioner refuses to accept criticism or seek within. This practitioner is forming factions and cliques. This practitioner focuses on doing Dafa work and not on his cultivation practice. I see nothing but fellow practitioners' faults.
Today I calmed down and searched inward. I tried to identify if I had the same problems I saw in others. Teacher said,
"These problems have already become very serious. It would be good if they could manage to search within themselves for the things that they have been able to find in others." ("A Dialogue with Time" in Essentials for Further Advancement)
Why did I fail to see the problems I saw in fellow practitioners as the reflection of my own problems? I am a veteran cultivator who obtained the Fa over a decade ago, but I don't even know to search within and rectify myself when I encounter conflicts. It shows how incredibly stubborn my acquired notions are. The Fa-rectification is approaching an end. Teacher has repeatedly reminded us to cultivate ourselves well. Cultivating ourselves is the fundamental guarantee for us to walk the remaining path well.
In order to survive in society, I have accumulated a lot of thought karma in the process of knowing the ways of the world and becoming diplomatic, tactful, slick and sly. As a result, I failed to honestly give my feedback because I wanted to protect fellow practitioners and myself from getting hurt. As a result, a Falun Gong coordinator famous among practitioners was arrested recently and her whereabouts remain unknown. For many years, she has been walking steadily on the path to validate the Fa and bearing a lot of responsibilities. Hence, she has always been basking in fellow practitioners' praise and admiration. But each cultivator has human thoughts to be purged. When we are overcome with the mentality of showing off or become self-important, we will refuse to accept criticism.
I had worked with her for a period of time, and although I noticed her attachments, I failed to be responsible for her. Instead, I tried to avoid conflicts with her. I even found an excuse for myself. I told myself that I was being forgiving and tolerant. But I realized I had been wrong when I read the following passage of the Fa. Teacher said,
"There are many religious groups today who say: "Oh, look at how good things are with us here. Everyone is very caring and loving towards one another." What are they loving, though? (Audience laughs) They love attachments, love happiness in the mortal world, and love maintaining that human pleasantness among people. Is that cultivation? It's not! Absolutely not. That's only a shield used to protect human attachments." ("Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital")
I was shocked when I read the above passage of the Fa. Isn't Teacher pointing out my problem? Why didn't I realize it in the past? I was even complacent and rather pleased with myself. If I had not been hampered by these notions and if I had told her about her attachments in time, perhaps she would have been spared from the arrest. I have absolutely no intention of criticizing her. I sincerely hope that this will become a lesson for everyone. Cultivation is solemn and we must never slack off.
Cultivation is about cultivating ourselves. I hope that all the practitioners in Qiqihar City will calm down and search within. We shouldn't think that the damage to those truth-clarification materials sites had nothing to do with us, but only with those practitioners involved in the sites. We shouldn't think that this coordinator was arrested because of her personal xinxing problems. In my humble opinion, the evil has been gazing at our truth-clarification materials sites with the cruel greed of a tiger. Isn't it targeting Falun Gong? Despite fellow practitioners' loopholes, the evil has no right to use them to justify the arrests. If we should agree with the evil's reasoning, wouldn't we be acknowledging the evil's arrangement? If we receive truth-clarification materials, have we thought about the incredible risks these practitioners at the sites have been taking or the incredible pressure they are under? Have we been sending forth righteous thoughts for our truth-clarification sites? If only each and every practitioner would place the Fa before everything and create more truth-clarification materials sites! It takes as few as three to five practitioners to build a truth-clarification site. We should prevail over the notion of depending on or waiting for other practitioners to do things for us. If we have truth-clarification materials sites all over Qiqihar City, the evil will self-destruct in Qiqihar because the existence of such sites all over the city will disintegrate the evil and the old forces.
Additionally, all practitioners involved should search inward and ask ourselves if we are responsible for the arrest of this coordinator. For the past few years, she has been bearing a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders. In order to reduce her workload, she had some practitioners form a new team. However, these practitioners were unwilling to work independently. They would rather work with her because they thought it would be safe to stay close to her. Isn't such a notion and behavior an excuse for the old forces to persecute her? We failed to be responsible for her. Moreover, we pushed her in the wrong direction. Shouldn't we eliminate our human thoughts? I wonder how she is doing. I hope that all the practitioners in Qiqihar City will utilize their strengths and publish the information about those arrested fellow practitioners on the minghui.ca/Clearwisdom.net websites so as to facilitate the rescue of these practitioners.
I have many human thoughts that need rectifying. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate in my understanding.
