(Clearwisdom.net) Along with the progression of the Fa-rectification, more and more printing sites are appearing in rural areas and becoming a major source for truth-clarification materials about Falun Dafa. At the same time, some general problems and potential problems should be given our attention. Solving these problems will help the printing sites play a better role.
1. The Financial Issue
Since the evil forces persecute practitioners by "financially devastating them," many practitioners are in financially tight situations. The farmers in rural areas are living an even harder life. Therefore, lack of financial support is the first problem when setting up a printing site.
According to what I know, the printing site in my area totally depends on the financial support from practitioners in another city. Another printing site was set up by borrowing some money. They managed to pay the money back themselves after two years of operation. During actual operation, the materials consumed and the maintenance of the equipment both cost money. Sometimes, when there is a lack of money, but an urgent need to print truth-clarification materials and Teacher's articles, even economically-stressed practitioners would use money they saved from living a simple life during Fa-rectification.
Of course many practitioners are doing great in this respect, even though their lives are not easy. I remember that on Clearwisdom.net there was a report about an older practitioner in a rural area. He gave several Chinese dollars to a practitioner for printing materials. It was money from selling the eggs of a chicken he raised. He said, "Although it's not much, you can print a few more copies of the flyers. When someone steps out of his door and reads it, he will learn the truth and be saved." Isn't this modest and simple thinking?
I thought about the vows we made before coming to this world. That is to validate the Fa, save sentient beings, and position ourselves and help them position themselves properly. Many practitioners are doing well, sending the money they saved to the printing sites - even their own life is hard. It is really precious. However, there are also some practitioners, who are doing well in other aspects, but ignoring the money issue.
Some practitioners treat the money they give as a donation, or something they give away. I don't think it proper to say so. The fact that we are now validating the Fa and saving the sentient beings unconditionally and voluntarily, without expecting any return, is part of the great vows we made in front of Teacher before this historical time. We are now living out those vows. It is not like donations and giving money in everyday life. It is something we ought to do, and something that we do for ourselves and our future. I think that if the practitioners can come to a higher understanding on this matter, there shouldn't be a lack of financial support for the printing sites.
2. The Security Issue
Along with the progression of the Fa-rectification, the overall situation of the Fa-rectification is improving. However, the evil is not completely eliminated and we shouldn't slack off.
People living in rural areas, unlike those in urban areas who have isolated circles of communication, are having frequent and close contact with each other. If something happens in one family, it will spread to the whole village within one day. Therefore, for a printing site to operate smoothly for a long time, it is important to take the security issues seriously.
Take the printing site in my area for example. Apart from the two family members who are working there, there are two more people for delivering the materials and coordination. It has been operating for two years and only these two people know about it. Even their family members, although they too are practitioners, do not know about the printing site. The reason we are able to keep it secret is that we always think of being responsible to Dafa, to the fellow practitioners, and to ourselves.
During the past, some printing sites in the rural areas didn't take the security issue seriously and people working there didn't cultivate their speech. They paid a dear price.
While discussing the issues related to the printing site and delivery methods, we have to remember not to mention practitioners' names. We just replace their names by "fellow practitioners." When making contact between printing sites, it is better not to do it using the telephone. We can make the extra effort to go and meet each other. Personally, I don't think that prioritizing security is an attachment to fear, but rather a reflection of Dafa disciples' rationality and wisdom. Why can't we be clear-headed after fellow practitioners paved the path with their lives and paid the price with their blood? We ought to learn from this lesson, especially to cultivate speech well.
3. The Coordination Issue
Currently, the printing sites in rural areas are flourishing everywhere. With this, it becomes even more important for the printing sites to work together well. When some practitioners make mistakes, we should not criticize too much, but quietly make up for it and help solve the problems. When others question our work, we should look within rather than outward with strong attachments. We should not feel unbalanced or separated from each other to such an extent as to affect the divine work of saving sentient beings.
Teacher says clearly in Zhuan Falun:
"To tell you the truth, the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments."
In fact, Teacher has told us explicitly in the article "Further Understanding" written on September 9, 1996,
"Do you realize that as long as you're a cultivator, in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across--even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are--to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what's most important.
If you are able to succeed in improving yourself this way, what you do then, with a pure heart, will be the best and most sacred." ("Further Understanding" from Essentials for Further Advancement)
My fellow practitioners, when we can look within and quietly support each other when we encounter obstacles, we can form a strong body. The evil will be frozen. They will have nowhere to hide in the righteous field of practitioners until they are completely eliminated.
4. The Issue of Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts
You must have read from Clearwisdom Weekly suggestions to send forth righteous thoughts to help practitioners working at the printing sites. However, most of the suggestions were made after they were persecuted. I found that most practitioners didn't actually send forth righteous thoughts for our printing sites.
Because the printing sites play an important role in validating Dafa and saving sentient beings, the evil minions and rotten ghosts are waiting for a chance to bring damage to them. We as Dafa disciples should form a great force of one body to send forth powerful righteous thoughts to strengthen the practitioners at the printing sites and guarantee their proper operation. I think each and every practitioner should take it seriously. If we can frequently send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference at the printing sites and practitioners working there, the printing sites will be able to function properly in a better environment. Then it is not just a few practitioners taking care of everything related to the printing sites. If we can really do that, the persecution will cease to exist.
Since the first day that our local printing site was set up, I have been frequently sending forth righteous thoughts with another practitioner who knows about it without a break. This has continued for the past two years.
The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out any mistakes.
