(Clearwisdom.net) In my humble opinion, some fellow practitioners don't seem to have a clear understanding on ending the persecution of Falun Gong immediately because they haven't had a good understanding of the old forces and the nature of the persecution. Having been inspired by Teacher's "Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital"(2007), I would like to share my humble insights on this subject.
I would like to explain my understanding of the old forces by using an analogy of vicious dogs roaming the only path to our destination. We know those dogs bite, so striding forward and arriving at the destination is a test of valor. But I don't believe any of us think that those vicious dogs are supposed to be there, that it's proof of faith to be able to endure dog bites, or that the biting dogs are a necessary part of the journey. Obviously this is a crude analogy, but it suffices to illustrate the redundancy of the old forces--the biting dogs. Like the vicious dogs, we shouldn't accept the existence of the old forces from the very beginning. On the other hand, we have learned that the Fa-rectification will impact the old forces, which are bound to take negative actions as sure as vicious dogs will bite. It is a test of faith to righteously do what we are supposed to do in the Fa-rectification and remain impervious to the old forces' interferences. But we should never accept the existence of the old forces or believe that being able to endure the demonic tribulations they have arranged is a test of faith. Neither should we believe that the Fa-rectification will not succeed without the old forces or that the old forces are a necessary part of the Fa-rectification.
Before the persecution that began in July1999, we cultivated in an everyday society that prepared us to meet the standard for Falun Gong practitioners in the Fa-rectification period. On July 20, 1999, China launched its evil persecution of Falun Gong. But the persecution is no more than an obstacle in the Fa-rectification. To help with Teacher's Fa-rectification, we must remove this obstacle. Meanwhile, we must fulfill our missions by clarifying the truth about Falun Gong so that people will know that Falun Gong is good and that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) propaganda about Falun Gong is completely false. This is so that more people will have a chance to practice Falun Gong or be saved by having a positive attitude towards Falun Gong.
While we have been clarifying the truth, the CCP has not ceased its human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners. It has become even more rampant. It follows that while we are revealing the CCP's evil nature to people, we must also obtain support from people and governments worldwide and rescue our fellow practitioners. This is what we must do to protest the persecution. Meanwhile, we must clarify the truth about the CCP in depth so that people will not accept the CCP's evil lies. These tasks share one consistent goal: saving sentient beings. Therefore, it is important for us to spread The Epoch Times' Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and to reveal facts of the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in every city in China.
We have high regard for those imprisoned fellow practitioners who persevere in their faith in Falun Gong. However, we shouldn't think that the evil has made a great contribution to the Fa-rectification because the arrests, imprisonments, and tortures arranged by the evil successfully tested those fellow practitioners' faith. We must never believe that the evil has done a good thing or its evil arrangements are justified because the tortured practitioners came out of their arrangements as better cultivators.
This is very similar to the analogy of the biting dogs. It may be remarkable for a practitioner to brave the threat of vicious dogs and arrive at the final destination, but it does not mean that the biting dogs should take any credit for the practitioner that completes the journey or that being bitten by dogs is justified. It is necessary to fight off or even eradicate the dogs in order to arrive at the destination. As for the old forces, they have become completely degenerated. When they stand opposed to Teacher's Fa-rectification, we must completely deny their existence and eliminate them and their arrangements with our righteous thoughts.
Some people may assert that those practitioners who have prevailed over the persecution arranged by the old forces have established great mighty virtue. It is true, but enduring the persecution in and of itself isn't what established their mighty virtue. The real mighty virtue is established when they are impervious to the old forces' persecution, persevere in their faith, and continue to clarify the truth about Falun Gong and do the three things Teacher requires of us. Just like a farmer does not become a qigong master because he endures the blazing sun to work in the paddies, a practitioner does not improve his cultivation level because he endures the old forces' persecution. What makes them remarkable is their righteous faith in Falun Gong manifested in the adverse environment. That's the real mighty virtue. The evil old forces didn't establish the mighty virtue for us. We establish our mighty virtue by cultivating in Falun Gong. It's Falun Gong that should take credit, not the evil old forces.
With this in mind, we should deny the existence of the wicked old forces from the very beginning. We must constantly try to stop the persecution while continuing to validate Falun Gong. This is where we stand and where we shall always stand. As of August 2007, this wicked persecution has lasted eight long years. This is because we have not done well. We have not seen through the evil nature of the old forces. In the past eight years, the incarcerated practitioners have endured a great deal of agony and tribulations. In fact, Teacher has endured a lot for us. Teacher has taught us about the old forces, but we haven't enlightened on the Fa well enough. This is our fault. Teacher said,
"The process of Fa-rectification is what's central, so the old forces cannot be allowed to just participate as they wish. Given that this is Fa-rectification, I am particularly insistent on the path I wish to take, as this is about creating the future. All that I have done in the cosmos is most worthy of cherishing, and it is what I will affirm and acknowledge in the future. Things that I don't want cannot be acknowledged or affirmed--they are a disgrace." ("Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital")
What does Teacher expect from us? Teacher expects us to do the three things well while denying and eliminating the old forces. I don't believe that Teacher expects us to establish personal mighty virtue by enduring the persecution arranged by the old forces, because Teacher does not acknowledge the old forces or their arrangements! It would be a disgrace to acknowledge the old forces' arrangements! Therefore, we must not allow the old forces to interfere with Teacher's Fa-rectification and we must end the persecution right away! This is the path we must walk!
During our cultivation practice, Teacher expects us to walk our paths righteously and not to leave any loopholes for the old forces to exploit. This is because we must enlighten to the Fa to walk our path well. While walking on the path under the tutelage of the Fa, we are also establishing mighty virtue for the universe. If Teacher were to eliminate the old forces completely, Teacher would have to eliminate and recreate us as well. Recreated beings would not be ourselves.
Everything has to do with our cultivation practice because everything has cause and effect. We must be clear on the Fa and fundamentally deny the old forces and their arrangements. We must end the persecution right away so that the sentient beings will have time and opportunities to know Falun Gong and choose wisely. This is for the purpose of spreading Falun Gong and saving more sentient beings.
Teacher said,
"The beings at different levels each have their own perspectives on this persecution. Some see it as a path that must be traveled that is full of tests, while others consider it the result of old elements from across the entire cosmos being stirred up. Still others regard it as laying out a path for Dafa disciples. And beings at lower levels think that, as the righteous emerges, the evil is bound to do harm. Regardless of the perspectives of beings at different levels, I am intent on doing my things well, and Dafa disciples must walk their paths." ("Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital")
After studying the above passage of the Fa, I enlightened to the truth that the beings at different levels should not ask Teacher to accept their different perspectives because Teacher does not acknowledge them. The perspectives of the old forces and beings above the levels of the old forces are incorrect and there is only one truly correct perspective, and that is Teacher's perspective. The things Teacher wants to accomplish are part of the Fa-rectification. What should Falun Gong practitioners do? Aren't we supposed to help achieve Teacher's goals? In that case, we must deny all the incorrect understandings about the Fa-rectification and we must end the persecution right away. This is the way of genuine Falun Gong practitioners in the Fa-rectification period.