(Clearwisdom.net) In September 2009, my relative, a practitioner, who was arrested by State Security Brigade, was illegally sentenced after being detained for six months. Many fellow practitioners were at a loss. "We have clarified the truth. Fellow practitioners throughout the county have been sending righteous thoughts as one body. Letters advising to do good were sent out. Many people have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) because of our efforts. Why is our fellow practitioner still detained and why were we not as successful as in the past?"
We came to understand through studying the Fa that the old forces arranged everything for each and every practitioner so that the old forces could achieve what they wanted. If we practitioners cannot follow the path that Teacher arranged, it would be like falling into the path the old forces arranged. This, of course, includes the respective practitioner, as well as practitioners who heard about the persecution, how they reacted at that moment, and whether their thoughts were on the Fa.
When hearing the news that the authorities had broken into a practitioner's residence, what was each practitioner's first thought? Was it seen as persecution by a human to another human? When we heard that practitioner's homes were ransacked and that Dafa books and materials about Falun Gong were confiscated, did we think what they confiscated were Fa instruments for saving people? When they arrested practitioners, what was our first thought? Did we think, "We should not do as they ask, ignore their instructions and demands?" When informed that no one would be released before October 1, did we have the thought that only what Teacher says matters? Or, when hearing how the CCP persecutes practitioners in its prisons, did we think that they were stronger than practitioners and see ourselves as victims?
When hearing that files about practitioners were taken to the prosecutor's office and court, what was our first thought? Did we think, "Practitioners are gods that are standing tall and wide--they cannot be judged by humans?" When seeing that the practitioners were forced to sign documents and were fingerprinted, what was our first thought? Were we thinking that there was no way out, instead of considering that, as practitioners, we are protected by Teacher and Dafa? Teacher said,
"Master-Disciple Grace
Violent evil has raged four years
With a steady helm, bearings are not lost
Fa disciples experience evil's trials
Heavy pressure does not change their will
Master and disciples have no use for sentiment Buddha's grace transforms heaven and earth
Disciples' righteous thoughts are strong
Master has the power to turn the tide"February 1, 2004
We are Dafa disciples! As veteran practitioners, we have been practicing Dafa for more than a dozen years. Aren't we supposed to first think of our Teacher's guidance at critical moments? Are we believing Teacher and trusting the Fa 100 percent? Are we still acknowledging the evils' existence in our minds?
As far as I was concerned, when facing the persecution, the environment was filled with fear. I knew then that the evil people were really scared, not practitioners. Even though I sent righteous thoughts continuously to eliminate this kind of feeling, I failed to let it go, so I asked myself, "What am I afraid of? Am I afraid of being persecuted? Am I afraid of losing my peaceful livelihood? Am I afraid of losing personal benefits?" The fundamental problem was "selfishness." This fear caused me to not understand the Fa clearly and even to forget about the Fa. This fear did not get disintegrated until I had an opportunity to participate in dealing with the police, going to court, and clarifying truth when hiring an attorney.
As I recall, when I was persecuted, I didn't think about protecting Dafa books, because I heard that they had already been confiscated. I seemed to acknowledge that I had been robbed. Thus, instead of protecting Dafa books, I thought of safeguarding other important items at the scene. But, they didn't find my Dafa books.
Fellow practitioners, as long as every one of our thoughts is on the Fa, the evil people won't dare persecute us. But when persecution had already taken place we still harbored resentment in the deep recesses of our thoughts, and those everyday people whose minds were still poisoned lodged a false accusation against practitioners. We aren't able to look within ourselves to see where our gaps are, giving the evil the opportunity to use our loopholes and take advantage of us. Although we have gaps, the old forces aren't allowed to persecute us, yet "they" find gaps. Everyday people can seem bigger than practitioners in our minds; When hearing that an everyday person might come up with something to assist us, he might considered, in our subconscious, bigger than Teacher, even though we don't acknowledge that on the surface.
Actually, we were tightly holding God in one hand, and tightly holding an everyday person in the other. When fellow practitioners that have been persecuted kindly reminded us that we were supposed to spend money like everyday people, were we subconsciously regarding money as more important than the Fa? If that was the case, how could Teacher take care of us?
Of course, believing Teacher and trusting the Fa isn't a verbal thing. It is a realm in real cultivation. Talking about righteous thoughts in a peaceful situation is entirely different than when under great pressure, when fellow practitioners and their loved ones are being persecuted.
April 9, 2010
