(Minghui.org) After being persecuted financially by the old evil forces for a number of years, I recently overcame this tribulation. I would like to share with fellow practitioners about disintegrating financial persecution and gaining a clear understanding of cultivation during Fa-rectification.
I am a medical doctor. During my senior-year internship in a hospital, I didn't use the opportunity well to learn extra skills. I also wasted a few years after I graduated. Thus, I could only make a few hundred yuan each month because I didn't have any expertise. It took me three years to obtain a doctor's license. I now earn over 2,000 yuan, which is about what an average person makes.
A few days ago, a new doctor joined our clinic. This colleague was very aggressive and good at acquiring new patients. Doctors are paid on commission in private clinics in China. Before she joined the clinic, I had a good relationship with another doctor; we didn't compete for patients.
The new doctor challenged me in ways that made me lose my equilibrium. All of a sudden, jealousy, hatred, fighting, personal gain, and many other human attachments were stirred up in my mind. I was worked up for several days. When I saw the new doctor claiming new patients, I was resentful. But I was too shy to confront her. I wasn't afraid that she would upstage me, but I did not want to break the superficial peace in the office.
This led me to wanting to change my job. However, my technical level wasn't very high and I would likely face the same issue no matter where I went. My mind went back and forth, and I felt quite depressed. I then saw a sharing article on Minghui on the topic of fear and jealousy. I found it very helpful and started thinking through my problems: “Why was my skill level so low? Why didn't I do a good job of getting more patients? Why was my job performance only so-so? Why did my boss and colleagues agree that I was the least capable doctor at the clinic?” Dafa disciples should be very capable at anything they do. I wondered why this was not true in my case?
This prompted me to consider the issue of financial persecution at a deeper level.
When I returned home, I shared with my mother: “Good people shouldn't be so gullible that they are easily bullied. Dafa disciples' tolerance is not there to indulge others in unlimited pursuit of profit at their expense. It is also not supposed to be the 'sacrifice' in the aggressive and competitive climate at the workplace. Dafa disciples need to help people assimilate to Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance and position themselves well in the Fa-rectification.”
I realized that I should display Dafa's compassion and dignity, rectify the unrighteous and disintegrate the evil, validate Dafa, and save sentient beings. I shouldn't be stuck in personal cultivation; I must walk my journey well and save sentient beings during the Fa-rectification.
As Dafa disciples we should have dignity in the human world--not for personal gain, but to safeguard the Fa and, in doing so, to show compassion to sentient beings.
Master said:
“As human beings, we have the right to maintain human lives. Therefore, our living environment should meet the needs of human lives.” (Zhuan Falun)
As a doctor, treating patients is my job and responsibility. There's nothing wrong with protecting my right to work. As soon as I came to a clear understanding, I was able to get new patients the next day. My job performance also increased. The new colleague stopped taking all new patients and started to respect me.
This experience helped me understand Fa-rectification cultivation. I now have a better understanding of how the evil forces use our family, finances, and previous illnesses to persecute us. I see that many fellow practitioners have been stuck in the different kinds of persecution. Some don't even realize that it is persecution, only focusing on “tolerance” or “compassion” without negating the old forces. Some know that they are being persecuted, but do not know the reason and, therefore, suffer a lot amidst the tribulation.
I've realized that in general there are two reasons for being persecuted that one may not be aware of. The first is that the practitioner does not have a clear understanding of the Fa and hasn't considered these issues from the standpoint of the Fa in Fa-rectification cultivation. The second is that the practitioner hasn't changed his/her notions or eliminated an attachment that the old forces have magnified.
Evaluate Issues from the Standpoint of the Fa in Fa-Rectification Cultivation
If we cannot be clear about Fa-rectification cultivation, we won't be able to evaluate issues based on the Fa. I think this is critical for the current cultivation of Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples. Without this understanding, we will be taking the path of the old forces' arrangements and be prone to persecution.
An elderly fellow practitioner was bullied by her son. She often said: “Tolerance! Tolerance! No one can tolerate more than I do!” No matter how much others studied the Fa and shared with her, she was obsessed with cultivating “tolerance.” In the end, she suffered from severe sickness karma, her main consciousness became unclear, and she died.
Another practitioner was very steadfast and didn't fear anything. He was also very capable and had very high standards. Other people's work would rarely pass his standards. He was very attached to the idea that “Dafa disciples should be outstanding everywhere” and that “Dafa disciples should do well with family relations.” For the past several years, he has been very busy with family matters. He still does the three things, but has very limited time. When practitioners would invite him to send forth righteous thoughts in close proximity to an evil den or to clarify the truth in person, he often declined due to family matters. He has been blocked by the notion of “being a nice guy” and hasn't been able to assimilate to the group.
Master has told us:
“During the Fa-rectification, Dafa disciples have a different situation from when personal cultivation was done in the past. In the face of the groundless harming, in the face of the persecution of Dafa, and in the face of the injustice forced upon us, we cannot handle things or categorically accept things as before in personal cultivation, because Dafa disciples are now in the Fa-rectification period. If a problem isn’t caused by our own attachments or mistakes, then it must be that the evil is interfering or doing bad things.” (“Fa-Rectification and Cultivation” in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
When I consider these two practitioners, I think that their understanding of the Fa isn't clear. They were stuck in individual cultivation and allowed themselves to be manipulated by the old evil forces. The old forces took advantage of their attachments to persecute them.
During the Fa-rectification period, our cultivation is different than all cultivation forms of the past. If we cannot handle well the relationship between Dafa, Dafa disciples, and the old forces, then we will not have a clear understanding of Fa-rectification cultivation. This can easily lead us to be trapped in individual cultivation, and we will not be able to look at issues from a correct viewpoint. The persecution is not limited to only being arrested, having the house ransacked, and being sentenced to prison. There are many other invisible and hard-to-notice types of persecution.
The old forces use our families, finances, and sickness karma to persecute us. They use the persecution to magnify our remaining attachments. These so-called “tests” of Dafa disciples are used by the old forces to ruin us. This is different than removing attachments during individual cultivation. We need to be clear on this.
Dafa is so profound. If we are still unclear about what it means to be Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, we may stray from our path and be subjected to endless persecution by the old evil forces.
The two practitioners mentioned above did the three things. However, doing things may not necessarily amount to true cultivation. If we are not clear on the Fa principles, we may be persecuted and may not be successful in saving sentient beings. Cultivation is serious. One cannot muddle through it.
Uncover Notions and Attachments
Another reason that we are targets for persecution is our unrighteous attachments and notions. My parents divorced when I was little, and I grew up to be timid and hesitant, with low self-esteem. I tended to be negative and have a strong need to protect myself.
I wasted several years trying to find a job because these notions controlled me. I was too timid and negative! I thought I had no technical skills. I had low confidence and was afraid. I also had a strong ego. I couldn't face conflict because I was afraid of being hurt. I just wanted harmony and peace. With such notions, I avoided looking for a job, stayed home for a few years, and endured financial persecution.
I have now seen through the evil old forces' tricks. They persecuted me by using my notions to make me lose more self-esteem and courage. I couldn't stand up for myself even with my colleagues! They wanted me to dislike society, so I would not look for a job and then I would have no source of income.
Now I'm clearheaded. I understand that we are to cultivate amid the complexities of human society. How can we fear being hurt or having a conflict? I will eliminate fear, being timid, lack of confidence, and my negative notions. I will not be controlled by my attachments anymore. At the same time, I will display a Dafa disciples' dignity and courage. Good people are not to be bullied!
My notions were imposed on me by the evil old forces. They made this arrangement a long time ago. During our reincarnations lifetime after lifetime, they inserted bad substances into us in order to interfere with us during the Fa-rectification. When we are not alert, these notions can be magnified by the old forces to block us from assisting Master with Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings. We definitely cannot acknowledge this! We must clean them out.
I would like to recommend that fellow practitioners re-read Master's lectures in Guiding the Voyage and Essentials for Further Advancement II (especially “Beyond the Limits of Forbearance,” “Fa-Rectification and Cultivation,” “Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples,” “On 'The Dignity of Dafa',” “The Effect of Righteous Thoughts”), as well as “Touring North America to Teach the Fa” and “Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference.”
