(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners in some regions were severely persecuted in recent years, and some were imprisoned. I believe that the first thought we have is very important when dealing with dangerous situations.
The nature of the Communist Party is evil, and just like a poison, it is poisonous. So I am not going to spend time discussing the evil. When a practitioner is facing illegal arrest, one shall not let fear dominate one’s mind.
Master said,
“Should you have fear,it will seize upon youIf thoughts are righteous,evil will collapse...” (“What’s to Fear?,” Hong Yin Volume II)
We should handle the situation with righteous thoughts and have faith that Master is watching and protecting us. In other dimensions, the old forces are always watching to exploit the loopholes we have. If we can keep our thoughts on the Fa and not waver when encountering difficult situations, and be considerate of others, Master Li (Dafa’s founder) will help us to disintegrate the evil factors.
Different Outcomes for Two Practitioners
Mr. Hu (alias) and his wife were illegally detained in a local detention center many years ago when the persecution of Falun Gong was most severe. They were beaten and suffered other forms of torture. In the end, they were each sentenced to 10 years in prison.
It was about noon when Mr. Hu was transported to prison. An inmate told him to wait and he would fetch lunch for him. Mr. Hu answered, “Thank you, but don’t bother. I will have lunch at home, not here.”
Mr. Hu recalled thinking that it was a good opportunity to eliminate the evil in prison, since the prison was several hundred kilometers from his home and he rarely had the chance to face the evil from such close proximity. He sat on a bed with his legs crossed and sent forth righteous thoughts.
A short time later, he heard that the prison would send him home in the afternoon. He didn’t develop zealotry and continued to send forth righteous thoughts.
A van took him home in the afternoon. At first the authorities said they would send his wife home as well. However, the plan changed and his wife was not released.
Mr. Hu’s wife was released about eight years later.
Recalling her first day in prison, Mr. Hu’s wife said she felt hopeless and unwittingly accepted the old forces’ arrangements.
Their outcomes were different because the two practitioners had different thoughts on their first day in prison.
Master had already explained how we should handle the tribulations in “Expounding on the Fa.”
Master said,
“Whenever a tribulation comes, you do not see it with the side of your original nature but view it completely with your human side. Evil demons then capitalize on this point and inflict endless interference and damage, leaving students in long-term tribulations. As a matter of fact, this results from an inadequate understanding of the Fa by your human side. You have humanly restrained your divine side; in other words, you have restrained the parts that have been successfully cultivated and have prevented them from doing Fa-rectification. How can the uncultivated side restrain your main thoughts or the side that has already attained the Fa? Having humanly fostered the evil demons, you allow them to capitalize on the loopholes in the Fa.” (“Expounding on the Fa,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
The old forces are watching every thought of practitioners. They will utilize any loopholes they find. If this happens, Master couldn’t help us even though his Fashen is always with us.
Master said,
“When a tribulation arrives, if you, a disciple, can truly maintain an unshakable calm or be determined to meet different requirements at different levels, this should be sufficient for you to pass the test. If it continues endlessly and if there do not exist other problems in your xinxing or conduct, it must be that the evil demons are capitalizing on the weak spots caused by your lack of control. After all, a cultivator is not an ordinary human. So why doesn’t the side of you that is your original nature rectify the Fa?” (“Expounding on the Fa,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
“I said that just by remaining unmoved you could handle all situations.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Canada Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. V)
Facing a tribulation, practitioners should let go of their egos (selfishness) and be considerate of all sentient beings. Don’t just think of yourself as a victim, and that if they persecute you, you will fight them. This will breed all sorts of attachments, such as competitiveness, resentment, and superiority. These human notions can easily be exploited by the evil and increase the tribulations.
The Different Outcomes of Three Practitioners
Three practitioners were arrested while they were out clarifying the truth.
Recalling their hearing, one practitioner said, “I didn’t think about myself. I looked at the people on the trial bench and thought that although we were suffering from the tribulation, it was them that could be destroyed. I shed tears for them. ‘Master, don’t let these sentient beings commit crimes against Dafa and ruin them.’”
She let go of herself and was completely altruistic. The judge sentenced her to one year in prison but released her and another practitioner immediately from the court.
The third practitioner explained to the court that she was old and her family was poor. She asked the court not to imprison her. She was sentenced to three years in jail and was later "transformed." She had no righteous thoughts when she was released and has not resumed cultivation.
Divine or human, the first thought can cause different outcomes.
What persecutes us are the evil factors in other dimensions. We certainly want to eradicate them with righteous thoughts. These public prosecutors who are manipulated and who do not know the truth are pitiful. They are being used by the old forces and will ultimately face destruction. Dafa disciples who follow Master in the Fa-rectification should be compassionate and save them.
The above are my personal understandings. Please correct me if anything does not conform to the Fa.
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Category: Improving Oneself