Awakening People’s Conscience with Compassion

(Minghui.org) Remembering my experience of clarifying the truth over the years, I feel that what’s most important is that we use our compassion to awaken people’s conscience.

The Pursuit of Compassion Led Me to Falun Dafa

As long as I can remember, I always searched for gods and Buddhas. I wanted to learn how to be a good, kind, and compassionate person. If I came across a book that talked about being “divine” or having “compassion” I read it. 

A colleague mentioned that the book Zhuan Falun, the main book of the cultivation practice Falun Dafa, was great, so I borrowed it in May 1998. After reading it I felt that it was a wonderful book, but I didn’t quite understand what it was telling me. What I remembered was that Master Li (Dafa’s founder) repeatedly talked about “enduring hardship.” I thought, “Nowadays people only care about becoming wealthy and enjoying life. Why does this book talk about enduring hardship?”

However, the compassion that Master mentioned deeply moved me,

“You should always be benevolent and kind to others and consider others when doing anything. Whenever you encounter a problem, you should first consider whether others can put up with this matter or if it will hurt anyone. In doing so, there will not be any problems.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

Every word resonated in my heart! I asked myself, “Can I endure the hardship of cultivation? Am I willing to do it?” I thought, “If I need to endure hardship, so be it. I’m willing to do what the book teaches, so I would become a good and compassionate person.” Thus, I began to practice Falun Dafa.

Growing My Compassion in the Process of Saving People

I am the kind of person who wants to get to the bottom of everything. After being persecuted many times, I wanted to understand the reasons and causes behind it. When I was persecuted or I clarified the truth, I didn’t know what to say when I was questioned. How can I improve? After thinking it over I decided that the most important thing was to cultivate, and maintain compassion in my heart.

The first time I went out to clarify the truth face-to-face was not long after I was released from prison, and I still held a lot of fear. I thought, “Let me just talk about my experiences. This way, if someone wants to report me, they won’t have any evidence.” So, of course when I talked to people the effect was not very good, because in the back of my mind I was thinking about how to protect myself. I usually couldn’t answer people’s questions. When I examined myself I realized that it was because my fear was far greater than my compassion. As I studied the Fa more, my fear mentality gradually disappeared. 

Master said,

“On top of that, as you go about clarifying the truth, the benevolence you exude and the righteous thoughts you project disintegrate the evil, awakening those lives you save and causing them to recover their very selves, and that can lead a person to truly come to rationally see these things for himself.” (Teachings at the 2005 Conference in San Francisco)

As I read Master’s Fa, I felt my fear mentality was slowly leaving. I reminded myself, “I am awakening people. With Master and the Fa, as well as my own compassion and righteous thoughts, the evil factors behind the person will be disintegrated immediately. What is there to be afraid of?”

As I gained more knowledge and experience through discussing with practitioners and reading articles from the Minghui website, my understanding became clear and I could answer the questions people asked. Even a person who was deliberately provocative would be left speechless. I sometimes felt a little complacent, but I also felt that I failed to save that person! He stopped talking, but he did not really accept what I said. I wondered what my issue was.”

Master said, 

“While working, your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning can change a person’s heart, whereas commands never could!” (“Clearheadedness,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

As I read Master’s Fa, I realized that this happened because I lacked compassion. My tone was too harsh, and my aggressive words shielded my compassion. Thus, the other person would be irritated, and not accept the truth.

I began paying more attention to cultivating compassion. I tried to always think ofthe other person’s standpoint. At the same time, I paid attention to my tone when clarifying the truth, and I considered my words. Thus, the other person could more easily accept what I said. Sometimes after I got home, I would think from multiple angles to see if there was a better way of expressing my response to a question, or if there were better choices. This way, looking from the other person’s point of view and considering the other person’s ability of comprehension, I was able to use more appropriate language to clarify the truth and to resolve the other person’s misconceptions and doubts. Gradually, even when I was asked very sharp questions, I was able to answer them with ease and wisdom. My truth-clarification became more effective, and I was able to help more people withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations. 

For example, I found that when we said, “It is the law of heaven that good and evil actions will receive retribution,” it could easily lead people to misunderstand us and think that we are not compassionate. So, I would say, “There is a saying, ‘Good is rewarded, but those who do evil are punished.’”

I felt saying it this way was telling us that being good is cherishing our lives while doing bad things harms us. We must take responsibility for our own lives and actions. If people understood this, they would do good deeds, accumulate virtue for themselves, and future generations will be blessed. Most people can accept this and it makes it easier to further clarify the truth to them. 

Some people don’t understand why we distribute the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and accused us of engaging in politics or being against the CCP. I don’t argue or get angry. Instead, I ask them, “Have you read the Nine Commentaries? You should take a look at it because it provides a lot of true information. If something is a fact, then why can’t we say so?” Most people would think what I said was reasonable. It would then be easier to further clarify the truth.

Using Our Compassion to Awaken People’s Conscience

Master said, 

“Good-heartedness is actually one’s primordial nature. In this secular world, it can only be called a reflection of a person’s innate goodness. It’s completely different from that of human beings who were completely incarnated from animals or other creatures. As human beings, everybody has some good-heartedness since every living being met the criteria of a certain level when it was formed in that realm.” (Teachings at the Conference in New Zealand)

I always keep in mind what Master said—that people are inherently good-hearted. Thus, when clarifying the truth, regardless of the person’s social status or attitude towards Dafa, I treat them the same. I tried to awaken their kind side and conscience and resolve their doubts. I constantly examine where I can do better.

For those who are not in good health, I tell them, “You should read this booklet and your health will definitely become much better, because when your heart holds the good contents, your immune system will be stronger, and your body will naturally be healthier.”

To those seniors in the countryside who are illiterate, I ask them, “Is it good to be sincere, kind, and tolerant?” They say yes. I tell them, “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is our true nature. It’s just that as we get more selfish in the world, our hearts become impure, and the nature of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance gets obscured and lost. This is very harmful to us.” Most people agree. I would then ask them to remember “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good! Falun Dafa is good!” They would recite it.

Once, I met a middle-aged woman who was carrying goods on a shoulder pole. I greeted her politely, “Hello Ma’am, please take a look at this booklet!” She said, “I’m busy. I have no time to read it.” I said, “You can take it and read it when you have time. After you read it, it will help you relieve the fatigue of working all day.” She was surprised, “Can it be that great?” I said, “Yes! After reading good things, you will feel refreshed, sleep better at night, and wake up refreshed in the morning to have more strength to work.” She took it and said, “Is it really that miraculous? I’ll take a look.”

When I met those who were often bullied I expressed my sympathy and comforted them, “The people who bullied you are actually helping you eliminate karma. If you look at it this way you will feel much better about it. Moreover, gods and Buddhas will protect you when they see that you are so kind and can endure hardship. Kind people are taken care of by gods and Buddhas. I’m here to let you hear the truth and see hope. Good people are always rewarded.” Many people accepted the truth.

When I went to the countryside one day I saw six middle-aged women sitting in a doorway. I greeted them and handed them some truth-clarification materials, but they said they were illiterate. I didn’t give up. I noticed two of them looked ill, so I talked about how great the stories in the materials were and some stories were about people getting well. Two of them asked for the materials. In the end, four of them took the materials. 

Another time, I met a person who said, “Let me have some information.” Someone next to her said she was a teacher, so I said to her, “You are a teacher! That’s so great! If you could read it for them you will be accumulating virtue and blessings!” I asked her if she joined the CCP and explained why she should withdraw from it. She withdrew from the CCP. 

Whenever I help people I only have one thought in my mind, “Thank you Master for your compassion and saving them!”

When I meet people who are deeply poisoned by the CCP, I talk about several basic issues in concise and simple language. I use morality and good and evil as the breakthrough point. This usually exposes and eliminates the CCP’s lies. I tell them, “People are now withdrawing from the CCP organizations to stay safe. Why? Because we are the children of the divine and the descendants of the great Chinese people. We cannot join the atheist organization that ‘fights against heaven, earth, and people.’ If we withdraw from the CCP gods and Buddhas are able to protect us, and plagues will not dare come near us.”

Most people then agree to withdraw from the CCP organizations. If people still have difficulty accepting the truth I reflect on what I said and put myself in their shoes by thinking how I would feel if I heard it. 

I read many good articles on Minghui about clarifying the truth to Chinese people on the phone. I learned a lot from them and they also gave me inspiration. Thank you Master for being so compassionate and allowing Dafa practitioners in China’s harsh environment to not feel alone and be part of the one body with Dafa practitioners all over the world.

Giving Different People Different Truth Clarification Materials

As soon as a new issue of Minghui’s truth-clarification materials is published, I read them carefully and study the contents. When clarifying the truth I try to understand what each person wants and the different aspects and factors in their lives, to determine what materials to give them, and to talk with them.

I would first hand people Blessings from Heaven and Seeing Hope While In Desperation. I tell them, “These stories were the personal experiences of Falun Dafa practitioners, and how they were blessed for dedicating themselves to cultivation and good deeds. When people are in a desperate situation, who wouldn’t hope for a miracle! In these stories, you will see such miracles and blessings granted by heaven!” 

When I meet farmers, I give them Golden Seeds. They all know to keep the good seeds for the coming year, and I hoped that they would understand that when gods eliminate bad people, they will not harm good people. 

Sometimes, when I meet people in the countryside who are willing to listen I was able to more deeply clarify the truth from various angles, and then give them a copy of all the materials. I would tell them, “These are free for everyone to read. We make these materials ourselves, so please treasure them. After reading them, please pass them to others. Doing so is boundless merit and you will be accumulating blessings and virtue.” They would agree.

Over the past 22 years, I have deeply felt that Master has given so much. Every step I have taken is happening due to Master’s painstaking care. I often remind myself: “I must be more diligent and save more people, so I live up to Master’s grace!”