Taiwanese Practitioner: Looking Within to Improve Myself

(Minghui.org) I am a member of the worldwide phone calling platform, where Falun Dafa practitioners work together to call people in China to tell them about the persecution and to encourage them to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliates.

When I call a number in mainland China to clarify the truth, I usually start off by saying: “I’m glad you answered the phone. I wish for you and your family to stay safe and healthy. I have important things that I would like to share with you. There are many natural and man-made disasters nowadays, but the CCP’s Internet firewall prevents people from getting access to critical information related to their safety.” I then clarify the truth for a few minutes.

A Pertinent Question

When I told a person that reciting “Falun Dafa is good” helped to save many lives during the pandemic last year, he asked in serious and anxious tone, “Why didn’t you call us when the pandemic was so severe?”

I paused for a moment, “We did call people last year, but maybe we didn’t call you. But it’s not too late for you to hear this today. If society’s morality doesn’t rise, disasters won’t stop and there could be an even larger pandemic. The time left is for people to awaken.” He hung up and didn’t answer when I called back.

I could feel the fear of the pandemic in this man’s words. I wondered why I heard such a question and whether I had some omissions on my part. I looked within and asked myself whether we really put peoples' salvation as priority. We made a lot of phone calls to China while the pandemic was at its peak, but did I truly try my best to help save people?

I often went to two or three supermarkets to shop, even though one of the supermarkets already had most of the things I needed. As I drove to the second supermarket one day, I suddenly heard a phone ringing in the car. I couldn’t figure out where it came from. I then realized Master was hinting at me to stop wasting time on shopping and to go home to make calls to China.

I also realized that I no longer used the pandemic as the entry point. I believed that people only listened for a very short period of time and weren't interested in hearing about the pandemic anymore. However, that phone call reminded me that talking about the pandemic is still very important, as the virus keeps mutating. People deceived by the CCP’s propaganda don’t have a good understanding of the pandemic, and so we need to compassionately tell them the facts.

Master said,

“... a pandemic like the current Chinese Communist Virus (or “Wuhan Virus”) comes with a purpose behind it, and it has targets. It is here to weed out members of the Party and those who have sided with it.” (“Stay Rational”)

Master said,

“When you're before sentient beings, as soon as words come out of your mouth and as soon as your thoughts emerge, they are able to disintegrate bad elements and the bad things that poison the world's people and that exist in people's minds. And then people will come to understand, and you'll be able to save them. Without the mighty power of true Shan at work, you won't be able to disintegrate those things, and you won't achieve anything in clarifying the truth.” (Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. V)

Looking within truly helped me to find my omissions and things naturally turned around. I used the pandemic as an entry point when I made my first phone call the next morning, and the receiver listened for seven minutes.

Another Obstacle, Another Opportunity

I received five batches of telephone numbers. I dialed every number at least twice, but no one answered the calls. I was frustrated and went to eat to suppress my feelings. I then dialed the numbers three more times, but still no one answered. I tried sending forth righteous thoughts, but couldn’t concentrate and had to stop. I also noticed that the phone numbers didn’t include any names and complained to myself “no wonder no one answered the phone!” Exhaustion and complaint became a vicious cycle, so I stopped dialing.

I checked the app I used and saw two sentences on the screen, “My heart is flying,” and, “The more difficult it is, the more you need to cultivate to improve.”

I came to understand that “My heart is flying” implied that my mind was not calm. How could I help save people with an uncalm mind? It also interfered with my sending forth righteous thoughts.

Master said,

“If you want to improve yourself, you should search your inner self and work hard on your heart...” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)

I then discovered my pursuit of focusing on results in making phone calls and that I’d forgotten to integrate it as part of my cultivation.

I kept looking within and also found my attachment of complaining. I looked outward and became ungrateful and unkind when things didn’t go as I wished. Many practitioners had put in a lot of effort to obtain those phone numbers and compile them into batches.

I wasn’t grateful for the effort they’d put in and was critical of the numbers I received. Master led me to this project as part of a compassionate arrangement. Looking outward when encountering difficulties is not cultivation!

I then calmed my mind and resumed making phone calls. Surprisingly, five out of eight people answered the phone, with the longest call lasting nine minutes.

Inspired by Minghui Sharings

I recently read an experience sharing article on Minghui.org from a practitioner who clarified the truth on a telephone platform. I was touched and realized it presented another opportunity for me to look within and improve my xinxing. If all practitioners involved in making calls to China could look within unconditionally, the entire team could make a leap forward in improving as one body.

The article mentioned that when we talk to people, our mental state, tone, rate of speech and choice of words must be kind and easy to accept in order to avoid touching upon people’s negative thoughts. Otherwise, this could have an adverse effect and push them away.

I also have omissions in this regard. I found myself speaking faster recently in order to have people hear more of our information, fearing that the receiver might hang up after a short time. This fear actually became an unconscious pursuit and reflected my cultivation state.

We should treat fellow practitioners’ reminders as a mirror to examine ourselves and find our shortcomings. When we find them, we should change. If we don’t have specific shortcomings, we should still encourage ourselves to do better. As Dafa practitioners, our tolerance and capacity should be unmatched, and we shouldn’t have any problem listening to advice.

The above is my personal understanding based on my current cultivation level. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.