My Understanding after Reading Master’s New Article “Wake Up”

(Minghui.org) A friend of mine immigrated to Canada a few months ago. Although he didn’t yet have a driver’s license, he decided to take a chance one day and drive to work anyway. He was caught by the police. After he explained the situation, the police said that because of his good attitude, he wouldn’t be punished, but he was still fined 300 Canadian dollars. My friend didn’t understand why the police said they wouldn’t punish him, but still fined him. Later, a work colleague told him that he had committed quite a serious crime by driving without a license, and he could have been deported immediately. Getting the small fine was essentially equivalent to no punishment at all.

I told my friend, “We came to their countries and they have taken us in, which is already very good. We should thank them and abide by their laws, instead of violating them.”

This incident made me think about some issues Master mentioned in the new article “Wake Up” and the correct attitude we should have toward the two different political parties in the United States.

Each of the two major political parties has done well in some areas and has shortcomings in other areas. They often compete with each other to benefit their own party. But in recent years, both parties are becoming clearer in their understanding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and are taking actions to counter its ambitious global expansion. Many people in both parties also support Dafa. This is crucial, because as long as they understand the facts and support Dafa, they will have a good future. Saving people is about changing their hearts, regardless of their party affiliation.

I also thought of the situation in Taiwan. The expansion of the Legislative Council’s powers recently got me thinking deeply.

Master taught us:

“And as you work to raise awareness, you must be sure not to think or act too much like an ordinary person. Only by staying clear on what you are doing will you manage to not get caught up in things and do even better.” (“Greetings to the Taiwan Fa Conference”)

Going back to the things happening in the United States, we should detach ourselves from these worldly affairs in order to truly save all sentient beings.

I also have some thoughts about Russia. I recently saw a news article headline describing the Russian president as “shameless.” If somebody said such things about me, I certainly wouldn’t feel good about it. As Dafa disciples, we shouldn’t say such things about others if we still want to save them.

We have been clarifying the facts for so many years. I realized that only true compassion and kindness can move a person’s heart. There was one example of a Chinese “little pink,” who said a lot of bad things about Dafa. But when he later understood the truth, he felt very remorseful and changed his attitude. There was also a CCP spy who did bad things for years, but after witnessing the kindness of Dafa practitioners, he realized that the CCP had been using him. He decided to stand up to expose the CCP.

Both of these examples show that even though the individuals have done bad things, it is important that we still treat them with compassion and be persistent in clarifying the facts to them. If we instead blame them and push them to the other side, they may never change their minds, even when we present the same facts to them.

The same principle applies to the perpetrators who persecute us. I often grit my teeth when reading articles on the Minghui website exposing the persecution. I feel a surge of hatred when I remember the 610 Office director who arrested me. But I know my mindset is not correct and is something I need to work on.

Master taught us:

“Even if he were one of those who has participated in the persecution, one of those who has been taken in, duped, and ended up in a criminal gang, you would still need to be kind to him.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)

In some articles that expose evil perpetrators, I’ve noticed the practitioners’ writing had a competitive mentality, and a feeling of hatred rather than compassion. The prison guards or the brainwashing center staff were very angry after reading the article. They couldn’t find the person who wrote the article, so they took revenge on other practitioners. Perhaps the end result made the persecution of other practitioners even worse, instead of mitigating it.

We should also have compassion towards our relatives, friends, and colleagues. Some of them might have misunderstandings about Dafa or may have been influenced by modern notions or the CCP’s propaganda. I know this shouldn’t affect my attitude towards them. Even if they often annoy me and infringe on my interests, how should I treat them? Is it possible to maintain the state of a practitioner at all times? This is what I have to think about and practice every day.

I hope that I do not fall into any conflicts between people and can live in harmony with anyone of any temperament. I should avoid getting involved in politics, or siding with any viewpoints of any country, any nation, or any social form. I should treat everyone with kindness, communicate with them in good faith, and neither hurt them nor flatter them. My focus is to cultivate myself, oppose the persecution of Dafa, and guide people to be good.