One’s Initial Thought Determines the Outcome

(Minghui.org) During the 2009 Lantern Festival, two practitioners and I rented a car and went to a nearby village to pass out truth-clarification materials. When we arrived, a celebration was being held. People gathered around to watch the dragon dances and drum dances even though the weather was cold.

We decided to distribute our materials on the small side alleys. After a while, one practitioner got separated from us.

When we got to the last alley, a group consisting of two adults and some teenagers approached us. One man asked loudly, “What are you doing? Where are you from? Did you put the flyers on the doors?”

The teenagers grabbed the other practitioner and shouted, “Don’t let them go, don’t let them go.” The man then grabbed my arm. The commotion drew the attention of passersby, and we were soon surrounded. I wasn’t afraid and asked Master to help.

The moon was exceptionally bright that night, and I clearly saw the man’s face. I said, “Sir, you look very kind and must be a good person. The persecution of Falun Dafa is ongoing, and we risk our lives to deliver these flyers to people so that you can understand the facts about the persecution, and distinguish right from wrong and good from evil. The CCP has done so many bad things that eliminating it is Heaven’s will. We are exposing the CCP so you can side with good people and have a good future. You should know that Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and considerate and abide by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. The propaganda about Falun Dafa that you see on TV is all fabricated.

“On the other hand, look at what the CCP did to Chinese people. In the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, so many innocent children died when the buildings collapsed because the corrupt officials built the schools with low quality materials. Their parents were heartbroken. To justify the persecution of Falun Dafa, the CCP staged the Tiananmen self-immolation to demonize the practice and mislead people. Numerous practitioners have been sent to prisons, tortured, and died because of the persecution.

“The flyers we give out also help people understand how to be good, so that they will be blessed by God and Buddha and be protected when disaster strikes.”

He didn’t say anything and kept nodding his head. I could tell that he understood I was telling the truth. He let go of my arm, turned around, and walked away. I thought he was going to get the police. I quickly caught up to him and said, “Sir, don’t do the wrong thing.” He waved his hand and said, “You guys can go.” People in the crowd watching echoed his words and said, “It’s so cold; you should go home.” I knew their mentality changed after they heard and understood the truth.

The two of us reflected on the incident as we walked to the car. I said, “What happened today was caused by my improper thoughts. Before we came, I was thinking, ‘It’s so cold, and we have to rent a car. There’s also a lantern festival in that village, and it will be crowded. What if someone sees us?’ These negative thoughts revealed my pursuit of comfort, self-interest, fear, and a complete lack of righteous thinking. It brought about bad consequences and even caused you to be frightened.”

The practitioner who got separated from us caught up with us just then. She distributed all her flyers quickly and looked for us for a long time. I understood why she hadn’t encountered any problems when she said, “When I came here, I only thought about how to distribute these flyers so all the people here can be saved.”

That practitioner’s thought was altruistic and divine. My thought was selfish, human—there is a world of difference!

Just as Master said,

“We have said that good or bad comes from a person’s initial thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

Through this incident, I realized that no matter what we do, we must be in a state of cultivation, have righteous thoughts, and always consider others first until we reach the state of perfection and return to our heavenly home with Master.