Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:
- Welcome
- What’s Happening?
- How every situation has
helped me look within and upgrade
- What is True Kindness (Shan) and Master's Comments: Fa-Rectification and Cultivation
- Do Not Forget Cultivation amidst Fa-Rectification While Eradicating the Evil (With Master's Comments)
- The Dignity of Dafa and Master's Comments: On "The Dignity of Dafa"
- Enlightening to the Fa: Think Calmly
- Eliminate Demonic Nature (With Master's Comments)
- 1. Welcome
Welcome to the December 2009 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.
This issue has a compilation of experience-sharing Articles gleaned from Clearwisdom with Master’s comments. The articles shine through because of their insights and fine quality of sharing. It is important to read the Clearwisdom, Pureinsight and other Dafa sites. We make an effort to select Articles from the Archives which people don’t go back to and are relevant even today. Contributions are welcome from practitioners.
We have in this issue an experience sharing article by an Indian practitioner who visited Taiwan for the Fahui.
Heshi! Hope, you like the selection of Articles and gain some new insights!
Note: "All the contents in this newsletter - except for quotations and excerpts of writings of the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi - are only ideas and experiences of practitioners and do not represent Falun Dafa in itself."
Top
- 2. What’s Happening?
Practitioners in Mumbai participated in the Peace Run to commemorate 26/11.
Practitioners will be meeting for the first local Fahui in Bangalore at the end of the month.
Top
- 3. How every situation has
helped me look within and upgrade
By an Indian practitioner
From a very young age I had many questions
in mind like who am I? What is my purpose in life? And where do I have
to return? In India on the surface level most of us up to a certain
extent know that we have to return to the true self, which is called
Moksh (A Sanskrit word which means salvation). The part that is unknown
by most of us is how to return. Even the so-called Gurus or Masters
in India say that you have to be a good person without giving a clear
explanation as to why and how? As Master says in Lecture one of Zhuan
Falun, “There are also people who have practiced Qigong for several
decades but without making any progress in cultivation.” Now I realize
that cultivation is a most serious matter and just by being a good person
or helping others we cannot attain consummation. Only after studying
the Fa have I realized what actually can help us attain this magnificent
goal. As Master writes in Hong Yin
“Cultivation Gong has a path
Mind is the way
On the boundless sea of Dafa
Hardship is your ferry.”
I suffered from severe back pain for 15 years
and searched far and wide for a cure
that would give me relief. One day I came across Falun Dafa. I started
practicing the exercises and was immediately relieved of all my health
problems. I came across a schoolteacher who had seen the exercises being
practiced in a park in Singapore and wanted to introduce the practice
in schools. We introduced the practice and various students were benefitted.
Soon many miracles happened. The school got cent percent results and
various other blessings. This spread by word of mouth and many
other schools invited us to introduce Falun Dafa to them. Whenever we
would introduce Dafa in a new school I would face severe tests. Sometimes
I would go through tremendous body purification whereas sometimes I
would feel that I could not make it. But I was always guided by the
Fa and understood as Master says in Lecture one “The whole process
of cultivation is constantly getting rid of human attachments. “
We would usually talk about the benefits
of the practice and also clarify the truth about the persecution in
China. But the Principals of most schools would ask us not to speak
about the persecution and just introduce the exercises to the students.
Then there would be an inner conflict as Master has always guided us
to do the three things well. I would not be comfortable, as I also had
to comply with what the Principal said since I had come to his school.
On the other hand I would think as long as the students get to know
about the Fa it is okay.
Master further helped us to do the three
things well and gave us an opportunity in the form of Human Rights Torch
Relay. Soon we heard from practitioners abroad that India could hold
a Human Rights Torch Relay stating that “Human Rights and Crimes and
humanity cannot co exist together.” I thought this was a good opportunity
to clarify the truth, as Olympic games are well known and followed by
all. Indians would now have an opportunity to get to know about the
persecution in China, as they would generally react by telling us why
worry about China when there are various human rights issues in our
own country. Through Master’s guidance we got through to one of the
biggest organization for human rights in India. We clarified the truth
about persecution in China and what the human rights torch was all about.
The organization was more than willing to support this event. We further
encouraged them to support this event by telling them that there would
be a Marching Band coming from Taiwan to participate in the event and
help us.
All the arrangements for the Band members
had to be made. We were finalizing the accommodation and were about
to pay an advance when we received a call that the Band members could
not make it as per schedule to India. My human notions came up and I
felt pretty relaxed as I thought I had more time to do other activities
such as printing brochures and making banners for the event as arranging
food and accommodation for a hundred members was not a simple task since
we wanted to give the band the best. On the other hand my cultivated
side told me that I should take some hardships to save sentient beings,
as this was a wonderful opportunity. I was anxious but had another thought
that even if they informed me the last moment I would still put in my
best to make arrangements. I spoke to a practitioner from Malaysia
and she guided me to talk to the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association and explain
to them the situation. Everything fell into place with Master’s grace
and a grand event was put together. Towards the end of the event the
sky lit up and looked very beautiful. There were very beautiful formations
in the sky. There were tears in the eyes of practitioners who looked
up at the sky. Even everyday people acknowledged that the God’s had
graced the occasion.
Dassera is
a festival celebrated in India. It symbolizes the victory of Good over
Evil. To mark the occasion there is a procession that takes place every
year. This procession is famous all over the world. People from all
over come to witness this grand procession. It has been held since ancient
times year after year. A practitioner suggested that we could also participate
in the event by inviting the Band members to take part in the procession.
We started working on getting permissions to participate in this event
from various Government Offices. Soon we realized it was not as simple
as we had first thought as we had to go to many officials and we were
not very clear as to who is the final authority who would give us the
permission. This was a good opportunity to clarify the truth to many
officials by showing them the video performance of the Band and talking
about the Fa. One government official assured us the participation after
which we invited the Band to play. The hundred members booked their
tickets and all the arrangements were made. When we had to get a written
permission from the Government official he backed out and we were in
disarray as all arrangements had been made. My human side was prompting
me to expose this lapse of the government official. My cultivated side
told me that we are here to validate the Fa and we should be more compassionate
to this person and let go. As Master says in ‘Essentials For Further
Advancement’, “Then as a cultivator you should make use of all feasible
conditions to spread Dafa and validate Dafa as a correct and a true
science” When such a situation arises Master asks us to look within.
When I looked within, I realized that I had got a little complacent
due to the success of the earlier event and did not give enough thought
to saving sentient beings. This very thought created more possibilities.
We thought we should be calm and do the best we can. By then every official
knew that Falun Dafa is Good and gave another option to play the band
on a different day. The Band however got an opportunity to play in a
different city at a congregation of five hundred thousand Buddhist monks
and many more people got an opportunity to know about Dafa.
It looks like I have a strong link with the Band
as a vehicle to advance and upgrade
my understanding and cultivation levels.
This year again the Band was requested
to visit during Dassera since the response last year was overwhelming.
I got strong messages that this time the Band should perform in Kolkata
on the eastern side of India during Durga Puja where a lot of people
throng to see the idols. Also there are quite a few Chinese people living
in Kolkata in two China Towns.
I was totally unfamiliar with the city.
Some practitioners from Malaysia and Taiwan had visited the city some
time back. A local practitioner who used to live in that city was quite
enthusiastic. I checked with a practitioner from another city who had
lived in Kolkata and he too agreed.
Since Kolkata has been a stronghold of
the communist government I was told not to visit the city with the Band.
Before the Band arrived, a practitioner
not from India had spread ugly rumors about the Festival being a worship
of the evil. The Band Coordinator and members were steadfast and determined
to come to this city. Everybody knew that Master had a purpose for the
Band to visit the city. Multitudes would come out during the festivities
and they would be touched by Dafa. The Indian practitioners too had
the same thought in mind and though most of them were unfamiliar with
the city, they decided to keep their righteous thoughts and trust in
Master.
The Band arrived amidst all the festivities
and performed at various places to big crowds. There were heavy rains
before the Band arrived and after they left.
A straggly Chinese population left in
the city and China Town have integrated themselves to the Indian way
of life. This generation of Chinese cannot read or write Chinese. But
I feel since they are of Chinese origin Master sent us to appeal to
their knowing side.
It was difficult to find modest accommodation
for over 100 people in one place. But with Master’s grace we were
lead to the Hsuan Tsang Buddhist Temple which is far from the main city.
Practitioners still looked for alternative accommodation because the
facilities in the Temple were Spartan. But eventually the Temple was
predestined and the Band stayed at the Temple.
Before the Band arrived it poured heavily
and the city was flooded. The day the Band arrived it was bright and
sunny with sweltering heat. The weather was oppressive wherever the
Band performed but the Band members like true Dafa practitioners kept
their cool. In the new China Town the Band marched down the lanes and
roads with the sun beating down heavily. One Indian practitioner remarked
that looking at their ‘Ren’ and Tolerance levels ‘it reaffirmed
our belief in cultivation to become Gods’. The crowds too marveled
at their lung power and stamina and dignity.
To compound matters we could not get
air-conditioned buses for the Band to travel. Since it was the tourist
season most of the air-conditioned buses were taken. We tried to get
an air-conditioned bus for the older practitioners but they protested
and wanted to be treated equally. At an experience sharing when the
Indian practitioners apologized for the unfavorable conditions they
had to put up with, most practitioners accepted it as part of their
cultivation. One practitioner was in tears when she said that they are
used to such comforts in life and do not know how the rest of the world
lives! She said this was cultivation. Another practitioner shared that
though the temperatures were high inside the bus and felt like an oven
she was reminded of ‘guanding’ with heat flowing from the top of
the head all over the body!
Just as a matter of interest I have learnt
that after the Band’s visit to Kolkata, there was a by-election in
which the ruling party lost very badly.
By going through the process of organizing
such activities we have realized that we should always regard ourselves
as cultivators and not have any human notions. We can break through
any difficulties with our strong righteous thoughts as one righteous
thought can subdue a hundred evils.
Thank you Master and fellow practitioners
for giving me this opportunity to share my understanding. If there are
any suggestions please help me gain a better understanding.
Top
- 4. What is True Kindness (Shan) and Master's Comments: Fa-Rectification and Cultivation
(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, in the course of clarifying the truth,
when we have included the principle of heaven, "good is rewarded
with good, evil is met with evil" on our flyers and in our newspapers
so as to tell people about it, some everyday people have felt uncomfortable
with it and have even suggested that we remove it. As a particle that
has been rectified by the Fa, how should we handle this?
It has always been a principle of heaven
that there is due retribution for good and evil; it is just that warped
human beings do not believe in it. When someone who does not believe
it feels uncomfortable, it must be that this principle has stung the
warped part of him. Regardless of whether he can accept it at the time,
it will leave him with a deep impression and it is good for the future
of his being. Going beyond this particular instance, I enlightened to
the fact that we should correct certain warped notions.
In the course of doing everything involved
in clarifying the truth and eliminating the evil, we should use Dafa
to assess everything. Dafa should always be our highest standard and
we should not go along with ordinary human feelings. At work, in public,
and even at home, sometimes we keep accommodating everyday people in
order to be a "good person." But Master has said:
We have said that no matter how much
human moral values have changed, this characteristic of the universe,
Zhen-Shan-Ren, will forever remain unchanged. If someone says that you
are good, you may not really be good. If someone says that you are bad,
you may not really be bad. This is because the criteria that evaluate
good and bad are distorted. Only one who complies with this characteristic
of the universe is a good person. It is the sole criterion which determines
a good or bad person, and it is recognized by the universe. Although
great changes have taken place in human society, human moral values
have declined tremendously. Human morality is deteriorating daily, and
profits have become the sole motivation. Yet changes in the universe
do not occur according to changes in humankind. As a practitioner, one
cannot conduct oneself based on the standard of everyday people. It
is not permitted if you go do things simply because everyday people
consider them right. When everyday people say that it is good, it may
not be good. When everyday people say that it is bad, it may not be
bad, either. In this time when the moral values are distorted, if you
tell someone that he is doing something bad, he will not believe it!
As a practitioner, one must assess things with the characteristic of
the universe. Only then can one distinguish what is genuinely good and
what is truly bad.
(Zhuan Falun, Lecture 4, "Upgrading
Xinxing")
So what is true kindness (Shan)?
Zhuan Falun,
[Lecture 4,] talks about how there was an elderly woman who practices
Dafa who was hit by a car when she was crossing the street. The elderly
woman said: "'There's nothing wrong. You can leave.' She brushed
off the dirt on her clothes and left with her husband." "Those
bystanders even found it strange that the elderly woman did not exploit
him and ask him for money. Nowadays, human moral values have been distorted."
On the surface, these bystanders seem like they are helping the older
woman by objecting to the injustice done to her. In reality, this is
a warped type of "kindness." People often think that many
of their notions, which are warped in a hidden way, are correct. As
Dafa disciples, how can we accommodate warped notions?! We should use
true Great Kindness to actively eliminate them and rectify them.
One incident made a deep impression on
me. One day when I was driving, I bumped the car in front of me by mistake
at a red light. The other driver looked very upset and demanded my phone
number as he closely checked the back of his car. There were a few very
deep dents in the rear of his car. His car was high off the ground,
so they could not have possibly been made by my car. In the past, I
would have definitely agreed to compensate him for all his losses, even
though it was not my fault. I would have thought that I was paying back
karma. But then I thought it over more--would it really be good for
him if I were to do that? I saw my selfish mind calculating what would
be better for me. Then I had a very strong righteous thought in my mind:
"If it's my karma, I am willing to bear everything that I have
ever owed, but I won't allow him to extort money from me, because this
is not good for him." To my surprise, he then walked up to me and
said: "Those dents were made by another car and have nothing to
do with you. I don't think there's a problem." He introduced himself,
shook my hand, and said goodbye. Maybe his good side realized that I
truly wanted what was good for him.
I realized on a deep level that our every
word, our every action, should be responsible to sentient beings, responsible
to society, and responsible to all righteous elements. We cannot let
our mistakes cause those people's beings to generate karma, because
human society in the future should not have warped thinking like this.
True kindness is completely without selfishness and it is considerate
of others; it takes into consideration the eternity of those people's
beings and even the eternity of all sentient beings and the cosmos.
Under the impact of this kindness' (Shan) power, any obstruction
and unkindness will be melted, anything warped will be corrected, and
what is not understood will gradually be understood. So, when we are
clarifying the truth, clarifying the facts, we should at the same time
evoke the good and kind thoughts of the world's people and display the
mighty Fa-principles behind all this!
(Originally published on PureInsight Net)
Fa-Rectification and
Cultivation
The article discusses with much clarity
the question of how to handle Fa-rectification and cultivation. Dafa
disciples amidst Fa-rectification have a different situation from when
personal cultivation was done in the past. In the face of the groundless
harming, in the face of Dafa's persecution, and in the face of the injustice
forced upon us, we cannot handle things or categorically accept things
the way it was done before in personal cultivation, because Dafa disciples
are now in the Fa-rectification period. If a problem isn't caused by
our own attachments or mistakes, then it must be that the evil is interfering
or doing bad things.
Yet we are still cultivating and still
have some last ordinary human attachments. When a problem arises, we
have to examine ourselves first to see whether things are right or wrong
on our part. If we determine that it is interference or [an attempt
to do] damage, when we deal with the specific problem we should try
our best to be calm and kind to these people who are at the surface,
because when the evil uses people, these people themselves usually aren't
aware of it (although those people who are used are usually either people
whose thoughts are just bad or people who have bad thoughts arising).
As for the interference by evil in other dimensions, we must seriously
eradicate it with righteous thoughts.
Li Hongzhi
July 8th, 2001
Top
- 5. Do Not Forget Cultivation amidst Fa-Rectification While Eradicating the Evil (With Master's Comments)
(Clearwisdom.net) With the progressing of the Fa-rectification,
Teacher told us in his article "Dafa Disciples' Righteous Thoughts
Are Powerful" that "In fact, some disciples and sentient beings
in different realms who are able to use their supernormal abilities
in different dimensions have been using their supernormal abilities
and gong potency (gongli) to take part in wiping out the
evil beings that damage Dafa" and that "Actually, every Dafa
disciple has abilities. It's just that the abilities do not manifest
in the surface dimension, so they think that they don't have supernormal
abilities. But regardless of whether they can manifest in the surface
dimension or not, when a person's True Thoughts come forth, they are
very powerful." Dafa practitioners closely follow Teacher's Fa-rectification,
send forth righteous thoughts to eradicate the evil, and offer salvation
to the people of the world and all sentient beings.
After Clearwisdom Net published the editorial
articles "Send Forth Righteous Thoughts," "Send Forth
Righteous Thoughts Again," and "Send Forth Righteous Thoughts
for the Third Time, and Eradicate the Evil," Dafa practitioners
all over the world joined efforts and sent forth the most determined
righteous thoughts, effectively eradicating the evil within the Three
Realms. At the same time, Clearwisdom Net also published some practitioners'
experience-sharing articles that described what happened in other dimensions
in Fa-rectification. Nonetheless, we should be sober-minded that these
articles are not the Fa and cannot direct our cultivation, our behaviors
and thoughts amidst Fa-rectification. All practitioners can only see
what they are allowed to see. Even after they consummate their cultivation,
what they see is only the manifestation of what they are allowed to
see in their own realm and in the realms below their realm. Therefore,
what one can see is very limited and cannot represent the truth of the
universe.
We realize that we cannot forget our
cultivation amidst Fa-rectification while eradicating the evil. We should
keep in mind at every minute of our life that we are Dafa practitioners
and we are cultivators. Eradicating the evil also includes ridding ourselves
of everything in our minds that is not in accordance with the Fa; assisting
Teacher in the human world also contains tests of whether we have the
righteous conviction towards and righteous enlightment to the Fa. In
the course of assisting Teacher in the human world and wiping out the
evil within the Three Realms, we should remember to "Regard the
Fa as Teacher," and gauge everything we encounter and every thought
we have with the Fa. Only by doing so can we truly keep righteous thoughts
and take every step well in any circumstances.
In the article "What Shanshan Saw
in Other Dimensions (IV)," it reads, "I bombed out a lot of
demons on World Falun Dafa Day. I fought with various weird life forms
continuously and became very tired. Sometimes some gods passing by would
also help me. One of them was a Taoist. He said he had to leave in a
minute for other things and gave me a Fa-stick. He said a huge demon
would come, and that the stick would jump out by itself and would fly
to beat the demon on its own." Of course we know from subsequent
articles about Shanshan that he later realized that he should not have
accepted that Taoist's Fa-stick. The question is: Did readers realize
the seriousness of the issue of "Being Constant in a Single Cultivation
System" before the subsequent articles were published? In the complicated
and urgent situation in which you "fought continuously," "felt
tired," and "had passing-by gods offer help," could you
still remember Teacher's words, "One day you may suddenly see a
large, tall immortal. He gives you a few complimentary words and teaches
you something. If you accept it,your gong will be messed up. Once you
become delighted and accept him as your master, you will go with him."
"Don't let your mind be disturbed when you see an enlightened person
from another school of practice. Stay with only one school of practice.
Whether it is a Buddha, a Tao, an immortal, or a demon, they should
not move your heart. In conducting oneself this way, success is bound
to be in sight." (Lecture Six in Zhuan Falun)
We also see words like this, "In
the meantime, the Great Buddhas who were watching over us strengthened
practitioners by supplying us with energy so we didn't feel tired and
were able to continue sending out gong (energy)." (What
Shanshan Saw in Other Dimensions (VII)) and "When I went back home
in the evening, I felt a little bit tired so I decided to practice the
fifth exercise to replenish my energy. Before I started practicing the
exercise, I was thinking in my mind: I wish the Buddhas, Taos and Gods
could help me." (Do it well, Do not slack off...) As Dafa practitioners,
we should only be strengthened by our Teacher. Teacher said, "When
Falun rotates clockwise, it can automatically absorb energy from the
universe. Rotating counter-clockwise, it can give off energy. Inward
(clockwise) rotation offers self-salvation while outward (counter-clockwise)
rotation offers salvation to others--this is a feature of our practice."(Lecture
Five in Zhuan Falun) Shall we ask the great Buddhas to strengthen
us and replenish our energy? Shall we hope that "Buddhas, Taos,
and Gods will strengthen us?"
Some practitioners also mentioned in
their articles that they had been somewhere or seen someone while in
dreams or in meditation. We think that we should be unmoved by whatever
we see and we should not guess what kind of relationship we have with
what we see. No matter where we go in dreams or in tranquility, we should
always remember to come back. No matter in what kind of circumstance,
we should always be aware that we are Dafa cultivators and we need to
maintain a righteous mind.
Moreover, we should treasure the Fa that
Teacher expounds to all sentient beings. We should calm down to study
the Fa; otherwise we won't be able to comprehend the real meaning of
the Fa, not to mention use the Fa to direct our cultivation and Fa-rectification.
Someone told practitioners around him, "Cultivation in the Fa-rectification
has come to an end. All that's left is Fa-rectification." We feel
there is a big problem in this statement. It is very irresponsible to
speak such words without regard to the time and circumstances. There
are also people who treat all resistance and conflicts in clarifying
the truth and spreading the Fa as evils to be eradicated, ignoring the
importance of looking inside oneself and upgrading one's Xinxing. This
mentality is very likely to be taken advantage of by the demons, and
thus lead to the damage of Dafa's reputation. At this critical moment
of Fa-rectification, we should maintain a calm mind, remove our attachments
and bad notions, and eliminate external interference. Otherwise, our
minds may be disturbed by the evil and we may even do things that undermine
Fa-rectification.
As Teacher said, "At this great
moment in history, every steady step is a glorious historical testimony,
and is incomparably-great mighty virtue. All this will be recorded in
the history of the cosmos. The great Fa and the great epoch are forging
the greatest Enlightened Beings." (The Disciples' Greatness)
Let us take every step well amidst Fa-rectification.
******
This article is very well written.
It addresses specific issues, especially those under the current circumstances.
I hope everyone is able to handle correctly what it has discussed.
Li Hongzhi
Top
- 6. The Dignity of Dafa and Master's Comments: On "The Dignity of Dafa"
(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher once said in one of his lectures given
outside China, "Dafa has its dignity" and that "Not everyone
can obtain the Fa." Teacher's words have been guiding me all along,
making me reflect from the perspective of the Fa on my every action
and word among ordinary people. After letting go of my attachments and
identifying my own problems, my thoughts have become more aligned with
Dafa's principles. Indeed, this really has bearing on the correct understanding
of conforming to the way of ordinary people, the correct understanding
of true Goodness (Shan), and the rational understanding of the
relationship between Fa-rectification and individual cultivation.
Due to the persecution by the evil, I
have long been homeless and living on financial assistance from friends.
During the Labor Day holidays in early May, my wife and I visited a
relative to clarify the truth about Dafa, and to find a place to stay
for the time being. It was unfortunate that the relative's son stole
several hundred dollars from us.
My wife suggested that we look within
ourselves, and that it the incident probably happened so as to eliminate
some of our notions or attachments, or to alert us to something we have
done wrong. The relative and his family were very anxious, and were
constantly blaming the son. My wife tried to comfort the relative, "Just
let it be. It doesn't matter. Don't take it too seriously." I felt
her words somehow allowed them to shirk all their responsibilities.
I thought, "Is it easier for Dafa practitioners to earn money?
Or is it less wrong that the money of Dafa practitioners
be stolen? Lastly, isn't this the same as encouraging the evil forces?"
Of course, we should look within ourselves for our own shortcomings.
But looking within oneself isn't without principle; furthermore, it
is no excuse for us to indulge various vicious elements. Our friends
assisted us financially so that we could do better in clarifying the
truth about Dafa, and we had been strict with ourselves at all times.
Why should we always think that it's our own fault when confronted with
this kind of problem? Wasn't it true that the evil was taking advantage
of our Goodness and exploiting the loopholes in our thoughts? I thus
immediately shared with the relative a different opinion I had, "The
kid must take responsibility for stealing the money. To steal several
hundred dollars is a criminal act. We cannot tolerate this behavior
from him. We are so kind to him, only to find that he's taken all our
money. That was completely the behavior of a degenerate being; he must
take full responsibility. On the other hand, we do hope you parents
won't have to carry any mental burden. We would like to see you live
healthily."
Knowing my stance on this and feeling
the firmness in my gentle words, the relative immediately threatened
me, using his human craftiness, "We're afraid the kid is thoughtless.
If we report him to the police, he might reveal your true identities
and affect your safety." At the time, my wife did have this worry,
and agreed with what he said. On my part, I saw through his apparent
concern for our safety, which was nothing but an open threat. I knew
my relative's thoughts were not righteous at all. If I agreed with him,
I would in fact be hurting them. They were taking advantage of our Goodness
and our unrighteous thoughts that feared being reported and caught by
the police. Thus, I answered unequivocally, "I hope the kid can
come back. If he doesn't come back within the next 24 hours, he may
not expect it, but I will dare to report his theft to the police."
The next day, my relative told me that he would definitely return the
money to us; were he not to, he would not be able to raise his head
among friends and relatives for the rest of his life. I was happy that
he could come to see the principles clearly, and I calmly accepted the
money he returned to us on his son's behalf.
When sharing our cultivation experiences,
a practitioner told me that her husband had always interfered with her
cultivation--by threatening her, beating her, and swearing at her. Now
he's forcing her to divorce. I asked her, "Since you can handle
this without discontentment or hatred, without asking for a little bit
of the property, and with your righteous belief in Dafa not shaken even
one bit, what on earth do you have to fear? You're a Dafa disciple,
and you have your dignity. Should a Dafa disciple be so Good (Shan)
and yet still be made penniless, sleeping on the street and begging
for food? Aren't you indulging the vicious elements behind your husband?
The fact is that many people have become degenerate. The more good you
are towards them, the more they will take advantage of you and persecute
you. After you've purified your own thoughts, you can tell him with
openness and dignity, 'If you want to divorce me simply because I practice
Falun Dafa cultivation, the decision is up to you. However, I'm entitled
to have my share of all property in this family.' Meanwhile, you can
send forth your righteous thoughts to eradicate the vicious elements
behind him. Just try it." The next day, the practitioner told me
that when she calmed down and said this to her husband with openness
and dignity, her husband was dumbfounded and shocked, and said, "I
thought you practitioners weren't attached to money and property."
She replied, "Of course, we aren't attached to money and property.
But you're taking advantage of this in order to persecute a Dafa disciple.
We're not afraid of having money or property. I'm entitled to a share
of everything in this family." Ever since, her husband has pulled
in his horns and hasn't been as unreasonable as before.
My uncle and his wife used to be practitioners.
Under the great pressure of the July 22nd banning of Falun
Dafa (in 1999) they were frightened by the evil, and tried to disguise
their fear with the excuses such as "The arm is no match for the
thigh in a contest of strength," and "This is what is called
dictatorship." In their hearts they knew pretty well that Dafa
is good, so they still practiced it when nobody was around. But they
were concealing their attachment of fear by doing various activities
that everyday people do, like learning Tai-chi and dancing, and they
tried to justify this as conforming to the state of human society. When
some everyday person would talk about Dafa or even slander Dafa, they
would turn a deaf ear, as if it had nothing to do with them or as if
they had never been a part of Dafa before. They even regarded my efforts
to clarify the truth as "getting into politics," "struggling
with people," and so on, and they didn't want to have any contact
with me.
One day, when I visited their home to
give them Teacher's new articles, my uncle scolded me and asked me not
to come to their home anymore. I immediately pointed something out to
them sternly, "You have benefited so much from practicing Dafa.
You know clearly that Dafa is the most righteous, and that Jiang's regime
is spreading lies, yet you still view Dafa with the filthy mentality
of a human being. Do you still have a human conscience? Do you deserve
to be a Dafa disciple? When the Dafa, which has improved both your body
and spirit so much, is being damaged by the evil, how can you be so
indifferent, and so afraid of speaking up for Dafa? You're even afraid
of me, a relative, coming to your home. Are you still worthy of being
human? I openly practice cultivation of Dafa with dignity, and without
one bit of fear or evasiveness. What I've gained is respect from my
colleagues, from former supervisors, and from police who now respect
Dafa and Dafa disciples; I've left the image of a practitioner who lives
his life with openness and dignity. Although I'm homeless because of
the persecution, I live very nobly, with a broad mind, and I flourish.
What about you? You don't live like a human, or even a ghost, but instead
lead some kind of rotten, pathetic existence. Is this a normal state
for a human being?" My stern words, manifesting the dignity of
Dafa and the most righteous thoughts of a Dafa disciple, shook their
hearts, and made them see their own unrighteous attitude towards Dafa
immediately.
There was a Dafa disciple who left home
to better validate Dafa, and who went to an appointment with a friend
in hopes of clarifying the truth about Dafa to him. Unexpectedly, her
parents, her husband, her good friend, and her supervisor at work had
conspired with the local police, and they sent her to a brainwashing
class. The practitioner came to understand that the evil was trying
to exploit her Goodness, and that it took advantage of her feelings
(qing) towards her friends and relatives in order to persecute
her, a Dafa disciple. She was not carried away by human feelings and
the hypocritical words of her relatives and friend, who claimed to do
this for her own good. As a Dafa disciple, she validated Dafa at the
risk of her life, and did so with fearless righteous belief. At the
same time, she exposed their wicked behavior with her righteous thoughts
and compassion. Soon, by eradicating interference and vicious elements
that were controlling them in other dimensions, she helped them realize
their wrongdoing, and this in turn led to her immediate release. Those
people have now started to treat her nicely once again. Through this
episode, not only did she free herself, but she also saved many beings
that were involved in this matter.
Another practitioner went to Beijing
to validate Dafa. He could not find a place to stay, since all hotels
required ID and his safety was an issue. While he searched for a place
to stay, he was wrestling with a question: Does this mean that I have
to endure more hardships, or does it mean that I should give up a certain
attachment? He thought about it from this angle for quite some time,
but still could not figure it out. Later he thought, "I came to
Beijing to validate Dafa--the most sacred and righteous action in the
universe. So everything should be the best, the most righteous. How
could it be allowed that I can't find a place to sleep?" Right
after he had this thought he found a great hotel that didn't request
ID cards.
A Dafa disciple's purest and best state
of mind can even melt diamond. If we don't pursue hardships or tribulations,
nor regard "filth as beauty," Dafa's dignity will manifest
through us. This is because you then will not be thinking that they
are giving you De (virtue) when they beat you; instead, you will
be thinking that they are persecuting Dafa. You then are not thinking
that they are giving you De when they take away your money or property;
rather, you will be thinking that they are deliberately damaging Dafa
and Dafa disciples. When they put you into jail, you then will be seeing
it as persecution that solely targets Dafa, rather than seeing it as
part of your cultivation. In all, you must consider the evil's every
manifestation from the perspective of Fa-rectification; you must not
give them any chance to take advantage of your unrighteous thoughts;
and you must never comply with any of the evil's persecution of you.
In April last year I was deceived and
put into a detention center. I didn't in any way feel that I was being
interrogated when they gave me a hearing. On the contrary, I fully and
happily displayed the purest Goodness of a Dafa disciple to everyone
there. Moreover, my main consciousness was very clear that I should
rectify all that is not righteous in any environment. They asked me
whether I came to the detention center to raise my level, and told me
that all practitioners who came here regarded it as a good environment
for raising their cultivation levels. I told them directly, "No,
it's not at all a place for someone as noble as I to stay. I was deceived
and kidnapped here. This is irrational persecution against me. In no
way can it be considered a good place for Dafa disciples to raise their
levels in cultivation. I hope that you'll release me as soon as possible."
When they asked about my family background, I then rolled off all the
professors, Ph.D. students, university presidents, etc. among my family
and relatives, letting them know what kind of people practice Falun
Dafa. I did this to try to convey to them that we Dafa practitioners
are highly talented people; many of us are the elite of human society,
and not among the ranks of those who feel spiritually empty and who
seek mental sustenance. Whenever they said something, I managed to direct
the conversation to the topic of how to be a decent human being. Throughout
all of this, I guided them with my powerful righteous belief and main
consciousness. As a result, they became a little excited, with their
eyes full of respect for me. They no longer had any idea of persecuting
me in their minds.
In my jail cell I didn't blame the prisoners
for fighting with each other. Instead, I reasoned with them, "Returning
evil actions with evil, people can only learn evil because you release
the evil you endured from others to somebody else. But if you return
the evil with Goodness, people can learn Goodness and see a bright future.
Since the police pretended to be nice to you while they aren't really
kind in their hearts, you can feel their evil and it is evil you have
learned. That's why forced labor re-education can't change a person's
nature. However, Falun Dafa can change a person fundamentally, making
him inclined toward Goodness forever, and making him forever yearn for
Goodness and look towards Goodness." After I said this, the prisoners
stopped fighting from then on and became more considerate of each other.
Before I was sent to the detention center, I had heard many practitioners
relay stories about how they promoted Dafa to prisoners, and about how
easy it is to raise one's level in the jail environment. But when I
was there myself, I really wondered how this could be a place for a
practitioner to stay!
Jails are full of dirty words and filth
from the prisoners' thoughts and behaviors. That's why I clarified the
truth to them and let them know about Dafa through my own cultivation
experiences. However, some of them asked me questions only for the purpose
of killing time, which set me thinking, "How could I talk about
Dafa to everyone as if it were just some casual thing? Isn't that a
blasphemy of Dafa?" In this way, I kept my thinking about spreading
Dafa in jail rational throughout the whole course of my detention. And
besides, how could such a filthy place be good for our practitioners'
cultivation? I had a strong idea in mind that I should leave there right
away and do what I should for Dafa.
As soon as I arrived at the detention
center, I asked the guards for permission to practice the exercises.
They didn't agree, and instructed the cell's jailer to watch me. Not
in a hurry to practice, I seized the opportunity to clarify the truth
about Dafa to them when the guards called me out for a talk. I told
them the essence of Dafa cultivation, I broke their thoughts and notions
that had been shaped in different ways by the evil, I rectified all
that was not righteous in their minds, and I inspired their good side.
At the time, I had a thought that I should melt the evil in their minds
with my mind's purest, most good state. Many times, when several guards
gathered around me, I clarified the truth to them and inspired their
Goodness with my happy mood and with my commitment to Goodness.
Gradually they all changed, including
the policeman whom the prisoners had detested and regarded as the most
vicious. He told me, "You can practice 10 minutes on my shift but
not longer." I said to him, "I've just started at the 10 minute
mark. It's not enough." "Then fifteen minutes at most."
I smiled. I knew there was no need for arguing further--they were changing.
And there's no difference between a promise of 15-minutes and one hour.
Since I always looked happy, the guards asked me not to smile in front
of the prisoners for fear that they wouldn't be able to handle the prisoners
well. I told them that I'm such an optimistic being who has been cultivated
from Dafa, and that this is my true nature. Since I always looked joyful
when I was talking with the police, the prisoners were afraid I had
some special connection with the police since the prisoners, including
the ones who were physically strongest, could only hang their heads
while talking with the police, much less could they ever manage a smile.
With things this way, their keeping an eye on me amounted to a formality
that achieved nothing. When I practiced the exercises the police were
even helping me. So the prisoners just couldn't figure out what I had
up my sleeve.
Later on, instructions came from superiors
to strengthen the watch on me. The cell guard then asked me not to spread
Dafa to the prisoners. I said, "As long as I'm not asked, I won't
say a word to anyone." I knew that humans are curious, and that
they would ask me about it. Moreover, Dafa is most dignified and we
can't talk about it just anywhere as if it were some casual words and
phrases. The guards thus instructed the jailer to announce to the cell
that nobody was allowed to ask about Falun Gong. I really didn't say
anything, and kept thinking about Dafa while working, with a smile on
my face all the time. I worked quietly for 18 hours a day, smiling,
not saying a word. The next day, the jailer hurried to report to the
guard that, "This man's meditation power is too strong. When he
didn't say anything, none of us could say anything." Indeed, I
didn't have any feeling of pressure inside or outside the high walls
of the jail. I knew clearly that I should leave here. My mind was as
quiet as still water, but as free as I willed it. Nothing could affect
my mind. I told the prisoners, "You don't know the length of your
sentence, while everything of mine is in my own hands. In fact, all
I have to do is say 'I won't practice anymore' and they'll release me.
But only because I refuse to say this, I'm jailed here." Every
word I said and everything I did earned the respect from the police
and the prisoners. Nobody reported on me when I practiced. The police
wouldn't say anything even if they saw me practice.
One night it was my turn to be on duty.
It was very hot. So I fanned the jailer and the prisoners sleeping around
me. To my surprise, the jailer suddenly jumped to his feet and said
to me in a panic, "Sir, please be sure not to fan us. It's against
the principles of heaven." I stopped at once, no longer regarding
it as something kind that I should do. After one month I was released.
When I left, the cell guard did not dare come over to me because he
was shedding tears. The jailer felt it was a pity he didn't have the
last meal with me. I wrote down Teacher's articles that I could remember
and left them with him.
Back at the police substation, I was
asked to write about my attitude towards Falun Gong, about why I practiced
Falun Gong's exercises in the detention center, and about why I spread
Dafa in the jail. I saw their evil intention clearly. So I wrote down
my thoughts about Dafa and refused to write anything else. They went
through it and said that it couldn't be approved. They said, in a foul-mouthed
way, that I was not sensible, that I dared write like this, and that
they would sentence me to three years of forced labor re-education.
They said that it was not acceptable and they returned it to me, asking
me to rewrite it. I didn't have any of their reasoning in me, and rejected
in my mind whatever they said. I thought that their asking me to rewrite
it meant that I didn't write it with sufficient determination and firmness.
I then wrote at the very beginning, "I think Falun Dafa is the
greatest cultivation of an upright Fa ever known to history." I
focused all my heart on these words. This was my reply to the evil.
They released me immediately.
Last October, the heads of the provincial 610 office asked me to have a talk with them. I dealt with
them with righteous belief and wisdom at every moment. When they impolitely
mentioned Teacher's name, I said to them in a rational and calm, yet
unshakable way that, "You must respect my Teacher. This is the
basis of our talk. Otherwise, the talk can't go on." They looked
into my eyes, and saw the unshakable righteousness beneath my calm.
They changed how they spoke. Although we were all talking and laughing
lightheartedly, we were actually fighting to see who was wiser and more
courageous. Every word was like the glint and flash of daggers and swords.
Every word was a trap. They talked with me this way for an entire day,
with the ultimate purpose of numbing my main consciousness and obtaining
what they needed from me. But from the very beginning I was fully aware
of their real intention, and managed to dissolve their scheming and
intriguing with the wisdom Dafa has bestowed upon me. There were numerous
threats in the calm talk, but all I had expressed was my righteous belief
in Dafa. At last, they couldn't find any gap or anything they needed,
and could only give up. I then calmly said to them, "As long as
you still have a bit of goodwill and a correct attitude towards Falun
Dafa, we Dafa practitioners will offer you salvation." They had
no choice but to express their gratitude to me.
Later on, I went to a practitioner's
home in another city. Her husband is the authority in a certain scientific
field and a Ph.D. supervisor. After he read some of my experience sharing
articles, he showed great respect toward me. He vacated for me the best
bedroom and his study room, where I wrote many experience sharing articles
in a quiet environment to validate Dafa. And he actually moved himself
to a small room with bad ventilation, where he worked on the development
plans for his discipline. Many practitioners couldn't understand it,
and remarked, "He wasn't happy at all when we were at his home.
It didn't matter who went there, he'd arrange for that person to sleep
in that stuffy small room. Fancy that he was so good to you, and gave
you the best. It's really hard to believe." To my understanding,
when all you manifest to a human being is the rationality, wisdom, peacefulness,
and dignity that a Dafa disciple possesses, that human being is bound
to have respect for Dafa. The reason he treated me so well was that
I had embodied Dafa's wisdom and dignity. Though I didn't have much
knowledge of his scientific field, I tried to guide him to think about
his field from different perspectives, using the wisdom I had obtained
through Dafa cultivation. I said, "Professor, I have little knowledge
of your field of research, but my understanding of it, which I elaborated
on previously, is deeper, I believe, than that of any of the Ph.D. students
you've instructed. Even you yourself might not have such broad dimensions
in your thinking. All my wisdom comes from Falun Dafa." I said
to him jokingly, "Professor, you should award me a Ph.D. degree."
The professor smiled, saying that he would study Zhuan Falun
well.
On "The Dignity of
Dafa": The ideas in this disciple's article are excellent. This
is how Fa-rectification is different from personal cultivation. Meanwhile,
it demonstrates the solid foundation built in the disciple's personal
cultivation. If you are without the Goodness (Shan) that a Dafa disciple
has, then you are not a cultivator. If a Dafa disciple cannot validate
the Fa, then he is not a Dafa disciple. While exposing the evil you
are also saving all sentient beings and consummating your own paradises.
Li Hongzhi
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- 7. Enlightening to the Fa: Think Calmly
Xiao Mei
[PureInsight.org] After I finished my meditation, I sat there quietly.
My ten years of cultivation seemed like yesterday. It was like a movie
playing: for those tests that I had thought I had already passed, I
actually hadn’t passed them completely. For those things I thought
I had done very well, I could now clearly see my human mind at that
time. For those attachments I had thought I had already removed, I see
that they still exist. I thought I had cultivated very well, but now
I find that I have just started to understand what true cultivation
is.
I don’t think one needs to wait until
the great disclosure of the truth. Even now, when one understands what
true cultivation is, one should be ashamed about their bad behavior
and words. If these days anyone says he cultivates very well, he must
not understand what true cultivation is.
Think about it. Gods in the past only
dared to save assistant spirits. After the assistant spirit succeeded
at cultivation, the gods at a higher level placed a cover around him
in order to not pollute the heavens. How could a human being, who accrues
karma heavily and whose body is full of karma, achieve such a degree
of purification within ten years? Moreover, a human being is still living
in the contaminated big dye vat. Forget about today. Even when one is
at the last step of the cultivation, he still would have human attachments
and impure elements.
The course of cultivation is the course
of understanding cultivation. In the past ten years, it happened many
times that I felt like I was waking up from a dream: “Wow, so this
is cultivation! What did I do in the past?” Now I sigh again with
great regret about not cultivating well in the past ten years and about
wasting time.
The course of cultivation is also the
course of removing emotions layer by layer. In the eyes of cultivators,
human emotion is low-level and dirty. Meanwhile, many attachments and
desires that come from emotions cause people to act crazily. If one
doesn’t cultivate diligently, he may not be able to realize these
shameful attachments.
The course of cultivation is also the
course of learning to look inside at one’s own weaknesses. If one
claims he is a cultivator but keeps criticizing and condemning others,
it must be the case that he hasn’t begun to cultivate genuinely. The
truth is that ordinary people look at others’ weakness and feel that
they’re doing well, while cultivators look at others’ good qualities
and look inside at their own weaknesses.
The course of cultivation is also the
course of understanding the purpose of life. Although I know the purpose
of life is to return to the origin, I see that I’ve wasted so much
time on everyday chores. I realize that life could be very simple, and
that all the hard work is just to make a living. As far as making a
living is concerned, as long as one has food and a bed, it would be
enough. Why make it so complicated? Living is to cultivate, but many
times one has the order reversed such that it looks like cultivation
is to make a better living.
Time flies and the celestial phenomena
urge people to hurry up. Cultivators can’t be as anxious like ordinary
people, however, and cultivators need to make the best use of their
time and calm down to study the Fa, cultivate their xinxing, and save
sentient beings solidly. Only by doing this can one not be confused
by the delusion of the human world and walk well the final path.
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- 8. Eliminate Demonic Nature (With Master's Comments)
A Western practitioner in the U.K.
A while ago I held the following attitude. As long as I did not follow evil and was able to tolerate it and its bad effects that was OK. As long as I stuck to the righteous, I did not need to be concerned with the evil. This limited understanding was reflected into both my own cultivation and my understanding of the process of Fa rectification and the situation in China. I thought we just recognize the evil forces in China as evil, know that we are righteous, tell the truth, expose the evil deeds and that was enough. I accepted the existence of evil with a calm heart, thinking this was a manifestation of Ren, but could not see that behind this lay my own passive and inappropriate attitude. In my heart, I could not take quite that step forward to say and believe that the evil should be destroyed, and that it should not exist. I also met with a lot of thought karma - I thought that this was to test my determination and to give me a chance to strengthen my main consciousness. I accepted the thought karma attacks as they happened, trying to keep a calm heart and to separate myself from these evil thoughts, knowing that they were not me, thinking that if I separated myself from it, that would be it and Master would eliminate it. But it kept returning. In fact I had the same passive attitude towards the evil thought karma as I did in my understanding of Fa rectification. I was somehow afraid that to actively eradicate the evil was an act of "aggressiveness" and was somehow not compassionate. From the idea of not wishing to harm any living being, there remained the trace of a false notion that actively wishing to destroy karma and evil itself was not compassionate or tolerant, as they were included as life-forms. Master Li says in Expounding on the Fa (Essentials for Further Advancement) "You should also be clear that "natural" does not exist and there is a reason for inevitability In fact natural is a word used by everyday people for self-justification when they are unable to explain the phenomena of the universe, life and matter. They cannot imagine what nature itself is. Under the influence of such a notion, you think that all these tribulations are inevitable and this is just the way it is, thereby developing a passive and pessimistic attitude." Through talking to other's, reading articles on Minghui, and Master Li's latest articles, my understanding has changed. My mind is now clear. It is not enough to recognize evil as evil and righteous as righteous. It is not enough to recognize that we are righteous and to separate ourselves from the evil. We must realize that evil should not exist, and we must do everything in our power to destroy the evil. When the thought karma comes, instead of simply tolerating it, knowing it not to be myself, waiting for Master to remove it as I did before, I now summon up every ounce of determination to destroy it with all of my heart, knowing it should no longer exist, and that it is a manifestation of my own demon nature to passively allow it to exist. Before, my determination to eliminate evil was held back by various passive and incorrect notions. Now it is not held back, I am surprised at the utter determination and power behind my wish to eradicate the evil. As this determination rises, my mind becomes solid like a diamond, and I feel that a single move of my mind could break mountains in half. I understand now better the phrase "wrath of the gods". This is not human anger, intolerance, revenge, vengeance, etc. it is the righteous and noble elimination of all that goes against the characteristic of the universe, Zhen-Shan-Ren and no longer deserves to remain in it.
This same change in understanding is reflected into my understanding of the current process of Fa rectification and our role within it. We must not allow old passive notions to leave gaps in our minds and out of our passive attitude allows the evil to continue to exist. To passively watch evil is to approve of it and to encourage it. If we expect that evil is necessary and should exist, under whatever excuse, then it will exist, both in our minds and in the universe. We are not only responsible to our own process of cultivation, of fulfilling the Buddha nature and eliminating our own demon nature, we are also responsible to our part in eliminating demonic nature from the universe. Isn't this just the process of the rectification of Fa?
We should actively eliminate all demonic forces which oppose Dafa, whether inside or outside ourselves - not for the sake of our own progress in cultivation, but out of compassion for all beings.
"The understanding is very good. With regard to the manifestation of thought karma, the damage that the evil forces have created for us, and our clarifying the truth to people, we are actively eliminating the demons instead of condoning or passively enduring; but our thoughts and actions must be benevolent." Li Hongzhi
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