Falun Dafa Minghui.org www.minghui.org PRINT

Being Clear on the Fa Principles as a Group Is the Key to Negating the Enactment of Article 23

Dec. 17, 2002 |   By Xin Hui

(Clearwisdom.net) Several days ago I suddenly realized, "How could I have been so indifferent about such a significant matter [Article 23 of the Basic Law]?" In fact, I was restrained. The evil interfered with this big incident by having me occupied with other things, which blinded me from seeing the bigger picture of the whole Fa-rectification. I was restricted by busying myself with other things, and I acted indifferently toward some important things in Fa-rectification. In fact, this is also a kind of selfishness, for I was attached to what I was doing. All of our Dafa practitioners are one whole body, and every regional incident is a concern to all of us. Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference," "The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things."

Some practitioners said, "I can't even finish what I'm doing right now. How can I have time to do anything else?" My personal understanding is that once I have clearly realized the importance of this matter and the problems I had with my xinxing, it didn't take very long to do the actual work. Master said in the recent "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A." "It's not like Gods see that your idea worked and then they raise your level. Instead, they only raise your level when they see that your understanding of it has improved. This is a truth in the Righteous Fa."

My understanding is that in anything we do, we must be clear on the Fa's principles. We must truly understand it from the perspective of the Fa and do it from the perspective of the Fa, because only then can we truly open up our wisdom and do it better, with a clear head and rationality. If we do it without a clear sense of direction, we may very likely not be able to reach a good outcome, and might cause some unnecessary loss to Dafa work. In fact, this is also a display of our capacity of tolerance, a display of our realm of cultivation. If we are bogged down in specific work, we would find it endless; if we are able to look at its true nature from the perspective of the Fa, we will feel at ease and things will turn out as we wish, and everything will be in order and we will be clear-headed.

Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A." "As I've said, everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts. Even though the old forces do exist, if you don't have those thoughts they can't do anything. When your righteous thoughts are strong enough the old forces can't do a thing."

Therefore, this incident has to do with our Dafa practitioners as a whole. Maybe we have not yet truly realized the nature of this incident from the perspective of Fa principles; maybe we have not yet formed a solid whole body; maybe we didn't use firm righteous thoughts to negate the old forces' arrangements of this incident; maybe we fell short of abilities, couldn't do anything, waited passively, placed our hopes on the change in the ordinary human society or a certain person; maybe we neglected Fa-study or busied ourselves with specific tasks, and others.

I think that in order to negate the old forces' evil arrangements such as this and to truly do things well as a whole, we must have a clear understanding from the Fa principles. I have the following understandings to share regarding this matter:

1. All Dafa Practitioners Form a Solid Whole Body

I remember Master said in "Towards Consummation," Essentials For Further Advancement II, "Additionally, they manipulate wicked human beings to examine Dafa and its disciples, putting them through a comprehensive and destructive test that targets all human thoughts and attachments." I realized that one of the evil's tricks is to interfere with practitioners by creating gaps between practitioners, in an attempt to break us up, one by one. Therefore, it is of critical importance that our Dafa practitioners form a whole body.

This whole body means that we must break through not only the mental and regional separation between Dafa practitioners, but also the separation between different types of Dafa work. If we can have mutual coordination and support between different areas and different kinds of Dafa work, and with combined wisdom, as a whole body, we will do better. For example, regarding Article 23, first we should collectively share our understandings from the perspective of the Fa in a group, clearly realize that this is the old forces' evil arrangement, and then as a whole body, negate it from the root. When it comes to specific things, focusing on this incident, each project can be handled from different perspectives, with different methods and through different channels. When all Dafa practitioners can form a solid whole body, we will be incomparably powerful and invincible.

2. Don't Place Our Hopes on Ordinary People. It is Our Righteous Thoughts That Matter

Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A."

"Since you are Dafa disciples, you shouldn't put your hopes in so-called "natural" changes, external changes, changes in the ordinary society, or in some favors that someone might do for us. You are Gods, and you are the rulers of different cosmoses in the future, so who would you count on? All the beings are counting on you!"

"How was the cosmos created? It was created just by a Great Fa Enlightened Being's one thought."

"You're cultivators, and all the changes come from your cultivation and the Fa-rectification; everything that you yourselves validate and enlighten to, and everything that you'll receive, all this comes from what you have done on your path. Absolutely don't think about any favors the old forces might do for us, or about how the ordinary society might help us. You are the ones saving the ordinary people's society, and you are the ones saving sentient beings!"

In everything we do, what really matters is our Dafa practitioners' righteous thoughts. Ordinary people are the ones we need to save. So anything we do, we must have the right mind and stand on the right fundamental point. We are not begging people for help, nor can they have any true effect on the outcome of this incident.

Moreover, we must purify our minds when doing things and should not be attached to the outcome; all that we do is to clarify the truth and save people.

On the surface, all that we do looks like we want to prevent the enactment of Article 23 with other people's help and to stop the evil from persecuting Falun Gong, while in fact we are using this evil arrangement to clarify the truth and save people. When we become clear-headed from the Fa principles, we will not put our hopes on non-practitioners' help, and will truly be able to do without pursuit, and not give the old forces any excuse to take advantage of any loopholes.

3. We must Have a Benevolent State of Mind

Master said, "So what's their state of mind? It's tolerance, an extremely immense tolerance, being able to accept other beings, and being able to truly think from other beings' perspectives." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")

If we understand all from the Fa principles, that it is we who are clarifying the truth and saving people, we will be able to keep a benevolent and harmonious state of mind instead of doing things with hasty pursuit for results or with other strong attachments. When we clarify the truth from the perspective of non-practitioners with benevolence, we will understand more clearly where their barriers are, and therefore we will be able to clarify the truth more effectively to different people. When we truly think of others, we can awaken people's kind nature so that their knowing side will take control.

4. "Just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations" ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)")

Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A."

"The evil has exhausted its tricks, and the Dafa disciples have matured through the tempering. We're not afraid of any other tricks it might use."

"Those evil beings can't hold up now. The wicked people in the world might seem so evil, but that's actually just arranged by the old forces. I've said before that the evil won't stop persecuting even right up until the very end. Even if it's going to end tomorrow, today that evil will still do evil just the same."

"Fa-rectification disciples, the persecution has already come to this stage, and Dafa has already come to this step in Fa-rectification: what's there for us to still be afraid of? Haven't you already seen your future well? So when it comes to these evil beings and their arrangements, as long as your righteous thoughts are strong enough you can reject them, repel them, and make them helpless."

We should not be deceived by the illusions of society. No matter how it appears on the surface, our hearts should not be moved. No matter what happens or what other people do, no matter what we do, our fundamental purpose is to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. This is my understanding of "Just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations." ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)")

If we are clear on the Fa principles, we will do Fa-rectification work more actively, using wisdom and different methods, and with our supernormal abilities we can succeed in everything we do, such as clarifying the truth to the government, the media, organizations, and the general public; clarifying the truth through our websites, radio stations, T.V. stations, online chatting, telephone, fax and letters; and doing this from different angles, such as human rights and economics, to different groups and from the viewpoints and understandings of different people.

The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.