(Clearwisdom.net) In Dalian City, the persecution of Falun Gong has been severe and, recently, practitioner Mr. Feng Gang has died as a result of it. Teacher does not acknowledge the persecution and has said that the evil elements have been greatly reduced and Fa-rectification is drawing to an end. We practitioners need to seriously consider why the persecution is still so serious in Dalian City.
Around October 1, 2009, Practitioner A received a call asking him to stop at the police station. He became afraid and his mind was not at peace. He became excited on the phone, and his tone was sharp. The officer called his home several times and even came to his door and knocked. Practitioner A sent forth righteous thoughts inside and refused to open his door. He tried to solve the problem by ordinary means but did not succeed. He discussed his situation with several fellow practitioners, who persuaded him to leave home for a while.
Practitioner A's wife did not think that evading the problem was a good approach, and he started to feel uncertain. He discussed it with Practitioner B, who had also been called to his local police station recently and had rationally talked about Falun Gong to the police officers. The effect had been quite good. B thought that A had been given a good opportunity to clarify the truth and reminded A of Teacher's Fa concerning this situation. Practitioner A realized that he was right.
Several days later, A called B and told him that, after their talk, he had returned home and begun to study Fa with a peaceful mind. The more he studied, the more righteous thoughts he gained. His compassion started to gradually grow. He was deeply impressed with Teacher's magnificence and with Dafa students' sacred mission. He invited the police officer to his home and even apologized for his tone over the phone. The officer was moved by his sincerity. Practitioner A then calmly talked about Falun Gong with the officer, who raised many questions. They had a very friendly talk, he answered all of the officer's questions, and the trouble disappeared.
Over this issue, I would like to share my understanding of what it means to change "human thoughts." Teacher said, "everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.") When A looked at the persecution as something ordinary people were doing against other ordinary people, he actually placed himself in the position of being persecuted. Therefore, the police officer interfered with him again and again. When he viewed the persecution from the perspective of the Fa, it became his chance to disintegrate the evil and save the sentient beings. After the police officer learned the truth, the interference disappeared.
Some practitioners view the existence of the persecution as an absolute, as if one would face the persecution as long as he does what a Dafa disciple should do. Does this mean they are asking to be persecuted? Teacher has never acknowledged the arrangements of the old forces, and eliminated the old forces at the root such that only some elements remain at the surface. Teacher further told us how to deny and eliminate the remaining elements and has bestowed powerful abilities upon us. If we view everything with divine thoughts and from the perspective of the Fa, we should be able to purify our own dimensions and improve our environments. However, if we are afraid of the persecution, we may be asking for trouble.
Of course, the persecution presents a real danger to practitioners. Yet, even after July 20, 1999, some practitioners were firmly convinced that Teacher never arranged tribulations that would affect their daily lives and continued to do the three things regularly. They clearly realized that the interference and persecution were imposed by the old forces and eliminated them with righteous thoughts. Soon everything returned to normal.
Thus, when we replace human thoughts and actions with righteous thoughts based on the Fa, we will improve our environment, form a powerful unit, and save more sentient beings.