(Clearwisdom.net) I have thought for a long time now that Falun Gong practitioners in our region are the most persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Several practitioners are arrested here on a yearly basis. At times, I didn't dare to thoroughly clarify the truth to people. Recently while sharing experiences, fellow practitioners told me about several cases, making me realize that the Fa-rectification has progressed rapidly. I also worried about my immaturity in many cultivation areas.
One practitioner told me, "Every year our comrades-in-arms have a reunion. When I clarified the truth to them in the past, everyone shook their heads, ridiculing and criticizing me. Everything has changed this year. A few days ago, we gathered for the marriage ceremony of the son of a comrade-in-arms. A dozen of us attended. I gave them each a set of Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs, and truth-clarification materials. They all competed with each other to take the DVDs, and also showed a positive attitude toward Dafa. Some of them work in the Public Security system, and some run their own businesses. They said they wanted to watch the DVD carefully. People's attitudes toward Dafa have truly changed.
Another practitioner was visited by a policeman who was newly assigned to the police station covering the practitioner's area. The new officer asked him if he still practiced Falun Gong. This practitioner clarified the truth to the policeman. In the end, the policeman became supportive of Dafa and said, "I will protect you. Continue your practicing."
Another fellow practitioner said, "I gave a set of truth-clarification materials to a friend, who is the court's Deputy President. The next day, the Deputy President went to my home to inquire about the truth, asking me to tell him the details about Dafa."
From these events, we can see that cosmic changes are at a new level, where some sentient beings are actively seeking the truth about Falun Dafa. However, facing the Fa-rectification and changes in the universe, I felt that I'd fallen behind the Fa-rectification progress. I still had fear, an attachment to protect myself, and selfishness. Although I have done some truth-clarification work to save sentient beings, deep in my heart I was "waiting" - waiting for a big cosmic change; waiting for the Fa-rectification in the human world period to arrive, and waiting for the persecution to end. Then I would go out to openly clarify the truth. What a bad thought! This also was a reflection of my cultivation status. Saving sentient beings and reaching mature self cultivation are absolutely not things that one can wait for; they come from self improvement in solid Fa study and real cultivation.
When I read the news about the upcoming Shen Yun performance in Hong Kong, I was shocked. I realized that this was due to the cosmic changes. In other words, Hong Kong practitioners cultivated well as a single body, and the entire group is mature. The evil factors could not do anything to oppose them, and their righteous power was in control. Teacher pushed for this result. The news was a great encouragement and inspiration to Dafa practitioners in mainland China. In fact, the Fa rectification has progressed rapidly in China. Just considering the change of attitude toward Dafa, the end of Fa rectification is approaching. Although there are still a lot of evil factors in some regions, the Fa-rectification status for the whole of China is completely different from a year ago. At least, there are fewer people opposing Dafa when clarifying the truth to them, and it is easier to persuade people to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Can this surface change of sentient beings be accidental? There are many examples around me (including those policemen whose responsibilities were to persecute practitioners).
A few days ago, a practitioner persecuted by the CCP for several years, returned home. She was taken by force to a "transformation" class by "610 Office" staff. A practitioner heard about this, and went to the municipal 610 Office by himself to clarify the truth. The 610 Office officials asked him, "Who are you?" He replied, "I am her neighbor. She was sick when she was young. After practicing Dafa, not only did she become healthy, but she was also very nice to the neighbors! How could you arrest this kind of good person?" Subsequently, the arrested practitioner was released, and the police officers told her, "Thank your neighbor."
What do we lack when facing the current Fa-rectification? I suddenly realized that we lack maturity in our cultivation (in many areas). Plus, we are not clear about the fast-progressing Fa-rectification and Dafa's required standards for practitioners at the end. If every practitioner in China matures, then the Shen Yun performance will come to mainland China immediately, because it is not controlled by any human, but by Teacher and gods! This just depends on our maturity. Teacher said that he wanted to save seventy or eighty percent of the world's people. Can this goal be reached? In the past I had some doubts, but now I firmly believe, "Yes! Absolutely yes! Teacher and Dafa have the ability and the mighty power! As long as it is what Teacher wants, it will happen." The key is that we must mature in our cultivation soon.
I felt that my improvement and maturity was not fast enough, and that Teacher was concerned about me. Looking at fellow practitioners, some are very diligent but some are not. For example, some enjoy watching TV soap operas; some don't consistently send forth righteous thoughts at the four fixed times; some don't even study the Fa for two or three days; some pay too much attention to everyday people's issues such as the swine flu and catastrophes. Teacher said,
"If you are to do well at the task of saving sentient beings, you first must cultivate yourselves well. Only by studying the Fa more can your righteous thoughts be ample, and only by studying the Fa well can a Dafa disciple fulfill his or her historic mission." (from "To the Brazil Fa Conference")
I feel that Teacher is waiting for us to mature.
Teacher also said,
"It is still up to you yourselves to walk your paths well hereafter. When you have all become mature, the next stage will begin." (from "Cleaning Up", Teacher's comment on a practitioner's article "Don't Be Self-Indulgent and Draw Demons to Ourselves", August 6, 2009)
Sometimes, after reading the sharing articles by overseas practitioners, I am moved by their cooperation as a whole. From their mature cultivation status of giving up oneself to harmonize with the group, I can see the gap between them and me, and the practitioners around me. If we all mature, then big cosmic changes will happen soon. Recently, many practitioners shared on the topic of "supernormal abilities." I think that, only when we have fewer human attachments, have strong righteous thoughts, know how to use these abilities righteously, and mature in personal cultivation, can the supernormal abilities be effective.
Original Article: November 13, 2009
