(Clearwisdom.net) Practitioner A heard a rumor that he was a target for arrest. He left home and went to another practitioner's home in another city. When he got there, the police were already waiting for him. In the end, he was not able to avoid being arrested. He had just been released from a forced labor camp after he went on a hunger strike for over 40 days. When I went to visit him, he told me, "This time, I will be more diligent in Fa-study. Even if there is nowhere for me to go, I will use the warehouse in the summer! As long as there is a place with one square meter, it will be enough for me to study the Fa. I am not here to enjoy life." The practitioner sounded very determined, but later I realized that, in fact, it was just on the surface that the practitioner appeared to be determined. It might not be easy for him to accept my opinion if I told him so, but I do not even have the opportunity to exchange the Fa's perspective with him face to face. I have decided to put my thoughts into writing because I truly hope Practitioner A can eliminate the old forces' interference, recognize it, and dissolve it sooner.
Since 1999, Practitioner A has lost his job, been sent to the forced labor camp three times, and often been illegally arrested. His home was ransacked. Even his wife has been arrested several times. Police harassment has become routine. This time I heard a senior practitioner make a comment about Practitioner A, saying, "He is doing so great. After enduring so much, he must have gained much mighty virtue. This is not hardship that regular people can endure easily. He cultivates very well." I felt sad hearing this comment. I was trying to think how to explain this to Practitioner A. I would like to tell him, "You do not truly firmly believe in Dafa and Master, which is why you kept encountering ordeals."
Master said,
"When you encounter ordeals during your cultivation, you have got to cultivate yourself and look at yourself--that doesn't mean acknowledging the ordeals arranged by the old forces and trying to do well amidst the ordeals they've arranged, that's not the case." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference")
Therefore, we should negate the old forces' arrangements and establish our own virtue instead of cultivating in the ordeals arranged by the old forces. Enduring the ordeals cannot help us improve. It can only interfere with saving sentient beings.
On the surface, Practitioner A is very determined in his belief in Dafa and Master. He does not even seem to know how to live a normal life, take care of his business, or harmonize his family. I have not seen him study the Fa or practice the exercises well at home. However, as soon as he was arrested, he immediately seemed to have righteous thoughts. He would never betray Dafa and fellow practitioners. But it was merely a reflection on the surface: he lost his job, and he still practices Dafa. He suffered financially, and he still practices Dafa. He has endured the persecution for such a long time, and he has never given up and still practices Dafa. He went on a hunger strike when detained and let go of the fear of death, and he still practices Dafa. It seems that he would never give up on practicing Dafa. However, he does not truly believe in Dafa. His fear is reflected on the fact that he cannot study the Fa and practice the exercises with dignity at home. In a house of 70 to 80 square meters, why would he not be able to find a place to study the Fa? Plus, his wife is not an everyday person. She used to be a practitioner for several years. However, she gave up on practicing Dafa at the sight of the state of Practitioner A. Shouldn't it be "the Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities?" Why did he make his practitioner wife leave Dafa? His fear is reflected in the fact that, after being detained several times, he was never actively exposing the evil, which gives the evil a gap to exploit. Therefore, he was persecuted over and over again. His fear is also reflected in his not doing the three things and clarifying the facts well.
As a Dafa practitioner in the Fa-rectification period, doing things in accordance with Master's requirements and harmonizing what Master wants us to do is walking the path Master has arranged. Master and the gods rectifying the Fa will protect us. Master has taught us all the Fa principles and told us exactly what we should be doing. Practitioner A already lost his job due to persecution. He has already let go of the fear of death in the forced labor camp. Why would he still fear having one more electronic Dafa book or an MP3 player at home? How can this become an excuse for the evil persecution? If you worry about the evil coming back again, the evil will come back. This is to test how you will be affected when you face the evil. Facing the evil, if you have no fear and still clarify the facts with compassion; facing the evil, if you can send strong righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil beings and factors in other dimensions; facing the evil, if you can realize that cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master, and let go of the attachment to fear and leave everything up to Master, then Master will be able to eliminate the evil. If Dafa disciples cultivate well, Master will not let the evil take away practitioners who firmly believe in Dafa and Master.
However, for a long time, Practitioner A has not done well in face to face truth clarification, distributing truth materials, or exhorting people to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Maybe what I know is limited. Maybe Practitioner A individually did something without telling anybody else. I certainly hope so.
Master said,
"If you, as a student [of Dafa], do not follow Master's requirements, it is definitely no simple thing. The old forces have arranged for all Dafa disciples a set of their things, so if a Dafa disciple doesn't follow Master's requirements, he must be following the old forces' arrangements."
"Only when you follow Master's requirements are you validating the Fa and cultivating yourself as a Dafa disciple, and only then are you a true Dafa disciple." ("Be Clearheaded")
I know another practitioner, who had strong righteous thoughts after he was arrested. His family asked for him to be released. When he came home with dignity, he went to work the very next day and returned to his practice and Fa-study right away. The authorities never bothered him again. Another practitioner, "D," was arrested right before the Olympic Games started. The evil went to the home of Practitioner C from the same town. Practitioner C was not there. They ransacked his home. Fellow practitioners all tried to persuade Practitioner C to hide for a while first, but Practitioner C sent forth righteous thoughts and then went home with dignity. In order to rescue Practitioner D, all practitioners made truth clarification stickers. The coordinator recommended that Practitioner C not distribute the stickers in his village, but Practitioner C said, "The practitioner was arrested here. It means the people here need to be saved. Exposing the evil to the local people is what Master wants. Therefore, there will not be any problems." Practitioner C still does the three things with dignity. The authorities did not dare to harass him.
Practitioner E from another city has been sent to a forced labor camp in the past. He has also been on the target list of the local 610 Office. He exposed the evil as soon as he was out of the forced labor camp. He immediately adjusted his mental state and went back into the mighty current of Fa-rectification. He established a Fa-study group in his house. He took over the coordination effort and also had the false illusion of having a dozen police cars surrounding his house. Practitioner E walked on the cultivation path wisely and diligently. Although he also had a moment of not being steadfast, through Fa-study and adjusting himself, he continues to follow what Master requires. It is this simple. It is this easy to say.
There are many practitioners who are diligent in cultivation. Passing the test in the family is usually very difficult. Many practitioners still stay home to practice and study the Fa. When they attend group study, they usually do not want their family to know and are afraid that it will affect their family adversely. We are the future enlightened beings. How can we have fear as a result of our non-practitioner family members? We are not arguing or fighting with them. Attending group study with dignity is to walk on the path arranged by Master and to harmonize with Dafa. In order to pass this test, the first thing is to rectify the mind. When the mind is steady, one can calmly explain to one's family. With this determination, no matter what the tribulation or interference, nothing can stop us from walking on the path arranged by Master. The cultivation environment will fundamentally change with the change in a practitioner's one thought.
When one lets go of the fear of death, the evil will not dare to interfere. It is usually when one does not walk with dignity on the path arranged by Master that one will be taken advantage of by the old forces. If you walk on its path, it will control you. Master said,
"'Well, don't you want to practice cultivation? I'll take care of you and tell you how to practice cultivation.' It will make arrangements for them. Where will they go if they complete cultivation? Since cultivation practice is arranged by it, no schools of practice at high levels will accept you. Since it arranges everything for you, you will have to follow it in the future." (Lecture Five, Zhuan Falun)
Only if one follows the Fa's requirements, does the three things well, and walks on the path arranged by Master will the evil not dare to come back again!
I hope this experience sharing can help close the gap among our local fellow practitioners so that we can form a one-body and improve and assimilate together.