(Clearwisdom.net) Since reading “Reflections on the Passing Away of a Fellow Practitioner” (http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/5/124231.html), I have had this feeling that is hard to describe. I had also been brutally persecuted at a forced labor camp before. With a desire to uphold the truth, but not clearly understanding the Fa, and with a limited ability to endure, this can often lead to a struggle within oneself. Unable to find the reason for this, one group after another of practitioners fell, yet one group after another stepped up to face a matter of life and death, to take place of the fallen. In that type of harsh environment, practitioners carry the light of truth in relays. During experience sharing, the helpless and regretful expressions of fellow practitioners are written all over their faces. Practitioners have told me, “I have tried everything. Why did I encounter this problem, or that problem? The pain was so excruciating that it was unbearable...” etc. I also tried to help a practitioner with illness karma for half a year. In the end, he still passed away. I felt unspeakable regret and helplessness.
When I was persecuted the second time, in my heart I asked Teacher why. I enlightened to three points.
1. I didn’t listen to Teacher and I didn’t truly do things according to the Fa. Teacher not only teaches us the Fa, he also gives us hints all the time. Especially when facing danger, he gives us hints more than once, but we always find reasons not enlighten to them and not follow them. For example, we are required to have righteous thought everywhere and all times. But I only did it for a while, believing that it was not so serious. I changed the requirement and acted only according to what I understood. When I didn’t understand, I simply put it aside and believed just in myself. The result was that I wound up getting persecuted.
2. I was considering problems from the human perspective, not from the Fa. So as soon as a thought came out, it was immediately controlled by the old forces. I was unable to get away from past experiences and selfishness, and always did things based on experience. I only re-examined myself after I fell down, instead of constantly using the Fa to examine and correct myself beforehand.
When I truly immerse myself in the Fa, I feel a field around me. Then when I ponder on a question, I am able to correct some attachments that are degenerate that I did not realize before. It is also easier to understand Teacher’s hints. Perhaps that is the state when one uses the Fa as the basis for evaluating things. Moreover, the characteristic of the universe is infinitely powerful. When facing the evil, the evil dares not touch me. When I immerse myself in the Fa, the Fa protects me as well. And this field is everywhere. Perhaps this meets the requirements of the Fa:
“just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations.” (“Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s),” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
3. I didn’t know how to search within, so I could not find the root cause. Even though I knew the Fa, I didn’t know how to use it at critical moments.
Teacher said,
“All of you are already aware of the principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition. If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist. This is not to be self-imposed, but is achieved by truly and calmly letting go of it. (“Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s),” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
However, why is there still persecution when I don’t think I am afraid? Some practitioners say, “Why am I still being persecuted when I have already let go of life and death?” A number of practitioners I know who had been brutally persecuted had had the thought of leaving this world, but later they overcame this thought because Dafa does not allow suicide. Many fundamental attachments were not discovered—in fact there still was fear and not being able to let go of life and death—but they were not able to recognize them.
I wanted to search within, but I couldn’t find many attachments, so I lost confidence. Usually at a time like this, the old forces intensify the persecution and achieve their goal.
In fact, the Fa encompasses everything, it is only that we have not put it into action. For example, when sending forth righteous thoughts, during the first five minutes practitioners are required to be:
“thinking about eliminating the bad thoughts, karma, bad notions, and external interference in their minds. As you’re like this, think that they die, and then they will be eliminated.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2001 Canada Fa Conference,” Guiding the Voyage)
When we cannot find the attachment or realize our own attachments, we can use our gong to find them. Gong knows everything that is happening in other dimensions, so it can find the attachments and eliminate them.
“To tell you the truth, the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments.” (Zhuan Falun)
After having done this for a while, I understand even more that the evil is taking actions that are aimed at our attachments everywhere at all times. The Fa from Teacher is very effective. When I quickly eliminate my attachments, the evil can no longer do such wicked things. One time, when the police came into my home, I realized that I had fear and immediately eliminated the attachment of fearing death. Then I became more at ease.
Another phenomenon regarding forced labor camps is that a practitioner may feel that he has strong righteous thoughts when outside of that environment, but as soon as he is taken to a forced labor camp, he feels there is an enormous force against himself, to the point where his thoughts become weak. This in fact is due to the dark minions and rotten ghosts. If one sends righteous thoughts for a long time, this can be eliminated. Sometimes when the police were talking to me or trying to “transform” me, my legs would be shaking. Some practitioners experienced intense pain—sometimes without any reason. It’s all caused by the dark minions. Sending righteous thoughts is very effective, but one must persist for a long period of time. When you feel that your thoughts are weak, it means that the evil is afraid of your thoughts, or you have human thoughts. At times like this, I recall the Fa, and use the power of the Fa to strengthen me; my thoughts become strong and pure, and I am surrounded by the field of the Fa. The evil becomes so small and insignificant.
Please kindly point out any shortcomings.