(Minghui.org) I joined the global RTC platform for making telephone calls to clarify the truth to people in China in December 2011, and though I have only been involved for a few months, I have benefited greatly. Here I would like to share some of my understandings with fellow practitioners.
Rescue Platform
While helping a fellow practitioner install the RTC software on his computer, I met one of the coordinators for the RTC platform group, a practitioner from Melbourne. She told me that there would be an online interaction session held for all the RTC groups around the world every week, and that I should try participating in it.
Practitioners from all over the world gathered for the online interaction session. This was the first time I had attended an online group truth clarification exchange, and I was in awe. After listening to the other practitioners sharing experiences, I felt deeply shaken, and realized that I had not been diligent enough. Before 2012, I had tried making cold calls to households in China to clarify the truth, but most of the people I called quickly hung up, so I eventually gave up. My reluctance grew as time passed, and in the end I was never able to persist in picking up the phone and make calls to clarify the truth.
After participating in that online sharing session, I saw my own shortcomings, and realized that great and benevolent Master had arranged for me to participate in the RTC groups. I truly felt the painstaking efforts Master had gone through for me. The practitioner who introduced me to the RTC platform later suggested that I take up the role of coordinator for the Canberra RTC group, and I saw this as Master's encouragement, and at the same time it was a duty that I had to fulfill as a Dafa disciple.
Taking Part in the Global-scale Operation
On Christmas Eve that year we held an exceptionally large-scale operation, designed to focus the entire world's RTC efforts on the households in Changchun, an area in Jilin Province where the persecution was especially severe, and also where the evil forces were relatively more concentrated. This was the first time I participated in such a large-scale operation, and I was slightly nervous. To my surprise, the very first call I made went through. The moment I heard a voice on the other end, the first sentence that sprang from my mouth was: "Don't persecute Falun Gong." The person on the other end replied in an angry tone and quickly hung up. The same situation kept being repeated the rest of the afternoon. As I listened to the other RTC members making calls, I heard them systematically and unhurriedly clarify the truth over the phone. The person they were speaking to responded and even asked questions. I knew that I was not approaching things with the right attitude, and I had to change the way I clarified the truth. I took a short break from the RTC platform and started to diligently study the Fa.
The night I resumed calling, I looked at the phone numbers before me and sent forth a single thought: "Master sent me to rescue sentient beings. You have to answer the phone and understand the truth, only then can you be saved!" The first person who answered my phone call was a young policeman. I started out by wishing him a happy New Year and he thanked me. I then explained to him the magnitude of the crime the CCP is committing by persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. I told him that the international community condemns it as comparable to the genocide and crimes against humanity on the scale of the Nazi war criminals. As I talked, he did not say a word. Throughout our conversation, over the phone, I could hear him breathing heavily due to fear. Then I asked if he had ever pledged to join the CCP and he said yes. When I offered to help him come up with a psuedonym to quit the CCP, he agreed without hesitation. The part of him that understood had been urgently waiting for us to save him. Afterwards I called another number. The policeman who answered my call was pretty friendly, and said, “I know Falun Gong is good, we do not engage in persecution activities and I have already quit the CCP.”
As I made these nightly calls, I used the opportunity to search within myself and found that my human notions were obstructing my ability to effectively save these police officers. I realized that, in my heart I believed that they were the villains in this persecution, and thus I spoke to them in a hostile tone, like a judge prosecuting a criminal on trial. After I looked inward and adjusted myself, I felt that these police officers were even more pitiful than regular people. In order to save them, we needed to broaden our hearts of compassion. Some were forced to go along with the persecution although they were reluctant inside, as they depended on their job to survive. Others were blinded by the extra bonuses handed out, and others were promoted for participating in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Thus there was a certain level of difficulty in clarifying the truth to them, which required strong righteous thoughts and compassion.
Recognizing the Harm of CCP Culture
Looking inward further I realized that, even though I am a practitioner, much remained of the CCP's poison within my own thoughts. The "struggle mentality" is a typical aspect of CCP culture. Using evil to confront evil had become a habitual thought in my mind. If not for the cultivation requirement to search within oneself, I would still be unaware of how deeply I had been poisoned by CCP culture. These dangerous and harmful thoughts must be thoroughly removed.
While listening to the recording of a Taiwanese practitioner explaining the truth to a public security official in China, my entire body suddenly froze. I felt a great field of compassion envelope me, and and I could feel those bad elements within my field, including substances belonging to the CCP and evil factors being rapidly disintegrated. I felt purified after repeatedly listening. I understood then that one must adjust one's mindset and heart to clarify the truth; kind and compassionate yet serious. I also realized why the person I was trying to save may never feel my good intentions towards him. My efforts to save sentient beings would be in vain if I was still going along with evil CCP factors and my compassionate side was being suppressed.
Cultivating Away the Attachment to Comfort While Coordinating
After this operation had concluded, I was invited to take the responsibility of coordinating for the live chat room. On my first day, seeing that many practitioners had come online, I hurried to allocate telephone numbers to everyone. Due to my lack of experience, our interaction session that day was delayed. But fellow practitioners were very patient, and not a word of complaint was heard as they quietly assisted me.
After our calling session, some practitioners sent text messages to encourage me, saying it was rare to see a first time coordinator perform so well, and thanking Master for arranging this. I know that Master had observed me finally overcoming my selfishness, and was using fellow practitioners to encourage me.
One Saturday night, I received a text message from a fellow practitioner asking me to participate in an RTC call session. It was 11 p.m., I had just gotten home, and I had not prepared myself to participate. I said, “I didn't have time to prepare so I will not participate tonight. In the future please contact me earlier.”
This practitioner didn't respond angrily, instead said that I was welcome to join next time. After turning down the invitation to participate, instead of feeling a sense of relief, I felt bad. I decided that even if I did not participate in the call session, I could still go online and send forth righteous thoughts in support. Once I entered the RTC platform, I noticed many practitioners were already talking to their assigned callers. Even my fellow Canberra practitioner was there, having dived straight in immediately after reaching home. I felt so small then, while fellow practitioners seemed like towering mighty gods. At that point, all of my selfish and muddled thoughts were eliminated and I immediately dove in to participate.
After searching inwards, I found that I harbored the attachment of seeking a comfortable life, unable to consider the needs of the whole group. Master requires not just our participation in the RTC platform to save sentient beings, but also gives us opportunities to cultivate compassion while doing so. We need to reach the standard where we can overcome our selfish desires and become considerate of everyone, becoming a selfless and magnificent god. When practitioners need my help, how can I refuse? Cultivation is this serious, and every step of enlightenment is accompanied by tribulations.
At the “Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference”, Master mentioned,
“Right now, the evil in other dimensions has been badly decimated, and its ability to control people has waned. So, for Dafa disciples, things overall have become ever more relaxed and comfortable. But as things get more comfortable, the pressure lessens; and when the pressure is lessened, it's apt to lead to a desire for comfort, to wanting a little more ease, to relaxing a little bit, and to seeking some relief. But the reality is, each Dafa disciple's life has been tightly wed to, like links in a chain, his cultivation. So when you relax yourself, it amounts to relaxing in your cultivation.”
Recently when I have time to spare during the day, I help promote Shen Yun. In order to be at my best while selling tickets, I sent a text message to the practitioner in charge of arranging our schedules, asking to cut down by one day my weekly coordinator duty schedule. However I did not receive any response. Due to the larger than usual number of practitioners on leave at that time, I felt they were unable to find a substitute. I decided to do as much as I could for a while. In this way I worked during the day distributing Shen Yun leaflets and continued to participate on the RTC platform at night. Occasionally I would feel slightly tired, but I managed to pull through.
However I discovered from this that my attachment to comfort is really stubborn, and surfaces at every opportunity. This attachment to leading a comfortable life is very dangerous to our cultivation. The number of practitioners destroyed by this attachment to comfort is indeed frightening. At this last period of Fa rectification, the desire to cultivate in a comfortable environment, to the point of quitting when required to sacrifice more, is very far from Master’s requirements for practitioners. Behind this attachment to comfort are selfish aspects of the old forces. Our every thought must stay guarded against this interference. We must study the Fa, at all times maintain a righteous and clear mind, and save even more sentient beings so as not to disappoint Master’s earnest expectations.
Thank you everyone! As my understanding is limited, please kindly point out any mistakes.
