(Minghui.org) For a long time, I believed that people would recognize that the Chinese Communist Party was evil and fight against it if I did not sympathize with anything under communist rule. I despised people who did volunteer work because I thought they were contributing to the legitimization of communism.
There is a saying: “Just do good things and don’t ask about the future.” It does not specifically say who or in what situations to do good things. No matter what, we should always be good and kind. It has nothing to do with maintaining anyone's rule but is a manifestation of one's true heart.
We are not kind just to gain control. Bao Qingtian, a famous judge from long ago, maintained justice and morality, but he did not do so to sustain the Song Dynasty. Thousands of years after his death, when people talk about him, no one thinks about what the emperor did when Bao played his role. His model of justice is what has stood the test of time and remains in people's hearts.
For so many years, I had been wrapped up in an incorrect thought that was forged under communist Party culture. Thinking that people who did charitable work helped maintain communism was the same thinking behind what communist Party members said about Judge Bao maintaining the landlords' rule in feudal society given his limited [knowledge] of history.
I was in contact with several practitioners who'd been released from prison. Those who were seriously tortured thought that neither the guards nor the inmates could be saved, while those who steadfastly fought against the evil or kept kindness in their hearts suffered relatively light persecution or none at all. Different states of mind met with different situations.
Conflicts over personal benefits are very common in prison. Any concern about personal welfare gets enlarged in that situation. People fight or do bad things for personal benefit. Many practitioners’ attachments are exposed in that setting and they often cannot maintain the standard of a practitioner.
Many practitioners who were like me did not want to show any kindness while they were being persecuted. Other practitioners emphasized that we should have righteous thoughts at all times. But where do righteous thoughts come from? Are righteous thoughts competitive? Do they curse, hate communism, or want to punish evil people? No, they are not! Righteous thoughts come from righteous belief in the Fa.
Master said,
“I'm telling you, just treat all beings with compassion, and just clarify the facts to people with compassion, and you will be safeguarding Dafa's dignity, and you'll be able to safeguard Dafa's dignity.”(“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol III)
I realized that, in such an extreme environment, the attachments that had lessened before being detained in prison had resurfaced, so some practitioners could not maintain righteous thoughts. Were the guards and criminal inmates really evil? I hated the police for 15 years after I was first persecuted.
When I was arrested again, I realized that this was a huge attachment. I made a sincere effort to eliminate my hatred of the police. I could then see that the evil deeds they committed were all controlled by the old forces. After sending forth righteous thoughts to clear these elements behind them, the officers became kind again.
When inmates learned the facts about Falun Dafa and the persecution, their kindness emerged. Strong righteous thoughts come from Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which can eliminate evil, save sentient beings, and eliminate our attachments.
Regarding the attachment of lust, Master said:
“The other day I mentioned the saying, “Bathed in divine light, conduct and thought become right,” and the idea was that the energy radiating from our bodies has the power to set things straight. So it follows that when you have no lustful thoughts, the energy you give off will keep your spouse’s desires in check. If you don’t entertain such thoughts—and I don’t think you will, being a practitioner—neither will your spouse.” (The Sixth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
To be able to offer the “light” to others, practitioners should first cleanse their own hearts and always have compassion. Then the people around us can be surrounded by divine light, and their conduct and thoughts can become righteous.
If we are angry, fearful, and doubt Dafa, we have no strength. Maybe it is hard to reach this state while being persecuted, but don’t we need to cultivate righteous thoughts wherever we are?
We should cherish being born at this time when Master is spreading the Fa during Fa-rectification.