(Minghui.org) When I read the news regarding the U.S. midterm election published on the uncensored Dynaweb server, I was disappointed and upset and felt helpless. I had expected that the Republicans would win both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but the Democrats gained control of the House. I had paid close attention to the election and believed that when the Republicans didn't have control, the bipartisan split would cause trouble for the U.S. government.
Because I had high expectations, my disappointment was tremendous. I even had my own interpretation of a line of Master Li Hongzhi's Fa teaching: “I can see that the forces of good are surging ahead now.” (2018 NTD and Epoch Times Fa Conference)
I thought, “How could the Democratic Party, with its socialist inclinations, control the House of Representatives?” I knew of an American citizen who had predicted that the Trump administration would succeed all the way through. Why did things change? Unrighteous thoughts kept appearing in my mind.
Since I had many similar experiences, I knew immediately that those thoughts were not mine and should be eliminated. I started to reject them.
Master Li said:
“We're too dependent on human beings. If human beings were to end the persecution, what a disgrace that would be to Dafa disciples! We wouldn't have validated the Fa, we wouldn't have established mighty virtue in the persecution, and our Dafa disciples wouldn't have blazed their own path. I've said that this path is to be left for the future. Then isn't this matter critical? That's how the old forces have been able to take advantage of the gaps. You placed your hopes in ordinary people, so the old forces had the resolution that they sponsored voted down. And as you kept putting your hopes in ordinary people they made it so that your resolution couldn't even be raised and so that the U.S. was kicked out of the Human Rights Commission. You still placed your hopes in ordinary people, so they made a country that violates human rights the chair. We should become more rational by learning from these lessons. We've gone through so much, and through these lessons we should gradually get clearheaded.” (Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Midwest-U.S. Fa Conference, Collected Fa Teachings Vol. III)
I realized that the old forces would always take advantage of our attachments.
During all these years, I relied on things in ordinary society and thus failed many times on my cultivation path. Our human hearts have hindered Master from rectifying the Fa.
Master wrote,
“Neither heaven nor earth canblock my road of Fa-rectificationBut disciples' human hearts can”(Troubles, Hong Yin III)
I shared my feelings with a practitioner, and she pointed out that I hadn't let go of this attachment. She told me that many years ago she used to watch the news every day. She expected that the new head of the Chinese communist regime would redress the issue of Falun Dafa. Her father told her not to have any hope because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would continue to persecute practitioners. Before the 16th Party Congress, the CCP arrested practitioners on a large scale and incarcerated many of them.
She was upset and became doubtful. Then Master's article “Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.” was published. She had new insights after she had read it seven times. She completely let go of her attachment of wanting to rely on ordinary people. Since then, no incidents in China or abroad have ever moved her heart.
My heart, however, was moved strongly by this election. I had put hope in ordinary people many times and had been disappointed many times. This time, I almost regarded myself as being a Republican.
After sharing with this practitioner, I discovered my shortcomings.
I firmly believed in the election prediction I had heard. The reason I felt upset and had doubt had something to do with that mentality. I forgot that Master controls the Fa-rectification progress. How many people can be saved is a direct reflection of our own xinxing or character. Practitioners shouldn't pay attention to changes in ordinary society.
I forgot that all sentient beings are relatives of Master. Master wants to save all of them regardless of their social classes, groups, or party affiliations. I even regarded myself as a Republican and regarded Democrats as “enemies.” I was trapped in political disputes and lost the compassion that a Dafa practitioner should have.
When we have negative thoughts about any group of people, don't we push them to the other side? How can we save them? We should treat them with compassion regardless of their backgrounds. We shall tell them the truth about Falun Dafa and its persecution. As long as Fa-rectification hasn't concluded, we need to provide everyone with opportunities to deny the control of negative factors and thus be saved.
In China, those police officers who have done wrong are changing due to practitioners' selflessness and compassion. Practitioners should also clarify the truth to everyone in the free world.
Now, I have a deeper understanding of what Master told us: “Dafa disciples are humankind's only hope for salvation.” (To the Fa Conference of Europe)
It is Dafa practitioners, not ordinary people, who can offer salvation to sentient beings. Ordinary people, no matter how good we think they are, cannot help us. When we completely let go of our attachment to reliance on outside help, we are more effective when helping to save people.
The above is my limited understanding. Please point out anything inappropriate.