(Minghui.org) The Minghui website published several sharing articles related to maintaining righteous thoughts and actions when in detention. I wish to share my understandings from a different perspective.
Through many years on my cultivation path, I realized that at critical moments, the extent of success a practitioner achieves depends on the practitioner’s cultivation state.
Some practitioners could freeze persecutors with righteous thoughts and calmly leave. Others could have their persecutors face immediate karmic retribution, making them flee in a hurry. Some others could dissolve the persecution by clarifying the truth. But there were also some who opposed the persecution and were thus arrested.
Some practitioners were tortured, some received harsh sentences, and some faced the most brutal forms of persecution and died.
Some practitioners were released from detention during a hunger strike or shouted, “Falun Dafa is good!” Yet others who used the same methods met with heavier persecution.
Dafa practitioners have many different states, and there are many complicated factors. Ten thousand practitioners may have ten thousand different cultivation paths. Cultivation does not have a fixed pattern, and there are no role models.
Master said,
“And this is even more so for the Dafa disciples in mainland China. For them, amidst the tremendously harsh persecution, every single thought and idea is critical. Whether you’ve done well or not; whether or not you’ve been susceptible to being persecuted; whether or not you’ve handled things correctly and to what degree you have been persecuted—all of this is directly connected to how you have walked your path and how you have thought about things.” (“What is a Dafa Disciple” from Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
If one hears how another practitioner had done well and thinks, “If I were arrested, I would behave like him.” This thought could become an excuse for persecution by the old forces. Someone might think that he would just not cooperate, yet he was arrested. I know one practitioner who said, “Even if I have to die, I won’t ‘transform.’” This practitioner was later persecuted to death.
Sometimes, one of our thoughts hides a loophole allowing the persecution to happen. Thus, we have to find ways to resist it. Otherwise, such a thought is equivalent to unintentionally asking for the persecution. Why don’t we generate a thought that denies the persecution? The question of “What would I do if I am persecuted?” should be completely eliminated.
During the SARS period in 2003, the Minghui website published a story that I still have not forgotten more than ten years later. As the story goes, a practitioner who carried Dafa informational materials was faced with a checkpoint. Every person’s bags were being searched, and the atmosphere was tense. This practitioner thought, “If I were found out, what should I do? I should be strong and clarify the truth about Dafa.” Then he had a different thought: “They are not allowed to check me. They are not allowed to commit crimes against a Dafa practitioner.” Given this righteous thought, he was not inspected when he passed through the checkpoint.
The practitioner thought that he would do the same the next time. He improved his understanding and thought, “Why should I allow the evil to inspect me? The evil has no right to test Dafa practitioners. In fact, that evil checkpoint should not exist.” The next time the practitioner passed by that place, there was no checkpoint.
The practitioner’s righteous thoughts aligned with the Fa and rectified the situation. The pure thought of the practitioner completely denied the persecution. Hence, to whatever degree we are able to deny the persecution is connected to our every thought and action.
The persecution continues in China. Every day we read reports about harassment, arrests, and illegal sentences. Wouldn’t the persecution stop if arrests could be avoided?
Master has never acknowledged this persecution or arranged for us to be tortured. All the persecution was arranged by the old forces. Because the persecution is taking place, Master has used it to help practitioners cultivate. Master protects practitioners under all circumstances, even if his disciples are unable to deny the old forces’ arrangements, such as being arrested and imprisoned. In that environment, we need to remember that the persecution is not something we have to endure.
In the early days of the persecution, many practitioners heard of a prophecy, “Imprisonment is unavoidable.” At the time, we were not clear about Dafa principles, and many practitioners had accepted that saying to some degree. Later, we came to understand that the saying was one of the old forces’ arrangements. As Dafa practitioners, we ought to deny it. Countless Dafa practitioners have achieved this through years of practice.
The cultivation practice of Dafa practitioners is different from those the past. Humans’ persecuting Gods who come to save human beings is not recognized by the Fa-rectification or the new cosmos.
The reasons for practitioners being persecuted are varied and complicated. I’ve realized that one major reason is that we acknowledge and agree to the persecution.
This consent has two aspects. First, some practitioners signed a contract in a prehistoric era with the old forces, agreeing to be put in a state and situation in this period. We have to conform to the principles in this realm, such as having some strong human notions and attachments, arranged by the old forces, which cannot be easily removed; in order to remove these substances, one would have to be arrested and imprisoned.
Second, under the above circumstances, some have acknowledged that all kinds of persecution would happen, and we tried to do well. One assumed that the persecution would happen, which is asking for it, so it was an unintentional and unconscious agreement.
Master said,
“There’s a law in our universe: when it comes to what you seek, nobody is going to intervene. If you want something, nobody is going to intervene.”(The Sixth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
“If it’s you who wants something then the Law Wheel won’t do anything about it, and my Law Bodies won’t, either. That’s for sure.” (The Sixth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
The persecution still happened although some practitioners tried to deny the old forces’ arrangements. So, why did it happen?
After some Fa study, I realized that any given practitioner can say that he has to deny the persecution arranged by the old forces. Yet, he is not aware that his mindset and denial do not come from the bottom of his heart. This is denying the persecution on the surface but allowing it to materialize by actually thinking that it is inevitable.
Just before the onset of the persecution, many of us did not think that any of the tribulations in cultivation were testing us enough. Under the pressure of the persecution, many of us did not look within; instead, we were dominated by fear and seeking comfort, with some even complaining about Master.
In my opinion, we should use righteous thoughts to dissolve the persecution, and such righteous thoughts have two aspects:
First, we have to ensure that all our thoughts align with the Fa. Through solid Fa-study and cultivation, we have to look within to remove human notions and attachments, develop righteous belief in Master, walk on the path arranged by Master, and deny any other cultivation arrangements. We should be able to let go of attachments to life and not be afraid of death. When facing pressure, we must be able to think of Master and what Master wants. Then we will be able to overcome any evil thoughts.
Master said,
“‘I'm Li Hongzhi's disciple, I don't want other arrangements or acknowledge them’--then they won't dare to do that. So it can all be resolved. When you can really do that, not just saying it but putting it into action, Master will definitely stand up for you.” (Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
We need to search for our human notions and attachments thoroughly to correct and make up for them. We must develop righteous thoughts based on the Fa and let Master make choices for us. Whether we truly achieve righteous thoughts or just say the words on the surface will lead to different results.
Secondly, from the perspective of saving sentient beings, we must actively send righteous thoughts to destroy all the arrangements that are not part of Master’s plans, not allowing any lives to commit crimes against Dafa and Dafa disciples.
No matter how we feel about our personal cultivation, whether good or bad, or even if we feel that we have done the worst things, we should not just let it be, mentally letting other elements control our fate. No matter how awful and ashamed we may feel, we should let Master make the decision; otherwise, the evil will strengthen our feelings of overly blaming ourselves and enlarging our sense of guilt. Under such strong guilt, we may be unable to push forward, causing even bigger losses.
In fact, when Dafa practitioners are persecuted, all the lives involved are committing crimes. No matter who they were in the old universe, or even if they think highly of themselves, as long as they agreed to persecute even the most unqualified Dafa practitioners, those perpetrators are doomed. It is because Dafa practitioners belong only to Master, and no other life has the right to meddle.
We should realize that fundamentally negating the persecution is to stop worldly people from committing crimes against Dafa and Dafa practitioners. This is not out of fear, avoidance of hardship, or loss of the world’s comfort and interests. If we can truly think from our hearts, we can be strengthened by Master and gain stronger righteous thoughts.
We should also get rid of the idea that we may be persecuted for not doing well. Being aware of our shortcomings from the past, we should not think about possibly being persecuted again. We should focus on how to make up for any past wrong thoughts or actions when persecuted. Ultimately, we should do the three things well.
No matter how serious the external situation appears, we should not see it as being huge, overwhelming, or inevitable. We must not burden our hearts but instead just calmly study the Fa, look within, and send more righteous thoughts.
Master said clearly:
“No matter what big things are happening, pretend nothing is going on and just go about, as usual, doing what a Dafa disciple should do. This is the path you're taking today, and this is the [legacy of] mighty virtue you are leaving.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Washington DC Fa Conference’, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VI)