(Minghui.org) I was shocked after reading a Minghui article that discussed the possibility of a large-scale persecution taking place in Heilongjiang Province. The article reported that pyramid schemes were prevalent in Heilongjiang Province. Hundreds of people in the area of Shuangcheng were dragged into a pyramid scheme a few months ago; only a few are now clearheaded and no longer involved. At present, someone is acting as a general agent who specializes in making a water purifier in the name of the New Tang Dynasty TV advertisement department. The agent is saying that making this product is like donating money to NTDTV, so many people are participating in this scheme.
Why are there so many people who can’t see through a pyramid scheme that is not aligned with Fa principles? I remembered an experience I had years ago regarding similar money-making schemes.
At that time an elderly Falun Dafa practitioner told me, “A practitioner in another area has a patent on ‘Chinese Caterpillar Fungus Health Products,’ and we have already set up a factory and technicians. When production gets going, the annual profit will be 100 million yuan. Shen Yun and NTDTV are now in urgent need of funds. This project will be a great help to those projects in saving people overseas. This is also an opportunity to establish our mighty virtue.”
I asked, “How much will we be raising?” When he said, “Two hundred million yuan,” I refused to get involved.
Why did I refuse? In my opinion, this project wouldn’t be successful if there were not enough funds in it; two- hundred-million-yuan isn't much. In addition, the practitioner who asked me to invest some capital attached great importance to money. He often borrowed money from other fellow practitioners but didn’t return it, so I didn’t trust him.
More importantly, what did this have to do with cultivation? At that time, Master hadn’t yet talked about the principle of media remaining independent and raising their own funds. I then thought: “As a practitioner, whatever we do, we should follow Dafa. If we don't, we will be in serious trouble.” At that time, it was this little understanding of mine that made me feel very sensitive and vigilant regarding the Falun Dafa practitioner who was raising funds.
A few days later, this same practitioner invited several other practitioners and me to dinner. All of them tried to persuade me to invest in this project. Some said, “If you have money, please spend it now. What’s the use of keeping it?” After dinner, I said very clearly that I would not become involved in their project.
Later, Master taught the Fa in this respect and I became clearer in my heart about my decision. I understood that, no matter what media practitioners overseas are going to run, they are not allowed to raise funds. They must conform to the status of ordinary people and be economically independent. If they are not independent, that means that they are not doing things well. They cannot rely on raising funds to support themselves. Dafa is not a media, Dafa is a cultivation practice.
After many years, I heard that this project failed. Some local practitioners who took part in it owed hundreds of thousands, others owed millions, and all their wage cards were mortgaged. Their lives are very difficult now.
As to this present fund-raising project, I was relatively calm when approached to join in. My thought was that I would not follow along with any proposal that did not comply with the Fa. If I follow along just so I won't offend anyone, that is an attachment. In cultivation we must eliminate all attachments. If you cannot eliminate this attachment, don’t you land yourself in trouble?
A similar situation occurred some years ago related to investing money. A local practitioner asked me, “New Tang Dynasty TV is raising funds. Since you have the funds, would you like to invest a little?” He turned on his laptop and opened a fund-raising letter from the NTDTV director with his signature. I didn't doubt the letter at the time—I just wondered how to safely send money to NTDTV. At the same time, I also harbored a small selfishness—to establish my personal virtue. However, I didn’t know why, as I had always felt this issue was not appropriate. So I said, “I’ll think about it again and let you know.” I knew that as Falun Dafa practitioners what we should do is to cultivate our minds.
Two months later, this practitioner returned and said, “They don’t need money now. There was an accident and several people who raised funds have been arrested.” He himself was almost arrested as well.
I believe that if I hadn’t measured these situations with the Fa at the time, or without thinking them through rationally, something problematic could have happened. Right now, the Fa-rectification is near the end and Master will decide when it will come to a close, but there are still practitioners engaged in pyramid schemes. In fact, no matter what kind of schemes are presented, as long as you measure it according to the Fa, you will see through it.
In addition, most of those who participated in a group called “Telegraph Group for Rescuing” have been kidnapped. I think that most practitioners who have been involved in this matter are not very solid in their cultivation and just copy what others do. Even if their shortcomings are not susceptible to pyramid schemes, they will be susceptible to something else. It’s sometimes not clear how well one is doing in his or her cultivation. The best thing is to silently cultivate oneself and eliminate one’s attachments.