(Minghui.org) Several Falun Dafa practitioners in the Dalian area of Liaoning Province have recently been arrested. We discussed the issue and looked within to try and understand why it happened.
When I opened my emails recently, I saw a notice on sending forth righteous thoughts. After breaking through the mental barriers, I decided to share my understanding and experience on this matter. Below is what I understand at my current cultivation level and may not all be correct.
In 2005, the Minghui editorial board published the article Editorial: The Essentials to Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts and the Schedule for Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts at Set Times Around the World (Update 2), which, in my understanding, all Falun Dafa practitioners should be following.
The recent notice I received regarding sending forth righteous thoughts was from our region and suggested reciting the Chinese character Mie (which can have the English meaning of “cleaned out,” “eliminated,” or “purged”) three times in the verses, instead of just once. I believe that adding Mie two more times is adding human notions in the required verses.
Master Li said,
“... focus powerful thoughts in saying the word mie after they finish saying the formula.” (“Righteous Thoughts,”The essentials of Diligent progress III)
Since sending forth righteous thoughts isn’t just an individual act, all Dafa practitioners should be on the same page and reciting the same formula. If we are not, we would be interfering with the Fa.
Master said,
“... If one word is added today and another the day after tomorrow, with the passage of time the next generation of disciples will not be able to tell whose words they are, and gradually Dafa will be changed.” (“Non-omission in Buddha Nature,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Practitioners in our area have continually received notices about sending forth righteous thoughts. For instance, during the 2020 U.S. election, one notice asked practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts outside of the four scheduled times for the election and to cooperate with Dafa practitioners overseas, otherwise the results would be devastating.
Some practitioners who are not diligent were interfered with by the notice, and other practitioners tried to show off by telling everyone they had connections with practitioners overseas.
Master said,
“Disruption of the Fa takes many forms, of which unintentional disruption by disciples themselves is the most difficult to detect. Sakyamuni’s Buddhism began its deterioration in just this way and the lesson is profound.” (“Awakening,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
We normally receive local notices to send forth righteous thoughts for specific issues every other day, and we are asked to relay this information to practitioners in the rural areas.
Practitioners in rural areas trust practitioners from the city, as they tend to rely on them for help with technical matters and coordination work on certain projects. So they will naturally follow the instructions from any notice we give them. A lot of times, I saw that the notices were not clear and had conflicting instructions.
Master said,
“Of course, if the circumstances are special and you target one evil being or a few evil beings as you send righteous thoughts, either by yourself or together, then that’s something you should do, and the concentrated power is tremendous. But when you normally send righteous thoughts together on a daily basis you should chase down the evil on a larger scale. You shouldn’t target one or a few evil beings each day, each time.” (“Righteous Thoughts,” The essentials of Diligent progress III)
If we constantly change the content of sending forth righteous thoughts, and continue to focus on one or a few evil targets, we are not following the requirements of the Fa.
We have also received emails from other cities with the word “Urgent” or “Notice” in the title, and fellow practitioners have been forwarding them to practitioners in the surrounding areas.
I must say that it has helped to eliminate evil elements in the area, but if we continue to forward notices like these, wouldn’t the practitioner who either forwarded the email or followed the instructions be straying from the Fa?
When practitioners are arrested or being persecuted by the evil, we should just share that information instead of sending a “notice” to everyone on sending forth righteous thoughts. We need to consider how this affects others.
According to the Minghui editorial, “ ... it is fine to silently add in a thought based on the local conditions. For example: eradicate the evil in the local labor camp or brainwashing center, have some specific wicked individual receive immediate karmic retribution, etc. But please make sure to note: it is not appropriate for the actual targets to be too numerous or specific … ”
I also want to mention another concern. Those practitioners in our area who have connections with someone overseas are usually quite popular, and a lot of practitioners like to work with them. When others learn about their connections, they become the center of attention at our study group and act like important figures.
It does not matter if the practitioner is in China or overseas, we all have to do the three things and cultivate ourselves well.
Some practitioners are driven by attachments of curiosity and admiration. Even if we are to cooperate with those overseas, we shouldn’t be gossiping and talking about how such and such practitioner is part of a certain Dafa project or if they have met Master, etc. We must mind our speech and focus on improving ourselves.
As a Dafa practitioner, my thoughts may include some of my attachments, and my understandings may not be correct. If there is anything inappropriate, please kindly point it out.
[Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)]
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