After reading the experience sharing article "Eliminate Demonic Interference" written by a western practitioner from U. K. and the comments Teacher made on it, and especially since the heart-stirring display of safeguarding the Fa in Tiananmen Square on Oct.1, Changchun practitioners, while elevating their thoughts, came to a deeper understanding of how to be an effective particle of Dafa. The following are some related personal experiences and understandings of practitioners during the discussion.
Person A: This time I went to Beijing, but I found that my heart was not pure. In the superficial branches and twigs of my attachments, I couldn't see the roots of my own attachments. Even though I went to Tiananmen Square, I was using human reasoning and was being passive and reluctant to step forward. Therefore, while watching other practitioners risking their lives and standing up boldly to safeguard the Fa, I was standing on the side and waiting. I was waiting for someone to tell me what to do, waiting until there were more people to act, etc. Actually, this "passive enduring" and "passive waiting" was tolerating the presence of evil demons. Now I understand that we should diligently and actively eliminate the evil demons, and use our divine side to effectively act as a particle of Dafa. Once I understood, then I began to act, unhindered by anyone's preconceived notions. If those who were in Tiananmen Square had waited for more people to step forward, then would there ever be anyone who stepped forward first? We should not be voluntarily taken away by demons, but there must be someone to sacrifice first! Haven't those who first stepped forward and first got arrested given so much? Haven't they been waiting for us? Wouldn't it be an upgrading as a whole when every practitioner's thoughts and actions meet the criteria? It is the meeting of the xinxing (mind and heart nature) standard as a whole and the upgrading of xinxing as a whole. I have understood that saving people is not the main reason why Teacher has spread the Fa, rather it is for rectifying the entire universe. Our previous individual cultivation was the preparation for this Fa rectification of the human world. The real test began after April 25. In order to save us, Teacher has exhausted everything. We should now give up everything to validate Dafa and to fulfill the "sacred and undefiled vow" we made in the remote past. We should ask ourselves: Have we done everything that we can? We should do whatever we can to the best of our ability. Speaking of myself, every time I step forward to validate the Fa, I can always find my own shortcomings, and discover attachments that I should eliminate. Every time, I can upgrade myself and understand different inner meanings of stepping forward .
Person B: During this Oct. 1st event of safeguarding the Fa, practitioners in some areas have done very well. I heard a practitioner from Jinan, Shandong Province say that 98% of the practitioners realized that they should go to Beijing to verify the Fa, and as a result, all 98% went to Beijing. In addition, many practitioners from other areas of Shandong also went. Since April 25, 1999, Shandong has been one of the major targets of government persecution. Even Luo Gan has personally scurried to Shandong on many occasions to supervise the persecution. Nevertheless, so many Shandong practitioners have gone to Beijing. How extraordinary they are! Their actions have also helped practitioners from other areas to discover their shortcomings. For instance, some Shanghai practitioners witnessed many practitioners risking their lives to protect the Fa and using every possible means to tell the truth of Falun Gong to the public. They felt they found many of their own flaws and so they voluntarily went back to Shanghai. They said, "Shanghai is the most populated city in China, and yet, not many practitioners can access Minghui's articles or Teacher's articles in time, let alone explain the truth of Falun Dafa to the public. How can we keep up with Teacher's rectification of the Fa? There are so many things we should have done to spread the Fa and share the experience."
Person C: I think that it will still take time for all practitioners to break away from the shell of human beings. There are still many things that need to be done, especially under the present circumstances. It is very important for practitioners to increase contact and exchange thoughts with each other. Through discussion, practitioners can truly understand the Fa from within the Fa. They can realize from their own hearts the necessity of stepping forward and protecting the Fa as well as telling the truth to the public. If they truly realize this from within the Fa, then they will naturally want to do it themselves and will do better. We need to create such an environment ourselves.
Person D: "Follow Teacher closely, steadfastly cultivating Dafa." As far as I know, practitioners in many places have continued doing group studies and outdoor group practices. After coming back from safeguarding the Fa in Beijing, practitioners in some areas immediately organized consecutive experience sharing conferences. They shared with everyone their experiences of protecting the Fa in Beijing on Oct. 1st, as well as talked with and helped each other to find their own shortcomings. They inspired and encouraged practitioners who hadn't stepped forward to do so, and the results were very good. Many practitioners who hadn't gone to Beijing cried when hearing stories of how practitioners risked their lives to protect the Fa. They felt they had cultivated poorly and let the Teacher and the jailed practitioners down. They also understood that they couldn't let Teacher and the other practitioners suffer for them. They shouldn't tolerate the persecution from the evil demons anymore, but should immediately act and tell the truth to the public. Some practitioners especially went to find those who have long shut themselves up at home and haven't stepped forward. They gave them copies of "Serious Teachings" and solemnly told them to appreciate this last chance.
Person E: Indeed, there is a group of so-called "persistent in cultivation" practitioners cultivating at home. They haven't connected their own cultivation with the rectification of the Fa. When Dafa really needs them to verify it, they are "cultivating along an evil path". If they cannot merge themselves into the process of Fa rectification, they will not act effectively as a particle of Dafa, and cannot be considered as true Dafa practitioners! In the entire country, there are more than just a few of these kind of practitioners, especially among veteran practitioners. "Serious Teachings" was edited once after the first time it was published on Minghui Net. Actually, the edited article and the original article were the same except for two words. The word "practitioners", which appeared twice in the article was later changed to "veteran practitioners". With my understandings, maybe Teacher referred to "veteran practitioners" in the first place. In order to make veteran practitioners enlighten to this point, the method of first publishing it on Minghui without the word "veteran" was used, then later it was added on after the modification. This was truly a painstaking effort! Yet, some veteran practitioners still believe the false articles and are using the Fa to cover their own attachments. This is really dangerous! In "A Dialogue with Time," Teacher said, "They are really lost so deep in the human world. They can only be so at last, and I'm afraid they even won't be able to remain as human beings in the end." In "Towards Consummation", Teacher also said, "Despite this and the situation in which a large number of disciples who are genuine cultivators are suffering severe hardships, the time of conclusion has been repeatedly postponed so as to wait for those people to recognize their own fundamental attachments." They should truly awaken now, for there will never, ever be another chance!!!
Person B: In the present task of spreading the Fa, spreading materials to tell the truth of Falun Dafa to the public is not the only method. There are many things need to be done to let the public know the truth of Falun Gong. It doesn't necessarily have to conform to any specific method. The key point is to upgrade our Xinxing and let go of all attachments. Going to Tiananmen to verify Dafa is one of the very good methods to use.
Person C: All Dafa practitioners are, as a whole, one entirety. It would be defective if any individual practitioners, whether at home or aboard, imprisoned or not, failed to be selfless and altruistic. It will affect the entire Dafa. It is just like the example of "cleaning the bathtub" illustrated in Zhuan Falun. Why did the disciple have the wrong understanding the first time he went to clean the bathtub? It was because he viewed the issue from the perspective of individual cultivation. He viewed it from a small perspective instead of from a big perspective. From the perspective of a Buddha, things wouldn't be viewed this way. What Buddha safeguard are the principles of the universe. It is just such a simple principle. Then, understanding the Fa rectifying the human world is the same concept. The conclusions would be totally different when viewing Fa rectification in the human world from the view point of deities, or from Fa rectification itself, than from the perspective of individual cultivation. Everything in the universe should be righteous. All unrighteous things are actually those that should be and will be rectified.
Person D: Teacher said in "Towards Consummation", "sins will no longer be allowed to continue." At the time, I felt that this phrase had little to do with me. However, after I read "Eliminate Demonic Interference", I finally realized that this phrase was actually something Teacher was saying to every practitioner. It was a requirement to every practitioner to actively eliminate evil demons. Passively bearing the evil demon's persecution or tolerating its existence is the actual manifestation of demonic nature. To eliminate demonic nature, we must first eliminate our own demonic nature in our mind.
Person E: As practitioners, we should do our best in everything. Everyone starts with himself or herself. In the course of upgrading ourselves, we will also help other practitioners to upgrade as well. At the same time, more everyday people will continue to awaken in the course of understanding the truth of Falun Gong, and will determine their own future positions.
Person F: One righteous mind will subdue one hundred evils. When we help Fa rectification with pure hearts, we at the same time carry the immeasurably great power of Fa rectification. Its advance is irresistible, with one thought that is powerful enough to split a mountain. As said by a practitioner in jail, " When I truly dissolve into the Fa, my endurance is unlimited because Fa is unlimited." One practitioner said he was in the street spreading materials about the truth of Falun Gong. In the beginning, he was scared and trembling, but later on realized this was not right. "I am doing the most righteous thing. Why am I scared? Actually, the evil demons should be afraid of me." Once he had this thought, he found that his steps became firm. He found that his words truly penetrated the microcosm of the lives of the people who listened to him spreading the Fa. He even clearly felt the compassion he released touched every passersby on the street.
Person G: That's right! When my heart and body are truly immersed in rectifying the Fa, I will also undergo great changes. These change are magnificent and majestic. Very rarely will one feel any personal feelings.
Person C: I have now truly realize that Dafa practitioners are a whole entity. We are all together. One entity! The practitioners in jail are bearing the hardships for those who have not yet stepped forward. They are waiting for those practitioners, so is the Teacher. The divine beings are watching us. In the process of Fa rectification, whenever important events have occurred in the Fa, if a practitioner has not understood or participated in time, they will be the victims of evil demons who take advantage of loopholes in their minds. They will be hindered by those evil elements caused by the old forces. Then, they will develop resentment towards rectification of the Fa. This is a very large obstacle within our community of cultivators. This has increased the tribulations for jailed practitioners while at the same time delaying Teacher's rectification of the human world. Things dealing with the rectification of the Fa in the human world need to be done by practitioners in the human world. In this instant before the rectification of the Fa is over, if we are still limited within the boundary of our own individual cultivation and cannot let go of things in our individual cultivation, then we cannot keep up with the progress of rectification of the Fa. Thus, we cannot meet the requirement of an enlightened being, and cannot carry out the great responsibilities and noble duties of a cultivator of a righteous Fa, and as a result, we cannot effectively act as a particle of Dafa at this time. This may even turn around and hinder the progress of Fa rectification of the human world.
Person F: Disregarding the evil is definitely not forbearance, as we cannot sit back and watch compassion and truth face endless persecution. Gathering all of our strength to expose the evil in the universe is protecting the Dafa of the universe.
Person G: Exposing the evil means you must expose the root of the evil. Jiang Zemin is the leader in persecuting Falun Gong. He is the main representative of all evil forces, and the root of evil. Since April 25, 1999, because of his selfishness, he became paranoid and used all his power to ruthlessly persecute Falun Gong. He treated himself above the law and used lies, deception, arrest orders, assassins, arrests, prison sentences, labor camps, threats to families, slandering, and other most malicious and evil means to treat practitioners who don't fight back, and our compassionate Teacher. All documents and behaviors used to persecute us have violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as China's Constitution. They have never undergone the Chinese legal procedures, and more importantly, what they are truly against is our belief of Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance), the principle of the universe. Zhen-Shan-Ren is the universe's highest characteristic, and the necessary moral standard of mankind. From this point of view, he is against the goodness, righteousness and compassion of mankind and the entire universe. Therefore, we should not only expose the evil nature of his persecution of Falun Gong, we must also call for the strength of all that is righteous, compassionate, and good in the world to come together and put Jiang Zemin on historic trial.
Person H: Teacher said, "on important matters, practitioners must watch the position of Minghui Net." Recently, Minghui Net has continuously published articles that expose and condemn Jiang Zemin. I feel that the nature of spreading the Fa is different during different times. Right now, the nature of telling the truth to the public should be exposing the truth of Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Dafa. We should expose his evil actions to the entire world and let the truth be seen in broad daylight. Teacher said, "Their evilness must be made known to people around the worldthis is also offering people salvation. While the evil is being eliminated, you are consummating yourself in cultivation and strengthening the Fa's manifestation in the world..."
Person L: For the past three months, the page header on every Minghui Net article has been, "At present, for every disciple both inside and outside of China, clarifying the truth of Falun Gong to people around the world is the most important task in 'assisting the teacher in the human world'." A week ago, this was changed to "Validate the Fa with reason, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and offer people salvation with benevolence." My understanding is that the requirement for practitioners has been raised. All practitioners should currently place ourselves in the future positions of Buddhas, Taos, and Gods, and use the rationality of the "great enlightened beings of the righteous Fa and the righteous enlightenment", as well as wisdom and compassion to act effectively as a particle of Dafa. We should use the pure light of our own righteous Fa cultivation to "clean up all the filth and dirt as well as those stupid ignorance" to let the great Buddha Fa return to the human world.
(This article was combined and edited from several recent experience sharing conferences held in Changchun. It was organized and edited by Li Zi. Oct. 19, 2000)