(Clearwisdom.net) I am a Falun Dafa practitioner from Shandong Province. After beginning practicing Falun Dafa in 1996 and having understood the true purpose of being human -- to return to one's original, true self, my entire family benefited enormously, and my chronic migraines also disappeared.
On 20 July 1999, Jiang's regime started the systematic persecution of Falun Dafa. Even though I understood that the propaganda in the media was false, and many Dafa disciples stepped forward to validate the Fa with various means, I didn't step forward out of fear and concern for my own issues. After studying the Fa I got rid of some of my attachments.
One morning in May of 2000 I was going to practice the Falun Dafa exercises in the square and was arrested before I got there. I didn't do well in captivity. On October 1, 2000, I went to Tiananmen Square and yelled "Falun Dafa is Great!" from my heart. The police arrested me and put me into a detention center. I protested the illegal imprisonment with a hunger strike and was released unconditionally with Master's compassionate assistance.
I should have stepped forward to validate the Fa at critical times. There is no reason to get arrested while validating the Fa. Master said in "Rationality,"
"Getting arrested is not the purpose. Validating Dafa is what's truly magnificent." (Essential for Further Advancement II)
Master also instructed us in the article "Drive Out Interference,"
"The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." (Essential for Further Advancement II)
I calmed myself down and studied the Fa, became aware of my fundamental attachments, did my best to assimilate to the Fa. Those deviated opinions acquired in this lifetime and those foreign, bad thoughts were continuously cleared out. Every time I studied the Fa, I got rid of contamination at the microscopic level and became more mature on the road of validating the Dafa.
Though I did some Dafa work later on, I was lazy when it came to studying the Fa, doing the exercises and clarifying the truth. Sometimes I put off Dafa work, and had the mentality of getting the job done, instead of figuring out what was the best way to validate the Fa and meet our historic responsibilities as Fa-rectification period practitioners. I even tried to find some so-called excuses to cover up my thoughts. It was the manifestation of demon nature and notions. It was what the old forces desired. Sometimes I can realize it, and sometimes I can't. Either way I failed to eliminate it with righteous thoughts. In "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.", Master said,
"Your righteous thoughts and everything you accomplish come from the Fa, so no matter how busy you are, don't neglect Fa-study."
After I studied the Fa, I also understood the urgency and the importance of clarifying the truth and offering salvation to living beings. What we are saving is not a single person, but a representative of a cosmic body. In "Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference" Master said,
"This is why each Dafa disciple needs to realize the importance of clarifying the truth. This, more than anything, is what you should do with all your effort, and it's the most magnificent.... Every single Dafa disciple needs to do this. Don't miss a single opportunity."
To clarify the truth and offer salvation to living beings are great and sacred tasks. They need to be performed in a dignified manner and with righteous thoughts and conduct. Wherever we clarify the truth, with righteous thoughts, we should eliminate all the forces that persecute Dafa and to let the sentient beings there understand the truth so that they will be saved. When my heart was pure I could feel that the evil in other dimensions could be eliminated instantly, and the truth clarification progressed very well.
In "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference" Master said,
"Also, with those people that you run into by chance, who you run into in daily life, and the people you run into at work, you should clarify the truth to all of them."
I have truth clarification materials with me all the time. I would start a conversation and find a topic to clarify the truth when I met somebody. While I was talking with him, I would try to find where his problem was and talk about his attachments, and gave him truth clarification materials after the conversation. I took notes and wrote down names and addresses when I talked to people. I also collect names from news magazines and books, and mail truth clarification materials to them.
In the last stage of Fa-rectification we should spend more time to study the Fa, let go attachments, clarify the truth whenever possible, and offer salvation. We should perform the three things [study the Fa, explain the facts and send forth righteous thoughts] that Master had assigned, no matter what is happening around us in society.
These are my personal thoughts. Please point it out if there is anything not appropriate.