(Clearwisdom.net) I am a college professor, and I teach modern science. When I started practicing Falun Gong, I did not balance the relationship between work and cultivation, due to my attachment of complacency. I treated teaching solely as a job. With the passage of time, I realized that my attitude was wrong. After continuously studying the Fa, I better understood what Master told us: everything is for the Fa. So, my occupation, teaching, is for the Fa too. Although I realized this, doing well in this area has still not been easy.
One day, at the end of one of my lectures, I decided to speak out on behalf of Falun Gong. While talking about the limitations and inconsistencies of modern science, I explained that Falun Gong is not pseudo-science. My students were very interested in what I had to say.
Afterwards, I felt afraid that I would suffer persecution for my actions. Then, I studied the Fa very hard for many days; finally I could control my fear. Later, some colleagues of mine told me that the college directors held a meeting about my truth clarification talk, but they had not reached a conclusion. Because my righteous thoughts were not strong enough, I did not clarify the truth during my classes for a while after that.
To be able to explain the truth smoothly, I repeatedly watched several truth clarifying VCDs and took notes. Then I recited my notes again and again to make sure I accurately knew all of the key information. I prepared for truth clarification talks the same way that I prepared my class lectures. I realized that the format for preparing and teaching lessons is for the Fa, and I should use this format to clarify the facts about the persecution. There is an old saying: "The teacher is for distributing the truth, imparting knowledge, and dispelling bewilderment." As a teacher, my basic responsibility is to impart knowledge to my students. The most important aspect of this should be teaching them the importance of ethical values, clearing up their confusion and helping them to avoid immoral detours in life.
I even taught a science class that combined three topics into one. In my lectures, in addition to the required curriculum, I also talked about bad phenomena in our current society. I lectured about traditional stories and classic works, such as stories about Confucius, Laozi, and Falun Gong practitioners. When I was discussing righteousness and moral values, I also cared about the students' feelings and always tried to advise, not blame.
In one instance, I expressed my sincere sympathy to a student concerning a dilemma he was facing. That student was so moved that he sent me a bottle of water during the following class to show his respect. I realized that showing compassion was not enough; I needed to clarify the truth to them, as the truth is the key for all beings to understand the reasons for all the recent calamities. This was the reason that they were my students. The next day after I sent forth righteous thoughts, I debunked the so-called "Tiananmen Square self-immolation" and told my students that Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance are the traditional values of our society. Although some students did not at first respond with a positive attitude, they grew silent after I sent forth righteous thoughts for a second time.
When my righteous thoughts were not strong enough, I could not clarify the truth well during class. During those times, I was only able to show my compassion, but I could not speak out about the persecution.
I realized that I could walk on the right path only if I followed the Fa. When I read recent articles by fellow practitioners, I could see that they were all becoming more and more mature. They are no longer trying to imitate others, and they are more diligently following the Fa, always looking inside themselves. They are no longer pursuing results on the surface, but are doing well in every respect, including in small details. And those small details really reflect their steady faith and the power gained from their cultivation.
After Master published the new lecture about purging the Communist evil specter and saving those who have been deceived by the Communist culture, I realized that I should combine clarifying the truth and distributing the Nine Commentaries together. I should not only speak about the persecution of Falun Gong and what Falun Gong is, but also explain why the Communist Party persecutes Falun Gong and explain the Communist Party's evil nature. I need to clearly connect the relationship between these two factors.
The college I work at is a so-called "Political College," where the Communist culture is very strong. To talk about the persecution and the Nine Commentaries, I have to keep strong righteous thoughts, use wisdom gained from the Fa, and pay close attention to my students' ability to understand. During the last class, I started a discussion with a student and brought in topics such as the "self-immolation" and the fact that Falun Gong is practiced and welcomed around the world. Then, I asked why the Chinese Communist Party would persecute Falun Gong. The student answered that it was because Falun Gong was involved in political issues. In response, I talked about the real situation of the "April 25," 1999, appeal and the jealousy of Jiang Zemin. Then I talked about the tyrannical history of the Communist Party and its atrocious nature. At last, that student understood and agreed with my point.
The only way to fulfill our mission as Falun Gong practitioners is through studying the Fa more and well. When we clean up unrighteous notions and improve our understanding of the Fa, we will be able to catch up with the progress of the Fa-rectification.
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Category: Perspectives
