(Clearwisdom.net) In the article "Environment" from Essentials for Further Advancement, Teacher said:
"The cultivation practice form that I have left for Dafa disciples ensures that disciples can truly improve themselves. For example, I ask you to do the exercises as a group in parks in order to form an environment. This environment is the best way to change the surface of a person. The lofty conduct that Dafa disciples have established in this environment--including every word and every deed--can make people recognize their own weaknesses and identify their shortcomings; it can move their hearts, refine their conduct, and enable them to make progress more rapidly."
Our Fa study group started in 2000. We have consistently and diligently studied together for the past five years, disregarding any difficulty. It has given us a good foundation, so that we successfully passed various tribulations on the path of Fa-rectification. We were not frightened by the rampant evil persecution; we didn't back off in the face of various tests; we didn't get frustrated in front of hardships; and we didn't fall when sudden evil tribulations occurred. It was all because we firmly believed in Teacher and Dafa. This firm belief came from the Fa because, "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." ("Drive out Interference," from Essentials for Further Advancement II.) There were moments when we didn't do well. Through calm group Fa study and experience sharing, we reminded each other of the Fa principles and we improved as a whole. We quickly became clearheaded, continued to help Teacher to rectify the Fa and save sentient beings, and moved along the path of accomplishing our historical mission.
I would like to talk about how our Fa study group was able to do well the three things Teacher asked us, based on studying the Fa well.
1. Study the Fa Well and Maintain Righteous Thoughts. We Create Our Own Fa Study Environment
The form of practice Teacher left us is the group Fa study and exercise practice. However, that environment was destroyed after the persecution started on July 20, 1999. Everyone was trying hard to re-establish that environment. One day in 2000, two practitioners living in the same building proposed that we study the Fa together since we shared our views continuously anyway. The evil wouldn't allow us to study together, but couldn't we establish our own environment? Of course! Teacher taught us to be good people and practice Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. There was nothing wrong with practicing a righteous Fa openly and nobly and we shouldn't let the evil scare us; so two of us started a Fa study group. The number of people increased gradually until we had eight people. Every day we studied the Fa for two and a half hours. We felt gratified that we had finally created a good cultivation environment.
Creating this environment was not easy, nor was trying to maintain it easy. The process of maintaining the group study was not smooth. We looked at the interference and difficulties based on the Fa. As Teacher said, "... just by remaining unmoved you could handle all situations." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Canada Fa Conference") When our hearts stayed calm no matter what happened, we could quickly break through any interference. Initially, our families were afraid and didn't understand us, our neighbors doubted and misunderstood us, and the evil tried to stop and interfere with us. We were not afraid and didn't back off. We faced all of the hardships and solved them one by one. We patiently explained the situation to our families and clarified the truth to them. We told them that we weren't doing anything wrong, just studying and exercising together and that we hoped they would understand. Our firm hearts rectified our families' hearts. They stopped opposing us and started to have righteous thoughts about Dafa. One practitioner's family even started to practice and publicly stood up for Dafa. For example, some neighbors and security personnel asked the practitioner's family member, "How come so many of your family come here?" The family member answered, "Are they doing something bad together?" "No." "If they aren't doing anything bad, what's wrong with them getting together?" Many people knew we were studying the Fa, but through this kind of righteous support, we never got into any trouble because of it.
In the beginning, the local police officer came to the practitioner's home several times and saw another practitioner there every time. The officer asked, "Every time I come here, I see you. What are you doing at someone's home 24 hours a day?" The practitioner answered, "We are neighbors. Is there a problem if we chat?" The policeman said, "I can't do anything about that. You two are fine together. Don't spend time with others [practitioners]." One time, the police officer saw a Dafa book on the practitioner's desk and was going to take it away. The practitioner said, "You are taking away our lives if you take away this book." The practitioner grabbed the book from the police immediately. Through Fa study, this practitioner improved quickly and spontaneously took over the work of making Dafa truth-clarification materials. This practitioner went from never touching a computer mouse to being able to master writing and printing Dafa materials. After a period of Fa study, other practitioners who were initially afraid to clarify the truth also started to come out and help.
Studying the Fa well is the foundation for doing the three things well. Only by studying the Fa well can we assimilate to the Fa and catch up with the Fa-rectification process. This way, we can do well what practitioners should do during the Fa-rectification period and accomplish our historic mission. Group study is a guarantee of studying the Fa well because: 1) It can guarantee that the time for Fa studying won't be occupied by chores at home; studying at home, the time is easily taken by chores. Having group study often makes Fa study more efficient because of the time limit. 2) It can resolve the problem of wanting to fall asleep during Fa study. 3) Practitioners can share experiences, encourage each other and help each other improve their understanding of the Fa. Sometimes a practitioner might not be able to clearly understand a Fa principle. Through other practitioners' help, this practitioner can quickly realize the Fa principle. Of course, in the group dynamics, there were conflicts that targeted everyone's attachments. But as long as everyone could look at the conflicts based on the Fa and look inward all the time in every possible way, the conflicts were great opportunities to upgrade our xinxing.
2. Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts to Eliminate the Evil, Coordination Makes Fa Power Immense
Sending forth righteous thoughts is one of the three things Teacher asked us to do. Besides learning the Fa well, our Fa-study group persisted in sending forth righteous thoughts at least 10 times a day, on the hour. Sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil is to save sentient beings. In order to save sentient beings and practitioners being persecuted, we sent forth strong righteous thoughts all the time to eliminate the evil and stop the persecution. Dafa practitioners are one body. Teacher said, "For Dafa disciples as a whole, in the process of validating the Fa, when you work together in concert, the Fa power is great." ("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference") Teacher also said, "The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Washington DC Fa Conference") When we learned that a practitioner was being persecuted, we tried to send forth righteous thoughts as soon as we could to rescue that practitioner. Some practitioners were interfered with by sickness karma. When this happened, we sent forth righteous thoughts to strengthen their righteous thoughts, we studied the Fa with them, and we inspired their righteous thoughts to get past that tribulation. I will give a few examples of us sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil.
One time we learned that five practitioners were being sent to a forced labor camp. We immediately sent forth righteous thoughts. Many of the practitioners did it for half an hour to an hour. They were determined to use all of their energy to strengthen the five practitioners so they could leave the camp with righteous thoughts and righteous actions. They wouldn't allow the evil persecution scheme to be realized. Soon, four out of five of the practitioners left the camp. This incident augmented our confidence in sending group righteous thoughts and our firm belief in Teacher and Dafa.
Last summer, we came to the understanding that we should go to where the illegally-imprisoned Dafa practitioners are and send forth righteous thoughts in close proximity to eliminate the evil and rescue the practitioners. So we decided to go near a certain prison every Monday and send forth righteous thoughts. It has been a year since we started doing this and the environment in that prison has changed for the better.
One time we found out that there were slogans slandering Dafa stretching more than 10 meters on the wall near the entrance of our workplace. We decided not to let these words poison sentient beings. Several of us destroyed the slogans during our lunch break while security was not around. By the time security found out, we had already left.
The 16th Party Congress was a war between righteousness and evil. Our Fa study group went to Beijing to send righteous thoughts and to eliminate all dark minions and rotten demons that damaged the Fa. That was the second time we had gone to Beijing to validate the Fa. When we started our study group, all the practitioners went to Beijing to validate and speak up for the Fa at least once. We were practitioners in the Fa-rectification and particles of the Fa. It was our mission to validate and protect the Fa and save sentient beings and it was our great wish that we made before history. We had been persecuted because we didn't fundamentally deny the old force's arrangement and we let the evil exploit our loopholes. Through constant Fa study and the progress of Fa-rectification, we became more rational and clearheaded. The evil could no longer exploit our loopholes. Besides, we had Teacher and the Fa. What was there to be afraid of? "Disciples have righteous thoughts; Teacher has the power to change the impossible." (Hongyin II, unofficial translation) This time we went to Beijing with righteous thoughts and came back openly and nobly. We have proved the importance of righteous thoughts. There was a practitioner in our study group who gave up practicing after the persecution started. After this practitioner read Teacher's lecture, "Touring North America to Teach the Fa," this practitioner came back to Dafa. Two months after joining the Fa study group, this practitioner went to Beijing to validate the Fa, boldly shouted, "Falun Dafa is good!" in Tiananmen Square and came home openly and nobly.
3. Clarify the Truth to Save Sentient Beings, Improving as a Whole Manifests the Might of Divine Beings
Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the Washington DC International Fa Conference,"
"Clarifying the truth isn't a simple matter--it's not only a matter of exposing the evil. When we clarify the truth we are saving sentient beings, and at the same time it involves the matter of your own improvement and your elimination of attachments during your cultivation, and the matter of Dafa disciples being responsible to the Fa in their cultivation, as well as issues like how you fill and enrich that paradise of yours in your final Consummation."
Clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings is our magnificent historic mission. We need to fulfill it without turning back, and with great compassion. Especially when the progress of Fa-rectification is moving so fast now, we really need to "Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People." Everyone in the Fa-study group felt that time was pressingly short. Our responsibility was heavy and we needed to fight to save sentient beings every second we could. We closely followed Teacher's words: "Get rid of any attachment you have, and don't think about anything. Just do everything a Dafa disciple should do, and everything will be covered." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington DC International Fa Conference") Everyone in the Fa-study group does the exercises early in the morning and then studies the Fa and sends forth righteous thoughts on the hour. If nothing special happens, we go out and clarify the truth in the afternoon or use every possible opportunity at work to explain the truth to people. It has been the same every day for the past several years.
We worked in groups of two to clarify the truth at our workplaces. When we clarified the truth, one person sent righteous thoughts and the other clarified the truth. We told the party secretary and the unit director about our personal experiences of benefiting from the practice and how Dafa was innocent and was being wrongly persecuted. We explained to them that it was irrational to use all the state-controlled media to make up propaganda and falsely accuse Dafa and practitioners. We talked about how widespread Falun Dafa is and about how there will be retribution for evil and that good will be rewarded. We gave them truth-clarification video CDs and flyers, and both the party secretary and unit director accepted them. Then we went to the next unit.
A few days ago, a practitioner who was homeless and jobless because of the persecution decided to go back to work. This practitioner's thought was very pure and righteous, "I need to go back to work and save sentient beings." Two of us thought that we should visit that practitioner's supervisor and tell him the truth in order to help the practitioner get his job back. Dafa practitioners are one body and each practitioner's issue is our issue. So we went to the practitioner's work unit while other practitioners stayed home to send forth righteous thoughts. After we explained to the supervisor about Dafa's situation and the principle of "retribution for bad deeds and rewards for good deeds," this supervisor quickly agreed to let that practitioner come back to work and promised not to trouble him. Now this practitioner is back at work, openly and nobly.
We had a new local police officer. One day this police officer and another police officer went to a practitioner's home to ask some questions. "Are you so-and-so?" "Yes." "Do you still practice Falun Gong?" "Of course. How can I stop doing this great practice?" The officers asked, "Your health will deteriorate without the practice?" "Yes. My body is so healthy all because of the practice." "Then you just stay at home to practice, but don't practice anywhere else. We will lose our jobs if you do." The practitioner asked, "Is it that serious? How terrible is Jiang Zemin! He made you become part of this persecution?" The police asked, "Do you go out often?" "Of course I go out and walk around. I can't just stay home when I am so healthy." They continued, "Do you have a computer at home?" "Yes, my son uses it." The officers then said, "We came here today to ask for your phone number, that's all." After the practitioner told them the phone number, the officers stood up and were about to leave. The practitioner quickly said, "Don't hurry. I have something to tell you. You all know that Falun Dafa is good, right? Falun Gong is innocent and it is being persecuted. To practice Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance is not wrong." The police replied, "We are just doing our job." The practitioner said, "You still have to be conscientious to do your job and discern what is right from what is evil. Jiang Zemin is being sued in many courts throughout the world. You have to know that there is retribution for doing bad deeds."
Over the past five years, our Fa study group has persisted. Through constant Fa study, everyone's xinxing is improving to different degrees and each of us has been doing well in the three things Teacher asked us to do. We did what Dafa practitioners should do on the path of Fa-rectification. But we know that we are still far away from the Fa's standards. We still need to continue to "Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People." We will walk on the path of Fa-rectification with righteous thoughts and actions and completely fulfill Teacher's great wish.