(Clearwisdom.net) On the 4th day after the police arrested a fellow Falun Gong practitioner, I received a call on my cell phone. I was asked if I knew the arrested practitioner and told that she was now expecting me to meet here at a certain location. It was apparent that the police was trying set a trap.
A few days before the illegal arrest, I had met with this practitioner and talked to her on the phone. We always kept in touch. Another fellow practitioner reminded me a few times to pay attention to security. According to my I understanding of the Fa, I knew that I should not analyze things or draw any conclusion based on the logic of cause and effect at the everyday people's level. I believed that I should not get into trouble simply because a fellow practitioner I kept in touch with had been arrested, as long as there was no loophole in my xinxing. However, I was not entirely within the Fa. Sometimes I would worry and wonder if I would be followed or if there would be any undercover policemen watching me outside my office building. I kept sending forth righteous thoughts. Nevertheless, I received another call on my cell phone a few days later.
I talked to a fellow practitioner, who asked a question that helped identify my problem. She asked, "What is our foundation when we send forth righteous thoughts and fight against the persecution?"
All the lives from the old universe are selfish in nature whereas the lives in the new universe must be selfless. Teacher said we must "attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism" ("Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature" from Essentials for Further Advancement)
Everything we are doing is the basis for the future of the new universe. Only when we eliminate our selfish nature will we be able to use our abilities to save sentient beings comprehensively. In short, the foundation of our thoughts and actions has a direct impact on the outcome of our truth-clarification work.
We do not do the Three Things to save ourselves from the persecution or to attain a high fruit status. We want to study the Fa well because we, as lives in the universe, are supposed to unconditionally assimilate to the Fa, which creates all lives in the universe. In addition, we study the Fa so that the sentient beings in our respective heavenly realms will be able to enter the new universe. We clarify the truth about Falun Gong because we want to save sentient beings. We send forth righteous thoughts because all interference with and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners are the same as interferences with and persecution against the Fa. As lives forged by the Fa, we are supposed to safeguard the Fa and be responsible for all righteous elements. We send forth righteous thoughts not only to eliminate the old forces' persecution against fellow practitioners and ourselves, but also to thoroughly eradicate all the elements that interfere with Teacher's Fa-rectification. Everything we have been doing, we do it to attain what Teacher requires in the Fa-rectification and we do it out of concern for the Fa-rectification. We do not do it for ourselves. In fact only when we give up all attachments to ourselves to the maximum will our lives be protected and will we be able to elevate our respective cultivation levels more quickly.
Many fellow practitioners may be able to state the same understanding automatically, but in the face of the present and unmistakable threats to their personal safety, they often think of protecting themselves from harm first, instead of safeguarding the Fa and firmly eliminating all evil elements that damage the Fa. As for myself, when I failed to think of safeguarding the Fa first, it was mainly because I failed to reach the following Fa Teacher has taught,
"[...] we should always consider others first when encountering anything." ("Lecture at the Australia Fa Conference" provisional translation)
In fact, I am far from achieving this requirement. Most of my daily thoughts and actions are selfish. The selfish nature common among lives of the universe has become ingrained in me. A lot of times I am not even aware when I am selfish. If only I could consider others first when I encounter everything. If only I could be altruistic at all times. If only I would have such a solid xinxing foundation that my first thought, when encountering any demonic interference or persecution, would be as pure and righteous as that of a great enlightened being in the new universe and my righteous thoughts would instantly disintegrate all evil beings.
Now that I had a better understanding and realigned my fundamental understanding, everything changed when I sent righteous thoughts at the next set hour. I felt a thick and tall wall of force composed of the Fa behind me. I felt my righteous thoughts were immensely powerful and invincible. All the invading evil thoughts were eliminated and I felt very light and clear at heart.
I looked within again. Why did the evil in other dimensions manipulate the police, making them call me on my cell phone and disturb me? It was a nuisance to me to build a new phonebook in the cell phone I used exclusively for communications with fellow practitioners. Lately fellow practitioners have been calling me on my other cell phone per my request. I thought, "As long as we don't talk about details of our truth-clarification work, it should be all right." Actually I thought, "I am fearless even if this would create problems! My righteous thoughts are powerful enough to shatter all evil elements in other dimensions!" Once a fellow practitioner warned me, "It is not an issue whether you have fear or not! This is an issue whether you are responsible to the Fa!"
Clearwisdom.net once published an article entitled, "Understanding the Fa Principles in 'Wearing Gloves When Practicing Outdoors in the Winter'." (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2006/4/26/72443.html)
I read it again and found the following passage that inspired me again:
"We should consider Dafa, consider the whole group, consider practitioners at all levels and especially new students, non-practitioners who will learn Dafa in the future, our families, friends and relatives. It's not that we fear anything, we have the whole universe in our hearts. We can understand the sentient beings, and we do everything to bring benefit to them. We do everything to save as many people as possible. We should do our best to avoid any negative impact to others so they don't lose the chance to be saved; some people could even commit crimes against Dafa because of our wrong behavior. We are Dafa disciples; we want to assist Master to rectify the Fa. We want to end the persecution of fellow practitioners. However, the extreme behavior has been used by the old forces and dark minions to persecute fellow practitioners. We wanted to save our friends and families, but our extreme conduct was used by the old forces to harm them. Thus, they didn't dare to learn Dafa; they got the wrong idea about Dafa, and they may have even committed crimes against Dafa.
"If a practitioner can measure everything using Fa standards, think of others when doing anything, understand other people's opinions, always put Dafa as the number one priority when considering everything and put saving sentient beings as the number one task, then we will never go astray."
Lately, Clearwisdom published many articles reminding practitioners to pay attention to security. After this interference, I realized that this is more than a simple issue of taking safety measures on the surface. It leads to a fundamental issue of selfishness. I urge those fellow practitioners who, like myself, feel they have ample righteous thoughts and, hence, neglect to pay attention to security, to start reflecting on the issue seriously. Underneath the surface of your "fearless" mentality and your "ample righteous thoughts," could there be any lurking attachments that you may have overlooked for a long time?
Teacher said,
"Whatever you experience during your cultivation--whether good or bad--is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating. A cultivator cannot achieve Consummation when laden with human thoughts, laden with karmic debts, or laden with attachments." ("To the Chicago Fa Conference")
While I refused to acknowledge the evil persecution and while I eliminated the evil with righteous thoughts, I discovered a stubborn attachment of mine and realized that cultivation practice is a highly serious matter.
The above is my limited understanding of the Fa. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
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