(Clearwisdom.net) Since a fellow practitioner in the USA shared his understanding in an article "Let Us End the Persecution Now" (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/7/18/87805.html) there has been quite a big stir among practitioners. Our own lack of understanding has caused many unnecessary losses and has brought on persecution for no reason.

Some practitioners have suggested that to end the persecution, incidents of karmic retribution should be publicized, and should happen on a larger scale, as a warning to the world's people. On this we have also had some in-depth sharing, and have come to a common understanding on the basis of the Fa, as it relates to issues of refusing to accept any of the persecution. When we analyze at a deeper level and take a look at the paths we have walked, we realize that the fundamental cause of the persecution is our own selfishness. This is the excuse and the supposed justification that the old forces have used to carry out and perpetuate the persecution.

Master said,

"As I've said, everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts. Even though the old forces do exist, if you don't have those thoughts they can't do anything. When your righteous thoughts are strong enough the old forces can't do a thing. " ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")

Then, we need to search our conscience and ask ourselves: "What kind of thoughts do I have?" Master pointed this out in "Towards Consummation" and many other articles. What is the fundamental attachment that many of us still have? Isn't the fundamental attachment selfishness?

Checking against what Master said and reflecting upon ourselves, we have seen and heard about the following kind of thinking: attachment to consummation; "the bigger the tribulation, the bigger the virtue"; "the police van is the Fa boat"; "prisons are unique temples"; "one cannot reach consummation without going to Beijing to appeal on Tiananmen Square"; and so on and so forth. Then, isn't it true that the more inflated our notions of selfishness, the more our thoughts facilitate the persecution? Even today, some practitioners still boast, "I have done well these last few days and have persuaded a few people to quit the CCP" and other such comments. When they notice other practitioners' cultivation status is less than desirable, they might say, "Your state of mind is not good. Judging by your own cultivation, if you ask for a position, where do you think Master will place you?"

There are all sorts of such notions. When we think about it we can see that their mindset is still preoccupied with self. We must be clear-headed at all times: It is the Fa that is saving people, and it is Master who is saving sentient beings.

For the last eight years we have endured many hardships. Actually, these hardships were caused to a large extent by the fact that during the stage of personal cultivation we went to extremes in doing certain things, which caused some misunderstandings publicly. We focused only on our own cultivation and did not seem to care much about what other people said, or how they felt. We ignored what Master had taught us.

Master said,

"I also want to tell you that your nature in the past was actually based on egotism and selfishness. From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism. So from now on, whatever you do or whatever you say, you must consider others--or even future generations--along with Dafa's eternal stability." ("Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature" in Essentials for Further Advancement)

The manifestation of Buddha-nature should be that of selflessness and altruism, and considering others first. When evil forces began to persecute us with the excuse that we are selfish, we should have displayed the proper demeanor of Dafa disciples and helped others to truly understand Dafa through our words and actions. Instead however, we ignored the feelings of the people and were always attached to what we wanted to say, "Dafa is good; Dafa is righteous." However, when we look at our words and actions, we find them contrary to our wishes; we did not truly demonstrate the dignity and compassion of Dafa, nor the demeanor to be expected of Dafa disciples.

Some practitioners once said that the way we behave is in effect a very good way to clarify the facts. We have however greatly neglected this very important aspect, and put more weight on preaching and explaining things. In particular when the Fa principle of "immediate retribution in this lifetime" was raised, there appeared to be much pleasure and excitement in the sharing articles, but very little sorrow or deep regret for those lives who had taken the path of no return due to the wrong position they took, although they had been through untold hardships, and had waited so long for Dafa to save them.

When those who have been deceived arrest our fellow practitioners, our first thought is usually how to rescue practitioners. Even though we later think of clarifying the facts and exposing the evil, we tend to ignore something else - the fact that those who have chosen to be on the opposite side of Dafa, due to deception and their wrong notions, are committing crimes. They face a terrible end, and we should therefore quickly help them break away from the destructive situation they are in.

Have we fulfilled our duties as Dafa disciples? If we could tell them with compassion and sincerity the harmful situation they face and save them first, as soon as they truly understand the facts and realize their mistakes and act properly, to make up for the crimes they committed, then those who were arrested would naturally be released.

If we try to only resist the persecution and rescue those arrested, then the underlying reasons for our efforts are not pure enough. We should always take sentient beings and their safety to our hearts. I remember one incident. A police officer was cruelly whipping a practitioner in a prison. Another practitioner stopped him and told him to take his child away from the scene [so that his child would not form a negative image of his dad]. His action awakened the conscience of the police officer, and he, the most vicious in the prison, never beat any Dafa practitioners again.

Master explained to us in "Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital" the real purpose of the existence of the world's people. They are all waiting for us to awaken their conscience and to be saved by the compassion, mighty virtue and the power of Dafa. Then we should keep up with the requirements of Dafa and truly act as Dafa disciples. "Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples" is not merely a name, but it is a name for honored beings that all sentient beings in the cosmos admire and respect. Have we reached the standards?

Since the persecution began in 1999, Master often starts his lectures by saying, "Greetings everyone! You have been working very hard." Whenever I read this, I feel ashamed, and tears run down my face. I feel myself and practitioners around me have done so poorly: we often fail to send forth righteous thoughts at the regular times; distribute truth-clarifying materials only when we have absolutely nothing else to do; always wait for others to deliver truth-clarifying materials instead of getting them ourselves; are reluctant to prepare materials ourselves for fear of danger, even though we have enough equipment to do so. When Master's lectures arrive, I would keep a clean copy for myself first; keep video and audio materials for myself even though they are for helping everyone improve together; when the notice of practicing the exercises came I was immediately able to get up early in the morning and say this is good; but when there are things that need to be done, though a bit dangerous, I would send others to do them, with the excuse that I'm the coordinator.

Selfishness is the fundamental excuse the old forces use to coerce and persecute us. Lives created by Dafa should be that of righteous enlightenment, of selflessness and altruism. If we do not eliminate our selfishness, but instead wait for cosmic changes, then we are surely no different from those who feed on illusions or make fruitless attempts.

Seeing clearly the root cause of the persecution, we must truly become selfless. Only then can we completely eliminate the trammels of the old forces and dissolve all the evil factors that interfere with the salvation of sentient beings. Only when we take the calamity of sentient beings to heart and treat people with great compassion and forbearance can we accomplish the tasks Master has entrusted us with. The only thing Dafa disciples have a role in is saving people. The loss of every single life is regret on our part.

As I am limited by my level I feel it rather difficult to express clearly what I have enlightened to. Please kindly point out anything incorrect in my understanding.