(Clearwisdom.net) I am a practitioner in Shandong Province. For the past several years, I have been clarifying the truth to people face to face. I chose this approach because of the following reasons: 1) This allows me to send forth righteous thoughts close-up, and this way, manipulation of people by the evil elements will be disintegrated in the compassionate field of the Fa. 2) Also, this way, the other side can feel my compassion. He or she can feel that I care for him or her, and this lays a solid foundation for salvation. So, 3) This allows for an immediate two-way communication. In this way, the reason why that person might not have understood or accepted the truth can quickly be identified. The conversation will thus be more specific and effective. 4) I am able to quickly find my shortcomings as we are speaking. In this way, I can immediately look within and improve myself based on the Fa.
Here I would like to share my experience and understandings. Please point out anything inappropriate.
1. Strong Righteous Thoughts
Master said,
"As you know, the persecution that Dafa disciples in Mainland China suffer is quite severe, so each student has to truly, clearly realize what his responsibility is, and when he sends forth righteous thoughts he has to be able to truly calm his mind and truly produce the effect of righteous thoughts. So this is something extremely critical, extremely important. Then if every student is able to do that, I can tell you, with five minutes of sending forth righteous thoughts together, the evil in the Three Realms will never exist again--that's how important this is." ("Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.")
Every time I read this paragraph, I think about the many Dafa practitioners that are being persecuted in China and that there are still so many people who are waiting to be saved. From this, I deeply realized my responsibility as a veteran practitioner. Therefore, since I began to clarify truth face to face, I've intensified sending forth righteous thoughts. Every day I have been sending forth righteous thoughts nine times. When there are some issues that need support, I accordingly send forth more righteous thoughts. Thus, every time that I'm about to go out to clarify the truth, I send forth righteous thoughts to the residential area and the evil elements interfering with the people whom I intend to clarify the truth to, so that the environment around them can be improved. During truth clarification, I've also sent forth righteous thoughts in close proximity. Especially when confronting some resistance, I send forth righteous thoughts. The situation will then change, and the effect of my truth clarification is improved, especially when clarifying truth with other practitioners. While one practitioner is clarifying truth, the other one can send forth righteous thoughts. This always results in a better effect. Plus, as long as I want to clarify the truth and plan which road to take, I'm able to meet people on the road whom I've wanted to see but couldn't find or have not seen for years. In such situations, very often that person can be saved after just a few sentences.
Recently, wherever I've gone, there have always been acquaintance or people that I don't know, coming up to talk with me. Of course, these people accepted truth. I understand that Master has been helping me. I've also realized that people are waiting to hear the truth. From this, we can tell that saving people is indeed very urgent.
2. Compassionate Salvation
When clarifying the truth, we need to clearly understand that what we are doing is to save sentient beings. That is to say, we just want to save sentient beings so as to give them a better future, and we are not considering ourselves. This is very important. Only with this righteous thought can we help the knowing side of that person accept the truth.
In the past several years, no matter who I clarify the truth to, I've always declared the purpose of my visit as soon as I arrive. After they understand, most people are in tears when they hear the truth. There was a deputy director in a provincial government agency. After hearing the length of my trip (traveling several hundred kilometers especially for him, and visiting him after I had lunch outside myself, so as not to bother him too much, and then returning in the afternoon), he was already in tears even before he finished hearing my truth-clarification. He said, "You are really a group of good people. In my life, nobody has been so considerate of me. You Falun Gong practitioners are really good people!" There was also a county Party secretary who directly persecuted me in the past. However, when I met him, I said, "I dropped by because I heard that you were sick. Although you persecuted me in the past, I am not coming here today to recriminate you. I just want to tell you some truth, so that you can have a better future. Is this all right with you?" He smiled when hearing this. He invited me to have a cup of tea and said, "Take your time so that we can have a good talk." We talked for about three hours, covering the topics of the "April 25", 1999 Appeal, the staged self-immolation incident and the fact that Heaven will eliminate the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He said, "Now I understand better. All that I've heard and read in the past were actually lies. Even I was hoodwinked and believed them. But what you're doing is really risky. Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted so much, but are still very upright. Even without considerations for your own safety, you are are thinking about other people's safety. You group of people really are the hope for our nation. Your Master must be outstanding." I said, "Falun Gong practitioners do not have an enemies. Because you did not know the truth in the past, the main responsibility [of the persecution] was thus not attributed to you. That is why our Master asked us to clarify the truth to people like you." Then I helped him quit the CCP and its associated organizations. When I left his place, he escorted me a long way, and thanked me again and again. I told him, "If you feel such gratitude, then please thank my Master." I remembered that Master said,
"Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in spring
Righteous thoughts can save the people in this world " (Hong Yin II)
In addition to keeping up my Fa-study, I also read the "Minghui Weekly", the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party," as well as watching television programs broadcast on NTDTV. In this way, I've accumulated some valuable information for clarifying the truth to people.
3. Improving Myself
Master said,
"As I said, even if you quarreled over validating the Fa and saving sentient beings, or you heard some unpleasant comments, those were all for your improvement, because your improvement comes first. Without your improvement, nothing can be achieved, and that includes saving sentient beings. If you fail to improve and achieve Consummation, where will the sentient beings that you save go? Who will take them? Why not look at things that way?" ("Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference")
In order to truly save more sentient beings, we have to constantly improve ourselves. Without meeting Dafa's requirements it's hard to do anything associated with Dafa. In the process of saving sentient beings, the cultivation state of each practitioner will be revealed. This means, when saving different people under various circumstances, we should find our own attachments and get rid of them.
Master said,
"So, when you meet with ordeals, it is the perfect opportunity for you to improve. If you are able to look inside, that trying situation will become instead an opportunity, something to overcome and a chance to enter a new state." ("Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference")
Several years ago, I traveled a long distance to visit two relatives in order to offer salvation to them. One of them lived about one thousand kilometers away, and when I clarified the truth, they reprimanded me. The other one lived about one hundred kilometers away, and they did not allow me in. So, I wandered along the street seeing people and cars passing by. Thinking that many of them had not heard the truth, I was in tears. The feelings were beyond description. However, I did not give up since I knew that Master was by my side. I also looked within and found that my motivation for talking to them stemmed from sentimentality (qing). My words were not compassionate and I could not keep a peaceful mind. When we force our ideas upon others, people cannot feel our compassion. Master said,
"I have not only taught you Dafa, but also left you my demeanor. While working, your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning can change a person heart, whereas commands never can!" (Essentials for Further Advancement)
Later, I met one of my relatives whom I had tried to talk to earlier. This time, I talked to her with compassion. In just a few sentences, she agreed to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. When she heard me giving her a beautiful pseudonym so as to conceal her identity, she smiled.
During truth-clarification, I've also found my attachments. For example, I preferred to clarify the truth to my friends and relatives instead of strangers. When someone seems to have difficulty accepting the truth, I had the attachment of zealotry and showing off. As for fellow practitioners who had enlightened along an evil path, I didn't want to meet with them--instead I just wanted to protect myself. Saving sentient beings is also a process of assimilating ourselves to the Fa. This is a process arranged by Master. This is compassionate salvation arranged by our great Master.
October 13, 2008
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
