(Clearwisdom.net) The persecution of Falun Gong has lasted over nine years. So far this year in China, over 10,000 practitioners have been arrested or detained. CCP-inspired attacks on Falun Gong have even been made as far away as Flushing, New York. The severity and pervasiveness of the persecution is, to many people, quite shocking. While the persecution cannot destroy the will of practitioners, we can see clearly that cultivation has certain requirements. Understanding the Fa and looking within is the only way to ensure that practitioners will make progress. Discussing cultivation experiences helps all of us involved gain a better understanding. Here I would like to share some experiences gained working in a Falun Gong materials production site in China.
I. Types of Practitioners That Participate at Material Production Sites
A. Practitioners that take the initiative to set up material production sites:
Practitioners usually take the initiative to set up material production sites to validate the Fa in their local cultivation environments. Some of them choose to be coordinators and some choose to produce materials. The starting point for such practitioners is righteous and pure.
B. Practitioners that participate in material production sites after leaving their homes to escape persecution:
Practitioners become homeless for several reasons: some are good in cultivation, but were forced to leave home to avoid near certain arrest; some considered changing their environment so as to play more effective roles; and some left home out of fear. The practitioners who came to the material production site out of fear tend to drag their feet and sometimes cannot catch up with the requirements of Fa-rectification.
C. Practitioners that participate in material production sites after being released from detention
There are many such practitioners, and they can also be classified into several types. Some truly understand the difference between Fa-rectification period cultivation and personal cultivation. They understand the significance of Fa-rectification period cultivation from the bottom of their hearts as they recall their painful experiences. Many such practitioners became pillars of strength at production sites or in other local projects.
There are also some who participate because they are trying to make up for losses they have incurred, but they wallow in sadness if they can't break through old force arrangements. They might have renounced the practice while in detention or even turned in fellow practitioners, unable to bear the threats or torture they faced. They display strong sentimentality and selfish minds intermingled with hatred for the CCP. They might also harbor some deviated notions, such as accepting the persecution. Too often, they are arrested again, many within six months to a year after their last release.
D. Fellow practitioners seeking the Tao
Such practitioners used to cultivate solo or started practicing Dafa after the persecution. They have many puzzles in their cultivation process, or they want to urge themselves to be diligent and make rapid progress in a cultivation environment. Some practitioners got the idea to come to the material production site because of many tribulations and pressure from family and workplace officials. There are also some practitioners who felt their own abilities were not being fully used elsewhere, so they wanted to put forth their best efforts at a material production site.
E. Fellow practitioners who have been chosen
Material production sites face many challenges. Many have been discovered by CCP authorities and destroyed. Others suffer from high turnover, as practitioners involved move away or are arrested. It seems that they are always short of hands. In such circumstances, coordinators often ask practitioners who have not stepped forward to help with other Dafa work to help. In most cases, these practitioners would like to cooperate, but some of them may not possess the required skills, lack clear thinking, or lack practical experience. If so, many problems could arise at this site.
All in all, there are many different kinds of practitioners at material production sites. However, no matter what, the veteran practitioners at the sites should take the initiative to communicate with new practitioners, especially with tips and experiences. I used to ask practitioners to write experience sharing articles after something bad happened at a particular material production site. I was then able to sum up the experiences and lessons these incidents provided. Taking these experiences and lessons into account, we found it easy to do well. I believe that this is an example of assimilating to the Fa. For fellow practitioners just starting to work at material production sites, modesty is the most important quality. They must also communicate well with those who have been working there for a long time.
All who work at material sites are at different cultivation levels. Due to the historical significance of the material production sites in China during this special period, I do not think that every practitioner can participate in these sites. While family-based material sites and personal material sites should blossom everywhere, I believe that coordinators should only ask practitioners whose xinxing is high to establish them. Independent material production sites require the participants to have high standards. Practitioners who are too stubborn and selfish often cause much conflict with others. It is not easy to set up a production site, and if a practitioner cannot behave as a true practitioner or look within, but always complains and blames others, then quarrels will happen from time to time. Others may then depart. The evil forces will persecute such practitioners.
I believe that practitioners at our material production sites need to take on the additional role of practice site coordinator. They should promote the group's progress as one body and consistent Fa study. They should also keep up-to-date with technological advances, set up Fa study groups, and promote the establishment of more family-based material production sites. All of this they should do, of course, while encouraging all practitioners to act together as one body while cooperating with each other on specific Fa-validating projects.
The best way to cooperate is this: Several practitioners should be clear about Fa principles, clear-minded with rational thinking. All practitioners can discuss together and make decisions, each responsible for his own part of the work.
Another way to cooperate may also work: Several practitioners cooperate well with each other, with one of them a core responsible person and the others responsible for their own specific tasks. The core responsible person should be clear about Fa principles, clear-headed with rational thinking. This scenario, however, may bring about a side effect, that is, the core responsible person may tend to develop an "ego." Gradually, he would regard himself as a real leader and develop an air of authority. The evil forces would reinforce his attachment and take advantage of this loophole. Therefore, the core responsible practitioner must have a high xinxing level and be rich in cultivation experience. Meanwhile, fellow practitioners around him can point out his attachments with compassion if they find anything wrong. In this arrangement, fellow practitioners will absolutely cooperate well.
(To be continued)
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