(Clearwisdom.net)
Excerpt:
As practitioners, we understand from the Fa that we need to completely negate persecution, but when a problem comes our way we sometimes don't know how to handle it. When my annual performance evaluation discussion came up with my supervisor about my wages, I couldn't find the proper words to persuade him to stop persecuting me financially.
I was enlightened by Master's Fa, that illegal arrest and detention, the suspension of work and pay, and unfair annual performance evaluations were a kind of persecution that was imposed on me and restricted my beliefs and thoughts. I then knew what I should do.
-- By the author
Greetings Revered Master! Greetings Fellow Practitioners!
I am lucky to have the unprecedented historical opportunity to be saved by Master and become a Dafa disciple. Master has bestowed upon me the sacred mission of validating Dafa and saving sentient beings. During this Eighth Internet Experience-Sharing Conference, I would like to take the opportunity to share with you some of my experiences, and the Dafa principles I have followed to break through vicious persecution during the past 12 years that I have practiced.
In August and October 2000, I was arrested twice and sent to a detention center. Because I refused to sign a guarantee statement after I returned to work, my job was suspended and my wages were stopped. I was elbowed out and isolated at work, and suffered severe physical and mental tribulations. In 2001, I was detained in a labor forced camp. I mistakenly considered all of the people who had persecuted me to have abnormal behavior, and that these arrests were xinxing tests on my cultivation path. I studied Master's new lectures at that time, including “Rationality,” “Dafa is Indestructible,” “Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s),” and the Fa lectures from overseas. I realized the attempts made by the wicked Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to frame Falun Gong should not be acknowledged. Practitioners should deal with persecution and problems using the Fa principles. Negating the persecution can avoid our own losses, and also keep those who have persecuted Dafa disciples from being eliminated. Saving sentient beings is our first priority.
Understanding Dafa Principles Can Negate Financial Persecution
In October 2000, My supervisor suspended me from work and my wages were stopped because I refused to sign a guarantee statement. I was rated below the expectation level in an annual performance evaluation, and I lost more than 13,000 yuan. In 2001, I was sentenced to a forced labor term. My understanding from the Fa was that we needed to completely negate any persecution. However, when I was persecuted, I didn't know how to handle it. After studying the Fa, I wondered how to deny the financial persecution arranged by the wicked party. How was I going to get my salary back and how was I going negate the forced labor term? I knew that I should enlighten to these things from the Fa, but I never got it. When I discussed my wage and performance evaluation with the supervisor, I couldn't find the proper words to convince my supervisor to stop discriminating against me. This frustrated me until one day when I was studying Master's Fa lectures. Master said,
“But, you have to clarify the truth rationally and in line with people's logic and ways of thinking.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference”)
“When clarifying the truth, have you discovered the following problem? They can accept everything when you talk about people being persecuted. Talk about freedom of belief getting trampled, the violation of human rights, and so on, and they can accept it all, ...” (“Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference”)
After reading Master's lectures I understood that being arrested and detained, being suspended from work and my salary stopped, and receiving a low evaluation, were actually types of persecution against my thoughts and beliefs. Master helped me to see that illegal arrest, forced labor sentencing, and being deprived of my work and pay, were in fact persecution. I wrote a letter to my department supervisor claiming, “Practicing Falun Gong is my belief and suspending my work and pay because I practice Falun Gong is a persecution of my belief. I hope you will take responsibility for this situation and as a member of your staff, restore the damages that I have incurred.” The supervisor read my letter and knew that he was in the wrong. He agreed to resume my pay and re-evaluate my performance.
Distinguishing Between Right and Wrong Can Eliminate Evil
While negotiating with my supervisor, a retiree from my department reported to the supervisor's office that I promoted Falun Gong, distributed the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and helped people quit the CCP. He threatened to report me to a higher bureau if the department paid back my wages. I received a warning, which I was not afraid of. It was decided that the office would make an investigation into my circumstance, and if the allegations were true, I would not get back past wages and would instead receive punishment. I responded, “As an employer, you have the right to conduct an investigation. I should be repaid past wages because I did nothing wrong.” I was extremely stressed and felt like fighting with the person who had reported me. But as a practitioner, I could not behave like an everyday person. On my way home after work, I said over and over, “I am a Dafa disciple, Master's disciple.” Surprisingly, my thoughts suddenly changed as I arrived home, “My cultivation path is arranged by Master. If the person who reported me was able to change the outcome of this event, that would mean he could make arrangements for me. How could that be possible? On the other hand, he had delivered messages about quitting the party, Falun Gong, and the Nine Commentaries to the supervisors. This is exactly what I wanted to do, but could not do. I should not be mad at him.” When I told the person who reported me my thoughts, he became quiet and was no longer hostile toward me.
Master said,
“Actually, you're Dafa disciples, so hey, their plots are playing right into your hands! (People laugh) When they stir up trouble you'll have an opportunity to clarify the facts and expose the evil, right? "As soon as you evil beings come near, I'll grab you and I'll let the world's people know"--that's the perfect time to expose them.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference”)
I understood from Master's teaching that to negate the evil persecution with human thinking would not work. Every success in dissolving the persecution is made under the guidance of the Fa principles and Master's assistance.
The process of negating the persecution is also a process of saving sentient beings and preventing them from committing sins toward Dafa and Dafa practitioners. Some fellow practitioners disagreed with me and criticized me at an experience sharing, “You have a strong attachment to personal gain. Will you take the money with you when you consummate?” I knew that they understood my situation from the viewpoint of being concerned about personal cultivation. But I continued to move forward. I reported to every department that handled reimbursements, and told them that I practiced Falun Gong as my spiritual belief, and that I had absolutely not done anything illegal. I used human principles to clarify the truth. Personnel from the human resources bureau and finance bureau did not create any obstacles for me, and instead agreed to pay back my withheld wages. Consequently, my cultivation environment improved at work and with my family. People no longer created trouble or obstacles on my Fa-rectification cultivation path. I could clarify the truth openly and with dignity. I told people about the wicked CCP slander, of how the CCP defamed Falun Gong, and the truth of the staged “Tiananmen Immolation Incident.” They understood very quickly.
Helping Fellow Practitioners Recover Financial Losses
A fellow practitioner was deprived of her retirement pension by the department she worked for because she did not sign a guarantee statement. She endured financial hardship and asked practitioners for help. Many practitioners suggested that she remove any attachments and clarify the truth, claiming that she would then receive her retirement pension. I knew it would not be so simple. When facing the persecution, every aspect needs to be considered, such as how to clarify the truth and how to request benefits based on the Fa principles. This cannot be done with just a few sentences. After discussing many of the issues with her, we decided to visit the Bureau of Social Security. On the way there, I asked her to send forth righteous thoughts while I clarified the truth. Wisdom is needed when clarifying the truth, simply telling them that Falun Dafa is good is not enough.
When we met the section chief, I introduced myself as a cousin of the fellow practitioner. I asked him to look into the reason she had not received her retirement pension over many years. After looking at the computer records, we were told that her retirement pension was being transferred monthly into her personal account, and that her work department was withholding it. I took this opportunity to tell the people in the office how this practitioner's illnesses disappeared after practicing Falun Gong. I explained to them that her pension was withheld because she refused to stop practicing Falun Gong. I also convinced them that the slanderous propaganda they had seen in the media were lies made up by the government. They all agreed. We then went to apply for her identification card at the police department. She received her new ID card one week later and used it to register for her pension. The following week, she finally received all of her retirement pension funds. Years of financial persecution were over and the tribulation imposed on her was resolved. After this she felt more comfortable clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings.
I learned through the Minghui experience-sharing articles and conversations with fellow practitioners, that many practitioners have endured tremendous financial persecution. Some of them do not know how to negate it. They either felt that they could do nothing about it, or that they would bear it passively. They didn't know what to do. Some people said, “We should give up the attachment to personal gain.” Some said, “Whatever is destined to be mine will eventually come back to me, one way or another.” That type of mindset comes from arrangements made by the old forces. During the Fa-rectification period, negating persecution, validate the Fa, and saving sentient beings are far more important and sacred than personal cultivation. During the Fa-rectification period, we shouldn't view telling people about the persecution and saving sentient beings as a way to improve our personal cultivation. Each opportunity to negate the persecution is a process of the uplifting of my personal cultivation. I was timid at the beginning, and did not negate the persecution openly and with dignity. For the past twelve years, my improvement was because of Master's great painstaking care and he helped me to enlighten. I will cherish the opportunities Master has made for me to improve and I will forge ahead diligently. Being worthy of Master' compassionate salvation, I'll save more sentient beings. Thank you Master!
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