(Minghui.org) My heart is pained by the many cases of Dafa disciples being abducted and having their homes ransacked, as reported on Minghui.org. Our cultivation has entered its final leg, and any interference from the evil will bring tremendous losses to our efforts to save sentient beings. I’d like to share with everyone how I looked within in my cultivation and made sure to not create any opportunities for the evil to arrest me and ransack my home.
1. Changing our mindset is the fundamental guarantee for our personal safety
The persecution began one year after I obtained the Fa in 1998. Though I was determined enough to step forward to clarify the facts to people, I validated the Fa with strong human notions. As a result, I was arrested and detained numerous times. My home was also ransacked and my Dafa books confiscated on countless occasions. I felt that cultivation was too hard and began to wonder why I, a determined cultivator, failed to protect my Dafa books and my own personal safety. What was wrong with me?
One day, after much trouble, I got a new copy of Zhuan Falun and brought it home. Fearing that my husband would stop me from reading the book at home, I hid it in a secret place. To my surprise, as soon as my husband returned home he asked me, “Did you go out again today looking for your Zhuan Falun?” I was puzzled since I had never told him about my efforts to find the Dafa book. Soon I realized that cultivators were no ordinary people. Whatever was on my mind would reflect on other people’s thinking as well. Why did I always have to think negatively? I worked to change my mindset and began to reinforce the thought that Master was here to protect my safety and everything in my home, and that I’d never again allow any evil to abduct me or ransack my home. As I gradually strengthened this righteous thought, my persecution lessened. I haven’t been illegally arrested or had my home ransacked for many years.
We all know that cultivation requires us to abandon our stubborn human notions formed in everyday people’s society. But the problem is that often we are not sure which part of our thinking does not conform to the Fa. As such, it seems hard for us to improve ourselves.
I gained insight from the following passage of Master’s teachings:
“Before, when many of our students ran into conflicts with people outside our circle, or when people or certain departments of various functions in society treated us unfairly, we didn’t examine ourselves to find the cause, and instead stressed what was wrong with others. Certain things have indeed been really bad, and they were wantonly trying to harm us. But has it occurred to you that although they were bad and demonic acts, could those things have happened just by chance? Could it be that their negative aspects were utilized to have us see our own negative aspects? I’ve often said that when two people have friction between each other, each one should examine him or herself. Not only should the two people with the friction examine themselves, but also the bystanders who happen to observe the incident should. That’s when you’ll really improve by leaps and bounds.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore”)
I came to the understanding that what Master taught us in the above-mentioned passage was unconditional self-reflection. When I followed Master’s Fa to look within unconditionally, I was able to enlighten to more Fa principles.
Only by studying the Fa well and following Master’s Fa are we truly cultivating ourselves.
2. Form a habit to send forth righteous thoughts to clear our own field
Everyone knows the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts, yet we often neglect to target our own cultivation problems. Actually, whenever we have trouble passing tribulations, get stuck in a poor cultivation state or fail to maintain our xinxing, we can send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate evil factors and thought karma to clear our field. The key is to form such a habit.
There was a period of time when I panicked at the sight of police cars or vehicles parked outside my apartment building. I feared that they were coming for me. One day, I suddenly realized the effect of righteous thoughts. I sat down to clear the evil interference in my field for 40 minutes, non-stop. Afterward, I felt clear-headed and no longer had the fear of arrest. From then on, I developed the habit of sending forth righteous thoughts for myself and have since enjoyed its positive effects.
3. Remember to ask for Master’s help when feeling helpless
Whether or not we can remember to ask for Master’s help when we are in danger depends on whether we have a firm belief in Master and the Fa. When we are able to call for Master’s help in case of crisis, Master will indeed offer us protection.
I once read an article in which the author, a bank teller, told how she foiled her attempted arrest while she was at work. When an officer grabbed her shoulder, she immediately called, “Master!” and the officer’s hands bounced away quickly. She kept sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil. The policeman tried two more times to grab her, only to have his hands bounce away. In the end, the policeman left without arresting her. Inspired by this article, I began to train myself to remember to call for Master’s help at critical moments.
A while back, I ran into conflicts with a few practitioners. It seemed so hard for me to get over the problem. Feeling helpless, I asked for Master's guidance in my mind.
I realized that the seeming unfairness practitioners imposed on me was indeed a result of my predestined relationship with them; it was karma at play. Master was arranging for me to repay the debt I owed them in my previous lives; yet, I was unwilling to pay such a price and thought they were being unfair. I came to see that I had a fundamental attachment. I failed to view the matter from a cultivator’s perspective and was still holding onto everyday people’s principles, which were completely opposite to cultivators’ principles.
Why were there still many conflicts after I identified my attachments? I soon found that I was too obsessed with doing Dafa things and put my own things instead of Master’s arrangements as the first priority. In other words, I unwittingly put myself above Master and thus bred demons in my mind. After realizing this, I no longer felt wronged by the practitioners; instead I was grateful to them for helping me identify my problems.
4. Subdue the evildoer with righteous thoughts
In order to be a part of the whole body, I began to join nightly group Fa study at a practitioner’s home. There were always people outside my apartment building and the practitioner’s home; it felt like they were there to monitor me. I sent forth righteous thoughts to stop any evil from shadowing and abducting me or any other practitioner I had contact with, and to prevent the evil from ransacking my home. But I was still unsure about the effect of my righteous thoughts. Then, one night, I dreamed that the local 610 Office head and Domestic Security Division head led a huge group of policemen to catch me. My first thought was to run, but it was too late. I shouted, “Freeze!” but it didn’t work. They laughed and swarmed at me. I didn’t have time to care about anything and used all my might screaming, “Master! Please help me freeze them!” As soon as I finished saying those words, they disappeared without a trace, and I woke up. I smiled at Master’s hint: I knew that I was able to freeze them. When we really have the firm belief that we have the capability to subdue the evil, the evil indeed dares not approach us.
I hope practitioners read more often Master’s article “Stop the Evil Acts with Righteous Thoughts” and measure ourselves against its requirement. When we really do what Master asks us to do, everything will be fine. For instance, I was most afraid of being shocked by electric batons. Once when a guard poked me again with an electric baton, I mentally said, “You’ll be hurt if you shock me.” The electric current ran through my entire body; yet I felt nothing. The guard smiled, “You’re not afraid of electric shock?” Because I still had fear back then, he didn’t feel the shock. If I had stronger righteous thoughts, I’d have thought to have the guard suffer shock himself.
5. Disintegrate the thought of fearing arrest and home ransacking
Since my home was ransacked numerous times, I was afraid this would happen again. Later I realized that my fear of illegal arrest and home ransacking was indeed an invitation to the evil to persecute me. I worked hard to remove this attachment. I began to reinforce the thought that as a Dafa disciple in the Fa-rectification period, I only follow Master’s arrangements and would never acknowledge any alternative arrangements. Thus, I was able to overcome much interference.
When I first started to download and make truth-clarification materials at home, my non-practitioner husband was very concerned and threatened me with divorce. I looked within and found that I still had the fear of getting our home ransacked. I sent forth righteous thoughts to clear the evil controlling my husband. I was clear that it was the evil that attempted to acknowledge the old forces’ arrangements. I would never allow that to happen. I strengthened my righteous thoughts that I only listen to Master, and nobody is worthy of persecuting me. As a result, my home-based materials production site has been running smoothly for the past few years.
6. Resisting further persecution after arrests
We once had two local practitioners arrested. Both of them ran home-based materials production sites. After learning of their arrest, I immediately found people to help transfer equipment (computers, copiers and printers) away from their homes. After everything was cleared away, I reminded their practitioner family members to strengthen their righteous thoughts to prevent the evil from ransacking their homes. I said, “We must negate the old forces’ arrangements. Let’s not allow the evil to ransack your homes. Do not open the door, even if the police come. Just remember to ask for Master’s help and send forth righteous thoughts to turn the evil away.” The next morning the police indeed showed up. The two families refused to open the door. In the end, the police left defeated, never to return again.
As we’ve seen over and over again, some practitioners were unable to resist the persecution. The police eventually arrested them after a long-time stand-off by scaling the wall or prying the door open to get inside their homes. If they had remembered to call for Master’s help, probably none of these things would have happened in the first place. Why did they fail to think of Master at critical moments? I feel that they must look within to identify what was on their mind that prevented their true nature from validating the Fa.
I hope my writing can serve as inspiration to those who are still in tribulations, so that they can resist the persecution and lessen the losses to Dafa. Please point out anything inappropriate.
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