Falun Dafa Minghui.org www.minghui.org PRINT

Reflecting on the Arrests of Practitioners Who Installed Satellite Dishes

Sept. 2, 2014 |   By a practitioner from Dalian, China

(Minghui.org) In July 2012, the Dalian Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the 610 Office orchestrated the Dalian Police Department, the local police stations, and the street and community committees to arrest 80 Falun Gong practitioners from the downtown area of Dalian, the Jinzhou District, the Lushunkou District, Wafangdian City, and Changhai County.

The arrests were violent and deceptive, and caused one death and one disability due to torture. The practitioners were arrested because of their involvement in the installation of NTDTV satellite dishes.

Two years after this incident, I'd like to share what I think really caused the arrests, and I hope that we can learn a lesson from this experience.

1. Not Paying Enough Attention to Safety

Practitioners involved with the installation of NTDTV satellite dishes had their phones tapped by the communist authorities, resulting in their being persecuted.

At first the practitioners treated this project with care and caution and communicated with each other through secure channels. Over time, as the number of installations in the area grew, they started to get careless. To save time, they used their cell phones to communicate. In time, they used land-line phones, too.

If we could have kept separate all the practitioners who were doing the installations, and had them purchase their own equipment, the arrests might have been avoided. If we could have shared with practitioners who were doing the installations individually, or connected them privately with local coordinators, these practitioners could have assimilated into the one body, and we wouldn't have gotten ourselves into such a dire situation.

During the installation process, the lead practitioners didn't really take other practitioners' safety seriously. Their irrationality, attachment to doing things for the sake of doing them, validating themselves, vanity, attachment to fame and self interest, zealotry, showing off, blaming other practitioners, jealousy, pride, and aggressiveness were a reflection of their not meeting the standard of the Fa in the process of solid cultivation.

2. Looking Outward

Practitioner A, who was the main coordinator, was the first practitioner in our area to install the satellite dishes. Practitioner B, who was trained by Practitioner A, also participated in the project. Later, the two split because they had different opinions: Practitioner B wanted to help others install the dishes voluntarily, charging only for the cost of the materials, whereas Practitioner A charged a service fee plus the cost of the materials. Some practitioners started to notice that A and B didn't charge the same for an installation. When this happened, we tried to sit down with A and B to resolve the problem, but they refused to compromise.

There was also a problem of “gaps.” One day, we had a lot of installations to do and we were shorthanded. So we asked Practitioner B and several other practitioners to come help us. It was quite late when we finished, so Practitioner C suggested that we sit down and eat something before going home. C paid the check with money he made from the installation. A week later, some practitioners told C that B was gossiping behind his back, accusing him of using Dafa funds for personal use. C became extremely upset. This had very negative consequences on our area and exacerbated the gaps between practitioners.

Because of this, practitioners started to resent and distrust each other. When we saw other practitioners' attachment to validating themselves, wasn't it a reflection of our own problem? Yet, we missed the opportunity to upgrade our xinxing.

3. Blinded by Praise

Because we had many years of experience installing satellite dishes, and many capable practitioners joined us, NTDTV in our area gradually opened up. As a result, many people were saved. With our good after-sales service, our reputation spread and the project entered a positive cycle.

When practitioners from other areas saw how well we'd done, they admired us and commended our good efforts. We heard a lot of praise from other practitioners, but failed to see the hidden danger behind it. It was actually a serious test for all members on the installation team. Amidst the praise, it was difficult to hear others' opinions and ideas.

4. Deviation from the Fa

The most fundamental reason we were singled out for persecution stemmed from our deviation from the Fa and solid cultivation. Each time we encountered a problem, we didn't treat it as a chance to upgrade ourselves. As a result, more and more problems accumulated. In the end, it was a huge tribulation.

One deviation was misappropriating Dafa funds to repair a vehicle. Now we've come to understand the seriousness of cultivation. When doing projects that validate the Fa, the requirements for us are very strict.

In the blink of an eye, two years have passed. The tribulations we have gone through really should have raised our awareness, because cultivation practice is a very serious matter, not a game.