(Minghui.org) I refused to participate in Dafa activities and stopped the local coordinators from leading practitioners down a path that I believe would damage the Fa. Such efforts took a lot of energy out of me.
I thought it was simply a local issue, but I have learned from several recent Minghui articles that this problem is common. Therefore, I would like to share my concerns with more practitioners.
Before the persecution began, coordinators who took on important roles were mostly appointed by the Falun Dafa Association or by Master himself. However, those who developed strong human notions or had serious attachments were quickly replaced.
After the persecution began, many of the appointed coordinators were arrested and sentenced, and stopped cultivating. As a result, local practitioners chose their own coordinators.
They were chosen for varying reasons. Some had strong righteous thoughts and did things based on the Fa; some were both willing and able to coordinate; some were chosen because they were deemed to have “cultivated well” when they were imprisoned and didn't succumb to the guards demands or renounce their beliefs; some were already participating in many projects and so it seemed a natural progression to become coordinators.
But as practitioners and coordinators we need to think about the following questions: What are the requirements to be a coordinator? Does the person have the right attributes to carry out the duties of a coordinator? How can a coordinator help local practitioners without being influenced by “Party culture,” and made decisions based on the Fa?
Without thinking about a coordinator's responsibility and not conducting one's behavior and thinking based on the Fa, some coordinators have gotten involved in matters that have gone against the Fa. They might acknowledge their mistakes after Minghui published an editorial on the matter, but they would soon fall for another trick orchestrated by the old forces.
I think the problem of Party culture is not just a problem found in coordinators, it is also in practitioners. I see many practitioners manifest strong Party culture and who have not cultivated their xinxing well.
Behavior brought about by indoctrination with Party culture is widely adopted by practitioners in China, especially flattery.
Sometimes, when a coordinator brings a practitioner to a Fa study group or gets them the Master's lectures or Dafa books, the practitioner would praise the coordinator, flattering them with words like, “You have cultivated so high and well. You are so capable.”
The practitioner's compliments were borne out of their attachment to selfish gain. The practitioner might want to ask for more favors in the future or build a good relationship with the coordinator.
But these compliments interfere with coordinators, and may encourage their attachments of ego and fame to surface.
I received compliments from some practitioners a long time ago. Their flattery caught the attention of my human notions and I became attached to fame. I realized it was interference, but it still took me a long time to let go of the attachment even after I purposefully ignored the comments from those “sweet talking” practitioners.
Even now, I still see my attachment to fame sparked by such words.
If a coordinator leads a group of practitioners to do something that damages the Fa, what the coordinator did is no different from what the old forces do, and the consequences will be dire.
Being a coordinator is a responsibility, not a title or rank. Master has never said that coordinators cultivate better than other practitioners.
The above are just my personal opinions. Please kindly correct me where appropriate.