(Minghui.org) I once read an article on Minghui.org about a practitioner being persecuted for publishing an article about being held in a detention center. She described the guards as “extremely hypocritical” and having “racked their brains to come up with ways to persecute practitioners.”
The practitioner's attorney said that the guards sought retaliation against her after the article was published, and she was denied food even though she had stopped her hunger strike.
I was very sad after reading this. I believe that we should choose our words carefully when reporting on the persecution. We shouldn't use disrespectful language to describe people or their character as I believe this would only agitate their bad side.
As practitioners, we should treat everyone with compassion and try our best to put an end to the persecutors' wrong deeds by appealing to their good side.
Master said,
“If we determine that it is interference or damaging, when we deal with the specific problem we should try our best to be calm and kind to those people who are at the surface, because when the evil uses people, they usually aren’t aware of it themselves (although the people who are used are usually either people whose thoughts are bad or people who have bad thoughts arising). As for the interference by evil in other dimensions, we must seriously eradicate it with righteous thoughts.” (“Fa-Rectification and Cultivation” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
The best way to expose the persecution is to detail the facts without emotion or bias. The articles published on Minghui.org are read by many different groups of readers, including those involved in the persecution
Minghui.org is a platform where persecutors can see many facets of the persecution, and have an opportunity to awaken the kindness hidden within them.
I personally experienced a lot of abuse when I was held in a detention center. I wrote many articles exposing how I was beaten and cursed at. The guards didn't retaliate against me, but respected me.
I wrote several letters about the persecution after my release and mailed them to government officials. I named the persecutors and detailed their crimes. For example, a fellow practitioner refused to recite the detention center rules and was tied to a wooden board by a certain female guard. The practitioner was later released and told me that the guard had received my letter and went to make amends with her. This guard used to be a formidable character, but changed after reading my letter.
My intention is to point out the perpetrators' wrongdoings, but I do not use derogatory language to describe them. Instead, I try to guide them to correct their ways.
When we inform people about the persecution we need to show them compassion. We must shoulder the responsibility of saving sentient beings and show our intention of offering salvation to people.
Master said,
“Also, with those people that you run into by chance, who you run into in daily life, and the people you run into at work, you should all clarify the truth to them. Even when in your daily life you pass by people so quickly that you don't have a chance to talk to them, you should still leave them with your compassion and kindness.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference IV)
When writing an article or letter, we have to remember that we are talking to them from the bottom of our hearts.
If we hold grievances when we write, will that save them? I feel that the best that we can do is to offer salvation with every word we speak or write.
The above is my limited understanding. Please point out anything inappropriate.
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Category: Clarifying the Truth
