(Minghui.org) Our local Falun Gong practitioners recently went through some ups and downs during the rescue attempt of an arrested practitioner. The local police, procuratorate, and court used various excuses to obstruct the defense lawyer’s efforts to enter a not guilty plea.
We realized that we had to look within and change our mindset based on what we discovered. The situation improved once we eliminated our attachments. The lawyer was not obstructed when defending the practitioner’s constitutional right to practice Falun Gong at the next hearing.
During the first hearing, the defense lawyer was forced to leave the courtroom half way into the trial.
After the trial, our local practitioners shared understandings of the issues at hand. We realized that we had hired a lawyer mainly for the purpose of seeking justice and did not help the participants understand the miscarriage of justice and the facts about our faith.
Before the first hearing, we did not clarify the truth about Falun Gong to the persecutors, but concentrated on sending forth righteous thoughts. In retrospect, we believed that the knowing side of those persecutors was disappointed as to our reasons for hiring a lawyer.
We adjusted our mindset before the next hearing, and this time the lawyer was able to defend the practitioner’s right to practice Falun Gong. Officials from the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, the 610 Office and the Domestic Security Office were present. They thus heard the lawyer's defense arguments.
Comparing the two hearings, we saw that how our mindset influenced the persecutors’ attitude towards practitioners.
After the practitioner’s arrest, we wanted to clarify the truth to the persecutors. However, we could not help them understand the facts about Falun Gong. Instead of feeling compassion, we began to hate the persecutors.
Master said,
“And that’s all the more so during this persecution, yet instead of developing righteous thoughts, you have allowed a great deal of hatred to build up. ”(“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference”)
“Compassion comes from a person's cultivation, and it's not something that's acted out; it comes from deep inside, and it's not something done to show others. It's something that exists eternally, and it doesn't change with the passage of time or changes in circumstances.”(“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Washington DC Fa Conference” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference IV)
We realized that we should not base our actions on a sentient being's behavior.
We also failed to help the police chief understand the truth. We wondered if that was because the entire body of practitioners in our area had problems. He once told an arrested practitioner, “I'm not targeting you, but the entire group of practitioners.” He also pointed out the misbehavior of practitioners that he had encountered.
Several years ago, a police chief in our area had a different understanding because we exposed his actions and talked to him about Falun Gong. He was petrified once he truly understood the implications of his actions Since then our local environment has become safer. So why didn't this method work this time?
My understanding is that as the Fa-rectification is moving towards its end, the requirements for practitioners are changing. All we needed to do in the past was to expose the persecution. Now, we have to look inward for what is most important.
After looking at the actions by all of us practitioners, I felt that we were far away from meeting the requirements of a practitioner. Among others, we have not done the three things well, such as studying the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts, doing the exercises, telling people about our faith and looking inward.
We often disagreed with each other, and rarely cooperated well. What made it worse was that many local practitioners did not view this as a major problem.
This spurred me to look within and find my true cultivation state. This opened my eyes and I understood what I should do. I had to improve my mindset, instead of wanting to change others. I had to do the three things well and continue to look inward for attachments.
Within a short period of time, I felt that many practitioners and I had changed our mindset and outlook. This affected the outcome of the trial, and the defense lawyer entered a not guilty plea for our local practitioner.