(Minghui.org) Last November, more than 200 practitioners in our city were arrested on the same day. More than 50 were sentenced to prison. Out of fear, some arrested practitioners wrote statements to give up the practice of Falun Dafa.
Such a dramatic loss was caused by a big loophole in our area. We have been too focused on doing Dafa work while neglecting personal cultivation.
Since 1999 when the persecution started, coordinators would often say, “Personal cultivation is not a problem. Our mission is to save sentient beings. You can look inward after you go home. Right now we need practical solutions.”
Gradually, those who did more Dafa work or were more capable were regarded as role models in cultivation. The whole body of practitioners deviated from looking inward and improving xinxing.
Instead of making breakthroughs in personal cultivation, practitioners more and more relied on coordinators when they faced interference or when dealing with personal conflicts. Many coordinators or capable practitioners were so busy solving practical problems that they themselves slacked off in personal cultivation, causing them to be arrested.
However, they were always regarded as individual cases, and these arrests did not alert other practitioners to look inward.
Because of the pursuit of doing more Dafa work, lots of work was done poorly or lacked righteous thoughts behind them.
When we began to file lawsuits against Jiang Zemin last May, we were too focused on getting more practitioners to participate, while many of us did not take it seriously when filing the lawsuits. Without a thorough understanding and righteous thoughts, the lawsuits that we filed became an excuse for the police to make the mass arrest last November.
I neglected personal cultivation for years. I carried many negative thoughts, especially hatred towards the police officers who persecuted us. Sometimes certain police officers protected practitioners and I suspected they had another agenda. I did not believe that sentient beings could rectify themselves. How could I save them while carrying such negative thoughts?
After I rectified my own thoughts, I realized that all living beings had a good nature. With this pure compassionate thought, I found that there were no more barriers between me and other practitioners, and I started to cherish all the lives I encountered.
If we all carried such compassionate thoughts, everyday people around us would sense it and believe that Falun Dafa practitioners are good people. Aren't we saving them already, then?
Think about why Shen Yun is so powerful in saving people. The performers solidly cultivate themselves so that Master and divine beings can help them be successful. This is a powerful example that Master has given us. If we truly cultivate ourselves, we will also have the same power from the Fa to save many more people.
Let us bear in mind Master's teaching,
“When we run into problems, however, we need to think them over: Why did that person destroy the book in front of you? Could it be that you had some attachments? Or perhaps there was something wrong with you yourself? If you had adjusted your thinking at that moment, he might have immediately stopped destroying the book. It’s very likely that would have happened. I’ve often said that whenever you come across a problem, you should take a look at yourself first. Even if a problem has nothing to do with you, when you see it, you should still search inside yourself. I’d say that then nothing can stop you from advancing on your path. ” (Teaching the Fa at the Assistants’ Fa Conference in Changchun)
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Category: Improving Oneself
