(Minghui.org) The article, “Letting Go of the Notion of Being Persecuted,” published on Minghui.org on January 4, 2020, points out what Falun Dafa practitioners’ frame of mind should be in the face of tribulations – using the Dafa teachings versus human notions to guide our thoughts and actions will result in different outcomes.
The article says, “When some Falun Dafa practitioners encounter physical discomfort or other obstacles and setbacks, they immediately attribute it to persecution by the old forces. But is that thought correct?... It could be that the discomfort we experience is due to Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, adjusting our body or is a manifestation of the growth of our gong potency. When things do not go as we expect, it could be a hint from Master to not do things that way. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility of interference by the old forces.”
Master told us,
“We have said that good or bad comes from a person's initial thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
If a person doesn’t feel well and believes that he is sick, then he will indeed be sick. He might be persecuted if he believes in it. However, if we can take each test and difficulty as an opportunity to elevate, and truly believe in Master without fear, then the consequences might be different.
In my years of cultivation in Dafa, I have realized that Master’s teachings can truly guide me in tribulations.
I have been arrested multiple times, but I never accepted the persecution. Every time I was incarcerated, I did what Master told us to do:
“"Now that you've arrested me, I haven't thought at all about going back. Now that I've come here, I've come to validate the Fa." So the evil was scared.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference”)
“No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates.” (“Dafa Disciples’ Righteous Thoughts are Powerful,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Remembering Master's teachings, I regarded the prisons and detention centers as new places where I should continue telling the facts of Dafa to the people I met, prisoners and police officers alike, because they should be saved as well.
I refused to follow the rules for prisoners and remained firm with my faith without any fear. As a result, I was always free to do the exercises and tell the facts about Dafa to prisoners and guards. My perseverance also helped many guards to understand that Dafa was good. Some guards even asked me to teach the inmates the exercises and introduce Dafa’s teachings to them.
With my help, the troublemaking prisoners began to behave and then the guards asked me to tell all the prisoners about Dafa’s principles. I had the opportunity to help more than one hundred people quit the Chinese Communist Party and its organizations while I was in custody.
The first time I was imprisoned, the chief guard told me the prison rules and that I had to promise to obey them. I replied that I would not make any promises, because I had not committed a crime and was incarcerated illegally.
I told him that Dafa practitioners all followed Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to be good people. When he asked me why I was there, I said that I was there to demonstrate to people the integrity of Dafa and tell them the facts about Dafa to save them. He asked how I would do that, and I said that I would show it through my actions. I then told him more about Dafa. From then on, this guard trusted me and often came to talk to me whenever he had problems.
When my wife visited me in prison and said that she had sent me Master's new lecture “On Dafa,” I told her that I had already received it in the mail. She was amazed that I’d gotten it so quickly. In the past, it took at least a month for a letter from home to reach me, but this time it took less than a week. When the chief guard brought me her letter, he smiled and said, “Your wife is very kind to you!”
I used to be annoyed by the prisoners who were assigned to monitor me. They took turns watching me closely, so that I could not carry on a conversation with anyone. I then adjusted my mindset and treated them as people to be saved. I talked to them whenever I had the opportunity so that they could understand what Falun Dafa was and that “good is rewarded, but evil incurs retribution.”
At the same time, I did not dwell on their behavior, as they were just doing their job. After a while, they stopped following me, and I was free to do whatever I wanted to do. One of them found a calligraphy brush and ink for me and a guard brought me writing paper and Master's teachings. I used them to copy Master's teachings whenever I had time.
When I truly thought of myself as a genuine Dafa cultivator and let go of all kinds of human attachments, Master helped me.
Master said, “Because cultivation depends on one’s own efforts while the transformation of gong is done by the master,” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
I understand that we should constantly cultivate our minds to eliminate our attachments. We must have solid faith in Master and Dafa. As long as we do what Master asks us to do, whether or not we can do it well, Master will help us if we consider ourselves to be true Dafa cultivators. We may not always do a good job the first few times, but we can improve if we try harder.
Master said,
“Of course, some people do not want to cultivate and even now have not understood what it's about. Accordingly, we cannot take care of them. The ones we take care of are true cultivators.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)
“Certainly, it will not be easy for you to immediately lose all sorts of everyday people’s desires and reach the standard of a true cultivator, as it takes time to achieve this. After hearing me say that this takes time, you might claim that Teacher has told us to take time, and so you will take time in cultivating yourself. That will not be permitted! You should be strict with yourself, though we allow you to improve gradually.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
It is crucial that we regard ourselves as cultivators. If we can search inward for the root causes of issues that we encounter, Master will take care of us and make the best arrangements for us.