(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
I joined the Minghui materials team over 10 years ago. From a variety of materials in the beginning to magazines and publications that target specific readers, our materials have improved significantly through the years. While keeping up with current events and the requirement of Fa-rectification, these materials have played a critical role in telling people facts about Falun Dafa and the persecution. For those practitioners involved in this project, this is our cultivation environment and we need to improve ourselves in this process.
Master said,
“In truth, the spiritual journey is none other than an ongoing process of learning to let go of the things of this world that we may be attached to.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Letting Go of Attachments
In the first few years, we received all kinds of materials from many places. Two other practitioners and I were responsible for editing pamphlets, and we worked very hard. We did not have many xinxing conflicts, but things did come up from time to time. For example, one practitioner does not have an everyday job, but she often picked up less work than us, and sometimes no work at all. She said that it gave her more time for Fa-study. I felt it was unfair and one day I complained to others. Afterward, I realized it was pointing out my jealousy.
Master said,
“There is a rule: anyone who doesn’t free himself of jealousy while practicing cannot attain true divine standing. No exceptions.” (The Seventh Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I knew this attachment was a big issue. Plus, we are doing Dafa projects, so we have to do well in this unconditionally. This practitioner has to take care of her family and children, so she could be busier than the two of us. Master said that everything we do, we do for ourselves. There is no reason to feel unhappy. Since then, no matter how many assignments I received, I took them with a calm mind.
Eliminating Party Culture
For us practitioners who came from mainland China, the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture can be a serious problem. Even after we've lived outside China for years, it still surfaces. Especially in the beginning years, the truth-clarification materials provided by practitioners in China had the mentality of struggling hidden between the lines. The tone of our responses, on the other hand, also lacked kindness and were sometimes demanding. All these are manifestations of Party culture. Master has mentioned its harm many times. During experience-sharing between practitioners, we also realized the importance of eradicating it, so that we can produce materials that can have a better effect in saving people. Fortunately, we have been improving together with practitioners in China through the years. Gradually more calmness, kindness, and compassion came through the articles.
No Resentment
Sometimes materials provided by practitioners in China have all kinds of mistakes. For example, one article may have two people whose names are pronounced the same, but the Chinese characters are different. Or, the dates contradict each other.
There were also times that the same paragraph or text appeared twice in the draft. In the past I often complained, thinking that practitioners were careless. I later realized that my job is to check and correct these mistakes. If everything is perfect, there is no need for me to help. After I realized this, I had fewer complaints. Sometimes information related to persecution in one area may have a poor format. For example, phone numbers were just lumped together. When this happened, I could check if there were more articles on persecution in that area. This way I could remove unnecessary phone numbers and add content to improve the article. Some articles do not have information about their own areas, since the incidents happened in other areas. In this case, I would look up other Minghui articles to verify the facts in that area. This way the article would be more relevant and thus more effective in saving people in that region.
Letting Go of Attachments While Working on Minghui Weekly
Our materials have gradually become more professional. At the same time, the writing and editing skills of practitioners in China have also improved, which made our workload lighter. The coordinator told me that I would be responsible for compiling general editions of the magazines. I was hesitant in the beginning. “Am I qualified? If I cannot do it well, the impact would be huge,” I thought.
I calmed down and spent time carefully studying how similar editions were compiled in the past. I learned about the thought process and how to handle the style. I also paid attention to Minghui articles to see which ones would be appropriate to include. With the coordinator's encouragement and help from other team members, I took on this new role.
Another practitioner and I took turns doing this. Minghui Weekly is a four-page pamphlet that practitioners in China distribute to everyday people there. We need to select contents that can eliminate the misunderstandings the CCP instilled in people. Master has mentioned many times the importance of basic truth clarification. We also pay attention to our readerships' needs and make the contents more interesting.
In the past, I only thought of improving the magazine's content and layout. I felt distributing these materials was the responsibility of practitioners in China. After I became responsible for the general version, I started to pay attention to the quality and collected feedback on its effects on saving people.
When I read experience-sharing articles from practitioners in China, I paid attention to what kinds of materials they deliver to people. Very often they mention the booklets, Tian Ci Hong Fu or Zhen Xian, not the magazine I work on. When I noticed this I felt a little lost. I even wondered if my efforts were worth it.
I pushed these human notions aside—they did not stop me from continuing to work hard. I knew that this was a responsibility for me from Master. During the CCP virus pandemic, we had received some feedback from China on several Minghui publications that people liked. Minghui Weekly was one of them. I felt good, however, and I immediately saw my attachment to fame.
From there I began to reflect on my mentality when compiling the magazine and my related attachments. Sometimes when seeing the edition from another practitioner was very good, I wondered why I did not have good thoughts. I realized this exposed my jealousy. After producing some magazines and feeling good about it, I also knew it was related to my attachment of zealotry. From the Fa, I know that only with a pure heart can we produce materials that can really save people. Therefore, the process of compiling the magazine is also an opportunity for me to look within and expose my attachments.
Helping Each Other and Fulfilling Our Mission
For each Minghui Weekly I compile, I ask the coordinator and other practitioners to provide feedback. Sometimes practitioners had ideas or thoughts different from mine, or very different. When I calmed down and followed their suggestions I found it almost a different world.
Master said,
“Actually, did you know that those Great Enlightened Beings have a lot of things in the heavens that they too need to coordinate and discuss with each other?” “When another God proposes an idea, they aren't eager to reject it, and they aren't eager to express their own ideas and they don't believe that their own ideas are good. Instead, they look at what the end result of the other God's proposed approach will be. The paths are different--everyone's path is different--and the truths that beings validate and enlighten to in the Fa are different, too, but the results might very well be the same. That's why they look at the results, and if the result of a God's idea can achieve the goal, if it can truly achieve it, then all of them will go along with it. That's how Gods think. Also, if there's something lacking in it they'll unconditionally and quietly supplement it to make things more complete and perfect. That's how they handle things.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)
With Master’s Fa in mind, no matter what different ideas I encounter in producing the magazine, I try to help others and harmonize our one-body effort.
In fact, my job is just to find and compile articles. To produce the finished product, other practitioners have to do layout, find appropriate pictures and adjust the text length, and so on. It's just building a house. I just collect materials while other practitioners build the walls, install windows, and the roof. The practitioner in charge of layout is like a designer or architect. I am very thankful for every team members' hard work. Every time the final product is very good.
Master said,
“For a Dafa disciple, cultivation is first priority. That’s because if you fail to cultivate well, you will not be able to accomplish what you are to do; and if you fail to cultivate well, your power to save sentient beings will not be that great. And if you cultivate a little worse, then you will view and consider problems in the manner that ordinary people do, which would be still more awful. So you absolutely mustn’ t slack off or lower your guard.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
At every moment we need to remember Master’s teachings. If we study the Fa well Master will give us the wisdom to do things well.
Here I would like to thank other practitioners in the team for all their help and support. Let us encourage each other and cooperate well to fulfill our mission of saving people!
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Selected from the 2021 Minghui Fa Conference)
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
