PureInsight | December 30, 2002
In the Toronto group Fa-study, fellow practitioners raised two issues:
1) Recently, some practitioners spent much time clarifying the truth. This caused dissatisfaction among their family members who are not practitioners. In the past, most of us simply blamed these practitioners for not handling family issues well and did not do anything to help them. This time we were all asked to share our understandings on this matter and try to help these practitioners. Some of them were very stressed, which negatively influenced their cultivation and truth clarification. However, they were unwilling to take the initiative to share their problems with other practitioners.
2) Several veteran practitioners appear to have very serious illness karma. We asked fellow practitioners to discuss it based on the Fa as well as to consider how to help these practitioners pass this test.
The following notes are the discussion for these issues among the fellow practitioners. Hopefully it will help us to advance as one body.
1. We practitioners should realize that Dafa disciples in this Fa-rectification time are one body. Any persecution of a fellow practitioner is the persecution of the whole, and interference to Fa-rectification. The family and "illness karma" issues take on the surface appearance of personal issues, but they actually have the same nature as all the other types of persecution against Dafa disciples. In all these situations, in order to to produce various tribulations and interfere with practitioners, the old forces are using the excuse that practitioners have attachments that they need to get rid of and practitioners need to improve themselves.
Our cultivation and improvement are managed by Master and depend upon the power of the Fa. The righteous thought should not be something that arises from brutal persecution. We should be clear-headed about these types of persecutions. On the one hand, the practitioners who were being persecuted should not stay in the condition passively and bear the persecution. He or she should get out of the tribulation as fast as possible depending upon our unified strength as one body. On the other hand, when watching fellow practitioners who are being persecuted, everyone has to be guided by the principles of the Fa and keep in mind that "the next person's concerns are yours, and your concerns are his." We shouldn't berate fellow practitioners for having this or that attachment. We should first send forth righteous thoughts together, and help him or her cast off the persecution as soon as possible. If a fellow practitioner displays an attachment, we should kindly remind each other and improve together.
2. Historically, Master gave all the best to disciples of the Fa-rectification so that we are able to validate the Fa and save sentient beings during cultivation in Fa-rectification. We all are arranged to have enough human attachments till the last moment, without exception. We shouldn't feel shame about still having these attachments. They are arranged for us to cultivate in the human world and, accordingly, enlighten to Fa principles. These human attachments should not be seen simply as excuses for being persecuted by the old forces. Their persecution only keeps us from being fully involved in the work of Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings and wastes precious time. It is also persecuting many beings who originally had a chance to be saved.
3. It is very important that the practitioner who is being persecuted has the desire to be helped by fellow practitioners. Otherwise, it's very difficult for the righteous thoughts of other practitioners to have an effect. The Fa tells us that whatever we want ourselves is very important. If we can not get rid of such thoughts as "personal dirty laundry should not be made public," "if others know it, I will lose face," and "I am not cultivating well and will bring shame to Dafa if I tell others about it," then we are still treating the persecution as a human matter. It isn't the persecution of everyday persons by everyday persons, instead, it is directly affecting Dafa. We, as a whole, must eliminate it with righteous thoughts.
4. We should break through the notion that we dare not open up to fellow practitioners. We have the Fa and should not be afraid of exposing problems. The attachments are really nothing compared to the mighty power of our righteous thoughts. If we exaggerate these attachments intentionally or unintentionally while doing Dafa work, then it gives the evil an opportunity to take advantage. Therefore, we must all consider the group environment as a cultivation place, instead of a place of simply doing things together. Practitioners should point out mistakes to each other, encourage each other, and support each other. The evil will self-destruct when it doesn't have any loopholes to take advantage of.
The translation from http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/11/20/19321.html
