PureInsight | June 21, 2004
[PureInsight.org] I would like to share an experience I had during a recent meeting with lawyers and judges. I felt it was important to attend this meeting since my understanding is that the current stage of Fa-rectification requires their involvement. I felt it was necessary to expose the truth to them and let them know about Falun Gong, so they could make the right decisions in upholding justice.
As soon as I arrived at the location, I felt very uneasy and found myself unable to even talk to anyone. That state became worse when other practitioners told me that some practitioners were asked to leave the meeting.
At the time, I thought this feeling was strange since I never had a problem approaching officials of any kind, but I just could not break through this state. I decided to spend time studying, but I still had a heavy heart the next day when I went to the meeting. On the way to the meeting, I even tried to avoid the practitioners' exercise site in front of the entrance because I was afraid I might come across someone present in the meeting and they might recognize me as a Falun Gong practitioner and not let me attend. I felt that if someone did not want Falun Gong practitioners to attend, it meant they had negative feelings about Falun Gong and would thus be a dangerous situation for them.
Once I got to the meeting, I still could not approach anyone and was overwhelmed by the fear that someone would ask me to leave because I was a Falun Gong practitioner. I tried to overcome this feeling. The thought popped into my head that I should go back home to study more because my current state of mind was not righteous and I could cause damage. But then it hit me as I got up to leave and started walking toward the exit that this meeting was a precious arrangement for lawyers and judges to deeply understand the truth, and it is so critical to reach them at this stage of Fa-rectification. I felt my enlightened part sense their longing to hear the Fa and their sorrow at the possibility of missing out.
Outside the building, when I passed the practitioners' exercise site, I realized one more thing: If I was afraid to be recognized as a Falun Gong practitioner, how could I really be one? With this breakthrough, I joined the group and started practicing with everybody – in my high heels, business suit, and all. The practitioners seemed to understand what I was going through without my saying anything. There were very accommodating and kept practicing for my benefit even when they were about to break for lunch.
After the practice my mind became clear. When I went back to the meeting, I noticed that in front of every judge's name was the title "Honorable." When I thought about it, even according to everyday people, honor is the only thing a person has. So here were these judges, having the most awesome responsibility of determining right and wrong, and upholding justice for humanity. Honor means everything to someone in this position of responsibility, since "honor" means "righteousness" and the title "Honorable" means "Righteous." A country bestows honor on them to fulfill this responsibility of upholding justice. My understanding is that they must have a lot of de (virtue) in order to hold such a position in society. Teacher said that everyone came here for the Fa, and according to my understanding these people could have been great Gods who made a vow and chose to take upon themselves this responsibility during Teacher's Fa-rectification. This enlightenment was very overwhelming to me.
I also realized I chose to go to this meeting and talk with these officials because I wanted them to take a righteous stand and protect Falun Dafa. Then I realized that this was a high expectation for these ordinary people to do the right thing, as they did not have the Fa behind them as practitioners did to help them overcome the evil. I wanted ordinary people to protect the Fa even though some practitioners have a hard time doing that. I myself who has studied the Fa for almost seven years still make mistakes, so how could I be so demanding of these officials who are amidst human notions and attachments as well as under pressure from enormous evil.
As a result of this breakthrough, I realized I needed to stop lecturing to them. I genuinely wanted to simply strengthen the righteous thoughts of these beings, and give them strength to have the courage to do what they came here to do. When I talked to people it was truly from my heart.
During the meeting I remained quiet and noticed how much responsibility they had and how they honestly tried to do the right thing. I sent forth righteous thoughts to strengthen their resolve and their wisdom. At the end of the meeting, I thanked them for having the courage to fulfill their lofty goal of upholding justice. I also thanked everybody for allowing me the privilege to sit in and observe their discussions. I told them that in the country I was from, I would not be allowed to be present at a meeting of this type even though my country is a democratic one. I mentioned that I wanted to let them know, on behalf of the countries that are oppressed or have broken through oppression, that people in these countries look up to judges in the United States, with hope and fear at the same time – fear, because if the strongest country does not uphold its principles and falls under political or economic pressure, then there is no hope for anybody else.
They nodded as I spoke, seeming to understand the true significance of the grand responsibility they held. I shared with them that my mother, as a three-year-old child, was in a concentration camp and that people did not know about the atrocities happening during World War II nor did they believe it if anyone tried to tell them what was going on, yet they did happen. I told them that we have to learn from history, and to see through the lies of evil people who want to deceive the world's citizens. When a tyrant decides to outlaw the time-honored moral values of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance, and tortures to death those people who want to uphold them, we should not stand in shock and disbelief but take strong action. I told them that I have the highest respect and admiration for them, because it takes a lot of courage to take action.
When I approached different people after the meeting and told them this, some burst into tears. Some thanked me and said I was the first to appreciate their situation since people were always dissatisfied and discontent with what they did. A practitioner later came up to me and said he noticed a great change in their demeanor. Before I approached them, they rushed from one meeting to another, they slouched, and you could see exhaustion and stress when you looked at their faces as if they were burdened by their jobs.
Afterwards, they glowed, stood up straight, and walked proudly, feeling honored to fulfill their missions. This change in them reinforced my realization that I have to treat these officials as people who are waiting to be saved. They themselves are not the evil that has to be eliminated. When they ask really challenging questions, which seems like they are giving us a hard time, they actually are looking for a way around the limitations of the human laws and notions. They are looking for knowledge and courage to break through and truly uphold justice for humankind. I realize I have to support them by eliminating the evil that wants to manipulate them. I also realize I have to rectify their human notions and strengthen their righteous thoughts so that they can see clearly and accomplish the great tasks they came here to do during this Fa-rectification period.
