PureInsight | December 10, 2001
One day, a fellow practitioner saw an article by another practitioner posted on the website titled "Don't Hide From Your Close Ones When Clarifying The Truth" and was very inspired by it. She thought, the next time I distribute flyers on the truth, I must let my husband know so that he will come to understand what I am doing is the most sacred and magnificent deed in the world.
Once, after coming home from distributing materials on the truth, this practitioner said to her husband: " XX, (Her husband's name), I just posted two pages of materials clarifying the truth outside.
Her husband became infuriated and even said angrily, "This family cannot continue. Tomorrow we shall go and get a divorce." He was so angry that the next day, he did not eat anything and refused to speak to this practitioner. However, he did not mention getting a divorce.
In spite of what happened, this practitioner was unmoved and thought that what she did was right. Later on, unexpectedly, she saw the portrait of Master's fashen looking at her happily.
Initially, this practitioner's husband had read Master Li's Zhuan Falun and thought it was well written. But since he could not let go of his attachments to fame, self-interest and emotions, he did not take up cultivation.
Nonetheless, compared to ordinary people, this practitioner's husband had rather strong compassionate thoughts and a kind heart. Even though the family was not well off, he still warmheartedly supported a university student who came from a poor family. Such deeds are considered rare in today's chaotic society where people have become extremely materialistic and only care about personal interest.
This practitioner's husband saw the tremendous improvements in mind and body after many of their relatives started cultivating and in addition, he had some basic understanding of the teachings of Dafa. So, from the perspective of an ordinary person, he was very supportive of family members practicing Dafa. What's more, he would often point out the attachments of family members who were cultivators and express specific views on cultivation matters, especially on how one should conform to everyday people as much as possible in cultivation. It is true that he was standing from the viewpoint of an ordinary person when talking about these matters. But sometimes, we thought some of the suggestions he brought up were reasonable and we would humbly adopt them, using the Fa for guidance.
When someone says something bad about Dafa, he would firmly stop him or her and tell him or her how good Dafa is. Sometimes, he even dared to defend Dafa in public without any misgivings. This was truly remarkable, coming from someone who was not a practitioner.
Furthermore, the first time Dafa disciples all over the world sent forth righteous thoughts, he even participated with family members who were practitioners to "eliminate the evil with righteous thoughts" ("Dafa is Indestructible"). His truly sincere actions and compassionate heart really touched me.
However, intimidated by the evilness and the ruthlessness of the big rogue Jiang, he told his family to practice at home if it is good but they should not go out. He told them, "Otherwise, if caught by the evil and sent to labor re-education camps, you will no longer be able to practice the exercises and study the Fa. This family will be broken up and the consequences are too awful to contemplate."
After we learnt of what had happened between this practitioner and her husband, after exchanging views together, we thought we should let this practitioner's husband calm down a little and then act according to circumstances.
On the third day, everyone gathered together. After dinner, intentionally and unintentionally, the topic on clarifying the truth was brought up. Actually, this was all arranged very much under Master's compassion.
At first, this practitioner's husband was rather hot tempered, but none of us were angered.
Because there were seven of us practitioners, the energy field at that time was very strong, very serene. Under the reinforcement of such a righteous and compassionate field, we began to clarify the truth to this practitioner's husband.
Using the improvements to our minds, bodies and elevation of moral standards as a starting point, we made him realize that we truly cannot give up practicing Dafa. We treasure it with our lives. Cultivating Falun Dafa is not simply a belief; the principles taught by Master truly exist. Believing is only the starting point for cultivation and assimilating to the principles of Dafa.
The reason for using the word Dafa is because of its broad and profound meaning, because "among all the theories in the world, it is the most intricate and extraordinary science" (Master's "Lunyu"), because it is the highest theory of the cosmos, because it is the fundamental Fa that creates everything in the cosmos, from extremely microscopic to extremely macroscopic, including you, me him and all things in the cosmos.
This practitioner's husband also observed that through cultivation, everyone became healthier, their xinxing improved, they become wiser and more compassionate. He also admitted that he himself had benefited too. On one hand, because the elderly are healthier now, he did not have to worry so much and at the same time, he was relieved of a bigger financial burden. On the other hand, he too, had experienced improvements in his health. This is because "The Buddha light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities!" This is a manifestation of the magnificence and compassion of the Buddha Law.
Besides this, we also told this practitioner's husband: "There is no fame, interest or official position in the Great Law. There's nothing other than cultivation" (Essentials For Further Advancement, "A Heavy Blow").
We told him: "Humans are selfish. If Dafa is no good, no one would be so silly as to get up at five in the early morning, enduring the bitter cold in winter and the intense heat in summer just to practice the exercises. When we first started practicing the sitting meditation, we gnashed our teeth in pain, our hearts in agony and yet we persisted, choosing to endure the pain.
The Buddha light from Dafa "illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities". So long as one sincerely assimilates to the principles of Dafa, truly follow its characteristics, Dafa regards everyone with compassion and will bestow boundless grace. "Dafa is solemn, and cultivation practice is a serious matter. A person – no matter who he is- must himself pay for all the bad things he has done in the world." ("Deter Interference") All those who deviate from, oppose, or persecute Dafa, Dafa disciples and all sentient beings are defying the law and seeking their own doom.
However, in the process of cultivation, through assimilating to the characteristics of Dafa, gradually letting go of attachments to fame, interest and feelings, abandoning selfish thoughts, from the demonic state of "egoism and selfishness", we resolutely move towards the magnificent and sacred godly state of "first consideration for others, selflessness and altruism," (Essentials For Further Advancement, "Buddha Nature is Free From Omission").
We never get tired of reading the books written by Master. The more we read, the more we like to read, from front to back, from back to front, there is no front or back, perfectly harmonizing and without any omission. Those who love to study the Fa become so absorbed in the teachings they forget to eat and sleep, studying through the entire night, continuing every day for a long time.
There are many ancient Chinese saying, "If someone gives you a drop of water, you should repay it with a pool of spring water" (Meaning one must be grateful). "A Master for one day, a father for all of one's life."
We also told him: "Master, Master, this is not the same as the Master whom ordinary people learn their skills from".
From the ordinary people's perspective, the word Master has the meaning of a strict teacher and loving father.
Strict teacher: This refers to the teacher who has imparted to us the seriousness, stringent requirements, dignity of the Dafa of the cosmos, he who has taught us the Fa, removing our illusions and teaching us the way to return to our origin.
Loving father: That means giving us eternally happy life, giving us sincerity, truthfulness and compassion, loving us, caring for us like a father.
Next, his father made use of human sentiments and reason to inspire in him a sense of justice.
His father said: " I am your father. For example, if I were framed or falsely accused of wrongdoings and persecuted unreasonably by an outwardly strong and evil criminal, and you heard and witnessed this, would you choose to remain silent and do nothing? Or would you boldly and righteously face the evil, protest against the injustice and stop such criminal tactics? When my master who has given me a second life, my compassionate and magnificent master who has given me eternal life is being persecuted, shouldn't I come forward to utter a word of justice? Isn't it right that I should sacrifice myself to defend Master's magnificence, sacredness and dignity? Otherwise I cannot be considered a righteous person, much less am I fit to be Master's disciple."
One does not have to say much as long as what's said is reasonable. Just a few short sentences, yet his father's words touched him deeply. A strong sense of justice was suddenly aroused from him. He suddenly understood: "You are right! After what you just said, I can now understand why you are doing this. But you must be careful; the situation now is very tense. Next time, before you go out to clarify the truth, you must first inform me. I have quick and easy access to information at my workplace. We can work together and do a better job.
At the same time, we told him why we need to clarify the truth. "It looks like we're just giving a flyer to an everyday person, and it appears that we're just telling everyday people the truth. Let me tell you, when this Fa-rectification matter is over, humankind will enter the next stage, and those people and beings who have in their minds "the Dafa of the cosmos isn't good" will be the first eliminated. It's because no matter how bad some beings in the cosmos are, they're even worse, for what they're against is the Fa of the cosmos." ("Master Li Hongzhi's Lecture at the Great Lakes Conference in North America")
"It doesn't matter how vast this entire cosmos is, it was created by this Fa of the cosmos, and beings at every level are to comply with the Fa's principles at every level of the cosmos. Even the most fundamental origins of matter were all created by this Fa. If a being is against the Fa that creates all beings in the cosmos, where will he go? Won't he be weeded out? During this period, Dafa disciples have indeed saved many of the world's people by clarifying the truth while validating Dafa. In this severe situation where they're being persecuted, disciples have still managed to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. Isn't this great compassion?" ("Lecture on the Fa at the Washington D.C. International Conference")
Later, we even solemnly made it clear to him how Fa rectification affects him. We said: "You might not believe what we say, but things in this world don't exist or take place according to your beliefs. The sun rises and sets, the cycle of birth, sickness and death, reincarnation, one's destiny etc. These cannot be changed nor can it be dictated by one's own will. "Zhen-Shan-Ren is the Fa! And it is the manifestation of the Dafa of the cosmos at different levels. It is absolutely not some human ideology or guiding principle for ordinary human living, as humans take it to be." (" Beyond the Limits of Forbearance")
We asked him: " What if everything we said is true? What will you do?" He could not answer, was stupefied and appeared to be at a loss for words. Furthermore, we also told him: "Whatever Master says is the Fa. Through hearsay, observation and our own personal experiences, we have truly felt the power of the Fa. Hence, for the sake of your future you must regard this matter seriously or else one wrong thought could make you regret forever. Some people might not even have the chance to be repentant! Don't mess around with your own fate! Don't try to defy the "Dafa". "It is extremely dangerous to do that!" (Essentials For Further Advancement, "The Great Law can never be usurped").
What we said started to make him look upon Fa rectification seriously from within his heart.
We also said to him. You should frequently read Master's recent articles and information on Dafa. Then you will have a more complete and systematic understanding of the entire Fa rectification process. Your xinxing will naturally improve. Everyone has a common basis for communication and you need not worry so much for your family as before.
Even though you don't cultivate, one's xinxing should also fulfill the requirements of Dafa at the level of ordinary people. This would bring you good health and at work, in relationships, or dealing with specific matters, one will become more rational, wiser, more at ease, peaceful and dependable.
A few days before completing this article, I heard from other practitioners in the family that one day after dinner, this practitioner first sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil influence behind her husband before informing him: "XX, I going to put up information on the truth of Dafa."
Her husband replied in a straightforward manner: " All right. Let me come along. I can help you look out for danger."
Subsequently, this practitioner stopped sending righteous thoughts. (Actually one should always send forth righteous thoughts under all circumstances)
A few moments later, even before they set off, her husband suddenly asked: "How many of them are you going to put up?" This practitioner replied: "I plan to put up twenty." On hearing that, he said "So many! You can't do that!"
This fellow practitioner said "Then forget about it." She then silently sent forth righteous thoughts. A few moments later, her husband said, "Let's get going." In front of a building, her husband kept watch while she put up the flyers. Within a short period of time, this fellow practitioner completed her task. Her husband was surprised. "So fast?" She replied "I have a lot of experience."
After that, her husband wanted to return home along the same road they came from. This practitioner said: "You can't do that. Didn't you see someone watching us from above? We had better make a detour."
The rationality and wisdom displayed by this practitioner in validating Dafa helped her husband understand the magnificence of Dafa disciples and respect them from his heart. As a result, a lot of his anxieties were removed.
Isn't there a saying amongst ordinary people "Seeing is believing?" We can make use of favorable conditions to let ordinary people witness the great wisdom of Dafa disciples. This itself is "validating the Fa with reason, clarifying the truth with wisdom, spreading the Fa and offer people salvation with benevolence". ("Rationality")
Furthermore, we can also make use of certain phenomena in ordinary human society, events that happen around ordinary people as a spear to penetrate the shield used by ordinary people to sustain the layer of false reason in human society. Let them be caught in a conflict, self contradict themselves and don't allow them to find any plausible excuse to cover themselves up. Then shake the confidence that enables ordinary people to stubbornly cling to their ignorance. When caught in a state of utter confusion and suspicion, it will be easier for us to clarify the truth to them. "The Fa can reveal all attachments, the Fa can eradicate all evils, the Fa can expose and dispel all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." ("Deter Interference")
"Coercion cannot change people's hearts." (from "Coercion cannot change people's hearts") In our opinion, to truly save sentient beings, we must "change the human logic of ordinary people which has stayed in their bones over thousand of years", make "everyone understand the Law from their hearts", "obtain a real understanding of the Great Law out of rational knowledge", "so as to bring about a great change in nature within themselves", "that will be really the manifestation of the Law whose power knows no bounds – the reappearance of the powerful Buddha Law in the human world!" (Essentials For Further Advancement, "Admonitory remarks")
This is the way, and it is the only way, to strengthen the righteous thoughts of ordinary people, to make their righteous thoughts last forever, to prevent the evil from capitalizing on any loopholes, thus fundamentally and truly offering salvation to all sentient beings.
These are just some of my personal viewpoints. If there is anything inappropriate, please use the Fa as guidance and correct me adopting the most solemn, serious and strict attitude.
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2001/11/27/12654.html
