PureInsight | November 19, 2007
[PureInsight.org] During this
fourth annual mainland Falun Dafa practitioners' written experience
sharing conference, I would like to share some things about the Dafa
truth clarifying materials production and supply site (materials site)
where I work and some situations that have occurred in the process of
Fa-ratification. My intention is to thereby fulfill some of my
responsibilities related to what the editors of Clearwisdom.net
suggested , namely "having more positive records in this very important
historical period." Please be kind enough to correct me if my content
is inadequate.
Setting Up the Dafa Truth - Clarifying Materials Site
At the end of the summer and early autumn of 2005, just a few of us
Falun Dafa practitioners came to this city at different times for
different reasons, but with similar backgrounds. All of us are middle
aged, have elderly parents and young children, and have lost our jobs
because of persecution. We were, therefore, unable to stay where we
were and had financial difficulties in our daily lives. So, early on,
we had similar thoughts of doing some kind of business to support our
own daily living and to help our families back home, on the one hand.
On the other hand, we hoped we could validate Dafa utilizing our
surroundings and accommodations to save worldly people.
As we were discussing how to go about creating a partnership for doing
business and to really carry out our plans, one of the local fellow
practitioners in charge of a significant materials site was in danger
of being trailed by the evil police. Some fellow practitioners had
already been arrested, impacting the safety of another truth materials
site. Local coordinators asked us twice to help move the materials from
these two sites to a safe area. Moving things from the second impacted
site to a fellow practitioner's home was a good thing to do, as Teacher
hinted to me, but to have all that equipment wrapped and packed in
storage wasn't quite right, as I saw it. The right thing to do was to
transfer the equipment to a safe place and then set it up for operation
so that it could continue to work for the support of Dafa.
As far as the objective situation was concerned at that time, because
those two materials sites had stopped production, most of the
practitioners in the city were short of truth clarifying materials, as
well as Minghui Weekly, which had been out of production for two weeks.
Under these circumstances, we fellow practitioners from out of town
gathered together to study the Fa and consider how and what to do in
the face of the new situation versus our initial thinking and plan from
when we first got here.
As disciples of the Fa-verification period, we were faced with a
practical test. Could we first eliminate our own plan in order to
cooperate with local practitioners to achieve the goal of saving
sentient beings as required by Teacher? Consequently, we all
acknowledged that it wasn't really wrong for us to validate the Fa at
the same we did business. But now, we were required to set the
relationship straight: Fa-validation first, doing business second.
We must first work so assure the saving of sentient beings. Then, if we
still have time and energy, we'll consider doing some business. When
our determination was set, we filled the two empty local spots for
producing truth-clarifying materials.
We took action immediately and found two suitable locations. Then we
moved the equipment and some materials that had been stored temporarily
over there and, without losing time, we set everything up. A complete
new materials production facility was ready for operation. The first
priority was to print local editions of Minghui Magazine Weekly and
Minghui News Weekly. At the same time, we printed copies of the "Nine
Commentaries on the Communist Party." Since there was no loss of
materials from the second materials site, after making some adjustments
for a short period of time, the local coordinators made adequate
arrangements to move part of the equipment from the new office to the
second materials site where they're mainly in charge of truth
clarifying materials. In our office we're responsible for the "Nine
Commentaries on Communist Party" and some other things.
The setting up of our new materials site seemed like an accident, but
it was actually arranged by Teacher especially for this critical
moment, as we soon understood.
First Priority: Fa Study
As we know, disciples' everything comes from Dafa, so studying the Fa well is fundamental.
Our materials sites have been working smoothly. In the process of
endorsing Dafa, thus saving lots of worldly people, they have
accomplished much of what should be done. The reason for this
accomplishment is mainly because we have maintained our group Fa study.
In group study we take turns reading one paragraph each. Then we share
how we understood the reasoning of the Fa to reflect within ourselves,
or to analyze problems that exist within ourselves, to judge ourselves
with the Fa, and, finally, to set our minds right.
In the process, all of us feel that we are gaining something, that our
human notions are changing, and that our characters are elevating. At
the final stage of our group Fa study, we bring out new problems we
came across, any difficulties we discover in producing the truth
clarifying materials, the conflicts between fellow practitioners, and
the situations we have in doing the three things in our area or in the
greater area. From Fa study, we learn to analyze the cause, to find the
solution, and to acknowledge problems.
Because we had been diligently studying the Fa, we found that the city
where we are now was rather weak in this respect. So, we talked to the
coordinator about our thoughts, our understandings, and the way we did
Fa study. He accepted our idea and immediately recommended it strongly
to other materials sites. Also in-house fellow practitioners were
mobilized to organize small Fa-study teams generating group Fa study
citywide.
Conquering Financial Difficulties
During that period of time, copies of the "Nine Commentaries on the
Communist Party" were needed in large quantities locally but also in
the surrounding cities, counties, and towns. We needed money to buy
materials. What the coordinators brought in wasn't enough, though they
did their best. But, according to the principles of Dafa, we weren't
allowed to gather capital from practitioners, preferably not even to
mention it.
We asked our coordinator to see if we could get a job to make some
money to help support the materials sites. So he contacted two other
coordinators and their opinion was, in order to guarantee an
uninterrupted supply of the "Nine Commentaries," the manpower at the
materials sites shouldn't be reduced and they would find a way to solve
the money problem. Their final solution was that the two of them would
come up with more than 6000 yuan, 3000 or so each. This sum of money
didn't actually last too long, but the money situation at that time was
just like this.
Through studying the Fa and sharing opinions, we all agreed that saving
people shouldn't be jeopardized no matter how difficult the situation
was. Every practitioner should live up to his or her potential and find
a way to come up with some money to support the materials sites.
When Xiao Yang (fictitious name) came to this city, he only told his
wife about doing business. But because of the shortage of manpower, he
was one of the volunteers. He didn't explain about the situation.
Instead he only said something to soothe her. To deal with the problem
the materials sites were having, he chose to call on his wife for
monthly living expenses. His wife had an income back home. Every time
he asked she'd send him several thousand yuan, enabling Xiao Yang to
help the local materials sites many times.
Xiao Yu (fictitious name) lent money to her friends and relatives
before "7/20" 1999. Being a practitioner, she didn't care much about
money. If the borrowers didn't voluntarily repay the loans, she didn't
really bother to ask them for repayment. After "7/20" 1999 she was
discharged from her job because she went to Beijing to endorse Falun
Dafa, causing her to lose her income for many years. Even then, she
didn't seek repayment from the borrowers. But now that the sites
producing truth clarifying materials had money problems, she found the
way to get the money back from the borrowers.
Xiao Fong (fictitious name) had a mortgaged house back home. She went
back to sell the house. After paying off the loan, she turned the
remaining money over to the materials sites.
Donations from these fellow practitioners, totaling more than ten
thousand yuan, solved the initial capital problems in setting up the
materials sites, allowing the required quantity of the "Nine
Commentaries" to be produced. In about six months, after more and more
fellow practitioners were able to get the "Nine Commentaries," they
voluntarily donated more and more money saved up from their simple
daily lives. The new situation, as it turned out, entirely solved our
funding difficulties early on, enabling us to produce as many "Nine
Commentaries," new lectures, and other Dafa books as needed.
Cleaning Rice Bowls
In order to save as much money as possible, so as to produce as many
truth-clarifying materials as possible, under the banner of safety and
function, fellow practitioners rented the most economical office space,
found ways to save water and power, bought cheaper foods, and wore used
clothes from fellow practitioners. One other thing worth mentioning is
that after each meal we poured hot water into our bowls, rinsed it, and
drank it all up. This way no rice was lost and it made cleaning the
bowls easier. A year later, when a fellow practitioner was leaving
town, he wrote a poem commemorating it.
No Time to Go Back Home even when Passing the Home Town Three Times
Since we could produce large quantities of the "Nine Commentaries," we
weren't limited to one area. As long as fellow practitioners needed the
"Nine Commentaries," regardless of location, we'd supply the quantity
at the specified time as required.
After Xiao Yang had been with the local materials site about half a
year, he was needed to transport a load of the "Nine Commentaries" back
to his home town, which is quite far away. Fellow practitioners asked
how Xiao Yang would arrange the order of delivering the "Nine
Commentaries" and visiting his family. He flatly said, "No family
visit, delivering 'Nine Commentaries only.'" Consequently, after the
delivery in his hometown he came right back with fellow practitioners.
Two months later, the same kind of delivery was needed. Xiao Yang said,
"If I go home for a visit, I'd probably delay fellow practitioners'
work and would have an impact on other things. I'd better skip it."
Just as on the last trip, he came back the same night with the others.
Three months later, fellow practitioners in Xiao Yang's home town
needed "Nine Commentaries" again. This time, fellow practitioners at
the materials site all agreed, "No matter how it goes, we have to make
time for him to visit his family." Xiao Yang himself also thought that
it was time for him to see his family. However, transporting the "Nine
Commentaries" this time involved fellow practitioners from different
areas and who were responsible for other matters. It was rather hard to
arrange the whole thing. In view of the problems, Xiao Yang said, on
his own initiative, "I would rather not go back home. All of us should
just concentrate on delivering the 'Nine Commentaries.'" So they did!
When they got back to the office in the city, one fellow practitioner
was very touched. "Back in ancient China, there was this great
irrigation expert, Da Yu. When he was too busy, too focused working on
his water project, he didn't have time and never thought of visiting
his family even though he was in the neighborhood three different
times." Today, we were eye-witnesses to a similar incident. Fellow
practitioner Xiao Yang took part in transporting the "Nine
Commentaries" three different times from a distant city to his hometown
where his family resided, but he was too busy to visit his loved ones!
Safe Operation: No Fame and Shapeless
Our truth materials site is actually a big one with strong technical
support in the city, because we furnish supplies not only locally, but
also out of town or even in distant locations. Because of the evil
persecution, we have been going through tough times. But we have been
diligently studying the Fa well and getting rid of frictions among
fellow practitioners, so the evil forces have basically found no
loopholes to take advantage of us.
On the surface, we're inspired by Teacher's Fa teaching that "The Great
Way is shapeless." We pay attention to every aspect, causing the
evildoers to have no knowledge of our existence, let alone how to deal
with us. Only a few of coordinators know about us. All other
practitioners in the city have no idea at all. Even in our office only
one practitioner is responsible for dealing with the coordinators who
place orders and receive products. As far as our location and the
number of practitioners taking part are concerned, they have no idea.
Whether they know or not isn't important. The point is how the things
are handled in a safe way so as not to cause troubles as far as
Fa-validation is concerned. For safety reasons, no one in society knows
who does what and how much or what outstanding things he or she did at
our truth materials site. Our character requirements are rather high.
Our Great Efforts for the Flowers Blooming Everywhere
Due to our efforts as a single body based on the great Falun Dafa,
whenever coordinators were confronted with difficult matters, they want
to consult us, to let us solve the problems for them. Also, in
surrounding counties and townships, when they wanted to set up new
materials sites, we were the ones to help do the job. In one district,
several materials sites were smashed by evil and several dozen fellow
practitioners were arrested. Some avoided the arrest with righteous
thoughts. These practitioners managed, through twists and turns, to get
in touch with our local coordinators and requested technical support to
reconstruct their materials sites. Consequently, after consultation our
coordinators turned this mission over to our materials site.
Under the prerequisite that the new mission was not to interfere with
what we had already shouldered, after one month's preparation, we chose
three fellow practitioners to spend a week helping them in that area.
Within this one week's time, we weren't in a hurry to teach technical
skills and how to solve concrete problems. Instead, we spent day after
day concentrating on group Fa-study, on understanding and sharing ideas
from Fa study, and discussing the reason why they were persecuted. We
especially emphasized the importance of group Fa study and maintaining
the habit of it after setting up the materials site.
Through Fa study for a few days, those local fellow practitioners
became not as anxious to learn the skills as they were early on. They
were more willing to spend time on Fa study. Xiao Fang, the fellow
practitioner familiar with technical stuff from our site, stayed behind
for a month helping local practitioners to solve technical problems as
well as to solidify their Fa study.
One time when Xiao Fang was printing some Chinese characters for modifying specified characters in Zhuan Falun, the printer automatically printed out on the center of the paper: "CULTIVATION OF FALUN DAFA IS THE MOST UPRIGHT, THE GREATEST."
These characters were in the form of large heavy block letters. Also,
on both sides of the letters there appeared a few lotus flowers made of
yellow ink drops. Those types of letters couldn't be printed out even
if the printer was given a special command. All fellow practitioners at
the scene soon understood that it was done by our great compassionate
Teacher so as to encourage us, the disciples. Every one of us was
greatly touched with tears in our eyes.
Note:
Due to family reasons two fellow practitioners from our materials site
went back home. One of them we have never heard from. But the other has
always been in contact with us. The latter has been a significant
coordinator in his area. We've been in constant contact, getting
messages across, encouraging each other, helping each other, and
mutually improving each other.
This fellow practitioner said to me that the most beneficial thing he
learned after a year at this materials site was group Fa study. Now, as
a coordinator in his area, his main mission is to lead his local fellow
practitioners in doing Fa study, on which they agree with him. Based on
their maintaining Fa study, every project in defense of Falun Dafa in
his local area has been going rather smoothly. Recently, two other
fellow practitioners came to join our materials site with their own
specialties. They are willing to work jointly with us for the great
mission of endorsing Dafa and saving sentient beings. The basics of our
materials site are still the same even though there have been some
changes in personnel. We're still upholding our schedule of daily group
Fa study from which we benefit increasingly.
(The fourth annual Mainland practitioners Falun Dafa written cultivation experience sharing conference)
Translated from:
http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/11/7/165258.html
