My Understandings of ";Zhen"; (Truthfulness)

I’m embarrassed to discuss this, because I have practiced Falun Dafa for 3 years, and my understandings of “Zhen” (Truthfulness) still lingers around the level of “Don’t lie, and don’t deceive anybody.” In my heart, I realize that “Zhen” (Truthfulness) not only includes these principles, but I’m still unable to improve myself.

Nowadays, I recognize that “Zhen” has a deeper meaning than “Don’t lie, and don’t deceive anybody.” In this article, I will briefly share some of my experiences.

In March of this year, I accompanied practitioners from my area to the Human Rights Conference at Geneva. After having all my family members sign the petition forms I received from my local coordinator, I took them to the city library to encounter more kind people and have them sign the petition as well.

At the beginning, I thought the more signatures the better; but soon people started inquiring about Falun Dafa, thus interfering with the speed and amount of signatures. I immediately dropped this notion, and patiently answered their questions. An elementary school student asked me, “Who is Jiang Zemin? What is the meaning of Zhen-Shan-Ren?” I kindly used terms elementary school students would comprehend to explain to her.

The most common question was, “Is this signature significant?” I was baffled by the first person who asked me this, so I responded in an everyday-person’s manner, “Well, it shows your thought or feeling somewhat.” That person left after he signed his name. I thought, I am a practitioner doing work for Dafa, how could I speak like an everyday person?! When a second person asked me the same question, I replied, “Of course, the good always triumphs above the evil. China has loosened up a little, because we’ve already exposed their depravity. Your support is important.” A few people slightly nodded their heads, approving of my answer [most urban residents have bland expressions upon their faces because they’re more engaged with their lives]. Now I feel more comfortable inside, because I dropped the fear of being laughed at, and spoke the truth instead of taking the easy way out.

In half a day I obtained some three hundred signatures and handed out half of all my Dafa flyers; it was definitely worthwhile.

One time not long ago I discovered that my Hongfa methods weren’t very convincing or effective. When I tried to persuade my family and friends into practicing Falun Gong, none of them became interested. I recognized that my thoughts needed some alteration. Instantly I remembered the events at the library in Geneva. When I spoke truthfully, I didn’t feel exhausted even under the blistering sun. Instead, things went smoothly. Many people’s reactions were friendly, and most of them were very respectful. Even from a shallow perspective, it was still rewarding. Whenever I explained Dafa to my relatives, I always feared this and dreaded that, including many everyday people’s words and ideas. My manner wasn’t on par with the characteristics of “Zhen” at all. It’s like taking few pearls mixed with lots of “fish eyes” (fish eyes resemble fake pearls) and giving it to someone as a valuable gift. They’ll detect the “fish eyes” immediately and their attitudes toward me would change. Who would treat shams as treasures?

I immediately understood Teacher’s message: “Melt into the Fa.” Before, I could never grasp the meaning of “Melting into the Fa.” I knew every word in the phrase, though I never understood the phrase's true definition. Now, I realize that if every aspiration, behavior, and thought conforms to the nature of “Zhen-Shan-Ren,” wouldn’t this be “Melting into the Fa”?

A few months after the petition for Dafa, I finally had a more advanced understanding of “Zhen,” although it was a bit late. Now I’m content, since I realize that cultivation and promoting Dafa go hand in hand.

Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2001/8/5/11169.html