By a practitioner living in the U.S.

(Clearwisdom.net) Sometimes when news media or everyday people's organizations report or comment positively on Dafa, some practitioners feel very grateful. Looking deeper, this means that we still have attachments. We need to position ourselves properly in the relationships with everyday people and Dafa regardless of whether we are in favorable or adverse situations.

Of course, we should thank him for his support for Dafa. We should also be genuinely happy for him for having positioned himself well for future salvation. From another perspective, as Dafa is the best and the most righteous thing in the universe, it is a manifestation of his original nature when he says that Dafa is good. When we clarify the truth, we are in fact offering opportunities for sentient beings to position themselves properly. It is because of the compassion of Dafa that there is this phenomenon of practitioners clarifying the truth to expose the evil. When we seek help from everyday people, we are actuality helping them rather than asking for their help. If we ask for or rely on everyday people's help, then we are positioning Dafa beneath everyday people. How can this be allowed? When ordinary people do something positive for Dafa, they are positioning their own lives and choosing a bright future for themselves. It is not as if they are doing Dafa a favor.

In Mainland China as well as other countries, there are situations where some people never return money or items they borrow from practitioners. When the practitioners ask for the money or items back, they not only refuse, but also threaten to cause damage to Dafa to realize their selfish end. Some others think that practitioners are easy prey and ask for exorbitant prices when practitioners purchase equipment.

Some practitioners give ground again and again, thinking that we should not contest with everyday people. This is no problem in personal cultivation since everything we encounter has to do with our own karma, so we should not be reluctant to part with something that is meant to be let go of. However, everything we are doing at present is related to the Fa rectification. The old forces will try to damage Dafa using every possible means, utilizing our attachments and human sentimentality. This includes the precious truth clarifying materials produced through practitioners' hard labor.

We have the same starting point, protecting Dafa and offering salvation to sentient beings. However, when someone threatens to damage Dafa and forces us to give up our precious resources allocated for Dafa material, how should we view this problem from within the Fa? The treatment of Dafa is crucial to an everyday person's future and the futures of those around him. This should be absolutely unambiguous. Everyday people do not deserve to bargain with Dafa. Any support should be given without strings attached. Using damaging Dafa as a threat, he not only compromises his basic morality as a human being but also intends to use Dafa to achieve his selfish goals. As practitioners, we should strongly advise against it with rationality and righteous thinking. We can explain to him that he is not doing himself any good, and it is unconscionable morally and logically. It is also not right from the Fa's standpoint for practitioners to sacrifice our own interest simply for the sake of avoiding confrontation. We need to be truly responsible for others and stop them from committing wrongdoings.

Dafa has never been afraid of any evil, nor does Dafa accept any threats. It is not a matter of squabbling with everyday people. There is a fundamental difference, as everyday people go after their self-interest, while practitioners' intent is to protect Dafa. Sometimes everyday people think that we practitioners are easy prey and see us as weaklings who dare not put up any opposition. This is a reflection of them not knowing the truth. Once he connives and gets what he wants, he has already committed unpardonable sins. Therefore, to be truly good to him, we need to tell him to stop doing bad things. We need to show Dafa's purity, righteousness and compassion to the people of the world.

From the perspective of cultivation, whatever we fear, it will transpire. Without fear, the factors that constitute fear also do not exist. Indulging in fear can in fact provide the evil room for its existence. Everything that everyday people do affects their future position. Whether to stay on the side of Dafa is the individual's choice. We will never pay or barter for others' support. This is a matter of principle. Dafa practitioners should understand the Fa from Fa's perspective and be righteous.

Without interference from any notions, we can see clearly the detailed thought processes of everyday people and their development. We can also use our wisdom, rationality and righteous thoughts to convince him not to commit any wrongdoing in a way that he can understand.

When the old forces "test" practitioners, it does not matter who is in a favorable situation, or whose conditions are more challenging in the human world. What matters is which practitioners can proceed down a righteous path. How the practitioners conduct themselves when facing a test is crucial. If one's heart is not righteous, the test will become more grueling.

We are being tempered by our cultivation in Dafa. During the process of Fa rectification, we constantly discover our deeply hidden attachments and eliminate them one after another. In the midst of various tests, we gradually eliminate our hidden notions and become clearer about the Fa. The complex environment helps to make us more mature and deepens our understanding of Dafa.

Posting date: 4/17/2002
Original article date: 4/10/2002
Category: Views on Cultivation
Translated on 4/12/2002
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2002/4/10/28184.html

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