(Clearwisdom.net) A few days ago, after reading a practitioner's article, I was reminded of a few issues in my own cultivation.
A fellow practitioner was discovered by police while handing out truth-clarification materials and was surrounded by 20 to 30 officers. He thought, "Oh no, I will be arrested this time." He then thought about how he would be arrested and what he would do after he was arrested. Suddenly, at this critical moment, he realized that this kind of thinking precisely conformed to the old forces' arrangement. He realized that he must completely deny the old forces arrangement and walk along the path that Teacher arranged for him. When his righteous thoughts appeared, all the officers walked by him and did not discover him at all.
From this, we can see that one of the ways the evil forces persecute Falun Dafa practitioners is by using all the warped notions within practitioners' minds. As soon as we conform to their thinking, they will make arrangements for us. Teacher told us that we must entirely deny the old forces' arrangements. The old forces have arranged every detail for large and small matters, as well as every practitioner's thoughts. If we are not careful, the evil will immediately take advantage of our loopholes.
In 2000, I was persecuted and sent to a forced labor camp. On the surface the reason was that I circulated Teacher's articles and I refused to give up practicing Falun Gong. However, I thought at the time that I wanted to go through this suffering as a means to become steadfast in my cultivation. Secondly, I wanted to repay the karmic debt for all the bad things I had done before. At the time, I let go of the attachment to life and death and went into the labor camp. All the inmates in my cell thought it was strange. They had never seen anyone so happy to be in jail. Now I realize it was a path arranged by the old forces.
I took the wrong path while being jailed in the labor camp, and when I was released, I studied the Fa and corrected my thinking and actions. However, I felt that the old forces continued to look for every opportunity to take advantage of practitioners and look for ways to interfere.
For a period of time, I often dreamed of being placed in the labor camp again. I also dreamed of how well I did while inside. However, after waking up I realized that this kind of thinking conformed to the old forces' arrangements. I wanted to deny this thinking but it was very strong. Later, I continued to strengthen my righteous thoughts and soon in my dreams I knew it was all false manifestations and arrangements by the old forces and I no longer accepted it.
Not only this, the old forces would often talk to me in my thoughts and to push deformed notions into my mind. If I was not careful, I would think that these notions were my own. Even when I denied it, I felt that there was something wrong and I should not be in this state. These thoughts appeared often and I always denied them. As time went on, wasn't I falling into a bad cycle? Teacher said that we do not acknowledge the old forces. I thought, "How dare the old forces talk to me? They are not up to that standard! Old forces are to be eliminated, let alone their so called arrangements and tests."
While I was in the labor camp, I met some practitioners. One of them told me before he was released that he dreamed of being arrested and taken back to the labor camp again. At the time, I did not have a clear understanding of the Fa. Later, I heard that he really was arrested again. This showed that the old forces had once again taken advantage of his loopholes. This kind of situation seemed to occur in every district. At the current stage of Fa-rectification, the old forces cannot do bad things at will. I think that those practitioners who are in similar situations should study the Fa more and be careful not to let the old forces take advantage of our loopholes, resulting in unnecessary losses.
