(Clearwisdom.net) Several days ago, in an article on Minghui (the Chinese version of the Clearwisdom website), a practitioner mentioned that when she clarified the truth to someone, that person asked her, "If you had to choose between Falun Gong and your husband, which one would you choose--" I was asked that same question before. I used to answer with no hesitation, "Falun Gong!" Then people would say, "Falun Gong practitioners abandon their families." This created the wrong image of what a practitioner is. I also came across examples of being asked to choose between practicing Falun Gong and working or between practicing Falun Gong and studying.
So what's the problem-- I thought about it and realized that the problem was caused by the mentality of showing off, just as the practitioner described in her article. Indeed, I wanted to demonstrate my steadfast belief in Falun Dafa, but I failed to deal with the question sensitively enough or with enough of an explanation. Now I would answer the question like this: "It's not about making a choice. Because I practice Falun Gong, which teaches me to be the best person I can be and kind to others, I love my family and my work all the more, and I want to do a better job both at home and at work." I would also include many examples of other practitioners whose family life became more harmonious and whose job performance became outstanding after they began to practice Falun Gong. I found this approach to be very effective, and I was able to present to people the essence and the complete picture of the issue.
Next I'd like to discuss how we should actively rescue fellow practitioners who are in detention. Let's think about the situation: If it were you who was illegally arrested and being brutally tortured, what would you do-- I hope practitioners who have experienced this and already gotten out of detention can share with us how they dealt with the situation. Other practitioners who are still being persecuted could learn from your experiences.
I know a practitioner who was arrested. At first, maybe out of a feeling of being victimized and being treated unjustly, he was in low spirits. No matter what the police guards said, he would not listen to them and was quite unyielding. The policemen didn't take it too seriously because they'd seen many similar cases. They normally wait for several days until the person is in a better mood. Then they use hard and soft tactics to "transform" the person [make them renounce Falun Dafa]. Later this practitioner's mood improved, but he still would not cooperate with the guards. So the guards started to torture him. The torture became more and more severe, and there seemed to be no end in sight. For example, the practitioner went on a hunger strike. The guards ordered him to eat. He refused. So they told him that they would force him to eat. He said that he wouldn't eat, no matter what. Then the guards started to force feed him. He still would not eat. They used all kinds of torture methods, but he continued his hunger strike.
When I first heard of his experience, I really admired this practitioner's spirit. Later I thought more about it. Why was he so brutally tortured-- Was it because he had omissions-- If so, what was his omission-- Was it about eating-- It was not just about eating. In the policemen's eyes, if the practitioner started to eat, that would mean that he had been "transformed." If he didn't eat anything, then he had not been "transformed," and they should continue to torture him. Isn't this the same as asking the practitioner if he intends to continue practicing Falun Gong-- If the practitioner answers, "Yes," they persecute him. If the practitioner says, "No," then he will be released. This is indeed a trap set up by the evil. It doesn't matter whether we choose to eat or not to eat; we fall right into evil's trap, and submissively accepted the evil's arrangements.
How can we completely deny the evil forces' arrangements-- Let's think about it from a different perspective. Why were practitioners arrested and put in prison-- What should practitioners do in prison-- Should we forcefully resist the persecution-- Or should we meekly submit to it-- Actually, the most crucial point is this: did we do the three things (1) well in prison-- Teacher told us, "China's Labor Re-education Camps are dark dens of evil forces." ("Suffocate the Evil") If we were sent to labor camp or prison, we would come into close contact with misguided or ignorant authorities. Although we were sent there against our wills, shouldn't we try our best to do the three things well so that we can completely destroy the dark dens of the evil forces-- We didn't go to prison to strongly resist or passively endure persecution. We went there to clarify the truth and eradicate the evil beings. Since the police are the ones who know the least about the truth of Falun Dafa, and they are also the group that is most closely controlled by the evil forces, we need to adopt various methods to clarify the truth to them.
Next, I want to talk about the issues of fighting back, compassion, and submission. As practitioners, we should not submit to the evil, and we should not use the mentality and methods of ordinary people to fight off the persecution. We should follow the Fa's (2) teachings, let go of life and death, make the best use of our time to study the Fa more diligently, send forth righteous thoughts, and clarify the truth. Ordinary people's methods of resistance cannot compare to this. Again, we should not give in to the evil. Fighting, by itself, won't be able to solve the fundamental issue.
Some practitioners say that they don't fight. In principle, of course, we don't fight. However, our particular ways of doing things may seem to contain components of fighting. In the example mentioned above about the issues of eating or going on a hunger strike, the practitioner fought off the persecution, but his mentality was similar to that of ordinary people under persecution. So the practitioner's attitude reduced the persecution of Dafa practitioners to the level of the persecution of ordinary people, where the perpetrator and the persecuted are on the same level but at the two ends of the spectrum. The outcome might be that the practitioner considered the police as an evil force, and the policemen thought the practitioner was stubborn. The practitioner and the policemen became enemies. The dark minions in the other dimension didn't think the practitioner's xinxing (3) level met the Fa's standard. This resulted in more severe torture.
I think compassion works better. With mighty compassion and forbearance, Falun Dafa practitioners clarify truth to people, eradicate the evil, and save all sentient beings that can be saved. Some people may ask, "You talk about fighting and compassion. How come you are compassionate to ordinary people, but you fight the Chinese government--" In fact, we do not fight the Chinese government. All of the persecution articles published on the Minghui website are accounts of what has actually happened. These are indisputable facts. Then where did this concept of "fighting the Chinese government" come from-- People who are controlled by the evil forces think that we are fighting. But this view is just their personal opinion, and it contradicts the truth. At the same time, some practitioners' ways of doing things contains elements of fighting. For example, their anti-persecution activities are mixed with strife and hatred. When ordinary people feel it, they think that we are fighting. It doesn't matter whether we are right or wrong, our mentality and way of doing things may leave a wrong impression. As practitioners, we should quickly identify where we need to improve. In addition, we need to promptly clarify the truth and tell people why we oppose the persecution. This would help to prevent ordinary people from misunderstanding Falun Dafa as a result of practitioners' temporary shortcomings.
However we oppose the persecution and appeal to bring the four chief persecutors, Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Zhou Yongkang and Liu Jing, to justice, this is not fighting. It is in accordance with Heaven's principles, and from a human perspective, it is in accordance with the country's laws.
According to Heaven's principles, those who persecuted Falun Dafa can't just be absolved of responsibility once they stop. The divine beings at very high levels will make them suffer endless punishments in hell because their crimes are too great, and the Heavenly principle does not allow people to do evil at will and bring ruin to the world.
From a human perspective, under the direction of those four head villains, many practitioners have been beaten to death, injured, disabled, fined huge amounts of money, fired from their jobs, and have had their homes repeatedly ransacked. Many people have had their means to make a living taken away and their families broken apart. Jiang's group has committed so many crimes, it's not something that can be wiped away simply by saying, "We'll stop now." Even when the persecution ends, practitioners who were tortured to death have lost their lives forever and cannot return to the world. Those who have been persecuted to the point of losing everything, including their families, and have suffered things that have made this environment a hell on earth for them, should be thoroughly compensated. If people were allowed to commit unlimited crimes and then have them erased as soon as they stop, this would be setting the world's worst possible example by encouraging the loss of morality, justice and conscience.
From a legal perspective, the Constitution of China, Chinese Law and International Law serve as the standards by which we judge those who are charged with upholding the law and yet violate the law or intentionally flout the law. Punishing those who commit crimes according to the law is precisely the purpose of the law in the first place, to uphold righteousness and justice.
Therefore, our request to bring those four to justice is what everyone wants in the human world and in all other dimensions as well. This does not mean that practitioners are fighting with someone. This is an example of practitioners acting in accordance with Heaven's principles to bring to justice these four villains who act against Heaven's principles, our country's laws and human dignity. We want justice for practitioners and their families who have endured ruthless persecution over the past several years. This has to be done. When people can see clearly how vicious the evil group is, they will agree with this request.
Before the persecution stops, we need to eradicate the evil whenever possible. But we should not just stop at opposing the persecution. We need to look at the essence of the issue.
From a tactical perspective, we should let go of human attachments and do the three things well. Only then can we completely eradicate the evil and stop the persecution. If we can do it very well, then it becomes a battle between divine beings at very high levels and the remaining dark minions of the old forces. Needless to say, the divine beings at very high levels will definitely win. So I think we are not just facing several people who are controlled by evil, we are also facing the entire evil force behind them. Our goal is to find better ways to eliminate the evil and save more sentient beings.
There are different ways to do this. We can clarify the truth face-to-face. For example, Chinese practitioners can have face-to-face conversations with government officials and eliminate the dark minions behind them. This is different from appealing to the high levels of government, in which citizens use to ask higher authorities to rectify unfair cases. Face-to-face truth clarification is one of the three things we need to do well. We can use different ways to contact them and explain the truth to them. Overseas practitioners can also contact Chinese officials such as those working at the Chinese embassies. Let's talk to them and eliminate the evil behind them one by one.
Sometimes I wonder why we are still being persecuted at this stage. It must be because some practitioners can't understand the Fa from within the Fa. Another reason is that not enough people have yet learned the truth about Falun Dafa.
These are my personal understandings of the Fa. Please kindly correct me if there is anything that is inappropriate.
Notes
(1) The three things Master Li asked practitioners to do are to study the Fa [the teachings of Falun Dafa], send forth righteous thoughts and clarify the truth of Falun Dafa and the persecution to the world's people.
(2) Fa: Law and principles; the teachings of Falun Dafa.
(3) Xinxing: mind-heart nature; moral character.
