By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Heilongjiang Province

(Clearwisdom.net) Recently I have come to realize that some practitioners in our area have regarded hanging banners as a fixed mode of truth clarification in doing the three things, and have even taken it as the sole standard to judge whether an area or a person has cultivated well or not. I would like to express my understanding on this and share with fellow practitioners. If there are any mistakes, please point them out.

First, I'd like to acknowledge that hanging banners is clarifying the truth, and it is a good method with great effect for sure. Practitioners who have repeatedly used this method to clarify the truth for a long time actually got rid of the attachment of fear. These practitioners' enthusiasm in validating the Fa and huge contributions are truly admirable. However, we also see many attachments displayed in this matter, which need attention. For example, what about the excitement after hanging the banners and the feeling of great achievement? What we are doing is incomparably sacred! Some practitioners say: "It is quite powerful in other dimensions!" They feel they have no fear and cultivate well. Sometimes they mention an area or a person that hung so many banners and distributed so much material, adding, "They cultivate so well!" etc., I think we should pay attention to this.

Of course we can't deny that fellow practitioners have cultivated well, but to use this one standard to measure one's cultivation is a bit too extreme. One practitioner has not hung any banners but constantly and quietly does the three things using different methods according to different people's understandings and has clarified the truth to a wide scope of people. Once, when this practitioner was mentioned, someone actually said: "He is not good; his fear is too strong." Subconsciously, the quantity of banners hung and flyers distributed has become the only standard used to judge one's cultivation. Of course we are not everyday people, and we don't care whether others say good or bad things about us. We are not judging anyone, but this has shown us things we need to work on in our cultivation.

Recently a "special case team" was sent to our city from the provincial capital, which is the origin of the brutal persecution. We need to continue improving in the Fa. However, we can't go from one extreme to another. We must understand things based on the Fa. In this dimension, a lot of work done quietly is required. As long as it achieves the aim of widely spreading the truth, saving sentient beings, and validating the Fa, that is what's needed by Fa-rectification, and no format should be too prominent.

It is not a big deal that a special case team came. The evil won't achieve their goal, as the persecution is sure to fail. However, this incident can be used for us to continue improving in the Fa. On the surface, when personnel from the "culture festival" came to our city, we saw hundreds of Dafa truth-clarification banners on the road, which is what manifested in this dimension. From the Fa, I think it is caused by local practitioners' hearts. For instance, coordinators and some practitioners have big differences of opinion on how to clarify the truth during the "culture festival."

A group of practitioners thought that many people would be there, and it would be a good opportunity to frighten the evil and save people, and the format should be large-scale and highly visible. While another group of practitioners thought: everyday people always say Falun Gong makes trouble and does the opposite whenever there is celebration or festival. In addition, they transferred many police officers and police cars from the capital to work with the local police and set up continuous patrols 24 hours a day. We should do what we do more rationally and wisely. It was finally decided that every area would handle the situation according to their own understandings, so the minority of practitioners adopted the method of hanging banners.

I think when we discuss it again, we should not just focus superficially on which truth clarification method to use. Instead we should calm down and to listen to other's opinions and reflect on our shortcomings in cultivation. If we are of one mind, then we can do even better, because when Falun Dafa practitioners are not attached to self and use a pure mindset to harmonize the whole body, righteous gods in other dimensions will assist and boost morale, and the effect manifested in this dimension will naturally get twice the result with half the effort.

Looking back, we began with seriously different opinions and then shied away from the issue. If we improved our understandings and then used different ways to validate the Fa according to the situation in each area, that would be the best plan. Since we did not achieve it at that time, and incurred problems, does it mean a particular method was wrong? No, it is not about the method, but the mindset. With the same method, if our heart is on the Fa, on cultivation and on sentient beings, not on validating oneself and being attached to oneself, then the result will certainly be good. With a poor mindset, the result will not be good with the same method.

Teacher told us that everything in the world came for this Fa. There is also a Fa principle that the old forces do not dare persecute us while we are saving sentient beings.

As long as our base point is on validating the Fa and saving sentient beings, it is not wrong. No matter what method we take, including location and time, it is fine. The key is whether our hearts are moved by this matter.

First, practitioners who hang banners should not have the attachment of competition, dislike of others, or the idea of doing the opposite in protest. They must completely have a pure heart for saving people. Practitioners who have different ideas but other practitioners don't follow them should not be attached to their own ideas. They should send righteous thoughts towards other practitioners' various methods, to strengthen them. After all, they are also doing the most righteous and greatest thing in the cosmos--saving sentient beings.

Therefore, there is no right or wrong method. Any and all methods can be used by Fa-rectification period Dafa practitioners at will. Of course we choose to use them compassionately. We should not allow evil to persecute any fellow practitioners. If we all think like that, send righteous thoughts to strengthen each other, and form one body, you'll be surprised by the result. The evil will have nothing to take advantage of, will immediately be destroyed, and the "special case team" will disappear.

Therefore, the focus is not on the methods used, but that we have attachments to get rid of.

Finally let's together review Teacher's Fa:

"...in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across--even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are--to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what's most important. ("Further Understanding" from Essentials for Further Advancement)

I hope fellow practitioners continue to sincerely study Teacher's recent lectures, wake up and improve from the deep lessons as soon as possible, and walk well the next steps. I read a practitioner's sharing from Minghui/Clearwisdom about clarifying the truth and saving people more thoroughly, and the article made good suggestions. Our area can take it as a reference. It will be even better to put the real effect of doing the three things as our main focus.

Posting date: 10/12/2006
Original article date: 10/12/2006
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Translated on 10/5/2006
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/10/2/139112.html

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