Cultivating the Tao vs. Being Accepted--On the Spirit of "April 25"

By Meijie

(Clearwisdom.net) On April 25, 1999, ten thousand Falun Dafa practitioners peacefully appealed to the Chinese government to request a legal cultivation environment. Facing the totalitarian power, they presented themselves with rationality, solidarity, great compassion and tolerance, and extraordinary courage. They practiced their faith in Truth-Compassion-Forbearance.

Some people who have been deeply influenced by the Communist Party culture do not understand Falun Dafa practitioners' actions. They thought the CCP would not accept their appeal, and appealing to the CCP is like "attacking a rock with an egg." They even thought that the persecution was an inevitable consequence, and that Falun Dafa practitioners did not practice "Forbearance" by refusing to give in to the CCP's pressure to renounce the practice.

This mentality was formed by the Chinese people's rigid thinking that was created by the CCP culture. Our ancestors have expounded clearly the relationship between cultivating the Tao and being accepted.

According to the book of Records of the Grant Historians (1), in order to prevent Confucius (551-479 B.C.) from surrendering to the Chu State (1100?-223 B.C.), warriors of the Chen (1100?-479 B.C.) and Cai (1100?-447 B.C.) States cornered him and his disciples in a sparsely inhabited mountain area. Soon they were out of food. Confucius saw that his disciples were uneasy, so he asked one of them called Zhongyou, "Why are we blocked here? Is it because the principles I taught were wrong?"

Zhongyou said, "Is it because we are not compassionate enough, so we are not trusted? Or we are not smart enough, so we are obstructed here?"

Confucius replied, "If it is any of these reasons, then why did compassionate Boyi and Shuqi (2) die from hunger? How could the smart prince Bigan (3) be forced to cut open his chest? Just like farmers sow seed but may not reap a good harvest, or a good repairman may not please each client, a gentleman can cultivate in the Tao and discipline himself strictly, but he still may not be accepted by others."

Confucius' disciple Yan Hui also replied, "The Tao you cultivate is very high; therefore, it is not accepted by your contemporaries. Nevertheless, you still promote the Tao. Why worry whether others can accept it? Precisely because it cannot be accepted by others, it proves who is the true good man." Confucius was very pleased by Yan Hui's answer.

By the same token, we can use whether or not we are accepted by the evil Party to measure right or wrong. What Falun Dafa practitioners cultivate is Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which, of course, will not be accepted by the vile Party, which promotes Lies-Viciousness-Violence. This point demonstrates the value of Falun Dafa practitioners, who firmly cultivate the Tao.

(1) The Records of Grant Historians is written by historian Sima Qian (135-90 B.C.) in Xihan Dynasty (206 B.C. - 8 A.D.).

(2) Boyi and Shuqi were two princes of the Shang Dynasty (around 1700-1046 B.C.) who died of hunger to preserve their integrity.

(3) Bigan was a prince in the Shang Dynasty, who died when forced to cut out his heart to show his loyalty.

April 25, 2007

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