A Few Thoughts on the Financial Hardships of Dafa Disciples Who have been Persecuted
(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, a number of Dafa disciples were released
from forced labor camps and returned home. After their release, most of them are
without financial resources, and have difficulties getting by. Because of
long-term imprisonment, some were fired by their employers, some had their
businesses occupied, some of them were forced to divorce, and in some cases both
husband and wife were imprisoned. There are many cases like these in China. Under the circumstances, some practitioners suggested that those
practitioners apply for the minimum living stipend. However, some practitioners
are hesitant to do this; they feel that Dafa practitioners should not apply for
assistance and it seemed that if the government were to provide for us, we would
lose our self-assurance when doing things. Some were afraid the government would
again find a chance to persecute them and try to force them to write a
"guarantee statement." Some practitioners who were not in the forced
labor camps felt they should provide assistance to the practitioners that were
suffering financial problems; but others believed that those practitioners who
are in financial troubles should take care of the problem themselves, since it
is their own tribulation. The following are my thoughts: Foremost, we must make sure our own opinions and mentalities are positioned
correctly. Because of the evil's long-term persecution, brainwashing, and the
Party's ill-intentioned propaganda, some practitioners formed false ideas and
lost the concept of protecting their own rights. We must understand that we were
not punished because we did something wrong; in fact, we are persecuted
illegally because we upheld the truth and our beliefs, exposed evil, and
clarified the truth. Therefore, we have nothing to hide and we should be open
and maintain dignity when we deal with anybody. We did not have any disorderly
conduct. On the contrary, it is the people who persecuted us who have committed
crimes. They are the real criminals; they are shameless. When we look at the
issue from the perspective of Fa rectification and the evil's persecution of
Dafa disciples, we will not be affected by our acquired notions, and we will not
feel timid or ashamed. Before the persecution, Dafa disciples were all employed, and they were in
fact good employees in general. It is the persecution that caused Dafa
practitioners' financial hardships. We are not attached to money, but we will
not allow evils to persecute Dafa disciples. Therefore, if it is allowed by
regulations, Dafa disciples should apply for assistance, whether it's an
unemployment benefit or a minimum living stipend. Of course we need to do our
best to find a job. As for the saying, "the government is paying our
bills," it is a false statement derived from the propaganda of the Party.
People are paying all the bills all the time, including the government's bill.
The government has the responsibility to society. Dafa disciples are exercising
their basic rights when they apply for assistance, a condition created by the
illegal persecution. However, we have to position ourselves correctly during the
application. There should be no added condition when applying for help. To add a
"guarantee statement" to the application for assistance is an illegal
act. We should not foster this mental burden of anticipating this type of
persecution. As a cultivator, we do not think about personal gain or loss too
much, and we are not attached to outcomes. The above discussion is focused on
Dafa disciples. Another important aspect is that we can clarify the truth on how Dafa
disciples have been falsely accused and illegally persecuted by the government
agencies and employees. Some of the Dafa practitioners who were released from
the forced labor camps were "reformed" against their wills and have
deficiencies in their understanding and mental state, therefore they should
first study the Fa more to correct themselves. We should also recognize that the
related government agencies were our targets to clarify the truth, and we do
have the responsibility to let them know how evil the persecution is. As long as
we have a common understanding, we can carry out the work case by case with our
wisdom. I know a Dafa disciple who was released from the labor camp recently. Her
work unit moved her to the street committee with only 200 Yuan a month living
stipend. She believed that her employer was persecuting her because she was a
Falun Gong practitioner, and she decided not to accept it. She talked with her
employer and told them that she met all the retirement requirements, and her
forced labor sentence was an illegal persecution, and they should not disregard
her contribution to the employer over the years. She requested her employer to
process the proper paperwork for her retirement and pay her pension. Her
employer was very rude and rejected her request. She did not give up. While
continuing to communicate with her employer, she began to visit government
agencies that have authority over her employer and the street committee office.
She told them what happened and clarified the truth to them, especially how the
law enforcement agency knowingly committed crimes and how she was brutally
tortured and abused. Because the practitioner had no fear and a positive
mentality, her employer processed her retirement paperwork and eventually began
paying her pension. More importantly, many people heard the truth throughout
this application process. Dafa disciples are one body body. "The next person's things are your
things, and your things are his things." ("Teaching the Fa at
Washington, D.C. Fa Conference, 2002") It is appropriate to help those
practitioners who have financial difficulties due to persecution, and the help
is also a measure to fight the evil's persecution. The purpose of help is to let
practitioners clarify the truth and cultivate, and it is also a huge mental
support and encouragement. This is different than an example Master gave in 1999
East USA Experience Sharing Conference. In that example, practitioners
continuously gave financial support to a practitioner who had temporary
financial difficulty, which might lead the practitioner to give up cultivation.
That was about an individual cultivation period, and the hardship was indeed to
test the practitioner in his individual cultivation. But right now we are in the
Fa-rectification period, and the persecution was forced on us by evil, and we
refuse to accept it. "Except for newer students, from July 20 of 1999 on,
Master hasn't created any personal cultivation tests for you, and that's because
overall your personal cultivation has changed in every respect so that it's in
the direction of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa." ("Explaining
the Fa during the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
We should not limit ourselves to the framework of individual cultivation when we
look at the various situations in Fa-rectification, including persecution
endured by practitioners. Rather, we should look at those issues from the
perspective of validating the Fa, saving sentient beings, and breaking the
evil's persecution. If we can do that, we are not individuals who have no
connection, but particles of a whole body. We are closely connected, and
together we have the responsibility of validating the Fa and saving sentient
beings. We should help and take care of each other. Dafa disciples are not attached to outcomes, "Do but pursue
not-----Often stay in the Dao." (Hong Yin) The above is my personal experience, please kindly point it out if you find
anything that is inappropriate. October 2, 2003 Posting date: 10/30/2003 |