(Clearwisdom.net) I want to share my understanding based on experiences I've had over the past two years clarifying the truth in person and helping to save the world's sentient beings.
For over a dozen years I worked a day shift at a factory which made it hard for me to contact people. So I was only able to clarify the truth to my friends, relatives, coworkers, and people I met inside the factory. Though I helped them quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations, there were a lot of people whom I wasn't able to reach. Being restricted by my work schedule, I wondered how I could complete the mission that Teacher gave me.
Then one day my work schedule changed and I was to start alternating three different shift times. This gave me five days every week to clarify the truth on the street. Even better, my workload was so light that I could finish it within 30 minutes. I realized that this was because I had the thought of saving people, and so Teacher arranged new circumstances for me. I didn’t relax and enjoy the extra time as everyday people would do, but rather spent the time on Fa study. Studying the Fa well provided me with wisdom that came through when clarifying the truth.
When I first went out and saw so many strangers, I didn’t know what to do. I met all kinds of people: some refused to listen, some sneered at me, and some even threatened me. It can be so hard to save people! What should I do? Should I give up? I calmed down and spent more time studying the Fa.
Teacher told us,
“For a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple, personal liberation is not the goal of cultivation: when you came, saving sentient beings was your great aspiration, and that is the responsibility and mission history has bestowed upon you in Fa-rectification. Thus great numbers of beings are to be saved by you.” (“Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People”)
From Fa study, I understood that all the people in the world, however ugly they may appear and however badly they may behave, have predestined relationships with Dafa and that I must try to save them. Looking within, I realized that I had a strong desire to protect myself. I kept thinking, “Will this person listen to me? Or will he report me to the police?” I also had an attachment to pride – thinking of how many people I was able to persuade to quit the CCP. And when I did persuade them, I became overjoyed and my attachment to self would surface. With all these attachments, no wonder I didn’t have good results!
After working on some of these issues, I would always start my time for saving beings by centering myself. Every time I went out, regardless of how short, I would always send forth righteous thoughts first. I also paid attention to my appearance. In any situation I was able to stay calm and keep a smile on my face. I started with small talk and gradually moved from their interests to clarifying the truth. I made sure not to be distracted by their interests, instead, leading them to my topic. Gradually my results improved. Maybe Teacher saw that I had a righteous mind and He led people with predestined relationships to me. Now I help about 50 people every week quit the CCP.
On one day, though, I got off work at 8 a.m. It was raining outside. After sending forth righteous thoughts, I went out to clarify the truth. A person walked over and asked for directions to the bus. I gave him directions, but he immediately started telling me that he didn’t have any money to pay the bus fare and asked me if I could help. I wondered if he was a con artist trying to cheat me out of my money. I told him to go and wait for the bus, then I left. When I walked away, I looked back and saw him approaching another person for money. I said to myself, “He must be a con artist. Don’t let him ruin my mood or interfere with my important task.” However, when I clarified the truth to others that day, people didn’t want to talk to me, and some even avoided me. I talked to nine people total, including three CCP members. None of them agreed to quit the CCP or its affiliated organizations. I did talk to several of them in some detail, but still no one wanted to quit.
I was sad when I got back home. Thinking back, I wondered what I had done wrong. Then I realized it was because I had an unrighteous mind when I met that person asking for help. My first thought was to protect myself and not be cheated. But if he really did need help, shouldn't I have helped him? I couldn't even say that I was as good as an everyday person. Even if he was a con artist, he just wanted a little bit of money. But even for such a small amount, I still didn't want to save him. The evil was watching and takes advantage of our gaps at any time. I wondered if this was a test from Teacher. This incident showed me that I still didn’t have enough compassion. After finding my gaps, I rectified them. The next day I went out and was able to persuade every person I talked with to quit the CCP. I helped nine people that day. I used the same approach in conversation, but the results were completely different. I realized that only when I have a righteous mind can I save sentient beings!
Looking back over the past two years, under Teacher’s benevolent guidance, I sometimes ran into danger but was always able to come out of it safely. My many attachments such as fear, competition, having a show off mentality, jealousy, and lust were all largely eliminated during my truth clarification efforts.
