1. Put down the notion of self and all everyday peoples thoughts before the big test.
Compared with the previous years, the number of practitioners who went to Geneva to peacefully appeal during the United Nations Human Rights Conference this year was not large. It was completely different from the previous years, and beyond my expectations.
Here I would like to share why I went to Geneva for the fifth time.
Whenever big activities for clarifying the facts about Falun Gong are held, they are like great battles of the universe. I think that since they are great battles of the universe, there will naturally be a battle between righteous and evil powers. Thus, as a Dafa practitioner in this period, I believe I should go to the front line to“assist Master to rectify the Fa.” Fa- law or principles in the Buddha School
Once I had made up my mind to go I found that there were only a few tickets left this year, and the plane fare was very expensive. I spent US$770 for my ticket (I spent only $265 last year.). However, I did not hesitate, and still decided to go.
When I shared my thoughts and decision with other practitioners, they responded as follows:-.
1. The tickets are too expensive.
2. Its hard to ask for leave.
3. Since its hard to ask for leave, and its hard to book a ticket, it probably means that I don’t have to go.
4. We cannot expect everyday people to do anything for us. Wherever I am, I am clarifying the facts of the persecution and saving the worldly people.
5. I am busy with some specific Dafa work. If I leave, it may be delayed.
6. There should be more practitioners from Europe going there. We are busy with this and that…
It is indeed very difficult in my view, but in fact, I believe it is a test for our true nature. I am not talking about every practitioner here, but those who could have gone to Geneva but did not go. Master has said, “Each opportunity will not occur again.” (“Digging Out the Roots”). What we lose is not an opportunity of joining an “activity,” but a chance for genuine cultivation practice. We lose a chance to transcend our selfish- notions and come out of humanness. We lose a chance to validate Dafa and save sentient beings.
Actually, after carefully analysing the reasons above, I found many of them were spoken out of the heart of an everyday person, and fell short of what is required. Even today, many practitioners still do not take the meaning of the United Nations Human Rights Conference seriously in their thoughts. They do not really examine the gap between themselves and the requirement of the Fa-rectification regarding this specific event.
In Geneva, I shared my thoughts with a practitioner from Australia. She thought: “The delegates in the UN represent their own countries. Geneva is ‘the city of human rights.’ The persecution of Falun Gong, on the human level, is basically the persecution of human rights. Therefore, our clarifying the facts in Geneva agrees with cosmic timing, favourable earth conditions, and human harmony. If a delegate of one country knows what Falun Gong is through our truth-clarification, and stands up to condemn the brutalities of the Jiang regime, isn’t this entire nation and this race saved? Particularly since some countries don’t have any Falun Gong practitioners. Some don’t even know about Falun Gong. Then, isn’t it a good opportunity to explain the facts to delegates of different nations during the“Human Rights Conference?” The UN Human Rights Conference is only held once a year. Many sentient beings are waiting to know Dafa, and waiting to be saved. Being Dafa practitioners, how can we look on unconcerned?
Upon examining this issue, I saw some areas where I feel we need to cultivate and elevate. They might not be right. I only offer them here to everyone for your reference.
1. First of all, I saw that my righteous thoughts were insufficient. For example, on the issue of the plane tickets, I acknowledged the interference. The tickets should not have been so expensive. For this reason, it stopped some practitioners from going. The trip to Geneva is for saving sentient beings. It is great and magnificent. As Dafa practitioners ourselves we should have a righteous understanding towards this issue, and break through the interference of the old forces.
2. We may have thoughts of waiting and depending on others. It seems that some activities held in some specific regions or by other practitioners have nothing to do with us.
3. We take the work at hand as too big and too important to put down our selves and follow the whole group. In fact, sometimes, the point is not whether we really participate in some activities, but whether we can have righteous thoughts towards them.
There are still some others issues; I will not list one by one. I want to re-read two of Master’s articles with fellow practitioners:
The Difficult Path to GodhoodPredestined relationships spanning endless lifetimes
Each connected by the thread of Dafa
Through hardships the body of gold is tempered
Why such slow and leisurely steps?Li Hongzhi
May 30, 2002
PositionThe trials that a cultivator goes through are something an everyday person could not endure. That is why throughout history so few people have been able to succeed in cultivation and reach Consummation. Human beings are just human beings. At critical moments it is hard for them to let go of their human notions, but they always try to find excuses to convince themselves. A magnificent cultivator, on the other hand, is able to let go of his Self and even all of his ordinary human thoughts amidst crucial trials. I congratulate the Dafa cultivators who can come through the Consummation-determining tests. The eternity in which your beings never perish and even your future levels are established by you, yourselves; mighty virtue comes from your own cultivation. Be diligent! This is most magnificent, and the greatest privilege.
Li Hongzhi
June 13, 1999
2. During the trip to Geneva, what I sacrificed was not proportionate to what I received
I found that on my trip to Geneva, what I sacrificed was not proportionate to what I received in return. This point is one of the most important experiences I want to share. As long as I carefully understand and experience things with a pure heart, I can always sense the arrangements made by Master. The people and incidents I meet are all related to my cultivation practice and my elevation, and all related to fellow practitioners’ too. Master cherishes every practitioner. He uses every opportunity to arrange for us to elevate together. I feel it is too much to describe in a few words. Limited by the length of the article, I will not narrate one by one.
There is a saying in China, “One will pay back a spring of water if given the favour of one drop of water.” I would like to say: what we sacrifice is merely a drop of water, but what Master gives us in return is an ocean.
3. The importance of group Fa study and experience sharing
There is always things to be done to help clarify the truth about the persecution and show people what Falun Gong is really about. Every practitioner is persevering through the difficulties so some practitioners in some regions have neglected their group Fa study. In some other regions, practitioners only study the Fa together, and after reading the Fa, instead of fully sharing experiences in cultivation practice with others, they report on what they have done one after the other. Therefore, the Fa study becomes a superficial form. As a result, it does not really reach the aim of studying the Fa. Some problems that practitioners encounter in their cultivation practice cannot really be solved. Practitioners do not communicate well enough with one another when they have different viewpoints towards some particular issue, which causes gaps between one another. And these gaps are the “loopholes” used to persecute Dafa and its practitioners. This may cause losses and regrets for some of the things we do to clarify the facts of the persecution. Group Fa study is one form of our cultivation practice. In Mainland China, practitioners risk their lives to create an environment for group Fa study under the terrible persecution. We overseas practitioners should cherish it and be more respectful to what we have. There is deep meaning in the cultivation practice forms of group Fa study and experience sharing. The progress of the Fa-rectification requires us to form one body. Fa study and experience sharing is one of the most efficient ways to consolidate this one body. This time in Geneva, practitioners in Chicago shared their experiences in this aspect with everyone.
4. Treat fellow practitioners with righteous thoughts and cultivate the capacity of our hearts
Because I often join big international Dafa activities, I know quite a few practitioners from different countries. Therefore, I have heard a lot of rumours about different practitioners. As a result, I formed all kinds of notions about those practitioners in my mind. In fact, they are just hearsay. When I ask the specific practitioner about the rumours. It turns out the rumours were not true. From this experience, I understood that we should think and treat fellow practitioners with righteous thoughts. Even if they really have some problems, it must be because they do not yet understand these issues based on the Fa. We should allow fellow practitioners a chance to cultivate and elevate in the course of cultivation practice. We should firmly believe that our fellow practitioners will be able to break through. Instead of spreading rumours (even if motivated by good intentions), we should give them a hand. This also shows that our kindness and compassion is not sufficient, so the old forces can take the advantage of our loopholes to cause trouble. They thus increase the difficulties of the tests practitioners face, and attempt to disintegrate our one body from the inside. I would like to remind fellow practitioners not to do such foolish things.
The above is only a reference for fellow practitioners. Please correct anything improper.
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