Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:
- Welcome
- What’s Happening?
- The Importance of Rectifying Our Own Thoughts
- Cultivation at Work
- Sharing from the Heart: Step Out of Long-Standing Mistaken Thinking
- A Realization That Helped Me Overcome Difficulty with Sending Righteous Thoughts
- My Understandings of "Immediate Retribution in This Lifetime"
- Stepping Outside of Conflicts
- 1. Welcome
Welcome to the August 2010 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.
July was a grim reminder of the persecution which began Eleven years ago and still continues, killing innocent men, women and children for their belief in the righteous way of life.
With Master's guidance, over the years we have helped clarify the truth and touched many hearts and changed the wrong notions and attitudes towards Dafa. But we should not be complacent and continue our efforts to eliminate the evil.
This issue has a compilation of experience-sharing Articles gleaned from Clearwisdom that always shine through because of their insights and fine quality of sharing. It is important to read the Clearwisdom, Pureinsight and other Dafa sites. We make an effort to select Articles from the Archives which people don’t go back to and are relevant even today. Contributions are welcome from practitioners.
Heshi! Hope, you like the selection of Articles and gain some new insights!
Note: "All the contents in this newsletter - except for quotations and excerpts of writings of the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi - are only ideas and experiences of practitioners and do not represent Falun Dafa in itself."
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- 2. What’s Happening?
The Bangalore practitioners printed Truth Clarifying Fliers related to 20 July and used it as inserts in newspapers reaching over 12,000 people. The distributors extended their complete support by providing another opportunity of reaching thousands of people through this medium over the next few days.
To raise a voice supporting freedom of Falun Dafa practitioners in China, a peaceful meditation was held in the evening where over 20 practitioners met up and collectively sent forth Righteous Thoughts as well. Fliers were given out in and around the place. Banners were put up signifying this day urging people to raise their voice to support global peace and freedom. Also, sms’s were sent to hundreds urging them to sign the petition on www.CIPFG.org and visit www.FalunInfo.net
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- 3. The Importance of Rectifying Our Own Thoughts
Gui Qu Lai Xi
(PureInsight.org)
When sending forth righteous thoughts, studying the Fa, or doing the exercises—especially the sitting mediation—I was often interfered with by my own thoughts or thoughts about things that happened earlier in the day. As a result, I could not calm my mind and was very worried: “If should things continue this way, how could I cultivate? How could I get rid of various kinds of interference?” In the past few days, however, my mind was very calm, as if nothing could disturb me anymore. Instead, I was able to concentrate on things that I was working on and the results were usually very good. Then, what caused this difference? Why was I no longer interfered with?
When looking back for answers, I found it is critical to consider ourselves as Dafa practitioners all the time, no matter if at work doing everyday things or validating the Fa. If we use the Fa to guide our thinking, words, and actions, we will be able to remain focused and undisturbed when conflicts or problems arise. When distracted by human notions, namely fame, material interests, or sentimentality, we need to rectify our mindset immediately. In this way, our Fa-study, doing the exercises, and sending forth righteous thoughts will not be affected, as we are actually cleaning our dimensions with the Fa. With a mind that is preoccupied [with self-interest] and in turmoil, our doing the three things well will be interfered with.
To keep our fields cleansed, we have to study the Fa well so that we can call on the Fa when needed. I learned a lot from reciting the Fa; although I did not seem to memorize much back then, I was able to remember the Fa when issues arose later. By considering ourselves as Dafa practitioners and eliminating our attachments, our minds will change on the microscopic level and our environments will be rectified.
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- 4. Cultivation at Work
Xiao Xiao (A new practitioner in Mainland China)
(PureInsight.org)
I was working at a homewares shop and there was a new lady who joined the staff. Our boss said that she had a lot of experience with design and decoration. However, I found out later that it wasn’t the case.
One day when this new lady was selling products, she wasn’t doing it properly. She wanted to gain more profit by deceiving the customers. I said to her, “Why did you sell the towel for a higher price?” All the customers then left. I explained to her the way I sold things, but she didn’t accept it. I said that it’s not good to deceive the customers but she said, “But, I can earn more money that way.’’ We then ended our conversation because a customer came in.
I realised later that I have a strong desire of struggle in my heart. Just like what Master said, “Another scenario is that some people are just attached to their own things and don’t let go. You just don’t let it go, and it is so deeply concealed that even when you have realized it you still don’t want to let it go. As soon as it’s hit upon, you immediately evade it and don’t want to give it further thought.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference”)
A customer came in and asked the price of a bracelet. I said, “The minimum price would be $20.” The customer then admonished me saying that the other lady said that the minimum price should be $18 but I had changed the price to $20. I felt very frustrated at that moment and I said that our boss had set the minimum price to be $20. The new lady then said to the customer that she was a new employee working at the shop and hadn’t known the correct price. I thought about it for a while and I realised that I did the same thing as that lady. I always thought that I was a very lenient person until I noticed that I wasn’t so lenient. I had wrongly criticised the new lady. I had not studied the Fa well.
When studying the Fa at home, I read, “When you think that another person hasn’t done well, when you can’t get over it in your mind, you should think about it: ‘Why is my mind troubled by this? Does he really have a problem? Or is it that there’s something wrong deep inside me?’ You should think about it carefully. If you indeed don’t have any problem and what he did is really problematic, you should tell him with kindness, and that won’t lead to conflicts. It’s guaranteed. If the other person isn’t able to understand it, that is his own problem. What you have said is said.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference”)
I remembered the argument that I had with the new lady at the housewares shop, and I realized that I had held her to a high standard when she was only an ordinary person. Our Master had arranged for her to work with me in the shop and I still argued with her. I was always very proud of the way I sold products in front of her. However, this was a strong attachment rather than a positive attitude towards both the lady and myself according to the standard of Fa. I realised then that I needed to be more lenient rather than having a narrow heart. I felt very guilty in front of our Master!
If there is anything in my article that is not consistent with Fa, fellow practitioners please kindly point it out!
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- 5. Sharing from the Heart: Step Out of Long-Standing Mistaken Thinking
Lian Zi
(PureInsight.org)
Recently my wife was persecuted in the form of sickness karma. Because it came on so suddenly, I noticed her righteous thoughts were not strong. She felt helpless. I encouraged her to eliminate the karma with righteous thoughts and righteous actions. I reminded her that we had already gone through the massive tribulation and this tribulation was nothing. I sent righteous thoughts with her, but her righteous thoughts were still not present.
We went to another practitioner. That practitioner encouraged my wife as well. We watched the DVD of Shen Yun Performing Arts and my wife felt better. However, she relapsed the next day. I invited several practitioners to study the Fa and send righteous thoughts with her. We helped her to look within. She got better at that time but relapsed in the evening. In order to not give the evil a breathing spell, the coordinator arranged fellow practitioners to take shifts to send righteous thoughts for my wife. My wife studied the Fa as well as looked within. The tribulation lasted one month. During that month, my wife couldn’t lie down to sleep and she ate very little. She couldn’t keep up with the normal Fa study or exercises. It was obvious that she had reached the limit of her endurance and ability to bear hardships, so she painfully decided to go see a doctor.
While we exchanged our understandings, we enlightened that it’s absolutely not wrong to help fellow practitioners to look within; however we couldn’t regard it as the only way to help fellow practitioners. Even if fellow practitioners had loopholes in cultivation, that couldn’t be an excuse for the old forces to persecute practitioners. We should oppose everything arranged by the old forces first, and then look for the loophole that they have exploited. Meanwhile, the group should send strong righteous thoughts: completely oppose any persecution against fellow practitioners that was arranged by the old forces. Those fellow practitioners who have loopholes in cultivation will rectify it by themselves. We mustn’t allow the old forces to persecute our fellow practitioners.
When I saw practitioners change their old way of thinking—to oppose the persecution first rather than try to find that practitioner’s loopholes—I felt grateful and gratified. My wife was getting better and better with fellow practitioners’ righteous thoughts and support. Now she could routinely study the Fa, do the exercises, and send righteous thoughts. Thank you Master for your compassionate care and reinforcement! Thank you fellow practitioners for your compassion and help!
I also improved a lot from this experience. Moreover, based on my current level, I now have a clear understanding about how to help fellow practitioners who are persecuted by sickness karma. I would like to share this with fellow practitioners.
1. Help that practitioner to improve based on the Fa and to establish righteous thoughts.
Nothing is by accident in cultivation. Whether a practitioner is persecuted by sickness karma or in some other way, there are internal factors and external factors that cause it to happen. The internal factors might be more important. When we help fellow practitioners pass the test, we should regard the ways that could help them to change the internal factors as the first priority. For example, help them to study the Fa more; help them to be clear on the Fa principles; understand the persecution based on the Fa; do not confine the tribulation merely to the surface cause; draw a clear distinction between normal karma elimination and the persecution to our human body by evil factors; know what we should endure and what we shouldn’t endure and disintegrate what we shouldn’t endure with righteous thoughts. When the fellow practitioner is very clear about what they should do, when they establish strong righteous thoughts, they have the ability to pass the tribulation. Not to mention Master’s compassion and reinforcement and the help from other righteous guardian Gods.
2. The relationship between negating interference and looking within.
It is a requirement for a practitioner to always look within and find their loopholes when going through a tribulation. This is one of the keys to disintegrate the evil persecution and pass the tribulation. Master has already taught us the principles many times in the lectures:
“Calmly reflect on how many attachments you have
As you get rid of human mentality, evil is naturally defeated”
(Hong Yin Vol. II, “Don’t Be Sad”)
However, when other practitioners help a practitioner who is persecuted, I think they should first negate the persecution, and then help the practitioner to find their loopholes. This is because the biggest excuse that the old forces use to persecute Dafa disciples is that we have loopholes. Therefore if we also say to the practitioner: “The old forces persecute you because you have loopholes. Thus you need to find the loopholes first,” is this thinking no different from old forces’ thinking? Isn’t this strengthening the old forces’ excuse? Isn’t this acknowledging the persecution? At this moment we should send strong righteous thoughts against the evil factors: “My fellow practitioner is cultivating, it is normal that they will have shortcomings; they will rectify that by themselves [based on the Fa]. Master takes care of us and we don’t allow you to persecute our fellow practitioner by any means or using any excuses; whoever is involved in it will be disintegrated completely.” When we send such righteous thoughts, would the evil dare to persecute us? Of course, each practitioner who hears or knows about this principle still needs to look within themselves, and meanwhile find the loopholes in the group. This is because the persecution against any single practitioner is actually against the whole group. Thus, don’t regard yourself as an outsider or think that you are just helping others.
3. Step out of the long-standing mistaken thinking.
When we help a practitioner to find their loopholes, three possible factors might contribute to their mistaken thinking: (I) Practitioners say Master has taught us to look within to find loopholes; (II) We indeed have loopholes in cultivation; (III) Evil factors persecute a practitioner because they also see that practitioner’s loopholes. In my opinion, Master requires us to find loopholes in cultivation and we must do that. During the course of cultivation, we definitely have human notions and attachments, and we must look within and discard them. This is required when we cultivate to reach consummation. But we mustn’t acknowledge that the old forces use it as a so-called excuse to persecute us. We must completely negate it. It is right that we listen to Master to find our loopholes and we rectify our words and actions. But we can’t listen to the old forces and evil factors; neither can we allow ourselves to be ordered around by them, because we are the disciples of the Lord of Buddhas. They are not worthy. Our thoughts, understandings, and notions must not get mixed up with that of the old forces. We must be clear about this. Otherwise our thoughts will fall into the mistaken areas and fall into the same way as the old forces think. The old forces then might take advantage of this to persecute you. In fact, when one’s thoughts fall into the mistaken area, that’s because they haven’t studied enough Fa, or they are absent-minded when studying the Fa. As a result, they are not clear on the Fa principles and they don’t know how to handle it. That’s the key. Master has explained very clearly about completely nullifying the arrangements of the old forces in the lecture, “Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference.” If we understand the principle clearly, would we still handle the issue incorrectly? Would we still fall into the mistaken thinking? So studying the Fa well is the most important and is the key.
This is just my personal understanding. Please kindly point out if my understanding is not in line with the Fa.
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- 6. A Realization That Helped Me Overcome Difficulty with Sending Righteous Thoughts
By Falun Dafa practitioner in Beijing
(Clearwisdom.net)
Fellow practitioners often talk about how to become
tranquil when sending forth righteous thoughts. I would like to share my limited
understanding here.
For a long time I was worried about being unable to enter into tranquility
when sending forth righteous thoughts. While sending forth righteous thoughts, I
would close my eyes and relax. But then I would see images of people and things
completely irrelevant to me and I wouldn't be able to hold the correct hand
positions. I thought the dark minions of the old forces were interfering and
persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners, so I immediately chanted the Fa-rectification
formula, in order to keep the right hand gesture. I ceaselessly chanted, but my
hands still trembled. I felt my righteous thoughts were not powerful enough to
eliminate the interference. I shared this experience with other practitioners,
and they all felt it was because our group had attachments that needed to be
abandoned. Several days ago, during Fa study, I suddenly realized
all these problems were caused because I was not attentive enough. I did many
things only superficially because I had not truly regarded myself as Teacher's
student. Before sending forth righteous thoughts, I would recite Teacher's
requirement:
"...the force of your thoughts needs to be focused and strong, with an
air of supremacy and of destroying all evil in the cosmos."
("Righteous Thoughts")
However, I had not regarded myself as great god who can destroy all evil in
the cosmos. I did not sent forth righteous thoughts with an air of supremacy.
Teacher wrote:
"Infinitely distant is Heaven's vault,
But with just one thought
'tis right before the eye;
Immeasurably huge is the Cosmos,
Falun turns between
Heaven and Earth." ("Vastness" from Hong Yin)
Teacher told us in the article "Disintegrate Completely All the
Meddling Deities in the Three Realms that Have a Hand in Interfering with Fa-Rectification":
"Thus, if the world's people are to be saved, it has become an
absolute necessity for Dafa disciples to completely disintegrate the old
forces and all of the meddling, vile deities in the Three Realms that are
hampering sentient beings' salvation and learning of the facts."
When we can truly regard ourselves as Teacher's Fa-rectification period Dafa
disciples and send forth righteous thoughts to eradicate the things the old
forces imposed on us, the effect will certainly be different. When I send forth
righteous thoughts now, I feel as if my entire body is enormous and the Three
Realms is a tiny thing beneath me. My two palms are blazing and my fingers
tingle with energy. This feeling lasts even after I finish sending forth
righteous thoughts. Now whenever I do anything, I do it with confidence. I truly
feel the power of righteous thoughts.
Please point out if there is anything inappropriate. Heshi!
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- 7. My Understandings of "Immediate Retribution in This Lifetime"
(Clearwisdom.net)
Recently I shared this understanding with a fellow
practitioner: "With the Fa-rectification having come to the present stage
and so many local practitioners having been seriously persecuted, why aren't
there many karmic retribution cases locally? Master told us that karmic
retribution cases would happen on a large scale. Why haven't retributions
happened on a large scale locally? We really have to search inward."
After continuous discussion in recent days, I developed a deep understanding
of "immediate retribution in this lifetime."
Ordinary people believe that, "when it's time, all good and evil will be
rewarded respectively." But this is a warped principle. This belief
actually contains aspects of "having no alternative" and reflects
someone who does not fully believe. Human society is a realm of delusion. No
matter whether someone does good or bad things, most people are rewarded or
receive retribution in their next lives. Therefore, immediate feedback is
impossible. Moreover, during reincarnation, people's memories are purged of the
past. They have no idea about their previous lives, and cannot understand the
interconnection between their previous and current lives. Therefore, people feel
happy when they have good or smooth lives, and feel pain when they have
difficult lives. They may blame God and other people, "God is not fair to
me!" They really don't know everything is karmic retribution. Under
hopeless conditions, people loose their belief in God, stop behaving well, and
eventually destroy themselves. Especially in China, the evil party uses
so-called "atheism" to destroy the morality of humankind. Without
belief, people dare to do all kinds of bad things. In such a way, the moral
standards of human society have quickly degenerated, and human beings are on the
verge of destruction. As practitioners, we realize that this is the arrangement
of the evil old forces due to their wanting to weed out sentient beings.
If a person could immediately receive a reward after doing a good thing, or
quickly receive karmic retribution after doing a bad thing, he (or she) could
easily experience the existence of the heavenly rule, "good will be
rewarded with good, and evil with evil." Thus, people would not dare to be
evil and accumulate endless karma that they could not pay back. Because the
universe has deviated, people can no longer verify the existence of the heavenly
rule. People behave badly until they loose all their virtue, and then they head
for destruction. My personal understanding is that this is one of the elements
which caused the old universe to deviate.
The future universe will exist forever. In my understanding, the rule of
"good will be rewarded with good, and evil with evil" will exist in
the future. No matter if one does good or bad, a person will receive returns in
their current life. Master taught us this in the Fa-rectification verse,
"The Fa rectifies heaven and earth, immediate retribution in this
lifetime." (Essentials for Further Advancement II)
In my personal understanding, Master wants to rectify the deviated rule of
"good will be rewarded with good, and evil with evil" in human
society.
As the Fa-rectification progresses, the rule "good will be rewarded with
good, and evil with evil" is gradually starting to surface. For example:
- If people believe "Falun Dafa is good" while facing dangerous
situations, or when they are very sick, and then they recite "Falun
Dafa is good," "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance is good,"
miracles will happen immediately.
- Quite a few ordinary people receive immediate retribution after doing bad
things to Dafa or Dafa disciples.
However, many ordinary people, especially those who persecute Dafa and Dafa
disciples, have not received any retribution yet, and they still behave badly.
They often talk boastfully, saying "Where is the retribution? I did a lot
of things to persecute Dafa, why haven't I received any evil returns?"
Therefore, they intensify their efforts to do more bad things. I have some
understandings about this situation as well:
Master said in Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia,
U.S.A.,
"As I've said, everything that happens today in the ordinary society
is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts. Even though the old forces do
exist, if you don't have those thoughts they can't do anything."
In my personal understanding, the reason for the situation is the result of
Dafa disciples' righteous thoughts. The objective of the old forces is to
destroy sentient beings. When they persecute Dafa, instead of rewarding them
with evil right away, the old forces arrange the retribution to come later
during the Fa-rectification of the human world.
If we send forth righteous thoughts with the mindset of hatred, not only will
our righteous thoughts not be effective, but also the old forces will take
advantage of our loopholes. The more you hate, the less possible the evil doers
will receive retribution.
Some fellow practitioners even think that it is not good behavior to let evil
people who persecute Dafa disciples receive retribution. Their various
understandings all come from misunderstanding the Fa.
If all Dafa disciples could rise to a higher level through understanding the
Fa's principles, we could realize that making those who persecute Dafa
practitioners receive immediate retribution is true compassion and salvation. We
could also understand that this thought reflects great virtue and the
retribution should arrive as early as possible. Every day exists for the needs
of Fa-rectification and for saving sentient beings. If those beings don't
receive retribution until Fa-rectification in the human world arrives, they will
loose their chance to survive. The only thing left for this kind of being is
elimination. It would definitely bring adverse effects on saving sentient
beings.
Therefore, if all the practitioners in an area could follow the progress of
Fa-rectification, the karmic retributions in the area should occur more often.
In this way, ordinary people could really see the rule, "good will be
rewarded with good, and evil with evil." Ordinary people could then see
both the merciful and the dignified sides of Dafa. Hence, they will respect Dafa
and be saved.
Let us send pure and firm righteous thoughts that all the people who
persecute Dafa and Dafa disciples receive retribution in this life. Let's save
more people and sentient beings in order to perfect and harmonize what Master
wants.
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- 8. Stepping Outside of Conflicts
By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China
(Clearwisdom.net)
Recently after I reviewed the latest Fa lecture by Master, I found some attachments and gaps of mine: I didnt follow the teachings of Master that, "the next persons things are your things, and your things are his things." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington D.C. Fa Conference") In "Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference," Master said,
"When any conflict arises or anything happens, Ive told you that not only should the two parties in the conflict look for reasons on their part, even any third party should think about himself---Why are you the one who observed it?"
After I had exchanged understandings of the Fa and shared the experiences of cultivation with my fellow practitioners, and I had studied the Fa persistently, I realized that I should have seriously looked inward.
Two things that I sense strongly are that that I have qing and I have the attachment of being selfish. I will look within myself with regard to qing. My parents both practice Falun Gong. My father is eighty-four years old, and my mother is seventy-eight years old. In my family, there was a succession of conflicts in our daily lives. My father didnt have the habit of washing his hands before reading Zhuan Falun, and he always folded a page to mark where he was reading. After a long period of time, the book became dirty. Besides that, the position in which he sat when he was sending out righteous thoughts was not correct, and he wasnt diligent in his cultivation. Each time I saw him, I always had a few words of complaint with strong sentimentality. Therefore, it did not have an effect. Not only did he not correct his old shortcomings, he added some new ones. Then I didnt realize that it was my own attachments that escalated the conflicts. Even worse, I always looked outward instead of looking inward.
On July 28, 2006, Teachers new Fa lecture "Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital" was published. After studying the Fa lecture, I clearly understood the meaning of looking inward. Teachers Fa principles touched me completely and woke me up. I now have a further understanding of the meaning of cultivation. As a true cultivator, you can only improve and move up by cultivating your inner self during conflicts. Immediately I jumped outside of the complicated conflict and clearly saw the human notions and attachments that were hidden inside myself, and I really understood Teachers Fa lecture. When there is a conflict between two persons, the third person who witnesses it should also look inside himself. My understanding is that whenever I see a conflict happening, its time for me to improve my xinxing. I should improve from the conflict and make breakthroughs to higher levels. That is, I should pour out some of the bad things from my "bottle" and the bottle should float up. I should uplift myself as a whole. As cultivators we should step outside of conflicts and transcend ourselves. We should not dig into the conflicts as ordinary people do. Ordinary peoples principles are exactly opposite from the principles of cultivators.
There is another meaning here. When we step outside of the conflicts, we will not cause more pain and harm to the other party, since the conflicts were formed to eliminate our attachments and to use the other party to help us improve ourselves. After you step out of the conflict, you really should thank the other party. Furthermore, give thanks for Teachers painstaking arrangement to let us improve as one body. Teacher told us, "...if you can take a step back, you'll see things in a whole new light." (Zhuan Falun). Only if you step back will you see that "After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!" (Zhuan Falun) Lets look inside ourselves during conflicts, harmonize the Fa together, improve as one body and fulfill our sacred missions by saving sentient beings.
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