Cherish Dafa, Cherish Life

I was deeply grieving after hearing the sudden news that our fellow practitioner Ms. Zhu Youyong was forced to commit suicide by hanging. This tragedy took place on December 16, 2000 at the First Labor Reeducation Center of Hebei Province. Even though the brutal persecution by Jiang Zemin and his accomplices caused her death, it is still pitiful that she died. It is pitiful because this is a life having endured so many hardships to eliminate karma and establishing her mighty virtue, unfortunately violated the cultivation principle of "prohibiting killing" at the very end.

1. Leave no opportunity for the evil to take advantage Since the beginning of the persecution against Falun Dafa, Jiang Zemin and his accomplices have been spreading the rumor that Dafa practitioners will commit suicide and setting traps for it. It was a futile attempt to cover up and shirk the responsibility for their planned mass murders. Falun Gong has an explicit rule against killing. Killing of any life (including oneself) will make one bear a large amount of karma. By strictly following the teaching of our teacher, Dafa practitioners have been able to remain unswerving and strong in the face of any arduous hardship and in any complicated environment. During the process of Fa rectification, they have used peaceful and non-violent means to expose the evil. They have established their magnificent glory as the guardians of Fa in the human world. We have already come through the most difficult period of time with our righteous faith in Dafa. At this last critical moment, it is even more crucial for us to have a clear view of the current situation, and look at everything from a practitioner's perspective that is based on the principles of Fa. We should leave no opportunities -- due to "omission" in our own cultivation -- for the evil to take advantage of undermining Dafa

2. After the brief darkness, the eternal splendor. I fully understand the pain of fellow practitioners in China and their contempt for this wicked world. A country overlooks nationwide corruption and a rampage of crimes, and its officials consider the fate of the nation and the livelihood of the people less important than filling their own pockets. Yet the country would summon all its resources to suppress a citizen's group that follows the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. When facing brutality, this innocent populace did not retaliate in any way, still making peaceful appeals to the righteous officials within the government, to stand up for the justice and right the wrong. Yet the government used all is military, police, prison and propaganda machines, etc. to intensify its brutal persecution of these kind practitioners. The law enforcement agencies hire thugs and hoodlums to enforce the will of a dictator to the inculpable masses, and the country openly forces its citizens to lie, slander, inform on each other, ignore the law and the constitution, and resort to violence and torture. Furthermore, this country disregards the lives of its most gentle and model citizens, and uses them as bargaining chips for personal gain and as scapegoats in a political power play. When a country has been degraded to such a point, how can any normal person think that it still has hope and a future? Even so, from the perspective of a practitioner, I still think that, according to the Fa, it is not proper to treat one's life so lightly. We, the Dafa disciples, have come to this world to attain the Fa, and to cultivate during Fa rectification, however the true significance of our existence is to validate Dafa. When we first decided to come to this human world, we knew that we would suffer immense hardships, and that we risked not being able to return and might degenerate here until our final destruction. Yet, we came. Since we came, we have already suffered a great deal, in order to attain the Fa, during this era of Fa rectification. What we are facing now is nothing but the darkness before the dawn, the last moment of our long "journey in the human world." Beyond the brief iniquity is the eternal glory. It will be beyond remorse when the truth manifests itself, if one gives up one's own life at this historic moment. From an even broader perspective, a Dafa practitioner's life is tied with the future of the universe and the many life beings that will live in the heavenly kingdoms. Our current suffering and sacrifice are not just for our return to our original true selves, but also for the glorious future of other life beings in this universe. At the same time, Teacher has already arranged everything we will need after reaching Consummation. To welcome his children home after a long journey, our compassionate Teacher has already prepared the best of everything. In order to offer salvation to us, Teacher has already endured and suffered far more than what we have endured and what we are enduring. Therefore, to cherish our own lives is to cherish all life beings, our teacher's benevolent salvation, and the wonderful and magnificent future that Teacher would like to give us.

3. "Beyond the Limits of Forbearance" begins a new stage in Fa rectification In the article "Eliminate your last attachments," published August 12, 2000 Teacher said, "I know all of the suffering of my disciples. The truth is, I treasure you more than you treasure yourselves! All evil in the cosmos is being eliminated at an unprecedented speed." Even though the evil still seems rampant it is, in fact, just a superficial manifestation. After Teacher published "Beyond the limits of Forbearance" on January 1, 2001, the cosmos has undergone significant changes again. Some Dafa practitioners who were validating Dafa on Tiananmen Square on that day personally witnessed part of the change and came to an understanding of its meaning. An 11-year old practitioner wrote in an article: "...then we saw some snow-like brownish powder falling from the sky. Later we heard that other practitioners on Tiananmen Square also saw the powdery stuff falling on their bodies. I wonder whether they were the ashes of evil beings being destroyed in other dimensions. ......" Now in order to alleviate the sufferings of the Chinese practitioners, practitioners worldwide and more and more people who recognize the truth, are stepping up their effort to expose and suffocate the evil. Darkness will not remain forever. The moment before the end of Fa rectification is most precious. During the painful course of overcoming tribulations, only by guiding ourselves with a strong righteous mind, can we suffocate the evil and establish our own mighty virtue. Teacher said: "If a cultivator can let go of the thought of life and death under any circumstances, evil is bound to be afraid of him. If every practitioner is able to do this, evil will of itself no longer exist." The new scripture "Beyond the Limits of Forbearance" opens up a new stage of Fa rectification. The elevated viciousness of Jiang Zemin and his accomplices in the new year signals they are approaching the end. It has been proven that the righteousness and compassion of millions of Dafa practitioners have already frightened the evil. Jiang Zemin owes countless blood debts to the Chinese people and Dafa practitioners. Layers and layers of hell await him. He is now on his last legs relying on evil beings in other dimensions. What is there for us to lose? "Crave for nothing in life, Lingering for nothing before death." During the Fa rectification, those practitioners, whose lives were taken by the evil force, died for the right cause. Gods will open the Heavenly Gate to welcome our return upon Consummation. All that practitioners have done in their lifelong history for attaining the Fa, rectifying the Fa and safeguarding the Fa today will be recited and praised in Heavens and on earth long after, regardless of whether the practitioner has lost his/her human life in order to validate and safeguard Dafa, or whether the practitioner has come through till the day when the truth is revealed. We will see with our own eyes that no matter how much suffering we have endured, it is nothing compared to the glorious futures we will have. ---------- Everything has its cause and effect, including the hardships we are facing today. In their past lives, many Dafa practitioners had suffered a great deal, some even lost their lives multiple times in order to attain the Fa today. This last bit of hardship we have today, however painful it is, is nothing compared to the torment taken by Teacher to offer us salvation. Therefore, we cannot look at what we are facing today superficially from the standpoint of this dimension. Furthermore, we cannot regard personal tribulations with an ordinary persons mentality and sentimentality. Teacher is looking after his disciples at all times. It is important to have a righteous mind in the face of a tribulation. Having Teacher and Dafa with us, Dafa practitioners are the most fortunate and tenacious people in this world. The ones who are fortunate enough to cultivate during Fa rectification are admired, even, by gods in Heaven. Dafa practitioners must understand the significance of the existence of life from the standpoint of Dafa. The value of our existence and the glory of our lives lie in validating and safeguarding the Fa. We have already fulfilled the requirements of Dafa in many aspects, and we should do the same on the issue of how to treat our own lives. Everything that Dafa disciples do must be worthy of our lives that were created by Dafa; and be worthy of "Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance," the Dafa that our Teacher has taught us. The above is my personal understandings. I welcome and appreciate your comments. 1/8/2001