(Minghui.org) Many of my fellow practitioners have left China to live elsewhere. I would like to share my understanding on this.
1. Six Fellow Practitioners Who Left China
First, I would like to tell about six practitioners who collaborated with me during the Fa-rectification, but recently left China.
In 2004, four local practitioners and I often went to a local labor camp to send forth righteous thoughts and help those who were jailed there.
Practitioner A, who has a relative working at the camp, was familiar with the setup and layout and told us where the female practitioners were held, where the male practitioners were held, which building was the headquarters, etc. We followed his guidance and sent forth righteous thoughts outside of those buildings.
Practitioner A also ran a local truth-clarifying material production site. We often studied the Fa at his house. Later, his child went abroad for school. He went to visit his child and ended up moving there permanently. Our Fa-study group dissolved as a result.
Practitioner A later told me that he regretted leaving, because he not only cannot speak with people in the new country due to the language barrier, but he also spends a lot of time making a living. Now he only has time on Sundays to go to a local tourist site for Dafa activities. He feels bad that he cannot talk to people about Falun Gong like he did in China.
When another practitioner was jailed in a detention center, I wanted to bring him some clothes and money. Practitioner B also wanted to visit him and bring him some books, so we went together.
I went into the visitor room after Practitioner B came out. Since I had never visited anyone in a detention center, I was nervous. Although I kept sending forth righteous thoughts, I still could not calm down.
When I came out, I was surprised to see that Practitioner B was standing outside sending forth righteous thoughts.
“You didn't leave?”
“I have been sending forth righteous thoughts for you.”
At that moment, I saw my fellow practitioner's compassion. I gained a deeper understanding of Master's teaching that practitioners are one body and it made me cry.
Practitioner B is a technician. He helped practitioners in our town and nearby areas repair all kinds of equipment and install satellite dishes to receive NTDTV's programs. His house was also a group Fa-study site. Now, he has moved away, too.
A husband and wife organized our group Fa-study and produced truth-clarifying materials. They were also the major force in installing NTDTV satellite dishes in our area. The husband is very responsible, and everybody respects him. A while ago, they went abroad for a Fa-conference and ended up staying there.
Every year we produce and distribute Shen Yun DVDs. One year, three of us met at one practitioner's house. Two of us made the DVDs, and one checked the quality. We worked until late at night. We then delivered the DVDs to other practitioners.
It was midnight by the time we returned. We sent forth righteous thoughts in the car. Practitioner E asked Practitioner F and me if we needed to get home. “If you don't have to go home, why don't we make more DVDs for the practitioners in the remote areas?” he said. We both agreed and worked until 2 a.m.
Now, E and F have gone, too.
A few years ago, a practitioner in our city was arrested and jailed in a different town. The prosecutor tried to sentence that practitioner to ten years in prison. Fellow practitioners and I went to that town to try to rescue him. A few local practitioners helped us. We went to the police department and detention centers with his family. We told the policemen and government officials what Falun Gong really is and asked for the practitioner's release.
We drove together, sent forth righteous thoughts together, and clarified the truth together. With the power of one body, we rescued the practitioner. Now, aside from myself and another fellow practitioner, everyone involved in that rescue has left.
1. My Regret
Over the past few months, several people told me that their NTDTV satellite dishes have stopped working and asked me if I could find somebody to fix them. I really felt bad. We used to have five practitioners in our area who installed satellites dishes, but they all left the country.
I regret that I did not make an effort to learn how to install the dishes when they were still here. In the past, I often went with those practitioners to install dishes, but I was only the driver. I just helped them to buy and deliver supplies and never thought that I should learn the technique behind it.
Recently, I learned that still another practitioner is going to move away. She and I have been working together for ten years. In my heart, I really do not want her to leave. I know that I have an attachment and that I rely on others too much. I try my best to be independent. Nonetheless, sometimes I feel helpless.
1. Why Don't I Leave China?
Many fellow practitioners have asked me why I don't leave, too. My son is studying abroad, and my financial situation would allow me to move elsewhere without worrying about the cost.
In the past I had serious health problems and prepared my will, thinking I was going to die soon. But Master and Dafa renewed my life. Of course I want to go abroad to see Master. But I cannot afford to lose the time and opportunities to clarify the truth in China.
My son was a troublemaker in school. Once I even passed out when I learned that he severely injured another student. It was Master and Dafa that woke up my son and set him on a righteous path. He went to a good university, where he refused to slander Falun Gong and got persecuted as a result.
After college, he went to graduate school outside of China and now devotes himself to Fa-rectification. He has been abroad for five years. Of course I want to visit him. But, my visit will interfere with his cultivation, and it would also be a waste of his time and money.
It is urgent to clarify the facts of Falun Gong to Chinese people, and there are a lot of opportunities to do so in China. Of course, there are a lot of difficulties in China, too. But those obstacles are the tests on our cultivation journey. By overcoming them, we can improve ourselves and rise to a purer realm.
In China, there are people everywhere who have predestined relationships with us. We do not have to look for them. Staying home, I can talk to my guests, relatives, and friends. Going outside, I can pass out materials, hang up banners, or talk to strangers.
In contrast, it seems that the only places we can talk to Chinese people outside of China are the tourist sites. Why would we abandon plenty of opportunities in China and try to find fewer opportunities overseas?
Moreover, we need manpower in China to collaborate on many projects. Leaving the country seems to weaken our local power as one body. Should we ignore our responsibility as practitioners in China?
I am not saying that going abroad is absolutely wrong. We all have different cultivation paths, and I am only sharing my own understanding here.
No matter where we are, the criteria and requirements for a cultivator are the same. We have our own responsibilities, and we cannot avoid any tests arranged in our cultivation. No matter where we are, we cannot keep human notions. If we have compassion towards sentient beings, we can do well in any project, no matter where we are.
Please correct me if my understanding deviates from the Fa.
