(Minghui.org) I’m involved in the phone project to rescue practitioners who have been illegally detained by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) regime. I used to get angry when I phoned people who were rude or abusive, especially those who verbally abused Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa.
As I studied the Fa, my attitude began to change, and I felt peaceful and calmer when I encountered such people on the phone.
Master said,
“Clarifying the truth and personal cultivation are integrated. If someone's state of mind is not right, or if his righteous thoughts are not strong enough, then problems will follow, for your own cultivation is what's fundamental.”(“Fa Teaching Given at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World, Volume IX)
I asked myself, “Why is it that when other practitioners make phone calls, those on the other end listen for a long time and talk to the practitioner, but this doesn’t happen when I call?”
Looking within, I could see the gaps in my personal cultivation. I could see that my state of mind wasn’t righteous and I still had a competitive mentality and resentment. With such impure thoughts, how could I possibly change the mindset of others and how could they respond positively when I clarified the facts to them?
Think about it: People in China have been submerged in the muck of the CCP’s lies for so long, how could they not harbor misunderstandings about Falun Dafa? People who work in the public security, the Procuratorate, and courts are directly involved in the persecution so they tend to have a deep-seated hatred of Falun Dafa.
The CCP regime uses financial incentives to promote the persecution. Former CCP leader Jiang Zemin even issued a secret policy: “No consequences if [practitioners] are beaten to death. Death from torture will be counted as suicide. Send [the body] to be cremated directly—no need to verify [the practitioner’s] identity.” This policy encouraged the evildoers to act even more unscrupulously in their persecution of practitioners. Even though they know that practitioners are good people and haven’t done anything wrong, they use the persecution to get promoted and make money. It is very hard to save these people.
However, they were also Master’s loved ones in their previous lifetimes and were once high-level beings before they descended to the human world. They are now seriously trapped in the delusion and are in great danger. They are also lives we need to save, and as practitioners we have the responsibility to eliminate their hatred and misunderstandings of Falun Dafa. We should awaken their consciences and kind thoughts by clarifying the truth.
I realized that Master was reminding me to pay attention to improving my xinxing while I’m trying to save people, because our own cultivation is important. If we fail to look inward and improve, we won’t be able to make breakthroughs. If we cannot save ourselves, how can we save others?
After I gained a better understanding of my responsibility, I became clear-minded. My righteous thoughts were strengthened and it was easier to make truth-clarification phone calls to China.
I called the head of a police station regarding an important case in Sichuan Province. As soon as he picked up the phone, he started shouting, “Damn you! It’s Falun Dafa again! Why do you keep bothering me? Come to the police station and see how fast I send you to jail!”
I said calmly, “This is the first time I called you. Why do you say I keep bothering you?” He didn’t say anything and the tension seemed to ease. “I’m calling you because I’d like to tell you an interesting story about the head of another police station.
“Someone reported a practitioner, so the police searched his home and confiscated truth-clarification materials. They tortured him to try to catch more practitioners and earn a bonus. When the practitioner could not bear the pain anymore, he told the police he got the materials from his older sister, which was me.
“When the head of the police station and his men came to my place, I warmly greeted them and explained how Falun Dafa saved my brother and I, and why practitioners continue to practice in the face of terrible persecution and even live organ harvesting. I told them the truth-clarification materials are for saving people, and the practice does not violate any law or the Chinese constitution.
“Before I could finish, the head of the police station told me to sign a prepared statement that said I found the bag of materials in a park and asked someone else to give it to my brother. I refused to sign it.
“The director quietly told me that this was the only way to settle the issue, and only he and I would know about it. My brother and I would be free of trouble and that ‘someone else’ would not even know about it. He also said that he knew practitioners were all good people.
“Three months later, I went back to my hometown and paid a visit to the head of the police station. By then he had been promoted and transferred to serve as deputy head of the county’s Transport Bureau.
“Don’t you think it’s a very interesting story?” I asked the police chief I was calling. “Please remember that good and evil will always receive their due rewards. That police chief was very wise and his kind action not only protected practitioners but also brought him blessings.”
The police officer I was talking to on the phone seemed to have changed his attitude and said, “Yes, you are very kind and I understand what you mean. You are trying to help me.”
I said, “I believe you also have a kind nature, and I hope that, for the sake of your own future and that of your family members, you will treat practitioners kindly because protecting them is also protecting yourself. Please try to release those practitioners as soon as possible, and in the future, if you come across practitioners do your best to avoid persecuting them.”
I continued to tell him about Falun Dafa, and he listened quietly for about 36 minutes. When I tried to persuade him to quit the CCP, he sighed and hung up. When I tried to call again, he refused to answer.
However, I was able to tell him about the anti-censorship software and how to access the Sound of Hope and Quit the CCP websites. Although he did not quit the CCP at the time, I felt what I told him deeply touched his soul.
The phone project to rescue unlawfully detained practitioners is indeed a good cultivation environment. I feel that if you don’t cultivate yourself seriously and your righteous thoughts aren’t strong enough, your attempts to save people will be interfered with. If you let up even just a little bit and deviate from the Fa, you will go astray and follow the path arranged by the old forces. This is especially true for us elderly Dafa disciples. Our lives could have very well been extended by Master, so the purpose of our very existence is to save more people!
The path of cultivation is getting narrower and narrower, and the standards are getting higher and higher. If we aren’t moving forward, we’re going backward on the path of cultivation. We must cherish this unique opportunity and Master’s tremendous sacrifice for us. We must be more and more diligent, cultivate ourselves well, and save more people!
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!