Righteous Conduct Leads to Righteous Results

Teacher has pointed out time and again the importance of studying the principles of Falun Gong. Here I would like to relate my experiences in this regard.

I work 60 to 90 hours per week in my profession. It is demanding work, especially at the beginning when I first started the job. As a result, I couldn't seem to manage to devote sufficient time to read the Falun Dafa books during my non-working hours.

After I had read, "Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Florida," [ 'Fa' can be translated as 'Law' or 'Principle'] I gained this understanding: It is like being on a river -- if you stop paddling, the current will take you downriver. That is exactly how I felt when I read less than I usually did. The result was that my understandings were no longer so solidly based on the Fa and some loopholes appeared. This awareness jolted me into deliberately taking more time to read. I have now made a habit during my leisure hours to first read the Fa before I do anything else. Since then, not only has my professional work gone more easily, but the activities involved in Falun Dafa has also gone more smoothly as well. As I understand Teacher's words, every Falun Dafa practitioner's noble conduct and demeanour is based on how well one studies and comprehends the Fa.

Last summer someone presented me with an unusual request. During an event on July 20, 2002, another practitioner spoke with me and mentioned that a German-language Falun Dafa film needed a script, and asked whether I would be interested in working on it. Cooperation with another practitioner was soon established. My colleague on the project had some prior film making experience, yet we were both amateurs with little skill in this area. The small team that had been assembled managed to produce a film in about five weeks.

I look at it this way: Even though we are not professionals, with our noble hearts we can accomplish great things for Falun Dafa. Another example is translation work that, for the most part, is done by non-professionals. When doing these things, we cannot merely rely on our abilities and knowledge learned from our old ways of doing things. As a matter of fact, sometimes our conventional knowledge can present a stumbling block for Falun Dafa work, because influences from the old forces and their views do frequently sneak into our store of conventional knowledge. I firmly believe that if we absolve to carry out our Falun Dafa activities with noble hearts and, while performing these tasks, try to do the best possible work we are capable of doing, then the world around us will recognise the effects. Another thought had occurred to me in this regard: it was probably not a coincidence that I had three weeks of vacation during the time of producing this film, and it was also probably no coincidence that the person working with me on the project was laid off from work. I consider it a predestined event -- prior to this we did not have a German-language truth clarification film geared to the European mentality.

Many people expressed positive opinions when the film was completed. One practitioner offered, "This is one film about Falun Dafa that I am really eager to show to my family." Another practitioner had presented his boss with a copy of the film. After he, his wife and daughter had viewed it, they wanted to learn the Falun Gong exercises immediately and sent an order for the exercise video. When some others showed the film to friends and acquaintances, many people asked questions, which in turn allowed for further discussions about Falun Dafa.

TV stations in several cities have aired the film on their regional channels. It has already aired three times in Berlin. I look at it this way: it is up to us to take the first step, which in this case was to complete a film. This has led me to the realisation that our prior skills and knowledge can definitely be utilised for clarifying the truth, but that must not prevent us from treasuring the skills we acquire through our cultivation efforts. We must not be hindered by conventional motives and criticisms.

Teacher has said in the "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Philadelphia,"

"I said before that everything happening in today's human society is caused by Dafa disciples themselves, by their hearts."

These words represent a huge responsibility, because how one's surroundings react depends solely upon whether one's heart and mind are noble or ruled by one's notions and attachments.

In October of 2002, many other practitioners from Germany and I went to Houston to peacefully appeal against Jiang's evil persecution. I made the discovery that our cooperation and bonding was especially effective. But that had not occurred to me until later. I realised why this happened: when we were in Houston, we were always together as a group. We only helped the American practitioners with certain ancillary tasks and carried out our Falun Dafa tasks.

We acted like cultivators should, and that's why no loopholes appeared, such as boasting, bragging or notions of self-importance. I experienced an atmosphere of a noble climate for clarifying the truth. As I understand it -- if we, as we did in Houston, don't take ourselves too seriously and consider the total effort of Fa-rectification as the top priority, then we can avoid those loopholes trying to open that could hinder what we are trying to do. As Teacher had said at the "Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Florida,"

"I must tell you -- the remainder that can damage Dafa and Dafa disciples is due to the disciples themselves."

The tasks that come to us as cultivators these days sometimes present us with demands that catch us short: we have to study the Fa, we have to participate in clarifying the truth, we have to place particular emphasis on revealing the true facts to the Chinese people, and other demands. I have noticed, in others and in myself, that one can easily lose balance, because we want to do well in everything. One event sticks out in my mind. I observed another practitioner attempting to inform a politician about the persecution and "Article 23." This happened more or less as if the practitioner was delivering a monologue. To my chagrin I had to witness how this politician, who had already assented to our human rights stance, suddenly began to doubt us. That incident taught me that it is not enough to recite persecution information. One must also demonstrate the nobility of heart. If this is done, the effect of the explanation and the information itself gives solid credence to the truth. Our noble demeanour and conduct is often more important and also much more effective than the information we relay. When we convey the truth to anyone, we must always think of the other person first. Only if we genuinely listen and hear, and try to understand their point of view will we find a ready and willing ear for that person to listen to the truth.

Listening to and understanding the other person is not merely important in social contact, but crucial during interactions among practitioners. I feel that if we would pay more attention to that aspect, we would be making progress on truly becoming one body and being able to overcome all forms of interference.

(Original text in German)