Clarifying the Truth to Government Officials

Greetings Master. Greetings Fellow Practitioners. I will talk about how to clarify the truth to government officials during the Fa-rectification. How should we understand the Fa-rectification cultivation period? How can we cultivate during Fa-rectification? This is the most important issue in our personal cultivation. If we cannot take seriously the task of “saving beings compassionately” in personal cultivation, we will not be able to grasp the true meaning of cultivation during the Fa-rectification period, and we will not understand how to be an integral part of the Fa-rectification cultivation period.

Part 1. They are waiting for the truth

The experiences I had in Iceland were a great step for me in understanding the significance of clarifying the truth to the government. I watched how mainstream media covered Falun Gong stories positively, how the public rallied at the site of the nation’s highest government post – the Premier’s office. They asked their government to rescind its decision to bar those who practise Falun Gong from entering Iceland. The ordinary people also went to the place where Falun Dafa practitioners were being held and organised large-scale protests against Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin’s visit. In places where the evil was unable to manipulate and control people, the public actively and bravely welcomed Dafa.

In another western country Jiang visited, the government also treated Dafa practitioners disrespectfully. A government’s treatment of Falun Dafa determines that nation’s future when the Fa rectifies the human world. Later this government publicly apologised in the newspaper. Every nation has a corresponding part in the cosmic body. This is the only time they can be saved, and their understanding side is indeed anxious to know the truth.

Dafa helped me understand an important issue. The old forces’ intention was to prevent a nation and its people from being saved by corrupting its government. The reason we clarify the truth to governments is because they are elected by the people and therefore represent their people. The government’s attitude towards Dafa determines the future of the nation.

After I understood the destructive arrangement by the old forces concerning the governments of different nations, I found myself getting less frustrated, especially when the outcome of my efforts was not as I expected. There are nations and their government leaders that will have no future if we don’t save them. Concepts that were previously abstract suddenly became clear. Now I know my responsibility clearly and cannot avoid it.

Looking within, I began to understand the reason why government officials have not understood Dafa yet. The reason is that we have not clarified the truth well enough to them. Our efforts are far from the requirement. On one hand are the old forces, which hold tremendous influence in this world. On the other hand, we find ordinary people who are tempted by various interests and thus abandon their consciences. We hope they can understand the truth. Only Master¹ rectifies the Fa². Without Master, there is nothing. A new history and a new future are being created. If practitioners do not clarify the truth, the ordinary people will remain under the old forces’ arrangement. If I really think this is my mission and they are the people for me to save, then my shortcomings are apparent.

When the persecution just began, a practitioner and I often sent materials regarding Falun Gong to government organisations. One official was rather sympathetic towards Falun Gong. We felt guilty every time we left his office because we always spoke about the persecution but not about the essence of Falun Gong. Later we regretted that we had not told him about Falun Gong itself. Finally we made the effort to tell him. It was very difficult. The persecution is very grim, and the Chinese government had spread many lies. Moreover, our English was not good enough to explain the practice clearly. However, after we finished our explanation, despite the difficulties, he told us, “Your explanation was very clear." We were touched by his compassion and encouragement. We understood that it was not our skill that had touched him, but our pure hearts.

Any one of us who lives in this city may have a neighbour who is a government employee. We should take the time to tell them the truth. If we fail to do so, one day they may say to us, “Your master asked you to save us. Did you do it?” We would have no response. If each person can spend one hour to call one or two government offices or organisations, the cumulative effect will be immeasurable. Everyday we would reach others. Our righteous thoughts would help government officials know the truth at a deeper level in order to choose the right position for themselves. In the meantime they can accomplish their assigned responsibilities in the international community. For Dafa practitioners, it’s just a small thing to do during lunch time every day.

We admire the compassion of Master who saves us and all sentient beings of the world. We cherish the mission to participate and save ordinary beings. Let’s join our efforts to save all the lives of the world.

Part 2. It was Dafa that made things possible and not our individual selves

Sometimes I am very pleased to see a government official or congressman understand the truth of the persecution. If I search deep within, the happiness comes not only because this person made the correct choice, but also because I feel personal satisfaction. Why feel satisfied with myself? It’s because I take the accomplishment of Dafa work as testimony to my personal cultivation and effort. Understanding that all things we have accomplished are possible only because of the compassion of Dafa and Master is a matter of our personal cultivation, of merging into the Fa. Clarifying the truth cannot be achieved just by applying ordinary techniques and abilities.

I would like to share a lesson I learned. An American company that had investments in China had been pressured into persecuting Dafa practitioners. Many practitioners reported this injustice to their local congressmen. A group formed to address this company’s violation of human rights. Congressman A, representing the district where the company is located, requested a meeting with our practitioners and Congressman B, who had stepped forward to address this injustice. A practitioner from Congressman A’s district flew to DC to join the meeting. Before we entered the office, I suggested that she ask her congressman to sign a resolution sponsored by Congressman B. He wouldn’t want to let the other congressman down, would he? At the end of the meeting, the practitioner from out of state took out the resolution signature form in front of everyone. Her congressman immediately grabbed the form and rolled it up before anyone knew what it was.

After searching within myself, I realised that I had been using ordinary methods, an embarrassing situation for the congressman, to try to pressure him to make his choice instead of clarifying the truth to him so he could understand. Of course it didn’t work. This was an important lesson. There is no detour concerning truth clarification. Our path is narrow and we must be righteous. Otherwise we will be irresponsible and treating Dafa tasks like ordinary work.

Looking back, during the past four years, all the correct decisions that foreign governments made regarding Falun Gong were all made possible by Dafa, not us, and definitely not because of an individual practitioner. A fellow practitioner explained very well: What could have been accomplished with our abilities and techniques? None. Not a single thing. Master made them all possible.

If we mistake the manifestation of Fa-rectification in this human dimension as the result of our personal efforts, we will treat our own projects as more important than those of others. We might even complain about other practitioners who are too busy to get involved with government work. Likewise, if we also mistake projects done by other practitioners as the result of their personal efforts, most likely, we will find fault with their work. It is more difficult to break through the old forces’ arrangements when we treat others as obstacles to our work for Dafa. The process of realising one’s mistakes and denying the old forces’ arrangements would be drawn-out.

When we regard ourselves as obstacles of other people’s assisting in Fa-Rectification, we ourselves are walking in circles under the arrangement of the old forces. We will not understand the Fa from within the Fa, and in the end, we will not only be incapable of helping others, we could end up falling into the trap ourselves. When we are righteous and pure as Dafa practitioners should be, we are assimilated with the Fa.

The Fa protects each of us. Master told us the truth of the universe that has never been disclosed before. He told us of our origins that go back in history to today, lifetime after lifetime, and also our destiny and responsibilities. Out of immeasurable compassion, He provided the best chances for each of us.

In the greeting “To All Students at the Nordic Fa Conference,” on June 17th, 2001, Master said:

…every student should, in addition to participating in group activities, in his daily life fully take the initiative of a Dafa disciple, establish his own mighty virtue in the process of clarifying the truth, and do well on his own Dafa disciple's path. So in clarifying the truth, don't wait, don't rely on others, and don't just hope for changes in external factors. Every one of us is creating history for the future, that's why everyone is not only participating in group activities, but also taking the initiative to look for things to do. As long as something is good for Dafa, you should take the initiative to do it, take the initiative to work on it. Every person you come into contact with in society is someone to clarify the truth to, and what's manifest in clarifying the truth is Dafa disciples' mercy and their salvation of the world's people. I hope that every Dafa disciple will fully take initiative and fully play his role as a Dafa disciple.

One should not be attached to oneself when cultivating in Dafa. Master stated the fundamentals of cultivation in "Genuinely Guiding People Toward High Levels" in Lecture One of the main text of Falun Gong, Zhuan Falun:

To tell you the truth, the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments.

Being attached to oneself makes it hard to balance well the relationship between oneself, Dafa, and fellow practitioners. I’m learning to acknowledge other practitioners in my Dafa activities. In the past, I was very stubborn. I held on to my own ideas because I was sure that I was right. Gradually, Dafa has helped me to see the virtues of fellow practitioners, and made me realise that it is only when we are undivided that can we form a powerful body. I’ve become less concerned with the outcome of things and less critical of others because I understand that no matter which practitioner carries out a task, even if the method and result are different from mine, the effect in the long run will be the same. It is a process of cultivation and the power of the Fa. It is Dafa that accomplishes everything.

Before, when an idea was raised that did not conform to my thinking, I’d immediately think, “This is wrong. It’s not this way.” Once a practitioner mentioned that a government did such and such things. I corrected him by saying, “No, it is our Dafa practitioners who did such things.” After the words left my mouth, I immediately realised that his thought was not wrong, so why did I have to ‘correct’ him rather than supplementing his words? It was still my trivial sense of self, the shallow concept of my individual being. Now, when any suggestion comes my way, I think, “Very good! Maybe this idea could benefit what I’m doing as well.”

I once heard an impressive story about three practitioners who went to clarify the truth at an embassy regarding an urgent matter. The official they spoke with was not enthusiastic. The first practitioner then started to calmly speak about how he had obtained the Fa. Another practitioner wanted to interrupt his speech. The third practitioner stepped on her foot several times to stop her from speaking. Eventually, this official really listened to them, asked many questions about Dafa, and even expressed his willingness to understand more. The practitioners found that everyone has his own way of clarifying the truth. We can supplement each other. It is most effective when we add positive energy to support other practitioners’ work.

Some practitioners complained that opportunities in government work were few. I tried to improve the situation. I sincerely hoped that things could be made easier, but I kept one thought hidden inside – I hoped to stop those complaints and criticism with my “openness.” On the other hand, if I had responded with great compassion and thought of other practitioners first, with the standard of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance then those complaints would have ceased to exist. My thinking directly pointed at my human sentimentality and lack of compassion. I had tried neglected to use the opportunity to eliminate my fundamental selfishness.

One day when I was reading "A Clear and Clean Mind" in Lecture Nine of Zhuan Falun, I found these words of Master:

For a practitioner who is truly determined to practice cultivation, I would say that it turns out to be a good thing. Without conflicts arising or opportunities to improve your xinxing, you cannot make progress. If everyone is nice to one another, how do you practice cultivation?

I suddenly got it. My experiences were an opportunity for me to raise my xinxing (mind nature). This helped me understand a greater dimension of cultivation and to search within. When others have an opinion, the first thing we should look at is where we can make improvements. That is how we can truly function as a Dafa particle.

Part 3. Fundamentally negate the arrangement of the old forces.

After listening to Master’s Chicago lecture during this year’s Falun Dafa experience sharing conference, I realised that i frequently had tribulations. Whatever I did, I would face difficulties and obstacles. I would break through step by step, and finally we would push forward a little as a whole group.

Similar situations occurred when filing lawsuits. Non-professional practitioners had difficulties with the details. What’s more, our legal ignorance hindered breaking through the barriers and sometimes became a huge wall preventing us from clarifying the truth. Instead of trying to break through, we tried to take a more secure route by trying to avoid mistakes and consequently found ourselves hardly able to move a step forward.

The first difficulty we faced in clarifying the facts to judges and legal experts was the numerous laws and our ignorance of them. We experienced a break through when many practitioners who had had no previous experience clarifying the truth to government officials and other VIPs joined the legal team. They had no self-limiting notions and were not attached to the results. We were then able to break through the restrictions we had set for ourselves and bravely told the truth to the “experts.” Then it seemed that there was nothing we could not achieve once we had clear minds.

In another situation, while practitioners in one area broke through obstacles to clarify the truth to the government, practitioners in other areas still proceeded slowly. How could we improve our understanding of Dafa as one body? Once one group of practitioners improved, other groups would also benefit so that the whole body could improve together.

In “Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference”, Master said:

We negate even the very emergence of the old forces and everything that they've arranged; we don't even acknowledge their existence. We're fundamentally negating all of their things, and all of, and only, the things you do while negating and getting rid of them is mighty-virtue. It's not that you're cultivating amidst the ordeals they created. Rather, you are to walk your own path well while not acknowledging them, not even acknowledging the elimination of their ordeals' manifestations. So looking at it from this angle, what we need to do is completely negate the old forces. Dafa disciples and I don't even acknowledge the manifestations of their last-ditch efforts.

If “We negate even the very emergence of the old forces...” as Master said, we will not cultivate inside the ordeal arranged by the old forces. Master taught us how to break through old forces’ arrangement as a whole body. This helps us to let go of confusion, improve together and strengthen our efforts to save sentient beings. Master teaches us the fundamentals and guides us in saving the people of more nations.

Unlike other projects, there is no daily progress report and deadline to meet when we clarify the truth to government officials. Even if you don’t do anything for a day or a month, you won’t see immediate losses.

Actually, if we do not do our work well, the loss is the destruction of gigantic cosmic bodies and the corresponding beings living in them. The speed and power of Fa-rectification determines the urgency and importance of our mission. In “Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference,” Teacher said:

As Dafa disciples have clarified the facts you have saved many beings who were supposed to be saved, but it's not enough. In fact, so far, what you've accomplished is still limited, and in terms of numbers the proportion is still quite small.

Like other projects, the government project is a process of stepping out. We must overcome our human concepts, fear, and laziness, and step forward to tell the truth face to face to government officials. When we treat them as sentient beings that have waited for salvation for thousands of years, we feel our responsibility. To fulfil this responsibility, we must put down loss of our personal interests and overcome our shortcomings. When we look inside, what we find are all things that are not pure and that need improvement. We have done far from enough. We should put down our fear and overcome all obstacles to accomplish the mission Master asked us to do.

If we see a person in danger who could lose his life at any minute, will we stretch out our hands to help him immediately or wait for someone who has more experience in rescuing others? If every one of us makes a phone call everyday, a hundred disciples will have contacted a hundred government agencies or organisations. In a ten-day period, a thousand organisations will be contacted. Every one or two months we can cover them again with new materials. Let’s take ourselves as particles in Dafa, as carriers of Dafa’s compassion, and try our best to do more. With a pure mind, we can do everything well. Just step forward and tell the truth face to face. We’ll do it better and better because Master has given us the sense, wisdom, and compassion and has arranged the possibilities.

Terms:

1. Master - Respectfully referring to the founder of Falun Gong Mr Li Hongzhi
2. Fa - Universal principle, the teachings of Falun Gong