Establish Fa Study Sites with Compassion

The area I live in is an out-of-the-way place. Local practitioners, including myself, set up a Fa study site at the suggestion of practitioners in Guangzhou City. A dozen or so practitioners got together at one practitioner's home once every week and the result was very good. The practitioners all had the opinion that we improved ourselves very quickly. At the same time, more and more practitioners came to join the Fa study. I talked to the coordinator, asking if we could set up more Fa study sites. At the time, the coordinator did not agree with this. She told me that I did not know the environment of the local area well enough. (It was true. I had left home and been homeless for several years to avoid being arrested and had just returned from other parts of the country.) However, I tried to talk to the coordinator from the angle of security and in the hope that more practitioners could come to group study. At the same time, I told her, we could help new practitioners solve some problems in their cultivation. She still refused. I said to her, "You must look inward!"

I decided to put the issue aside and discuss it later. After a period of time, we found that the police had gone to some of the practitioners' places of work to harass them. These practitioners asked if they were being followed by the police. Out of safety concerns, I raised the issue once again to split our Fa-study group, and this time the coordinators agreed. I told them that we could have our Fa study sites spring up everywhere and blossom all over the place. Another reason for multiple sites was that new practitioners could walk their own path and veteran practitioners could continue to mature. In running a Fa study site, they could improve themselves, shoulder their responsibilities and help new practitioners in their cultivation.

In early 2007, a Fa study group was split into four groups. The feedback for the first Fa study was very good. The new practitioners spoke actively at the meeting and the veteran practitioners helped to answer questions arising from their cultivation. At the same time, they helped new practitioners learn to take the Fa as their Teacher. As a result, many new practitioners began to do the three things that Teacher asked us to do. I shared with the coordinator about the issue. She also enlightened to the fact that the enormous current of Fa-rectification had been charging forward to that point and it was Teacher who pushed us forward.

Over the next several months, we discussed how to do the "three things" well and thought of several different ways of doing them even better. Some practitioners said that it would be better to have our own pamphlets, which would include information about the persecution and truth-clarification activities of our local area. I was asked to be in charge of the production of the pamphlets. At the time, though I did not know what to do, I still accepted the task. First, we used the pamphlets produced in other places for reference. After trial and error, we eventually produced two local editions of pamphlets. After that, we handed out the new truth-clarification materials extensively in our area twice. Then we produced two fliers and posted them on Minghui.net (Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net). When we had our own truth-clarification materials, practitioners worked even harder in clarifying the truth and persuading people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its subordinate organizations. At the same time, a lot of practitioners removed the obstacles of fear and joined the team that downloaded materials from websites whenever it was safe.

After we split the Fa study group and set up processing sites for truth-clarification materials, I upgraded my "xinxing" and let go of lot of attachments. However, the success that we had achieved also brought up my attachments of complacency and laziness, as well as some other deeply rooted attachments. I seldom went to the Fa study site - which was under my responsibility - with the excuse that I was too busy. Gradually, my attachments resulted in a lot of problems. Practitioners of some Fa study sites were having difficulty maintaining the sites and one study site, which normally would have over a dozen people, now only had two practitioners left. Sometimes, group study would be cancelled.

What had gone wrong? I calmed myself down and carefully reviewed my words and deeds in the past few months. Upon looking inward, I was surprised to find that all these months I treated the production sites for truth-clarification as accomplishing a task and at the same time, I failed to treat fellow practitioners compassionately. Teacher said:

"Without 'nothing,' it is a human feeling. If it is a human feeling, then it's not bei (compassion)." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference" )

"While working, your tone of voice, your kind-heartedness, and your reasoning can change a person's heart, whereas commands never could! " ("Clearheadedness" from Essentials for Further Advancement)

I always told other practitioners what to do and even in talking to our coordinator I would ask her to look inward. Therefore, I failed to be compassionate and tolerant towards others. When fellow practitioners pointed out that I was always in a hurry in doing things, I would respond with an excuse, saying that the Fa-rectification was urgent (As a matter of fact, what I had understood later was that the Fa-rectification has been arranged by Teacher in an orderly way. What we need to do is seize the time to save sentient beings).

Since I was in charge of the production of truth-clarification materials and I brought with me such an attachment, the result turned out contrary to my wishes and we came across a lot of conflicts. At that moment, I thought of what the coordinator had said to me before, about not knowing the local environment well enough. When problems arose, I realized that I should not detour, so I began to study the Fa with a calm mind and then look inward. The initial idea of setting up Fa study sites was to let more and more practitioners have a group Fa study environment. Veteran practitioners could seize the time to study the Fa well and help new practitioners while they were in charge of the Fa study sites. They could also upgrade themselves during the process and be sober minded on what they should do. Those practitioners at various Fa study sites could also set up their own truth-clarification material production sites when conditions were ripe for the requirements of Fa-rectification. However, during the process, I only paid attention to setting up, stabilizing the Fa study sites and eventually establishing truth-clarification materials processing sites. Worse still, I used everyday people's management methods in executing this process and the basis of doing this was also not properly positioned. I established the study sites for the sake of establishing them. I had the opinion that if I could do a good job in managing the production of the truth-clarification materials, then saving sentient beings would naturally be the task of other practitioners. During this whole process, my kind heart and my compassion were simply not there.

In addition, saving sentient beings does not mean we only need to do one or two projects on a grand and spectacular scale. When going out to do things we should primarily clarify the truth. We do not need acknowledgement or praise. This is because the purpose of our cultivation is to attain the righteous enlightenment of selflessness and altruism. Therefore, our aim is to save as many people as possible, quietly, without being noticed, and as efficiently as possible. In saving sentient beings, we must be kind and compassionate, and do it perseveringly. The ultimate aim of what we have been doing is to save sentient beings.

This enlightenment prompted me to consult with several other practitioners. We agreed that we should not deal with our problems with any human notions and we should not blame or accuse fellow practitioners for the problems occurring in their respective study sites. Instead, we must behave as Teacher has instructed:

"Unlike an everyday person who would mess things up--you should always maintain a heart of benevolence and a mind of kindness ...You will be able to take care of it properly." ("Lecture Four" of Zhuan Falun)

Therefore, I suggested that practitioners who are in charge of Fa study sites meet once a month to study the Fa and share experiences together, as well as solve problems which may arise in their respective Fa study site. The next person's things are my things, and my things are his things, because we are of one body. I enlightened that I must treat my fellow practitioners compassionately, as I treat all sentient beings.

Now we still have four study sites. It is up to each group to decide the time, venue and format that their group will take. Though we still have not reach the hoped for result, we will certainly upgrade during this process as long as we do it with pure hearts.

Finally, let us review Teacher's poem "The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos" (from Hongyin II):

"Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in spring
Righteous thoughts can save the people in this world"

Thanks to Teacher for his compassionate salvation! Heshi