Out of compassion, it is every Falun Dafa practitioner's wish to make full use of our truth-clarifying materials. And it is vital that we take everyday people's different situations into consideration so that we can truly awaken their longing for the beauty of Dafa through our truth-clarifying materials. In light of some problems we have encountered in this area in our practice, I would like to add the following suggestions.
The first impression is very important
Recently we have made great improvements in this area. We have made some CDs with words of blessing on beautiful covers. The covers are laminated and present an exquisite appearance. When people obtain such a CD, they will cherish it more and not be able to throw it away because the first thought the package will arouse in them is one of beauty. Making this effort truly embodies practitioners' consideration and respect for everyday people.
The readability of truth-clarifying materials
While we are editing truth-clarifying materials, we must make sure to think about the level of understanding of our readers and not just express our own ideas and reflections. It is for the sake of saving them, of inspiring their inner compassion rather than instilling in them theories or moral lessons. Personally, a moving story is more persuasive and touching than a lecture. In the past, when I finished reading Collection of Falun Gong Practitioners' Cultivation Experiences, tears filled my eyes. Every story demonstrated the compassionate consideration of others and touched me deeply. I know that it is the power of Falun Dafa. It is Dafa that has changed the selfish into the noble. Therefore, while we continue to expose the evils' persecution, we definitely cannot overlook the great power of Dafa in purifying people's hearts and minds through our positive validation of Dafa.
As Teacher Li has said, "You are cultivators, whose conduct is [supposed to be] pure and righteous. There are so many people who think you're great just by having seen how you act." (Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston). Thus, I feel we should not only do well according to Teacher Li's requirements in our daily life, but also choose more articles that focus on this aspect in editing truth- clarifying materials, because we are cultivating among everyday people, and cultivation stories close to our daily lives are the most convincing and moving, and they are of the greatest interest.
The wording of our articles
Personally, I think we should use words that are peaceful and compassionate, and avoid using words that are sharp, empty, instructive or that make people feel that others' opinions are being imposed upon them. We should consider our readers' levels of understanding and conventions instead of relying only on our own habits of expression. Of course it has something to do with our individual cultivation. I remember when I first started to clarify the truth to the people around me; I used to pour out all I wanted to say regardless of other people's ability to understand my perspective or their attitude. When some people resisted, I even argued with them heatedly. Later on, this issue was clarified to me through my husband, who said, "How can you treat everybody the same way, completely disregarding his mood, background, and level of understanding? Have you ever seen Teacher Li speak as loudly and excitedly as you? You make people feel uncomfortable." Since then, I have realized my weakness and adjusted my attitude. I approach different people from different angles and respect their feelings sincerely in my heart. I listen to them quietly until they finish what they want to say, and then I resolve their problems in a calm and kind tone or give some relevant examples or offer a few words of wisdom. The truth-clarifying results have been much more positive.
I feel that, no matter if we are clarifying the truth orally or by writing truth-clarifying articles, we should cultivate our hearts and our speech, taking into consideration how to truly offer salvation to others. Although people in the world are much deceived by the fabricated lies, from our standpoint, we should try to be very careful not to offend others' dignity accidentally.
The issue of sensitivity
This is a common issue in China. Each bitter political campaign in history has distorted the concept of justice in people's hearts. They are confused about what is good and what is evil. Plus, after three years of vicious propaganda, people in China are deeply poisoned. "I don't care who is right and who is wrong as long as the persecution won't affect me." People are only concerned about their own personal interests. So their impulses of self-protection and apathy are very strong, while their concept of good or evil, right or wrong has become extremely blurry. There are also many people who are afraid of being implicated, so they dare not accept truth-clarifying materials. Such fear of persecution is one of the big obstacles for people in China to learn about the truth.
Therefore, we should take this knowledge fully into account in making our truth-clarifying materials, in terms of both the form and the content. In compiling articles, we'd be better off not using those that tell about brutal persecution or that contain critical remarks. They make people feel depressed and burdened. We should also demonstrate the beauty of Falun Dafa with more interesting and powerful examples.
Teacher said, "Everything through the ages, has happened for the Fa." (Just a Play) I think many of the good cultural resources existing in the human world can be used to validate Dafa. We should consider the readability of our materials. We cannot ignore these issues with the excuse that we are, after all, offering salvation to people of the world, that we are doing the most righteous thing. Nor can we blame everyday people's degeneration and indifference. Instead, we should do well in whatever we should do, manifest the holiness, solemnity, and beauty of Falun Dafa using the compassion and peace that we have cultivated in Dafa to touch the hearts of everyday people. This is our undeniable duty.
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