Being Clear on the Fa Principles as a Group Is the Key to Negating the Enactment of Article 23

By Xin Hui

Several days ago I suddenly realised, "How could I have been so indifferent about such a significant matter [Article 23 of the Basic Law]?" In fact, I was restrained. I found that I was always occupied with other things, which blinded me from seeing the bigger picture of the whole situation. I was restricted by busying myself with other things, and I acted indifferently towards some important things at this period of time. In fact, this is also a kind of selfishness, for I was attached to what I was doing. All of our Falun Dafa practitioners are one whole body, and every regional incident is a concern to all of us. Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference," "The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things."

Some practitioners said, "I can't even finish what I'm doing right now. How can I have time to do anything else?" My personal understanding is that once I have clearly realised the importance of this matter and the problems I had with my xinxing [Mind/Heart nature; moral character], it didn't take very long to do the actual work. Teacher said in the recent lecture, "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A." "Instead, they only raise your level when they see that your understanding of it has improved. This is a truth in the Righteous Fa." [The word ‘Fa’ can be roughly translated to: “Law and principles in the Buddha school”]

My understanding is that in anything we do, we must be clear on the Fa. We must truly understand it from the perspective of the Fa and do it from the perspective of the Fa, because only then can we truly open up our wisdom and do it better, with a clear head and rationality. If we do it without a clear sense of direction, we may very likely not be able to reach a good outcome, and might cause some unnecessary loss to Falun Dafa activities. In fact, this is also a display of our capacity of tolerance, a display of our realm of cultivation. If we are bogged down in specific work, we would find it endless; if we are able to look at its true nature from the perspective of the Fa, we will feel at ease and things will turn out as we wish, and everything will be in order and we will be clear-headed.

This incident includes all Falun Dafa practitioners. Maybe we have not yet truly realised the nature of this incident from the perspective of the Fa; maybe we have not yet formed a solid whole body; maybe we didn't use firm righteous thoughts to negate the arrangements of this incident; maybe we fell short of abilities, couldn't do anything, waited passively, placed our hopes on a certain person; maybe we neglected our Fa-study or busied ourselves with specific tasks, and others.

I think that in order to negate arrangements such as this and to truly do things well as a whole, we must have a clear understanding from the Fa. I have the following understandings to share regarding this matter:

1. All Falun Dafa Practitioners Form a Solid Whole Body

This whole body means that we must break through not only the mental and regional separation between Falun Dafa practitioners, but also the separation between different types of Falun Dafa activities. If we can have mutual coordination and support between different areas and different kinds of activities, and with combined wisdom, as a whole body, we will do better. For example, regarding Article 23, first we should collectively share our understandings from the perspective of the Fa in a group, clearly realise what this is, and then as a whole body, negate it from the root. When it comes to specific things, focusing on this incident, each project can be handled from different perspectives, with different methods and through different channels. When all Falun Dafa practitioners can form a solid whole body, we will be incomparably powerful and invincible.

2. Don't Place Our Hopes in Other People. It is Our Own Righteous Thoughts That Matter

In everything we do, what really matters is our Falun Dafa practitioners' righteous thoughts. In anything we do, we must have the right mind and stand on the right fundamental point. We are not begging people for help, nor can they have any true effect on the outcome of this incident.

Moreover, we must purify our minds when doing things and should not be attached to the outcome; all that we do is to reveal the truth to people.

On the surface, all that we do looks like we want to prevent the enactment of Article 23 with other people's help and to stop the persecution Falun Gong, while in fact we are using this arrangement to clarify the truth. When we become clear-headed from the Fa, we will not put our hopes on non-practitioners' help, and will truly be able to do this without pursuit.

3. We must Have a Benevolent State of Mind

Teacher said, "So what's their state of mind? It's tolerance, an extremely immense tolerance, being able to accept other beings, and being able to truly think from other beings' perspectives." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")
If we understand all from the Fa principles, that it is we who are clarifying the truth , we will be able to keep a benevolent and harmonious state of mind instead of doing things with hasty pursuit for results or with other strong attachments. When we clarify the truth from the perspective of practitioners with benevolence, we will understand more clearly where their barriers are, and therefore we will be able to clarify the truth more effectively to different people. When we truly think of others, we can awaken people's kind nature so that their knowing side will take control.

4. "Just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations" ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)")

After reading the article, "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.". I found that we should not be deceived by the illusions of society. No matter how it appears on the surface, our hearts should not be moved. No matter what happens or what other people do, no matter what we do, our fundamental purpose is to clarify the truth. This is my understanding of "Just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations." ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)")

If we are clear on the Fa principles, we will be able to carry out our work more actively, using wisdom and different methods, and we can succeed in everything we do, such as clarifying the truth to the government, the media, organisations, and the general public; clarifying the truth through our websites, radio stations, T.V. stations, online chatting, telephone, fax and letters; and doing this from different angles, such as human rights and economics, to different groups and from the viewpoints and understandings of different people.

The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.