Putting Compassion into Action

(Minghui.org) Since the beginning of this year, I've felt that cultivation has become easier. The only thoughts I have are to study the Fa more, cultivate myself well, and save more sentient beings.

I read an experience-sharing article on the Minghui website a few months ago, about an elderly practitioner who was arrested. As soon as she entered the police station, she told the police to get her some food. The police officers were surprised, because other Falun Dafa practitioners had gone on hunger strikes. They wondered why she wanted to eat something. She smiled and said, “I'll be able to save more people after having a meal.”

I was deeply touched by this senior practitioner’s unwavering wish to save her persecutors despite her dangerous situation. Exercising great compassion, she treated the officers as her family members and the police station as her home. She had no hatred or fear, even though they intended to harm her. Her easygoing and benevolent manner seemed as though she were doing something joyous. I think this practitioner must have reached a high level of altruism. Instead of worrying about her own safety, she was concerned about the possible repercussions the police were incurring towards themselves by persecuting her.

My heart was touched by her righteous thoughts and behaviors. I reflected on the huge gap between my cultivation state and hers. I thought, “Her great compassion is what every cultivator should have!”

“Bang!” As soon as I had that thought, I felt something negative being disintegrated. Compassion and peace filled my heart. I knew that Master was helping me by eliminating something bad as my compassion arose.

I used to hold grievances against the people who had persecuted me. I also had a mentality of fighting whenever I heard people slander Falun Dafa, especially when they smeared the reputation of Master. I would argue with them. As a result, I couldn’t change their minds, and instead made things worse. As I gained a deeper understanding of Dafa, I realized that my grievances showed that I lacked compassion. This was the Communist Party’s mentality of “struggle” and retaliation, and did not reflect Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Master said,

“Shan is the manifestation of the nature of the universe at different levels and in different dimensions. It is also the fundamental nature of Great Enlightened Beings. Therefore, a cultivator must cultivate Shan and assimilate to the nature of the universe, Zhen-Shan-Ren.” (“A Brief Explanation of Shan,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

This fellow practitioner's experience helped me find where I had fallen short. If we Falun Dafa practitioners can treat all people as our family members, broaden our minds to accommodate all sentient beings, and save them with compassion, the negative factors will be eliminated.