真正的提高是放弃，而不是得到。
-
Isabella
师尊好！各位同修好！
澳洲每四年一次的联邦大选经过激烈的角逐，终于落下帷幕。在这个过程中，我们区的同修充分利用这个机会接触候选人，共同提高、救度众生，深感师尊的佛恩浩荡。下面将体悟于大家分享。
11月中旬，大选眼看就到了，今年我们区是澳洲有史以来最多候选人的选区，共13位。师父对澳洲学员讲法中说: “你们能接触的那些人, 都是与 你们有缘的人, 他们的生命, 他们的末来, 他们能够有将来, 能够被救度, 都指望着你们哪!”.
我想修练人身边所发生的事都不会是偶然的，也许就是这样约好的，在他们当候选人的时候、我们去向他们传递大法福音、让他们听到真象。
按以往的方法，打电话约见或参加候选人的社区会议，会后只能与一两个候选人谈话而且没机会谈得很深。
离大选只剩九天，在一次学法交流时，同修们都非常着急，因为机不可失啊。当时大多数同修都反映约见很难。一位做过社区工作的同修根据他的经验，建议如果以一个团体代表约见就很快，以个人身份，一般很难。而我们选区有30多个学员，这数目对候选人很有吸引力。说不定能把候选人请到学员家，搭一个平台，让候选人亲身体验法轮功学员是一群什么样的人。当我把这个想法交流出来，大家觉得主意不错，就分头去做了。
第一个体会: 放下自我, 无求而自得
第二天刚好同修组织了本区的学法，心想这么好的办法得马上去实行。一早就兴致勃勃地打电话给组织学法的同修，决定今晚就做, 没想到他说: “这么做合适吗？其他学员是怎么想的呢？” 挂了电话, 心凉了半截. 为什么会有这种反应? 静下来想想, 这其中有证实自已的心, 这不正是迫不及待 地去证实我的方法好吗?
其实这位学员讲得有道理, 这是新尝试, 没有同修们的共识, 充分的准备, 效果肯定不好。当时想起师父的话“真正的提高是放弃，而不是得到。” 很快把一定要急于做这事的心放下了。而决定今晚如有机缘, 就与同修们交流, 如果大家都觉得好就做。
当晚我心平气和地把这个想法提出来, 好处在哪？与同修共同商量。因要赶去另一会议, 就让同修有时间就交流, 明天把结果告诉我。 出乎意外 的是，同修们都立即赞成, 并表示现在就决定。 不到五分钟, 在30多人的会议上, 就把见候选人的时间, 地点定下来了。 通过这事，我深深感受到 师父说的 “无求而自得”, 大法弟子心动了，融合成一个整体，还有什么做不了的呢？。
会议是定了，但心里并没有把握能否把候选人请到。心想就算他们不来, 看完邀请信也要让他们基本了解到, 什么是法轮功, 为什么邪党打压法轮功, 修炼是怎么回事。明确告诉他们法轮功是修炼, 对任何政选没有态度, 学员选谁是个人选择, 例行公民义务。两位同修仔细查核用词， 星期二半夜 才寄出的电子邮件, 星期三一早就接到一位候选人的回信, 说他很愿意参加, 同一天因有另一个候选人会议, 建议我们把会议推迟到晚上8点45分。 与同修商量后, 定下星期二晚8点45分开始。 结果到了星期五，8个候选人都回复接受我们的邀请。
星期六，一位同修告诉我晚上安排了交流如何安排星期二与候选人的聚会, 不巧当晚我要参加婚宴, 而那位同修说已经通知了, 时间不改为好。 听完后心里有点不舒服, 是我安排的事, 没跟我商量就定下时间。这闪念后我马上意识到，这不又是放不下自我的体现吗? 就告诉同修, 邀请信是 让候选人准备3分钟演讲, 然后问答。你们商量吧。
第二天，得知昨晚没开会, 今晚一起商量。深知这是师尊的苦心安排, 帮我修去证实自我的心。当听说有建议放15分钟大法DVD, 就觉得不太合适, 会把气氛搞得太严肃, 而且时间安排上不充许。白天一直在琢磨如何说服同修不用DVD, 此时想起师尊的话“真正的提高是放弃，而不是得到。” 我想，也许同修有自己的想法，开会时先听听同修的建议，不应急于表达自已的想法,。没想到, 会议主持一开始就让我先介绍我的想法。我说, 会议的目地是给候选人留一个好的印象, 在轻松愉快的气氛下, 有意无意中让他们明白真象。避免填鸭子式的灌输, 非把所有真象一次性 告诉他们不可, 不管对方愿意否, 这样只会把他们推远。并介绍了时间上的安排和邀请信内容, 说明候选人都会有备而来, 对我们有一定的了解。 这只是初步想法, 希望大家一起完善。话后, 一位同修主动提出, 看来没时间放DVD, 而且不太合适。建议放DVD的同修也没有坚持。师尊再一次 让我体悟到放下自我的美妙。
另一位同修建议, 我们应该主导会议, 应由我们先讲, 我们不要听他们的执政方针, 要他们讲人权和法轮功问题。这与我原先想法差异很大, 次序相反。照以往我可能就会马上陈述为什么应按我的想法做, 这个建议怎么不合理。如果双方都各执己见, 僵持不下，后果不堪设想。 这次、 并没急于发表意见, 其他同修也一样放下了自我, 都静静的听取别人的建议或心平气和地说出不同想法。很快一起想出了一个非常好的方法, 开场白以介绍同修的形式, 讲述几个典型亲身在中国受迫害例子, 让西人同修谈身心受益的体会, 以实例让他们明白真象。由于在会同修的心态很好, 很多细节很快都有了共识。
会议前一天, 安排聚会的同修到实地演习, 互相纠正不妥之处, 因为都没有证实自我的心, 只抱着共同把事情做好、救度众生的想法, 大家都很虚心 听取意见。 一位同修说的好 “他们人的一面是来拉选票, 其实明白的一面是来听真象的。”
第二个体会: 整体配合的力量
一直到聚会当天, 我们都没有把握会来多少人, 其实担心是多余的。师尊说: “我就是讲真象救人, 旧势力也钻不了空子。” 当天来了四十多位同修， 在候选人来之前, 我们大家一起背论语, 发正念。还没来得及告诉同修当晚程序安排, 一位候选人就提前45分钟到了。 当时同修们配合十分默契, 一位同修在门外接待候选人, 另一位与同修简单介绍会议安排, 没有一个同修提出异义, 只是默默地配合, 补漏。能感受到大法弟子救度众生的心。
有这么一个慈悲、祥和的场, 效果是不言而喻的。不但八个候选人都到场, 也带来了他们的参谋、太太和儿子、共十六人参加了这次会议。 巧妙的是, 哪些真象知道少的候选人就提早到了, 让他们有更长的时间与同修有更多接触。
有的候选人表示, 他们听说过迫害, 但未亲身接触过曾经受迫害的法轮功学员。在他们的演讲中, 看得出来, 他们是费了心思去了解真象的, 一位候选人连众生(Sentient Being)这个词都用上了。他们都表示支持法轮功反迫害。对法轮功有比较深认识的候选人，在发言中表达了对法轮功学 员无私付出的敬意，高度评价了法轮功学员面对迫害所展现的不屈不挠的精神。
候选人的到来和演讲前后, 同修都以热烈掌声欢迎, 积极提问题, 看得出是花了不少心思, 认真考量过的问题。主持的学员公平的把握发言时间， 包括提问的学员，让候选人看到这是一次为选民了解候选人的会议，而不是一场关于法轮功的研讨会。
正式会议晚上10点15分结束, 大家一起享用同修准备的茶点, 同修们主动与到会者交流、介绍真象资料, 气氛就象旧友聚会, 非常溶恰, 大多数候选人11点后才离开。离开时还有一种依依不舍的感觉哩, 都表示要保持联系。
选举当天, 同修们也像帮助朋友一样, 给候选人提供帮助。候选人邀请学员参加他们的聚会, 这位候选人主动在会上介绍法轮功与邪党的迫害， 传递真善忍的福音。另一位候选人早上经过炼功点, 高兴地跟我们说: “做得好!”
因为同修明白这次与候选人见面的机会是救人，而且他们是社区不同组织的代表,如果我们将真相讲到位，这个正面的影响会救更多的世人。大家放下自我、达到了共识，虽然第一次组织这样的会议，效果却非常的好。一位陪同候选人来的朋友，事后对组织这次会议的同修开玩笑地说, “你们这一百多人的会(其实只有50多人), 组织得真好, 下次你也可以参选了。” 另一位候选人表示在以后的公开演讲会, 一定提及法轮功被迫害的 真象。
在这样一个正的场中, 学员们以往彼此间存在的隔阂也消融了。正如师父在对澳洲学员的DVD讲法中所说: “这件事情想的、做的，不是那么太周全, 你们去做, 大家不要太过于坚持自已, 这个事情的本身, 可能在做的过程中, 就会出现奇迹的, 因为大家心正, 互相配合, 就会出现更好的效果。”
最后以师尊二零零二年美国费城法会讲法片段共勉: “其实你们知道吗，那些大觉者呀，他们在天上有很多事情也是要互相协调、商量的。… …他们是什么心态呢？是宽容，非常洪大的宽容，能容别的生命，能真正设身处地的去想别的生命。这是我们在很多人修炼过程中还达不到的，但是你们渐渐的在认识、在达到。当一个神提出来一个办法的时候，他们不是急于去否定，不是急于去表达自己的、认为自己的办法好，他们是去看另外的神所提出的办法的最后的结果是什么样。… …所以他们看其结果，他的结果达到的，真的能够达到要达到的，大家就同意，神都是这样想 的，而且呢，哪块有不足，还要无条件的默默的给予补充，使它更圆满。他们都是这样处理问题的。… …真正的提高是放弃，而不是得到。 ”
点滴体悟，敬请慈悲指正。
谢谢师父！谢谢大家！
English translation for the sharing article -
True Improvements Come from Letting Go, Not from Gaining” -
Greetings Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
The topic of my sharing is: Master’s teaching: “True Improvements Come from Letting
Go, Not from Gaining” -
The Australian federal election, which happens once every four years, has come to an end. During this time, practitioners in our area tried their very best to clarify the truth to candidates, improve together, and save sentient beings. At the same time, we felt Master’s great compassion. I'd like to share with you what I enlightened to in this process.
In mid November, the election was getting very close. Our electorate had the most
candidates in Australia’s history—there were 13 of them. In Master’s recent teaching
to Australian practitioners, Master said: “Those people you come across, they all
have pre-
What we did in previous elections was to ring and make appointments or join candidates' social meetings, but we were only able to talk to one or two candidates and often could not talk in depth.
There were only 9 days left. During a Fa study sharing, practitioners were all very worried, as we felt that we shouldn’t miss this opportunity. Most practitioners’ feedback was: it’s very hard to get an appointment. A practitioner who had experience in working in the community said: as an individual it's very hard to get an apppointment, but if you make an appointment as a community group, it’s very easy. I thought that there were about 30 practitioners in our electorate, this figure should be very attractive to the candidates. Maybe we could invite the candidates to the practitioner’s home where we normally have our Fa study, set up a gathering, let the candidates experience personally what Falun Gong practitioners are like. When I shared this idea with everyone, all thought it was a good idea, so we started to work on it.
First enlightenment: letting go of oneself, gaining naturally without pursuit
Coincidentally, a few practitioners organized our area’s big group Fa study the next day. I was keen to start our plan straight away, as I thought it was such a good idea. So in the morning I rang the coordinator of the meeting with full enthusiasm and told him we would have the meeting with the candidates that night, but to my surprise he said: “Is that suitable? What would other practitioners think?” When hanging up the phone half of my enthusiasm was gone. Why would this practitioner react this way? After searching within, I found that I had the attachment of validating myself—I couldn't wait to prove my method was good.
Actually, this practitioner was right. It was a new way of clarifying the truth, and the result wouldn't be good without practitioners' common understanding and planning. At that moment I thought of Master’s words: “True improvements come from letting go, not from gaining.” I let go of my attachment of needing to do this, and decided that I would take the opportunity to share with practitioners that night. If most people thought it was a good idea, then we would arrange the meeting together.
I calmly shared with other practitioners that night about the good points of why we should do so. As I needed to attend another meeting, I asked practitioners to discuss this further if they had time and let me know the result the next day. However, surprisingly all practitioners agreed and also suggested we should decide straight away. In less than 5 minutes, in a meeting with more than 30 practitioners, we decided the time and venue for the candidate meeting. I truly experienced Master’s teaching: “ Gaining without pursuit”. When practitioners' hearts are moved and form one body, nothing will stop us from saving sentient beings.
Even though we had set up the meeting, I had no confidence whether the candidates
would come. I thought that even if they couldn’t come, I would clarify the truth
to them in the invitation by including information like: What is Falun Gong? Why
the persecution? What is cultivation? I would cleary state in the invitation: “Falun
Gong is a self-
On Saturday a practitioner called and told me there would be a meeting that night
to discuss our arrangement for the candidate’s meeting on Tuesday. Unfortunately,
I had to attend a wedding that night, but that practitioner said she had notified
others and better not to change the time. I felt a bit uncomfortable: I’ve been arranging
the candidates' meeting, how could you set up the meeting without consulting me first?
But immediately I realized: Isn’t this not letting go of oneself? So I told the practitioner
that I had asked the candidates to prepare a 3-
The next day I found out the meeting had been postponed to the next night. Then I
realized that it was Master’s careful arrangement to help me remove my attachment
of trying to validate myself. When I heard about someone's suggestion of playing
a 15-
Another practitioner suggested we guide the theme of the meeting and we should talk
first. We don’t really want to hear about their political policies and we ask them
to talk about human rights and Falun Gong issue only. This idea was very different
from my approach and the order of talk was just opposite. Normally I would immediately
state why we should use my way, why this suggestion is not suitable. If both sides
wouldn’t let go of their ideas and refused to compromise, then the result would be
un-
The night before the meeting, we gathered again to have a rehearsal. We corrected each other for areas to be improved, since we didn’t have the attachment of validating ourselves, just wanted to do things well and save sentient beings, all listened to each other modestly. A practitioner said it well: “On the surface they come to get votes, actually their understanding side is to come to learn the truth.”
Second enlightenment: the power of cooperating as one body
Until the day of the meeting, we didn’t really know how many candidates would turn
up. In fact there was nothing to worry about. Master said: “I just clarify the truth
to save people, the old force will have no gap to come to interfere.” More than 40
practitioners attended, before the candidates’ arrival, we recited “Lunyu” and SFRT.
A candidate turned up 45 minutes earlier before we could share with all the practitioners
present our schedule of the meeting. At that moment, practitioners co-
Having such compassion and positive field, the result is self-
Some candidates expressed that they had heard of the persecution, but had never personally met someone who had been through the persecution. From their speech, we could tell they had done their homework—one candidate even use the word “sentient beings” in his speech. They all support Falun Gong against the persecution. Those candidates know Falun Gong well; they express their respect to Falun Gong practitioners selfless giving, and praised highly practitioners' uncompromising courage when facing severe persecution.
On the candidates’ arrival, before and after their speeches, practitioners all welcomed them with warm applause and actively raised questions which they had thought through with consideration, guiding the discussion to focus on Falun Gong and human rights in China. They unintentionally spread the news about the Human Rights Torch Relay and the CCP’s interference to Australia’s internal affairs. The practitioner who chaired the meeting was very fair in timing question and answers, including questions from practitioners. So the candidates would know this is a meeting about letting everyone to know all the candidates, not a discussion forum about Falun Gong.
The formal meeting concluded at 10:15pm. Everyone enjoyed the snacks prepared by practitioners. All actively talked to our guest and shared the truth clarifying material with them. The atmosphere was like a gathering of old friends. Most candidates left after 11pm, feeling reluctant to part. All wanted to keep in touch in the future.
On Election Day, practitioners gave a hand to candidates like a friend. Some practitioners were invited to their after election gathering. In one of the candidate's gatherings, the candidate voluntarily spoke about Falun Gong and the persecution, spreading the goodness of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. Another candidate happily said to practitioners when he passed our practice site in the morning: “Well Done.”
Since we all enlightened that this meeting with the candidates is an opportunity to save them, and they are the representatives from different groups in the community. If we clarify the truth well to them, the positive effect will help to save more people. Everyone having let go of themselves, forming one body—and even though this is the first time we organised such meeting—the result was really good. One of the advisors jokingly said to the practitioner who organised the meeting: “you’ve done a wonderful job in organising a meeting of over 100 people (actually there are about 50 people). You can be a candidate next time.” Another candidate expressed she’ll raise the issue of the persecution of Falun Gong in China during any public forum in the future.
Under such righteous field, the gaps among practitioners disappeared. Just like Master’s recent teaching to Australia practitioners: “When you do something, if what you think and what you plan is not so perfect, but when you go ahead and do it in your own ideas, perhaps in doing that thing, doing the process, miracles will happen because your mind was righteous and you work well with each other, you may achieve better results.”
Finally, I would like to share portion of Master’s Fa teaching in 2002 Philadelphia: “Actually, did you know that those Great Enlightened Beings have a lot of things in the heavens that they too need to coordinate and discuss with each other? … 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. This is something a lot of you haven't achieved yet in your cultivation, but you're gradually catching on and achieving it. When another God proposes an idea, they aren't eager to reject it, and they aren't eager to express their own ideas and they don't believe that their own ideas are good. Instead, they look at what the end result of the other God's proposed approach will be. That's why they look at the results, and if the result of a God's idea can achieve the goal, if it can truly achieve it, then all of them will go along with it. That's how Gods think. Also, if there's something lacking in it they'll unconditionally and quietly supplement it to make things more complete and perfect. That's how they handle things. … true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining.”
My shallow enlightenment from experience, please point out anything incorrect.
Thank you Master! Thank you everyone!
Isabella