I would like to share with those interested my personal cultivation experience at a Hongfa (promoting the Fa) event.
On a weekend in September, Falun Dafa was presented by fellow practitioners from New Jersey and Pennsylvania at a spiritual holistic expo in eastern Pennsylvania.
We had a booth where we sold the books, video, and handed out information packages. We also had a continuous exercise demo by at least six practitioners at a time. Having this exercise demo proved to be quite effective and we would take shifts since the expo was for 8 hours on Saturday and 7 hours on Sunday. People at the expo were quite amazed by our dedication and how we didn't tire from performing the exercises.
On Sunday afternoon an elderly man came by our table and I offered to him our information package. He said that he was not interested, I smiled and said that's fine. A few minutes later he said that he knew all about this practice and that Chinese friends of his had given him the books saying that it would cure his daughter of her terminal illness. He looked down at the ground and said that it was of no help. He also said that his friends are no longer practitioners. When he mentioned his daughter, I sensed that he was holding back tears and that he was still very much grieving for her.
He then started to pontificate on his own religious concepts, which were of Christian origin. I felt possibly a sermon was coming on, and decided to quietly allow him to get it out of his system. As he continued, I realized that he was very confused, but I allowed him to continue. He finally finished and said to me that obviously our Falun Gong practice has elements of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, and that they do not believe in God. I said to him that our practice is none of the three. He was surprised and asked me if I believed in God. I nodded to him and said "yes." He was even more surprised. He then said to me that obviously mankind started with a man and a woman (Adam and Eve), and asked how I believed mankind to have been created. I asked him if he had a few minutes and if I could read to him from one of Master Li's books. He said "yes." I walked over to our table and opened a copy of China Falun Gong. I went to the very last section of the Q &A, where this question is specifically answered by Teacher. As I read to him Teacher's answer, I noticed his posture change: he was listening intensely, and he turned his body to face me more directly. I knew the power of Teacher's words and saw this person transform in front of my very own eyes. When I finished, he smiled, nodded his head in agreement, and acknowledged that it was well said.
I then described our practice to him, clarifying the truth of Dafa. I realized then that originally he hadn't been given genuine information about our practice. By this time, his whole demeanor had changed from when I had originally offered him our info package. He was deeply moved. He thanked me, and put his arm around me in a gesture of warmth. He then walked away. As he walked away, I was relieved that I could clarify the truth of Dafa to him; I felt that it was quite a cultivation experience for me, too.
Fifteen minutes later, I again found the man by my side. I realized that this cultivation experience was not yet over. He asked me if he could ask another question. But before he asked it, he mentioned to me that he had walked around the expo and noticed many things. He said that our table was the most pure and righteous, and that there were many not so good things going on in the expo. At this spiritual expo there were many eclectic spiritual modalities, like psychic reading, fortune telling, and many things similar to the sorcery treatment (zhuyou ke) described by Master, or at least I believe this is what he was talking about.
He then asked me his question. I noticed that again he was not giving me eye contact, but instead looking away. I could barely hear the question. I realized that he was very uneasy with asking his question. I asked him to please speak louder. He then said that he was a Christian minister and that that afternoon he would be going to a cemetery to pray for the dead. He asked me in nearly a whisper: "Should I go?" I asked him to explain to me a little more as to why he was going. He said that as a minister, there are people who have lost loved ones to death, and that these people ask him to pray for the dead梕specially for those who died unexpectedly or at a young age. He explained to me that some people believe that he and others can raise people from the dead. He also said that neither he nor anyone else had been successful in doing this.
To be honest, I felt chills going up my spine when he said this. I re-centered myself before replying to him.
I then repeated to him his question to make sure that I fully understood it. I told him: "In all honesty, I believe you aren't comfortable doing this." He agreed, and said that he was not. I then asked him if I could again read him a passage in Teacher's book that I believed would help him with this dilemma. He happily replied "yes," of course. I went back to our table and picked up a copy of Zhuan Falun. As I was opening the book, he remarked that he was deeply impressed, and said that I knew these teachings better than most clergy know their own. I just smiled and knew that it was the power of the Fa he was referring to.
The passage that I wanted to read to him was the subsection of Lecture Six called "Demonic Interference from One's own Mind." I knew immediately what passage I wanted to read to him and roughly what page it was on, but because he was continually asking me questions and there was much interference around us, I quickly gave the book to a fellow practitioner who wasn't being distracted and asked him to find this specific passage. I felt that it was critical that I read this to him. Almost instantly my fellow practitioner found the passage and handed the book back to me. This man was even more impressed watching all of this going on around him, as we worked together for the Fa so quickly and harmoniously.
I then read to him Teacher's words. The first paragraph starts with, "The demonic interference from one's mind also manifests in other forms. You may have seen interference from a relative who has passed away, and this person cries and begs you to do this or that." I continued to read him this paragraph and the paragraph following it. I realized while I was reading this to him that Teacher's words were speaking to him regarding the death of his own daughter, and his enormous grief.
When I finished, I knew that Teacher's words moved him deeply. I realized that the best way I could explain Teacher's words was through my own personal experience. I talked about how in particular this passage in the book enlightened me to let go of my own grief that I had been carrying with me regarding a certain family member. I went into detail about my own process of transforming and enlightening regarding sentimentality. He listened intensely, and I realized that again he was holding back tears.
As we were finishing our conversation together, I realized that this man was not the same person I had originally met. He had truly transformed in front of my eyes. He could not thank me enough and wanted to make sure that this time he did get an information package. I watched him as he took a few minutes eagerly looking over at our table where other practitioners were demonstrating the exercises and helping others. It was evident that he was truly moved by our dedication and tireless work for the Fa.
Again, he thanked me and felt a need to put his arm around me in a gesture of warmth.
We had a TV continuously playing the exercise video at the table. At the very end of this video, Teacher is speaking at a conference somewhere in China. I asked him if he would like to see Master Li and hear his words. I again felt that to see Teacher and here his words would be a profound moment. He watched and listened, smiled, and thanked me again. As we parted, I wished him well.
I was deeply grateful that I was able to clarify the truth of Dafa to this person. In the process, he was able to gain a deeply positive feeling about our practice. I knew that by reading directly from Teacher's books that this would be the most powerful and effective way to inform this particular individual. I believe the more experience we get with Hongfa activities, and the more we read the book, the more we'll know the best way to disseminate this information to each particular individual. Each person is a new and individual case before us, and we are here to assist Teacher in this physical world. We must be prepared, as cultivators, for this challenge.
In the past, I had doubts as to whether I could effectively promote the Fa. If you have also felt this way, all I can say is this: don't. I came to realize from this experience that we receive no test greater than what we can handle. Teacher is pure compassion and benevolence.
If we truly speak from our heart, then we are doing the best job.
As this person walked away from our table I realized that I held no emotional attachment as to whether this person would pursue Dafa any further or not. I realized that just by being exposed to this practice, having listened to Teacher's words, and thereby walking away positively, this person was already blessed. Also, when he came back the second time and commented on how pure and righteous this practice is, I realized that there was a part of him that was able to distinguish this pearl in a vast sea of fish eyes. I thought back to Teacher's article titled "Enlightenment", and came to realize that this man was able to distinguish the righteous from the evil; he received the genuine teachings, and in the process I saw his body lighten. It is now his journey as to whether he can be enlightened, entering the Tao and obtaining the Fa.
As a western practitioner that obtained the Fa a year and a half ago, I feel a sense of responsibility to try to make it to our different Hongfa activities. I am extremely grateful and have come to realize that as a western practitioner that has obtained the Fa much earlier on than most others, I feel a sense of responsibility to help in assisting in spreading Dafa and clarifying the truth. I have realized that some Westerners may have preconceived notions and concepts, and when they don't see a Western face among the other Dafa practitioners, that they might sense that this is something foreign and not for them. Whether they are predestined or not, if in some way my presence can clarify the truth of Dafa, then I feel my presence is important.
I hope that you, too, won't underestimate the power of your being present for Dafa.
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Category: Parades & Other Community Events
