In late May, Falun Dafa practitioners in Queens, New York, held a one-day Falun Dafa introductory class at the YMCA in Long Island City. Since then, two Law spreading activities have been held. One was proposed by some Irish practitioners who opened a new practice site in a nearby park. The second one is the opening of an English 9-day-seminar for the first time. Through these two activities, we improved our xinxing (mind nature; morality), deepened our understanding of the Law, and accumulated some experiences in spreading the Law in the Queens area more effectively.
There are many Chinese people in Queens and most of them have heard of Falun Dafa. Many people from different ethnic backgrounds also heard the name Falun Gong or Falun Dafa. As for what Falun Gong really is, they have no clear idea. While practicing exercises in the park, many Westerners stop by to take a look and ask about Falun Dafa. After they find out we are practicing Falun Gong, they all react with the same kind of amazing tone: "Oh, you looked very peaceful! Why does the Chinese government want to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in China? It is so unreasonable." Many of them leave their names and phone numbers for us to keep in touch with them. Many of them said that if they had known about Falun Dafa earlier, they would have come to learn it a long time ago.
Gloria, a lady from South America, started to learn the exercises with us when she first saw us. She also asked about the location of the 9-day-seminar and wanted to join us the next day. Her joy was expressed on her face. She told us that she has been looking for this for a long time; Falun Dafa is the best present to her from heaven.
Two of the participants who attended the 9-day-seminar were immigrants from Romania. On the third day, they started to think of how to introduce Falun Dafa to other Romanians. They hoped that people in their homeland could also benefit from it.
The participants who attended the 9-day-seminar understand that the cultivation of Falun Dafa emphasizes practicing xinxing. During the discussion on the last day, they were thinking about how to apply Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance to manage things and deal with people around them. Anthony, who just arrived in New York, from Mexico four weeks ago, has practiced the exercises with us for four weekends at The Botanical Gardens in Flushing. His sincere and humorous speech made us laugh so much. The atmosphere of the discussion was peaceful, happy, pure, and nice; it touched everyone there. It created a unique environment in this world where we can truly open our hearts to seek the truth of life
These two Law spreading activities made us realize the mighty power of the Great Law and the importance of practicing exercises in public places. Wherever we go, as long as we play the music and do the exercises, the righteous field will touch people around. I recalled the first time we did the exercises at the Woodside Park, one eldery Chinese man stood beside us and observed us for a long time. He asked us many questions. Finally, he left us his name and phone number, and asked us to contact him to attend the Chinese 9-day-seminar as soon as possible. He also said that he would read Zhuan Falun immediately after he went home.
Queens is a place where many different ethic groups live together. There are still many places where Dafa practitioners have not been able to promote Falun Dafa. Many people still don't know about Falun Dafa. Due to the negative propaganda by the Chinese government, many people misunderstand Falun Dafa. Once they watch us doing the exercises and are touched by the peaceful field, they have an impression that Falun Dafa is good. We feel that doing exercises outdoors is the best way to promote the Law. We put down our personal attachments and walk to the street to show the world what Falun Gong is and why we practice it. By doing so, people can change their perception about Falun Dafa and are willing to learn it. At the same time, we feel that our cultivation practice is connecting with Master's rectification of the Law. The moment we show the world the five sets of exercises using such beautiful music, hand over the Dafa publications to the predestined individuals, and see a smile on their face, we feel our mind, body, and spirit lifting because we are doing the most sacred and righteous thing.
Looking back at what has happened, had we not held Falun Gong Introductory Workshops at the YMCA in Long Island City, but just stayed home to read books and do exercises for our own cultivation, how would these two Romanians have met us and c this predestined relationship connected? How could we have met those Irish people and made a link to the their predestined relationship for the Great Law. Without their suggestions, this new practice site would not have been used and all these people would not have a connection with the Great Law. During the process of organizing these activities, it also reveled our shortcomings in our understanding of the Law. It provided us an opportunity to know some of our errors in cultivation and how to eliminate these errors. In our deepest inner heart, we felt that the activities promoting the Law actually provided us the opportunity to cultivate ourselves. This kind of chance can never be obtained by closing doors and cultivating at home alone.
The defamation and attacks on Falun Dafa by the Chinese government has spread overseas. It has resulted in many people misunderstanding the Great Law and missing the opportunity to obtain the Law. Some even repeat the Chinese government's negative sayings that defame Falun Dafa. They don't know what kind of crime they have committed. It's a pity and makes one sad to see this situation. However, what is feeling sad good for? Under the changes of celestial phenomenon, people should follow the changes and make the move. If the Great Law is the thread of life for all sentient beings, we-the practitioners who have already obtained the Law, should be the go-between to pull the thread to connect all the missing beads that have scattered around the world. We need to use our feet to walk throughout the world and spread the Great Law everywhere there are human beings. We shall use every opportunity to explain the truth about Falun Dafa and to rectify the misunderstandings about the Great Law. Spreading the Law to every individuals of every country in the world is the honorable obligation and responsibility of every practitioner outside China.
June 14, 2000
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