[Excerpt]
Under the current cosmic climate, when we well integrate the promotion of Falun Dafa and the exposure of the persecutions in China against the practitioners, we will enable people to truly have a correct understanding of Dafa.
This way it not only helped people to appreciate that Falun Dafa is a superb practice of body and mind, but also helped people to develop respect for the practitioners in China.
" Promoting Falun Dafa and revealing the truth should not be dealt with separately, but rather should be integrated as a whole. When promoting Falun Dafa, we should tell the public what is actually happening with Falun Dafa in the world. While telling the truth about Falun Dafa, we are actually helping the public to develop a correct and comprehensive understanding of Falun Dafa: What is Falun Dafa? How is Falun Dafa related to their lives and society? And how can they provide help for and support the practitioners?
Since July 22, 1999, when the Chinese government began their crackdown on Falun Gong (Falun Dafa), the selfless and fearless deeds of practitioners in Mainland China of upholding the truth of Falun Dafa have created many magnificent events in protecting Falun Dafa. These have made Falun Dafa the center of attention in the world media and enabled a large number of people around the world to attain Falun Dafa.
Every time I heard the practitioners' moving stories, I was touched by their noble spirit. Later on, I came to understand that we are now under a cosmic climate that is on a magnificent scale and in the middle of the last vigorous confrontation between the good and evil forces in the universe. What we overseas practitioners can do best in "assisting the teacher in the human world" and helping practitioners in China, is to help more predestined people attain Falun Dafa, and let the public gain a correct understanding and know the truth about Falun Dafa. I think this is the real meaning to introduce Falun Dafa to the public and clarify the truth under the current special cultivation environment.
During the process of promoting Falun Dafa, I once had the following observation. Even though the deeper implications of Falun Dafa remains unknown to many people and is also rarely reported in depth by the mass media, the sacrifices of practitioners in China have raised public awareness of Falun Dafa. In addition, although the media has reported the Chinese government's brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China extensively, there is still a sizable percentage of Americans who have not heard about Falun Gong. Nor do they understand what Falun Gong was even if they have heard about it.
Therefore, in order to introduce Falun Dafa to more Americans, in addition to teaching them the exercises and introducing the principles of Falun Dafa to them, when people asked "why the Chinese government wanted to persecute Falun Gong", I would sincerely and calmly explain to them the actual mistreatment and experiences of Falun Gong practitioners in China. In my opinion, people have laid a good foundation for the future of their lives when they: showed sympathy toward Falun Dafa practitioners for their sufferings, admired and respected the practitioners for their noble mind and actions, offered their support to Falun Dafa and the practitioners, developed more correct understandings of Falun Dafa, committed themselves to the cultivation practice, and realized the righteousness of Falun Dafa and assisted others in attaining Falun Dafa.
In a group discussion at the Chicago Experience Sharing Conference last June, one practitioner touched on issue of how to introduce Falun Dafa to westerners. He suggested that we should first help them develop a correct understanding of Falun Dafa. Another practitioner, however, believed that we should take the initiative to tell the public how the Chinese government is brutally persecuting the practitioners in China. At that time, I also thought that the latter view might create some obstacles for westerners to attain the Fa. The next morning, an idea suddenly flashed in my mind: Isn't the great sacrifice of Falun Gong practitioners in China the most spectacular scene in the human world ever since the public introduction of Falun Dafa (in 1992)? What they have endured is exactly the genuine manifestation of their immense compassion and forbearance. It is the great Buddha Law that has purified us from the beings that had become selfish and lost in worldly desires, attachments, and sufferings, into the great, enlightened beings in this universe. All the practitioners' actions based upon their xinxing (mind nature) level indicate the mighty power of the boundless Falun Dafa. What the practitioners have done and accomplished is the greatest component in the process of promoting Falun Dafa to the public. Thus, why wouldn't we reveal the whole process to the public when promoting Falun Dafa? In fact, under the current cosmic climate, when we well integrate the promotion of Falun Dafa and the exposure of the persecutions in China against the practitioners, we will enable people to truly have a correct understanding of Dafa.
After my understanding was elevated to a higher level, I would voluntarily bring up what was happening in China when introducing Falun Dafa to others. Of course, I did not immediately focus on talking about this issue up front. I always provided a transition for them to relate to what was happening with Falun Gong in China, and to understand how significant it was. I would first tell them that Falun Gong is a genuine practice of both body and mind. Its five sets of exercises can enable practitioners to swiftly open up the energy channels in their bodies, help relieve their stress, and achieve physical and mental health. But Falun Dafa is not simply a physical exercise to keep fit. To practice Falun Gong, people need not only to practice the exercises, but also need to cultivate their mind and spirit according to "Zhen-Shan-Ren" (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance), the supreme characteristic of the universe. Since the body, mind and spirit of a person are interrelated yet integrated as a whole, in order to achieve one's true and lasting health, one must improve them all together. Therefore, this will uplift a persons morality, enhance one's spirituality, and turn a person into someone with a noble and selfless heart. What was happening in China is the best example. In the current society where money is becoming the predominant pursuit, moral values are deteriorating, and self-interest prevails, the people who are willing to risk their lives to uphold the truth of the universe, and for the interests of others, are hard to find. Such types of people can only be found in history, such as Buddhists and Christians in the early period of their religions, and Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King in contemporary history. But today, in China alone, there are millions of people who are stepping forward for truth and the interests of others, by telling the truth about Falun Gong to the public at the risk of their lives. While suffering the cruel persecutions from the Chinese government, they are not thwarted. Even though several dozens of practitioners (see the facts posted on http://Minghui.ca) have been beaten to death, tens of thousands have been jailed, and countless people have lost their jobs with their basic livelihood threatened, they keep upholding the great spirit of Zhen-Shan-Ren and face the brutal persecution with immense compassion and forbearance. This is the power manifested by the truth of the universe.
While promoting Falun Dafa in this way, I found it to be very effective. It only takes a few minutes to give a comprehensive introduction. This way it not only helped people to appreciate that Falun Dafa is a superb practice of body and mind, but also helped people to develop respect for the practitioners in China. At the same time, I could also strongly sense the unselfish and selfless mind of those millions of practitioners [in China]. The righteous energy field of Falun Dafa, filled with immense benevolence, often moved me to tears. The unshakeable faith and righteous mind of the practitioners in China have reached out and touched people's minds and bodies, inspired my heart, and cleansed my soul.
Both the study of the Fa and the experiences since last July have led us to recognize that promoting Falun Dafa and revealing the truth should not be dealt with separately, but rather should be integrated as a whole. When promoting Falun Dafa, we should tell the public what is actually happening with Falun Dafa in the world. While telling the truth about Falun Dafa, we are actually helping the public to develop a correct and comprehensive understanding of Falun Dafa: What is Falun Dafa? How is Falun Dafa related to their lives and society? And how can they provide help for and support the practitioners?
During the discussion, we agreed that the key question is not whether we should talk about it or not, but how to present it. While communicating with people from different walks of life, we should behave according to Truthfulness, Benevolence, and Forbearance. Then, we can truly help them understand Falun Dafa according to their level of comprehension and cultural background, and help them understand the great significance of the sacrifices of the practitioners in China. I feel it is very important to have this awareness.
After the discussion, the practitioners who had feared that talking about the Chinese government's persecutions against Falun Dafa practitioners might frighten away some Americans agreed that it is better to introduce Falun Dafa this way. While those who had put priority on telling westerners about the persecutions against the practitioners in China also felt the need to tell people what Falun Dafa is and help them understand how it is related to their lives, and how it can enrich them.
A Practitioner in USA
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