(Clearwisdom.net) In early August, five of us Taiwanese practitioners went to Vienna, Austria to promote Dafa.
Prior to our departure we did not have a clear plan, but just a simple idea to conduct a musical performance to promote Dafa among overseas Chinese. Another desire was to enable people who had previously learned Dafa to continue their Fa study and exercises, letting these people become a starting point for promoting Dafa in Vienna. Another goal was to join local practitioners' Fa promotion activities. We did not have much thought on what outcome we could achieve within a week. Now, looking back on each small, seemingly "accidental" thing that happened during this period, we found that these incidents were really connected and gave us the feeling of a smooth and well-planned trip. This allowed us to have a deeper feeling for Master's benevolence. "Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master." (Zhuan Falun, Lecture 1) As long as we have the desire to do things, Master will "naturally" arrange our paths.
Clarifying the facts and promoting the Fa in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral
After we arrived in Vienna it rained continually, but the Dafa Information Day activity in front of St. Stephen's Church on August 13 still went on as planned. The main goal of this activity was to show support for the Falun Gong practitioners who were illegally tried in Hong Kong, tell the world the story of this incident and the facts of the Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong. Practitioners from Vienna and Taiwan performed the five sets of exercises in the rain, and distributed Dafa truth-clarifying materials to passers-by.
Our Fa promoting site in front of the church was a good location. Visitors from other countries would stop at this place and take pictures. We met many visitors from China. Some people took the flyers, some refused to take them, some threw them away, and some even cursed at us as they walked away. However, none of us were affected. We picked up the discarded materials and talked to these people with renewed effort to clarify the facts. A friend from Tianjin thanked us for giving her handouts that clarified the facts and said, "During this overseas trip, I met Falun Gong everywhere. Your actions are very touching. I think the Chinese government should objectively face the Falun Gong issue, listen to the voice of the people and not spread shameless propaganda every day on TV."
Many visitors and local residents were interested in the exercise demonstration. A middle-aged gentleman took a flyer and asked why China wanted to persecute Falun Gong. After he had gained some knowledge of the persecution, he repeatedly expressed that he wanted to make a donation. I told him that we do not accept any financial support; it would be good enough if he supported Falun Gong. Finally, he asked, "Please, let me know what I can learn from you?" I replied, "Being a good person." He said with smile, "I like that point." Then he asked for one more flyer to give to his friend.
Promoting Dafa to Taiwanese Residents
One of the main goals of this Vienna trip was to promote Dafa to Taiwanese residents. We visited those who were interested in Falun Gong, one by one, telling them about our cultivation experiences. We joined with some local practitioners to hold a small, informal concert and taught the exercises afterwards. Although it was our first time meeting with those overseas practitioners, we felt close to each other. It was probably a predestined relationship. After working with each other for a few days, we looked like we belonged to the same family.
Two days later we were about to leave. They held our hands and repeatedly thanked us for traveling from far away to Vienna to introduce Falun Gong and sharing our cultivation experiences. They said they would continue to organize people to practice and study the Fa together. Feeling their joy and appreciation from the heart, our hearts were touched. In fact, all this came from Dafa's power and its mighty virtue.