(Clearwisdom.net) In 2004, a technical coordinator in our area was arrested. Several Dafa materials production sites for which he provided technical support were affected. For a while we suffered shortages of truth clarification materials in our area. As we reflected on our omissions during cultivation, we gained more insight into the necessity of having a large number of family-run material production sites.
We went to some young practitioners and tried to ask them to take on this work, but the conditions were not met so we had to give up. In the process we re-established old materials sites and new family sites. The elderly Dafa practitioners in our area played an important role. They overcame numerous difficulties with righteous faith in Teacher and Dafa. We not only restored the two existing sites but also established two new home-based production sites.
As a Dafa practitioner, everything that we come across contains elements of cultivation. The process of establishing materials production sites was also a process of cultivation. Several older practitioners diligently looked inward and eliminated their attachments. Their determination and righteous belief broke through the barriers set up by the old forces and were the cornerstone that ensured the successful setup and operation of the production sites. The names used in this article are pseudonyms.
Ms. Fang
Ms. Fang is around 65 years of age and has been very diligent doing the three things. She is responsible for delivering materials in her area and distributes most of the materials we produce at our site.
After the arrest of the technician practitioner, Ms. Fang was quite anxious and tried many times to build another site in her area. She went to several young practitioners but for several reasons her plan didn't materialize. After various unsuccessful attempts she didn't complain or blame others but realized, "Why am I always looking for young people to produce materials? Is it because they are young and fast learners? Isn't this dependency? Isn't it a fixed notion acquired among ordinary people? Cultivation is supernatural; all cultivators, young or old, regardless of their level of skills, as long as they can conduct themselves according to Dafa and enlighten to the Fa principles on their level, Dafa will manifest his mighty power. Peasant practitioners who handle axes all day can establish production sites! Why can't I? What am I waiting for?"
A practitioner bought an all-in-one printer for Ms. Fang, and another practitioner who downloaded articles from the Internet provided her with drafts. A production site was thus established. She was able to provide sufficient Dafa truth clarification materials to about 70 fellow practitioners in her area. Ms. Fang's machine has constantly churned out various truth clarification materials including Minghui Weekly, pamphlets, and the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party", ever since. After the first publication of the Nine Commentaries, the existing production sites could not meet the growing demand. Ms. Fang's production site became indispensable.
Ms. Fang built the production site after overcoming layers of resistance. The first test came from her family. Shortly after the persecution began, Ms. Fang was arrested and detained twice. She was under heavy surveillance by the street Party Committee and the police. Her husband and children were worried about her. Ms. Fang established the new site only after rational thinking and a proper safety analysis. As more and more evil elements were eliminated, people's attitude toward Dafa clearly changed; the same thing happened to her family. Of course, the change in her family is inseparable from Ms. Fang's righteous thoughts and righteous actions. At first, Ms. Fang had to wait for her children to go to work and her husband to leave for the senior activity center before quietly starting to work on the truth clarification materials. As she continuously clarified the truth to her family as well as sending her righteous thoughts and performing her righteous actions, her family changed their mind about Dafa. They were sympathetic at first. They came to understand Dafa practitioners. Now they quietly support Ms. Fang's efforts. Occasionally when the children see Ms. Fang making truth clarification materials they joke, "Wow, mom, your underground factory is at work again!" After the Nine Commentaries came out, Ms. Fang's machine worked around the clock. Sometimes her family buys paper and ink for her.
There were also technical difficulties. Ms. Fang is not highly educated; everything on her all-in-one machine, from the keypad to the monitor, is in English. Although she never mentioned problems in this regard, we can imagine how many mountains she had to climb in the process, both technologically and psychologically. She has even taught herself to open the drum and replace the toner!
When problems arise, we should always look at them from the perspective of a cultivator. We should first look inward. Most of the time the problems are instantly solved. While making truth clarification materials, miracles happened with Ms. Fang and her machine. The printer has become our powerful weapon in validating Dafa and rescuing sentient beings. Many stories of this type have been published on the Minghui website, so we will not waste our space here.
There is one household in her area whose members are all Dafa practitioners. They never have had enough materials, no matter how many Ms. Fang took them. They had no choice but to write on adhesive tape to clarify the truth. Ms. Fang contacted a practitioner in charge of technical problems, and they bought an all-in-one printer. The whole family was ecstatic when they saw the machine printing out articles non-stop. They could take as many materials with them as they wished when they left home to clarify the truth. If they left town to clarify the truth, they usually took 2,000 or 3,000 copies. They clarified the truth like wandering monks.
Ms. Lian and Mr. Liu
Ms. Lian and Mr. Liu are a couple. Ms. Lian is 73 years old, healthy and robust and is always smiling. Mr. Liu is 76 years old. He walks so fast that his peers envy him. Since they started practicing Dafa they never stopped studying the Fa or doing the exercises, except for three days around July 20. Recently, this couple took over the responsibility for delivering truth clarification materials in their area. Aside from delivering copies of the Minghui Weekly and other articles to various locations, they also sent Teacher's latest articles and sample copies of truth clarification articles to different production sites. They made the trip several times a week. Sometimes they took two buses to go to a large production site to get more materials to supplement the small family production sites.
Due to their selfless contribution, the truth clarification materials in their area had rich and varied content. This couple, in their 70s, had to take four buses for their round-trips. They had to climb stairs and hills, yet they never complained and never delayed the delivery, particularly Teacher's articles. No matter how terrible the weather, they always handed the articles to fellow practitioners at the earliest time to ensure that they could read Teacher's articles in time.
It had been snowing for a day and a night when "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles" came out. Deep snow covered the streets. The elderly couple, however, left home with copies of the article without a second thought. One practitioner who took the article asked Ms. Lian, "It's snowing so hard, the weather is cold and the road is slippery; how many old women like you are walking in the streets?" Ms. Lain laughed and said, "Not that many! Not a lot of young folks, either!"
Ms. Lian and Mr. Liu never stopped distributing truth clarification materials in the past few years. They carried a few copies with them every time they went shopping. They have grown much more experienced. When the persecution first started they were really afraid and dared not hand out even a single flyer. They became nervous even when they heard about other practitioners clarifying the truth. Now, they often carry a whole bag of materials and go everywhere with it. This change has to do with their constant Fa study and always maintaining righteous thoughts. Lately in particular, they have rarely missed sending forth righteous thoughts at the daily set four set times. They sat down and sent forth righteous thoughts whenever they could find time. In the past six years they never stopped reading experience sharing articles and cultivation stories. Stories of fellow practitioners diligently practicing cultivation, validating Dafa and rescuing sentient beings greatly inspired and encouraged them. They also met with other practitioners in the surrounding area and shared their understandings with them, which helped them to quickly step out of self-centeredness and become the rock-solid Dafa practitioners that they are today.
Elderly practitioners in our area also do well with cultivation of speech and safety awareness. For example, Ms. Fang never grew complacent or arrogant because she produced truth clarification materials. She quietly took care of the work. Aside from the practitioner who downloaded articles from the Internet and a few practitioners who had close contact with her, many practitioners who took materials from Ms. Fang didn't know that she made them herself. After the very first production site was impaired, practitioners involved with that site had their home phones tapped. After the new sites were established, these elderly practitioners paid special attention to safety. They almost never used a telephone to notify the delivery of truth clarification materials. Because the practitioners have known each other for a long time, they are familiar with each other's schedule. They would simply visit the practitioners when they thought they are home. Sometimes when the practitioners were absent the elderly practitioners would say, "Not a big deal; I'll make another trip." Out of consideration for others and responsibility toward Dafa and fellow practitioners, they ensured the smooth operation of the production sites with their righteous thoughts and righteous actions.
Since the publication of the Nine Commentaries they have helped many people quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations with lessons learned from Minghui Weekly and other practitioners' experiences. They have sent lists of names of people who wish to withdraw from the Party to the Epoch Times website nonstop.
Ms. Li and Ms. Han
Ms. Li is in her late 70s. She has never relented in truth clarification. Most of the time she clarifies the truth face-to-face. She seizes opportunities when shopping in the farmers' market and on her strolls to talk to people. She has been to the markets, parks, streets and alleys near her home. When she first started clarifying the truth, she would draw a line on the wall of her house after she had helped a person understand the truth. Sometimes she drew more than a dozen lines on the wall in a single day. Now there are more than 400 lines on the wall. This was over two years ago. She has long since stopped drawing lines. When asked why she quit she smiled and said, "First, because more and more people have learned the truth and there's not enough space for all the lines. Second, I realized that I had a hidden complacency and attachment to numbers." Truth clarification is a cultivation process, and diligent practitioners discover and eliminate attachments in order to constantly improve in the Fa. As for now, Ms. Li is walking ever steadier on the path to assist Teacher validate the Fa.
Ms. Han is a retired teacher. In the past few years she has been clarifying the truth to her students during private sessions. Interestingly, all students whom she taught and who learned the truth had subsequently enjoyed academic improvement by leaps and bounds. People who learned about it rushed to send their children to her. Ms. Han said, "Dafa is magical! The kids earned much better grades after they learned the truth. I don't have any special methods and I simply teach by the book. All of this is due to the mighty power of Dafa!"
The practitioners mentioned above are only a few typical examples of the elderly practitioners who validate Dafa in our area. There are many more practitioners like them. These practitioners don't use flowery rhetoric but simply and quietly do the "three things" well. In short, they have faith in Teacher and Dafa, and because of their faith they receive wisdom from Dafa, strengthen their determination to assist Teacher rectify the Fa, realize the responsibilities of Dafa disciples, and develop compassion to rescue sentient beings.