(Minghui.org) Greetings to our respected Master! Greetings to fellow practitioners!
With the rapid advancement of Master's Fa-rectification, I joined the stream of assisting Master in Fa-rectification at 51 years of age, after previously having focused only on cultivating myself. I am now actively participating in the sacred mission of saving sentient beings.
Going to the Countryside to Save Sentient Beings
When the persecution first began, I distributed truth-clarification materials and posted stickers. Later, I talked to people about Falun Dafa and the persecution face-to-face and persuaded people to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. I was doing that in the residential area of my factory.
I gradually led our small Fa study group and other fellow practitioners to talk to people about Dafa and the persecution to the public. After they gained some experience with this, I let them cover small districts, while I, being younger, planned to cover other areas. I started to go to parks, construction sites, bus stops, hospitals, train stations, etc., to speak to people face-to-face. I even took the bus to visit former neighbors and classmates. Everyone was waiting to be saved.
During that time, a fellow practitioner and I also went to the countryside. We spoke to people in stores and sometimes went door to door. Since we had more practitioners in the city area, most people there had already heard the truth about Dafa. Thus, I wanted to go to the countryside to save people there on a large scale.
A fellow practitioner happened to tell me that there seemed to be a lot of people in the village supermarkets. I asked about the environment there. She said it was not good, as most people were in a hurry to buy groceries, and it was not easy to speak to them.
At that moment I thought to myself: “Why can't we do that? Dafa disciples are the kings and lords of various worlds. Dafa disciples should have the final say on everything. Wherever there are people, that location should have the environment for Dafa disciples to save sentient beings. I must create an environment in the supermarket so that people in the countryside could be saved, and also pave the way for fellow practitioners.”
My thought was to go to the countryside to talk to people face-to-face. The next day, I revealed my idea to a fellow practitioner who I often worked with. She said she had been having the same thought. Thus, we planned to go to a supermarket in the countryside to speak to the village people there about Falun Dafa and the persecution.
On our way there, we kept sending forth righteous thoughts and eliminating all evil factors that could interfere with us in saving sentient beings. We asked Master to strengthen us. We were able to persuade over 40 people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations in just over an hour. We were very encouraged, and it also encouraged local practitioners.
At first, a local practitioner helped send forth righteous thoughts, while the two of us spoke to people about Dafa. Later, this practitioner also joined us in talking to people. We went to that market several times and created a new environment in that area.
Once, when a fellow practitioner and I went to that market, a local practitioner passed by and saw us talking to people. She decided to join us. We later found several other practitioners who often went out to talk to people about Dafa. We shared our experiences in having a good effect in the marketplace.
Everyone wanted to continue with this effort, so we set up a small group to talk to people face-to-face at the supermarket in the countryside. A fellow practitioner drove us there, and we cooperated well with each other. We then made a list of surrounding supermarkets located in each township and scheduled to visit each market. Regardless of whether it was cold, hot, raining, or windy, we never stopped clarifying the truth about Dafa to people.
During the winter, we often stayed in the market for hours. With travel time, we were often gone half a day, and our feet were sore. We sent forth righteous thoughts and asked Master to strengthen us. The pain subsided after that.
Working As One Body and Sharing Our Understandings
We continued with this effort for two years, cooperating with each other and working as one body to save sentient beings. We were often able to persuade over 100 people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations each time we went out. We always sent forth righteous thoughts on our way there.
The closest location was over 30 miles away, and the farthest was 400-500 miles away. In the car on the way home, we would recite Master's Fa. We were immersed in the Fa during the entire process and, therefore, felt nothing but joy.
Sometimes we would gather together to exchange our understandings.
Master said in “What is a Dafa Disciple”:
“The only path that lies before you, the disciples of Dafa, is one of real cultivation. There is no other path. ”
In our discussions, we focused on the topics of truly cultivating ourselves, cooperating with each other, working as one body, letting go of self-validation, and the mission of a Dafa practitioner. Before our discussions, we would always study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts.
Master said,
“Different approaches are in fact the all-encompassing way in which roles are dynamically distributed in the operations of the Fa, and the Fa-power is a reflection of the one body.” (“Comment on a Student's article,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress, Vol. III)
We stopped being attached to how many people we had persuaded to withdraw from the CCP and just focused on saving sentient beings. Wherever we went, we tried to give those sentient beings compassion.
On some cold winter days, I thought of taking a break. Then Master's words of “always cultivating as if you were just starting” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference”) inspired me again, and urged me to be diligent.
Once, our group had decided to leave at 7 a.m. to go to the countryside. It was raining when I woke up. I called a fellow practitioner who was planning to drive, to see if we should delay our trip by an hour. I told him the weather would keep people away, and that going later would be better. This practitioner did not agree with me and said that we would still leave at 7 a.m. I wondered if that was wise.
Then I realized that such thinking was not right. Was I thinking about saving people? I quickly got ready and met my group. I told the group what I had been thinking. A fellow practitioner reminded me that Master has the final say. Everything should make way for the sake of saving sentient beings, no matter whether it is a human being in the world or a divine being in the heaven. Everything should give way to save sentient beings. We should not delay our time, no matter whether it rains or shines.
After seeing the gap, I thought about the universe being in the process of Fa-rectification, and how Dafa disciples must play the lead role in human society.
I felt that working with fellow practitioners was just like what Master said:
“Study the Fa and gain the Fa,
Focus on how you study and cultivate,
Let each and every thing
be measured against the Fa.
Only then, with that,
is it actually cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
I looked inward. As Dafa practitioners, we all have one Master and one Fa. Dafa disciples should be rock-firm, so that nothing could move them. I asked myself why I thought of things with a narrow mind. While disintegrating the evil factors hindering sentient beings from being saved, I also eliminated the attachments of resentment and making excuses.
Then I saw a large crowd near me, and I realized that Master had arranged these people to be there; they were waiting to be saved. If we had delayed our trip, they might have missed the opportunity to be saved. My tears flowed, and I felt my responsibility.
I recalled a scene of talking to a villager about the persecution. She understood the facts and withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Afterward, she did not leave. She held my arm and said: “You have saved me, but there are many more people in our village. How many can you save this way? Maybe if you use a loud speaker, more people will hear you.”
This made me realize once again that sentient beings are waiting for us to save them. I understood that those who have been saved are concerned about those who have not. I was feeling helpless with only one mouth to use.
While thinking about this, I walked over to a couple of vegetable merchants. I told them that I was not there to buy vegetables. Instead, I wanted them to remember that Falun Dafa is good—it is here to save people. I encouraged them to quit the Party.
I explained to them: “In movements such as the Cultural Revolution, the June 4th Tiananmen Square Massacre, and the persecution of Falun Dafa, the CCP has killed over 80 million people. Heaven will eliminate the CCP. Do not follow it and be a scapegoat for the evil CCP.” They smiled and agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations, thanking me many times.
For the next two hours, fellow practitioners and I worked together and persuaded nearly 60 people to quit the Party. That day, our truth-clarification team persuaded almost 200 people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
One spring day, after talking to people about Falun Dafa and the persecution, several practitioners noticed that there were wild vegetables growing on the mountain. They could not resist and went to dig them up to take home. I couldn't help but think that this was not appropriate. I felt that a better use of our time would be to send forth righteous thoughts. I felt myself getting upset.
Once home, we had a group discussion about this issue. A fellow practitioner talked about how she felt. I then realized that I had not really thought about other practitioners. I was attached to self-validation. Many practitioners came out to clarify the truth to people for half a day and then had to go home and take care of their families and prepare meals. Some did not have time to buy groceries. I was not thinking about their hardships. Where was my compassion?
We agreed that it was fine to pick vegetables after we finished talking to people. Maybe we would see others picking vegetables, too, and then we could talk to them and save them. If we could combine these two things, saving sentient beings and also taking care of our lives, isn't that a good thing? Those practitioners who had eagerly dug up vegetables also realized that they must be more diligent and put the Fa first. Thus, everyone improved their xinxing.
After Master's Hong Yin III was published, I realized the importance of Shen Yun Performing Arts. To be responsible to sentient beings, I thought it would be best to distribute Shen Yun Performing Arts CDs face-to-face. A fellow practitioner and I cooperated with each other and went to supermarkets and on the streets to distribute the CDs, which most people took.
Earlier this year, a fellow practitioner who had technical skills worked with us in overall coordination. We talked about how to use Shen Yun CDs to save people. We thought about how to change our mindset so we could save more sentient beings. We all agreed that we would make more Shen Yun CDs, and would then distribute them face-to-face.
We began production and then worked with the other practitioners to see who could distribute. We distributed a great number of the CDs in the countryside. I always sent forth righteous thoughts and asked Master for strength. The universe is being rectified now. Everything should make way for the Fa-rectification. All evil that interferes with saving sentient beings should be eliminated. Since I was only thinking about saving sentient beings, everything went well. I was well received and everyone eagerly took the CDs.
Cooperating with each other, we distributed over 70 CDs in about an hour's time. We continued to work well with each other and went to over a dozen villages. I realized that as long as I followed Master's Fa, I would have the power to save sentient beings, have a good effect, and be safe.
Helping Fellow Practitioners Is Also Helping Myself
After July 20, 1999, the CCP used television and other media to frame and slander Falun Dafa. As a result, people did not know the truth about Dafa; they were deceived by the lies. With the CCP's escalation of the persecution in the years that followed, and far fewer practitioners in the township areas (compared to the city), it became more difficult to save sentient beings there.
While Dafa practitioners in the city area did well, we needed to work at covering the townships as well , in order to save sentient beings in those more rural areas. The city coordinator called a meeting with all of the coordinators responsible for each small area. We exchanged our understandings and ideas, cooperated as a whole body, and reached an agreement.
Fellow practitioners in our area took care of two big townships, which were made up of over 100 villages. These two townships only had over a dozen practitioners. I was assigned to help two practitioners in a village, one of whom was very diligent. Over the years, another practitioner and I often went to visit these two practitioners to exchange our understandings of the Fa.
We tried to use the wisdom we obtained from Dafa, given to us by Master, to save sentient beings. With the overall coordination, Master's blessing and strong righteous thoughts of fellow practitioners, those practitioners came out to speak about Falun Dafa and the persecution to each and every family in that village. Nearly everyone withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Another practitioner and I worked together in producing Shen Yun Performing Arts CDs at the start of 2013. Sometimes we would find time to visit the market in the township and speak to people face-to-face. We did not get a chance to visit our fellow practitioner in the countryside for over two months.
One afternoon, a practitioner and I took a bus and went to visit her. She did not look well; she was pale and skinny. I inquired as to how she was doing. She said she had stumbled when she stepped out of her door one day. Her arms and face became swollen, and her teeth hurt. I was surprised and suggested that we exchange our understandings.
Through exchanging our understandings of the Fa, that practitioner began to seriously look inward. She said she lacked compassion and felt she was not kind enough. She held grievances toward some of her family members. She often complained to them because she had to take care of her sick husband. She blamed her husband for her incorrect state. How can a practitioner blame ordinary people for their condition, instead of looking inward and improving from the Fa's standpoint?
The fellow practitioner who went with me said she also had a toothache. She realized that she did not have enough compassion as well and began to look inward. She also realized that she did not focus on truly saving a life while talking to someone. She realized that she had selfishness, as well as sentimentality toward her parents.
I, too, looked inward.
Master said,
“Whatever you experience during your cultivation—whether good or bad—is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating.” (“To the Chicago Fa Conference,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress, Vol. III)
It was not a coincidence to encounter this. The two practitioners had the same issue. Did I have the same problem as well? I carefully looked inward. I was shocked to realize that I did not have enough compassion either. The way I treated my fellow practitioners and my family did not show any compassion. Sometimes I spoke harshly to other practitioners, with an accusing or condescending tone. I didn't consider other practitioners' conditions. I decided to get rid of these human mentalities.
The three of us improved our xinxing on this issue. A few days after I came back from this practitioner's place, I heard that she recovered completely. She then joined projects and worked harmoniously with other practitioners to save more sentient beings.
This incident made me realize the joy of looking inward. In the meantime, I also improved myself while helping other practitioners. In fact, helping other practitioners was also helping myself.
Practicing Dafa for 15 years, I have had plenty of ups and downs. With the guidance of Dafa and Master's compassionate care, I have made it to the present day. However, I know that I have to do more to catch up with fellow practitioners who have done well.
Sometimes I am lazy about doing the exercises. I hear the alarm in the morning, but I want to sleep a little longer. I will, in the future, overcome my shortcomings and catch up in my cultivation, constantly improving myself so that Master could have less worries about me. I want to express my thankfulness to Master and my fellow practitioners.
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