(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Gong in 1996. I would like to share my experiences in clarifying the truth to people face-to-face, and encouraging them to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
Initial Steps
After I was released from a labor camp in 2009, I began reading Dafa books and Minghui articles every day. I realized that saving people was our top priority. I knew I had to catch up with fellow practitioners, and that I needed to do something to hasten my steps. With that thought, I left home and arrived at a street corner, and began chatting with people about the persecution.
The first person was shocked when I told him that the CCP was evil. “You are a counter revolutionist,” he yelled out. Before I had a chance to speak further, a number of bystanders surrounded us. I slipped away at that point.
My second audience was a flower vendor on the street. After my brief talk, he shook his head, and said, “I don’t understand what you are talking about.” I went on to talk to three more people that day, but none showed any interest in what I had to say.
I thought to myself, “Maybe handing out DVD’s would be an easier task.” So one day I gave a Shen Yun DVD to a college student. He accepted it and went on his way. I then saw a uniformed police officer only a few steps away, holding a walkie-talkie. He followed me when I left. I thought, “Turn your head to the west.” He indeed turned his head away.
I escaped, and walked into a narrow alley. To my surprise, two police officers were sitting at the entrance. I turned around and tried to leave the residential area. But everywhere I went, I saw police. I was too nervous to continue. Finally, I returned home feeling disappointed.
I had not seen any articles on the Minghui website referencing similar situations. Frustrated, I stuffed my bag with Shen Yun DVDs and truth-clarification flyers and went to my former workplace. Without any introduction, I handed out the materials to everyone I saw, from the principal to the party secretary, to the accountant. I also advised them to quit the CCP. While walking in the office area, I heard someone reporting me to security. “This is out of control,” they said. “Someone was passing out Falun Gong stuff everywhere.”
A couple of days later, a local police officer came to my house and talked to my mother. “Someone called the police about your son’s Falun Gong activities at work,” he said. Scared, my mother began to cry.
I was very disappointed in myself. As a Dafa disciple doing the most righteous things in the world, I should have conducted myself with honor and dignity. But I was anxious to catch up, and was doing these things for myself. With strong human emotions, how could I effectively show people the truth? They might think that I was being political. Some might treat me as if I had mental problems. My mind was filled with fears and worries. No wonder I could not save people.
After other practitioners told me about a different project that did not require interaction with people, I considered joining. “Maybe this is my real path,” I thought. “I could use my technical skills and still save people.” But a different voice came to me, “Your xinxing is not there, and finding an easy path and avoiding risk is not cultivation.”
Perseverance
I asked a veteran practitioner with more experience in truth clarification to teach me how to do it.
The two of us initially went out together. After talking to many people in the morning, we convinced three to quit the CCP. But our efforts were interrupted by a security guard and a retired police officer. On our way home, I spoke with the other practitioner about what happened. “These incidences are testing my heart,” I said. “I am not scared. I will continue tomorrow.”
The next morning, I told myself to go out no matter what. But after arriving at a park entrance, I suddenly had a mental block, “How do I begin a conversation? Why do I feel nervous?” I watched people pass by, one by one, for an hour, but I could not open my mouth. All kinds of thoughts came to me, “They are all too busy to listen to me. Am I harassing people? They may think that I have nothing better to do.”
As I was debating with these thoughts, an old man came to me, “Taking a walk?” he asked. “Yes,” I said, “I was fired by my employer for being an honest person. So I have plenty of time.”
He looked puzzled. I began telling him the evil nature of the Party, corrupt officials, social unrest, poisoned food, and escalating prices. He nodded in agreement. But right after I brought up the topic of quitting the CCP, the man immediately walked away without comment. I was not disappointed. After all, I had just begun to clarify the truth with some success.
After the other practitioner joined me in the park, we decide to clarify the truth separately. An older woman was practicing Tai chi. She looked like a highly educated person, and she had a home nurse standing nearby. I approached the nurse and said, “Are you from the countryside? Nowadays, the communist government treats peasants very unfairly. They allocate little resources to rural area.” Without much effort by me, she agreed to quit her past association with the Young Pioneers. I also convinced the older woman, who was a Christian, to quit the Party.
I then went on to convince three retired workers to quit the CCP and its affiliates. This must be a reward from Master, I thought.
After that, I saw a man in his sixties doing an exercise. When he took a break, we started a chat with him. He complained about his poor health, so we told him that Falun Gong has many health benefits, and about how the CCP does not allow people to practice it.
Suddenly, the man pointed his finger at us. “You guys have strong competitive mentality.” I turned to the fellow practitioner. “He has a good point,” I said. “Our tone is not very calm.”
I said to the man, “You are right. We are learning to become better people, because we believe in ‘Truth-Compassion-Forbearance.’ What we told you is the truth, and we care about your future. Trust us, quitting the Party will bring you good health and a bright future.”
He smiled. “Yes, I agree to quit.”
I experienced a jump-start to my truth clarification that day. All the sudden, helping people quit the CCP became very easy. Almost everyone I talked to agreed to quit.
Breakthrough
I went to the park again the following day, and met an elderly gentleman who was approaching 90 years old. He was a high ranking official. I offered to walk with him for a while.
I raised some questions about Lei Feng, a communist role model. Many exhibitions showed that he lived a frugal life, and even his socks had several patches covering the holes. But I had also seen some his luxurious personal belongings in a different exhibition, including his Ingersoll watch and a leather jacket. These fancy things were beyond the reach of average citizens in the 1950s. And as a foot soldier for less than two years, Lei Feng had more than 300 pictures of himself taken by professional photographers.
“You have no idea, young man,” the man said to me. “Lei Feng was a real person. Mao Zedong wanted to promote his stories, and the entire Chinese population was told to learn from him. It was a good thing at the time.”
“I believe Lei Feng is a product of propaganda,” I replied. “Now could I ask you another question? The Party said that Lei Feng lived a simple and frugal life, and he never revealed his identity when helping others. Do you believe that is fact?”
He said, “It is hard for me to say. I couldn't say even if I didn't believe. Plus, it is too dangerous to tell the truth. I could end up in jail as a counter revolutionist.”
I was happy to hear his true feeling. “You are such a wise man,” I said. I went on to tell him about how many of the corrupt Party officials are only waiting for the regime to fall.
I continued, “These top communist leaders no longer believe in communism, and they are preparing for the Party’s death. Do you want to prepare for that day?” He was silent, but then he said that he did not know how.
“If you seek the Divine's help in saving you and your children, you should get off the communist ship that is sailing toward hell,” I said. “You should quit the Party. I can help you to register with a nickname. How about Wan Fu (fortune for senior citizen)?” He smiled and said, “Yes. Thank you for helping me.”
He put hands together in a praying gesture. I was amazed that a senior Party official would quit the Party so quickly and express his gratitude with a sacred gesture.
After I left him, I met a middle-aged man who seemed highly educated. I began telling him about the Communist Party’s political campaigns against intellectuals, and the persecution of Falun Gong. However, he interrupted me and did not want to continue the discussion.
I realized that I needed a different approach. I learned that he had diabetes and takes medicine and injections daily. Suddenly I had an idea. “I could tell you were a scientist,” I said. “May I propose a scientific experiment?” He looked curious. “What is it?”
I said, “We believe that the words ‘Falun Dafa is good,’ and ‘Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good’ have divine power. If you could repeat these words every day for a number of days, and then go check your blood sugar, you may see the difference.”
He smiled. “Sure, I can do that.”
I continued, “But you have joined the Party, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers in the past. You have pledged loyalty to the communist cause, which are anti-God. If you want this to work, you should believe in the divine and cut all your past and current associations with the Chinese Communist Party. This is a necessary condition for our experiment.”
To my surprise, he said, “I agree. Please help me to quit.” I selected a nickname for him, and said, “I will come here to check your results in the near future.”
It was a productive day. The other practitioner and I were able to help quite a few highly-accomplished people to quit the Party, including a former minister, a professor, a veteran communist official, and a senior scientist.
Deeper Understandings
Every day, I spent the entire morning advising people to quit the CCP, and after lunch I studied the Fa. I did the exercises in the early morning, and every day before I left home, I still had to overcome my fear. I had many impure thoughts, such as, “How am I going to start the conversation? How can I avoid the police?”
Yet, as soon as I arrived at my destination and began talking, my fears vanished.
Since 1996—when I began practicing Dafa—I have been bothered by my selfish notions. Despite my efforts in reading Dafa books and saving people, the selfish motives had stayed with me. These thoughts were hiding in another dimension.
Then, when I began face-to-face discussions with people, I forgot about myself. I did not think about my mighty virtue, my cultivation, or even my effort in doing the three things. My only thought was saving people, as Master told us.
I know the job is huge, and we will never truly accomplish the goal. Still, having these simple thoughts allows me to focus on others instead of myself. In two months, I was able to eliminate many selfish thoughts and assimilate to Dafa. To enter the new universe, we must devote our lives to Fa rectification activities.
I also learned to take responsibility and promote positive energy among practitioners. I learned not to blame fellow practitioners when problems occurred. I think I just learned the key for cultivation at my current level.
Master told us:
“Our truth-clarification sites are, in fact, the front line—the front line for clarifying the truth.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2013 Western U.S. Fa Conference”)
I thought, “When I step out of my home, I am also at the front line. I will continue my effort to save people at the front line. I will cultivate away my human notions and purify my thoughts according to Master’s teachings. That is my final goal.”
Thank you, Dear Master. Thank you fellow practitioners.
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