(Minghui.org) Time flies and another year has passed. Society has undergone many changes and everyday people have become increasingly aware of the persecution and our efforts to save them. So how can we more effectively save them in these final moments of the Fa-rectification? I have been thinking about this recently.
Because my family practiced Falun Dafa, I was fortunate enough to begin practicing in 1997. But I was young and I did not really understand what it meant to cultivate. I used schoolwork and going abroad as an excuse to avoid it.
After living away from my family for more than ten years, I felt physically and mentally exhausted. My heart was filled with confusion, and I couldn’t see the direction or point of my life. I felt completely lost. When I thought that the rest of my life would be this way I became very depressed. In 2013, under Master's careful arrangement, I was fortunate to meet a veteran practitioner. With his encouragement, I began practicing again in Australia.
As soon as I resumed practicing cultivation, I immediately witnessed miraculous changes. I felt that Master Li had always been compassionately looking after me. The bronchitis and back pain that had been torturing me for many years disappeared! I also easily landed my dream job.
I work for a small training college, and I'm the only Chinese. I've been working in this notoriously unstable job for more than 6 years, while my coworkers changed again and again. At times I thought I was going to lose my job, but I was always able to perform difficult tasks well with Master's guidance.
A few years ago I began thinking about changing jobs. I was worried that I would delay my career development after working at the same job for so long. I applied for work elsewhere, but nothing came of it. I became very depressed.
Another practitioner pointed out, “Practitioners don't usually have to spend a long time looking for work, because everything has been arranged by Master.”
Later, I read Master’s Fa teaching,
“Think about it, everyone, some of our students even have the problem of putting enough food on the table, yet they still cultivate Dafa steadfastly. They won’t give up even if they don’t have anything to eat. Many of the students in the U.S. that came from China have gone through times where they made ends meet by working in restaurants or even by doing very menial jobs. Sometimes the challenges are huge, even big enough to affect your prospects for the future. If in this situation your heart remains unaffected, that’s good enough.” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in the Midwest-U.S.)
I felt that I was still too attached to my career development. As long as I really believe in Master and the Fa, Master will give me the best arrangement.
Master said,
“We know that we won’t be deprived of what is rightfully ours, and shouldn’t labor to get what is not.” (The Seventh Talk, Zhuan Falun)
After I adjusted my mindset, I'm happy at work every day. When tricky situations arise, I try my best to improve my xinxing by following Master’s teachings. My relationship with my colleagues and customers has been quite harmonious.
I use every opportunity to tell people about Falun Dafa. Some even asked to learn the exercises. I knew they are all people Master arranged for me to save. I really cherish my relationships with them, and cherish the work environment that Master has arranged for me. I will continue to do what a Dafa disciple should do.
I wanted to clarify the truth to Chinese people at tourist sites and help them quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations. Master asked us to save people. Why hadn't I done this?
I came up with many excuses. First of all, I felt it was too difficult. I wanted to avoid uncomfortable situations. I felt that most Chinese people were brainwashed by the CCP's propaganda and had immense fear and even hatred for practitioners.
Some feel that if they talk to us, it will bring them trouble when they return to China. Because the CCP uses the most inhumane methods to torture people, it sends a chill down their spines when they think about the Party's various “movements”.
I like to speak my mind directly. I don't beat around the bush with tourists, then look at their reactions and find the right time to tell the truth of Dafa and talk about quitting the CCP. I feel that doing it that way is too long and too difficult.
I kept making up excuses. I felt that I only had time on weekends due to my full-time job, so I should participate in some other projects.
Just as I was still looking for the right project, Master mentioned that younger Dafa disciples should also go to the tourist attractions to save sentient beings.
Master said,
“It seems that young people tend to have ambitions in life that are unrealistically high, so they might have a hard time settling down with what they do. But as Dafa disciples, you should be steady and sincere with whatever you are doing, since yours is a spiritual life.”
“You shouldn’t be thinking that those sites for raising awareness are exclusively for our older ladies.”
“I am helping you do that! Saving non-practitioners is supposed to be your responsibility. [The way it’s supposed to be is that] I save you, and you save them. Now I am even helping you do it, so if you don’t do it, are you a Dafa disciple? How are you going to fare at the end, when accounts are finally settled? At that point it will be too late for crying.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference”)
After Master said this, I knew that I needed to go to the sites to talk to Chinese people. I knew that as long as I sent righteous thoughts, Master would help me.
Master said,
“Disciples’ righteous thoughts are strongMaster has the power to turn the tide” (“Master-Disciple Grace,” Hong Yin II)
When I made up my mind to go to scenic spots on weekends, I noticed many of my attachments disappeared, such as the pursuit of comfort, fear of being photographed, and being asked personal questions. I was determined to bring them the truth about Falun Dafa. However, I sometimes missed opportunities because of my anxiety. At first, I saw groups of Chinese tourists walking past the banner I was holding without reading the message.
They were either looking at their mobile phones or they said disrespectful words. I felt desperate to save them. I even felt like slapping them to wake them all up.
An experienced practitioner calmed me down and said, “Don’t worry, practitioners are clarifying the truth all over the world. The next time these tourists see us they might think about it and agree to quit the CCP. This is teamwork.” I felt what she said was so right.
She also told me that I must not argue back when they were being rude. I may feel that I was defending Dafa, but instead of saving people, I might push them further away. Through going to the sites on the weekends for nearly a year, I found that I still lacked the patience to clarify the truth and save people. I always tried to make them accept what I said and hoped they would quit the Party on the spot.
Master said,
“While they're clarifying the facts some students often run into people who don't want to listen, don't accept things, or are even antagonistic. You shouldn't let one person's opposition be a mental setback for you or make you lose the courage to save sentient beings. A Dafa disciple... what's a Dafa disciple? He's a being created by the most magnificent Fa, (enthusiastic applause) and he's rock-solid and as indestructible as diamond. How could a few words from an ordinary, bad person count for anything? "However evil you are, you can't change me. I simply must accomplish my historic mission, and I must do what a Dafa disciple should do." That's [how you should be,] because we should be clear that in human society and among the beings in this cosmos, there are ones that can no longer be saved, and there are even a lot who can no longer hear the truth. You'll run into this kind of person when you clarify the facts. You should be clear and rational: we're saving those who can be saved. But as Dafa disciples, you cultivate kindness, so you should be compassionate. Whether they're receptive or not, you should always treat them with compassion, and you can't get competitive with ordinary people or look at sentient beings with human thoughts. Just do whatever you should with compassion, regardless of whether they're receptive or not. Compassion comes from a person's cultivation, and it's not something that's acted out; it comes from deep inside, and it's not something done to show others. It's something that exists eternally, and it doesn't change with the passage of time or changes in circumstances.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Washington DC Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IV)
Master's teaching clearly shows us what our state of mind should be while clarifying the truth at tourist sites. After I read this several times, I managed to get rid of my impatience. Now, even if I'm just holding the banner, I feel surrounded by warm energy. Before I go there I send righteous thoughts to disintegrate any negative elements behind people, so that they can see the truth and hopefully withdraw from the CCP.
Now more visitors stand in front of the banner and read the information about Dafa and quitting the Party. One visitor read the banner and said that she would not dare to quit the CCP because she relied on it to make a living. I told her that we didn’t want to bring her trouble and only hoped that she has a good future. She agreed to quit the CCP using a pseudonym. I silently thanked Master.
Another reason I didn't want to go to the sites was that I felt that getting people to quit the CCP was like asking for favors. I felt it was easy to tell tourists about the beauty of Dafa. I believe that every disciple has many beautiful and amazing experiences to share. However, it takes two people to complete the process of quitting the Party. It requires good interaction with tourists whom I've never met before, but the final decision is theirs.
From childhood, I was provided with everything. I can speak fluent English so I've enjoyed a good life outside of China. I never needed anyone to do me any favors. When I first began to ask people to quit the CCP, I felt awkward. I either did not bring up the topic because they were in a rush, or they told me that young people shouldn’t engage in politics, or that no one was interested and then they left. I felt terrible watching them leave and blamed myself. I could only hope that they were offered another chance.
I suddenly realized there are similarities between asking Chinese tourists to quit the CCP and promoting Shen Yun by asking local businesses to put up posters. On the surface, it seems that I'm asking tourists or businesses to do me a favor, asking them to say yes to my kind requests. But the truth is that I am giving them a chance to position their lives in the future. Many people may have already been arranged to step into the future. It's our responsibility to invite them with the purest minds and our best cultivation status. Whether they are able to accept or refuse, has already been arranged. My concerns and worries can only create problems. Another similarity is that they both require me to do it carefully and thoroughly. Tourist after tourist, shop after shop. I don’t want to miss anyone.
The final point I would like to talk about is that when I first started practicing, I just did the exercise at home. Later, I went out to show the beauty of Dafa to the world, especially to the Chinese. If you asked me last year why I went out to clarify the truth, I would tell you that it was because I'm a practitioner and Master required us to do the three things well.
But this year, after watching Shen Yun, I read an article on the Minghui website. The practitioner talked about his own understanding of Shen Yun. I felt it was very inspiring and I benefited a lot from it. He talked about the awakening and changes in ordinary people's society in the past two years, and in his view, the great force of Fa-rectification is advancing faster and faster in human society. Everything in the old universe was based on selfishness, but the new world is altruistic, for others. I thought about why I was clarifying the truth to Chinese tourists. Was it for them or for me? Am I cultivating to benefit myself or to save people?
When I mentioned this to another practitioner a few days ago, she said, “We cultivate ourselves well so that we can save people.” As soon as I heard this, everything suddenly became clear. We cultivate ourselves so that we can be in line with truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance so that we can positively influence and save more sentient beings.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I have only just begun going to the tourist sites. I haven’t been able to help many people quit the CCP yet. However, I have noticed changes in myself: wherever I go and if I get to meet Chinese people, I immediately think about whether they have heard the truth about Dafa and if they've quit the Party. I’m very happy about this recent change in myself.
If I've said anything inappropriate, please correct me with compassion.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Presented at the 2019 Australia Fa Conference)