(Minghui.org) There’s an old saying that when a man dips his finger into the sea, he is connected with the entire world. Every morning, as I open the Minghui website, that’s the feeling I get: As I open the site, the whole world opens—the world of Falun Dafa practitioners.
For several years I have translated the top feature articles from the Minghui English-language website. I feel this is a great privilege and a responsibility that I joyfully carry out. Each morning, I eagerly look forward to seeing what new things await me on the Minghui site. They say an image is worth a thousand words, and so, starting with the opening image, I discover what follows in the text.
When the image that accompanies the text is a graph, however, this means my work will be difficult, that it will be a report about the persecution of practitioners in China. My heart is heavy as I translate these articles. I know that once I translate them, more people who do not speak Chinese or English will learn about the horrors unfolding in China. People who know nothing about Falun Dafa will learn of the persecution of this ancient spiritual practice which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began in July 1999 and which continues to this day.
People interested in human rights can learn about the unspeakable violations of the human rights of practitioners and other minority groups in China, the worsening state of freedom of religion, as well as the illegal organ harvesting from practitioners. For me, translating these reports is a way to give back and to show my respect and sympathy for the brave practitioners in China who, even when subjected to the unimaginable pressure from the CCP, do not lose their faith in Falun Dafa. I feel that by translating these reports I connect with those brave and determined Chinese practitioners and let the world know that their courage and sacrifice is not in vain.
When the first image I see is a theater, I know it will be followed by an article about Shen Yun Performing Arts. I read and translate these articles with joy. So many audience members talk about how they were brought closer to the divine, and I know that Master’s plan for Shen Yun has achieved its goal. The beautiful performances have touched the hearts of millions of people and offered them salvation.
People from all walks of life watch the performances yet their reactions are very similar. They are deeply moved by the beautiful scenes set to music. They talk of how they felt the existence of the divine, of feeling hope and consolation. This makes me happy and encourages me.
Around significant dates each year—World Dafa Day, Master’s birthday, and the seasonal holidays—practitioners from around the world, especially China, send in their greetings to the site. Recently there have been more and more such messages that convey not only greetings but also the authors' experiences in practicing Dafa. Some are just prose but sometimes they are verses. Our greetings are an opportunity for us to address Master directly and to convey even a fraction of our gratitude and love, as we try to repay what he has sacrificed for us and for his everlasting protection.
Sometimes articles are written to mark an occasion: an experience sharing conference in China or an experience sharing conference somewhere else in the world. Those articles record experiences and challenges posed by cultivation. Raising one’s xinxing, encountering sickness karma, looking within, eliminating attachments, and all that make up the key elements of cultivation—I translate these with joy. As I translate, I think about the cultivators who will read these articles and come to understand and live by the universal principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
One day people will know about looking within, eliminating attachments, and assimilating themselves to the characteristic of the universe, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I look forward to future practitioners’ joy when they learn of the existence of Zhuan Falun and their enthusiasm as they learn of all the things that brought me to this moment and the opportunity to translate these articles, which convey all that information into our language.
When the introductory text on Minghui is accompanied by a photo of sights from around the world, I know the article is about the brave and persistent practitioners who let other people, especially to Chinese tourists, know the truth about Falun Dafa and its persecution in China. I am happy because I know that by translating these articles, non-practitioners can learn how such an amazing practice is being persecuted by the CCP. In many places around the world, people can help to stop the persecution by signing petitions. Practitioners at tourist attractions also help people quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Through other practitioners’ experiences we learn how to improve our ability to explain the truth and answer questions, and especially how to help Chinese tourists.
I am most excited when I see the yellow rectangle with the words “New Jingwen,” because what follows is a new “scripture” from Master Li. Sometimes, these are the greetings that Master sends to the experience-sharing conferences around the world, and sometimes they are Master’s lectures given during conferences. Reading the translations from the yellow and blue teams gives me an insight into all the complexity and beauty of the Chinese language. Encouraged by their efforts, I do my best to convey at least the essence of Master’s words to our readers. I rarely dare translate Master’s longer lectures, leaving it to more experienced practitioners on our Minghui team. It is difficult to put into words my joy when our translation is promptly posted on our Minghui website. My heart then says: “We, too, are here; we, too, are practicing; and we, too, are listening to Master’s words.”
It is a privilege and an honor to translate articles from the Minghui site. It is a great responsibility, but one that brings me great joy.
I greet the members of the Minghui teams from all over the world and kindly ask them to point out anything that is inappropriate.
(Presented at the Minghui’s 20th Anniversary Fa Conference-selected and edited)