(Minghui.org) I moved to Brooklyn, New York City with my daughter’s family in January 2016. Seeing that no one was handing out the Epoch Times newspaper to pedestrians, I decided to do it.
On my first day, I stood by the subway entrance and it took a half-hour to have someone accept my first paper. At the time, a lot of people did not understand the importance of the paper; some would throw it on a pile of snow, leaving it to blow everywhere. I felt a great responsibility to help people understand the importance of the paper because it talks about the persecution of Falun Gong.
I offered the Epoch Times at the subway entrance every day, and it would typically take me more than an hour to finish handing out a stack of 50 copies. A year has gone by and more and more people have understood the truth, and the paper is quickly taken by passersby.
One of the subway ticketing booth employees is originally from Hong Kong. He asked me how much I am paid to hand out the paper. I told him I was a volunteer and I used the opportunity to explain the truth of Falun Gong to him. He wanted to read Zhuan Falun, so I brought him a copy of the precious book. He said excitedly, “I will take a good look!”
I was told by a coordinator that a tourist site was short of practitioners and I was needed there. I finished handing out the papers and was ready to leave for the tourist site by taking the subway. Suddenly, tears flowed for no reason.
I realized I couldn’t stop passing out the Epoch Times here because there were sentient beings waiting for me to save them. I decided to go there earlier to give out the paper before heading to the tourist site every day.
Later on, a new project was established to distribute the Epoch Times to businesses, so I switched to that project.
I didn’t want to switch at first because I figured it would be too much for me to go door to door. But after the Epoch Times established a circulation department which was dedicated to distributing the paper to businesses, I realized the importance of the project, and decided to overcome my fear of suffering, fear of tiredness and fear of walking, and joined in.
I feel that my xinxing and strength have improved gradually through the process. In the beginning, I was only able to distribute 50 copies because I had to ride a bicycle to my assigned streets; I was in my 70s, and my legs hurt getting on and off the bicycle.
But I knew I must carry on. My original assigned streets were 20th Avenue and Kings Hwy, but I discovered some shops on 10th Avenue, 65th Street and 23rd Avenue, and covered them as well. As time went by, my total distribution increased to 240 copies.
Bakeries opened early and supermarkets late, therefore I needed to make two trips and spend a total of three hours every day to finish my distribution. Rain or snow made it harder. Even though the task was very physically demanding, my heart felt at ease because I knew I must do this for the sake of sentient beings.
From being unwilling to cover storefronts to breaking through my notions; from feeling exhausted with 50 copies to asking for 240 copies; from doing it as a job to fulfilling my duties and mission; from one who used to think I could be spared by rain or snow, to now realizing I must keep doing it rain or shine, without fear of suffering, my xinxing has improved without my knowing it, and my physical strength has made a breakthrough.
I feel as if I am in my 20s or 30s riding the bicycle and never feel fatigued. Delivering the paper and saving people is my path of cultivation.
I have run into all kinds of people and my experiences with them are quite varied. Some are grateful. For example, an older couple would give me a thumbs-up whenever they see me and say, “Your paper is getting better and better. Thank you!”
Some would reject my paper. For example, a store owner rejected my paper in the beginning. I still stopped by every day to offer it. One day he said, “I have to read the paper for the sake of your persistence.” From then on, he asked for a copy every day.
One day after a big storm, seeing me pushing the bicycle in the snow with great difficulty, a laundromat owner welcomed me at the door and said, “Extraordinary! Thank you!”
In the process of distributing the paper, I clarified the facts to people and helped them quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. I felt Master arranged a lot of the opportunities for truth-clarification, and I seized every one of them.
One day, a supermarket owner arrived to work late and all the employees were waiting by the door. I took the great opportunity to clarify the facts to them and told them the Epoch Times was a media that speaks the truth. I also told them the Tiananmen self-immolation incident was staged and about the Hidden Character Stone in China that predicted the fall of the CCP.
Some asked me, “How much are you getting paid for delivering the paper every day?” I said, “I’m a volunteer. I do this for people to understand the truth and be safe.” I told them about quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations, and one person agreed to quit.
Another person wanted to learn Falun Gong, so I brought her a copy of the precious book Zhuan Falun and the exercise music the next time we saw each other, and she was delighted. Some people did not believe the story of the Hidden Character Stone, so I brought them some pamphlets later on.
One day, a person asked me for a copy of the Epoch Times. While I was persuading the person to quit the Party and its affiliated organizations, a woman walked over. She said to me, “Thank you! The other day you helped me quit the Party and its affiliated organizations with the name An Kang. I had surgery later on and I kept chanting ‘Falun Gong is Good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is Good,’ and the surgery went very successfully. An Kang was such a great name!”
She told the person I was talking to, “You must quit. You will be safe.” That person agreed to quit.
A dental office and a tutoring business were on my route and received the paper every day. The owners wanted to pay me to add their business fliers to my papers as inserts. I told them, “I’m a volunteer. The paper is for people to understand the truth. I cannot add other advertisements.” They expressed admiration. They had been reading the paper every day.
I have also met people who cursed me and talked trash to me. For example, a drug store owner not only rejected my paper, but also physically pushed me. I tried to clarify the facts to him, but he wouldn’t listen. My heart was not moved. When I saw him again, I said hello with a smile and he looked surprised.
Some people originally accepted my paper, but rejected it later on and wouldn’t listen to the truth. I felt my cultivation wasn’t solid enough to save them and I worried about them.
I understood I must study the Fa well in order to do the project well.
Master said:
“But consider what I have said: if whatever it is that you’re doing is not grounded in the Fa, if it does not have the power of the Fa, and if you haven’t cultivated well, you will not do those things well. Although you might have done whatever it is, it has not achieved any effect and simply cannot save people, for you are ineffective in dissolving evil factors. That is why Fa-study is still the most, most important thing—it is the fundamental guarantee for all that you are to do. If you cannot keep up in Fa-study, then there is no hope.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
Every day, I would attend an online group Fa-study for two hours, memorize the Fa on my own for two to three hours and study Master’s Fa lectures given outside of China for one hour. Over the past year, I have recited Zhuan Falun twice and finished reading every Fa lecture given overseas.
With sufficient Fa study, I felt my righteous thoughts were strong and things like leg pain or fatigue would not bother me.
In my understanding, only with strong righteous thoughts can one be motivated and capable of doing the project well, otherwise, lacking Fa study or sending forth righteous thoughts, one would easily feel a lack of confidence, tired and helpless when running into setbacks such as someone accepting the paper one day and rejecting it another.
I often ran into those who would not accept the paper or listen to my truth-clarification.
Master said:
“With no factors at work behind the scenes, a human being will do whatever you tell him to. You are a cultivator and someone with abilities, and you are a being who is walking the path to divinity. Whereas that being is an ordinary human, and he is powerless. So you shouldn’t always fix your gaze on the person at the surface. Only when you deal with the factors behind the scenes will you manage to resolve the problem at the root. Only then will you cause a given situation, or that person, to change.”(“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
I came to understand that I must follow Master’s requirements to handle the matter with righteous thoughts in order to save those people.
So I sent forth righteous thoughts more frequently toward those who wouldn’t listen to the truth, and asked for Master’s strengthening. Slowly, some of them began to accept the paper again and others have improved attitudes.
A bakery owner and its employees have repeatedly refused to listen to the truth. I sent forth strong righteous thoughts every day to disintegrate the evil behind them, and added a thought to let their knowing side know that Falun Gong is good and they should want the Epoch Times.
In the beginning, I left only one copy in their store while sending forth righteous thoughts. A few days later, I left eight copies one day and two hours later, found the paper was gone. I suspected the owner or employees had removed the paper, but I immediately negated the negative thought.
Now I leave 15 copies each day at their store and no one objects. Their customers would pick up a copy like in any other store.
There was a senior center on my route. But no matter how many times I tried, the person in charge would not accept my paper or listen to my truth-clarification. I sent forth righteous thoughts for her for a few days.
One day, I went again and said, “Can I leave you a few copies of the newspaper?” She said, “You can put them there.” I was happy for her. The next day, she told me to add a few more copies. I have witnessed the power of righteous thoughts and understood Master’s Fa even better:
“The fact is, at this time Dafa disciples have to do divine things, because for Dafa disciples their personal cultivation is no longer first and foremost.”(“Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VII)
I have also realized that as long as we are grounded in the Fa and our thoughts are righteous, Master will help us and miracles will happen.
It was windy in New York, and sometimes the wind was very strong. However, when I was winding through the streets several times a day to deliver the paper, no matter what direction I was riding, there was always a tailwind helping to push me forward. At first I was a little surprised, but I immediately realized Master was helping me.
Occasionally I had a headwind that would make biking harder and I would say, “Tailwind, tailwind please.” A moment later, it would change to a tailwind. Sometimes I heard the sound of the wind, but I didn’t feel it on my bicycle.
One day, there was a strong crosswind while I was crossing the street. I was worried the wind would blow my papers to the middle of the street and I wouldn’t be able to get them, then I immediately felt a whirlwind carrying me to the other side of the street. I said, “Thank you, Master,” before I was aware of it.
Master said:
“What’s more, the long-term influence by the Party culture is indeed serious, and the students’ ways of thinking and personal behavior are completely out of sync with people of this world.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference,” Team Blue Translation)
In the process of delivering the newspaper, I have detected elements of Party culture in my way of thinking and behavior.
For example, a store owner told me to change from using our own newspaper stand to a new rack they just made. I suspected this was their excuse for rejecting the paper. I started feeling bad and looked inside. Suddenly, I realized, “Isn’t this the suspicious mentality of Party culture? I must remove it and only think good things.”
I changed to positive thinking, and it turned out the store owner never had any intention of not accepting our paper. From then on, I would think positively on similar things and the outcome was good.
I also discovered Party culture in my behavior. For example, for a period of time, as long as I didn’t see any vehicles (because it was early), I would cross the street even if there was a red light. One day I suddenly realized that running a red light and breaking the rules is Party culture! I would look so bad with Epoch Times on my bicycle. I must correct myself! From then on, I stop at red lights and wait until the walk signal activates.
This concludes my experience sharing of delivering the Epoch Times. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
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Category: Clarifying the Truth
