(Minghui.org) I have practiced Falun Dafa for more than twenty years and I am so grateful for Master’s salvation! I would like to share some of my experiences.
Stepping Onto the Path of Cultivation
As a child I was full of curiosity and questions about the meaning of life and the universe. I came to the United States in 1968 for an advanced degree and I later worked in Chicago.
My husband and I both love traveling and were very interested in ancient civilizations. We planned to retire early and spend the rest of our time traveling, six months on land and six months at sea. This dream came true when I was 45 years old.
We enjoyed traveling for seven years. In the summer of 1998 when we visited old friends in Chicago, they told us about Falun Dafa. They gave us the book Zhuan Falun and taught us the exercises. I am forever grateful to them!
After our Chicago visit, my husband and I sailed in the Bahamas. I had a lot of quiet time on the boat to read Zhuan Falun. After I finished the book, I felt that all the questions I had about life were answered! I decided to practice Falun Dafa!
My husband was not as interested in cultivation as I was, although he believed that Dafa was good.
One morning, we did the Dafa exercises on the bow of the boat. When I finished and opened my eyes, a man on another boat approached us. He smiled and said, “What exercises are you doing? They are so beautiful!”
I told him I was doing the Falun Dafa exercises. He asked several more questions and insisted on giving us a big lobster he had just caught (we thanked him but did not take it).
My husband and I settled down in Vancouver six months later. The city has mountains, water, as well as Falun Dafa practitioners. I planned to join the local group for practice for six months, and then travel for six months each year.
That July, the CCP launched the persecution against practitioners in China. Facing the CCP’s lies which defamed and slandered Falun Dafa, practitioners outside China began clarifying the truth to the media.
At the time very few practitioners in Vancouver spoke English, so I felt I should step forward. I decided to postpone our trip to Greece. My husband was very unhappy about it and we had some conflicts.
My xinxing was not high at that time. On one hand, I told myself I needed to forebear. On the other hand, I was very disappointed with my husband - I could not believe a highly educated person would not respect my freedom of belief!
I was full of resentment, but Master taught us:
“Ren is a powerful thing, and it surpasses Zhen and Shan. Throughout the entire cultivation process you are asked to exercise self-restraint, to mind your character, and to not take rash actions.” (Chapter 3, Falun Gong)
The situation changed after my husband’s accident. He fell from his bike, injured his knees, and had to undergo surgery. Although I had never taken care of a patient before, I followed Dafa and completely put his needs first. After his recovery, my husband no longer stopped me from participating in Falun Dafa related activities. Instead he helped me, including driving me to distribute The Epoch Times newspaper. He also accompanied me to various parades, and even took an NTD team on his boat to film some ocean scenery.
On my journey of cultivation, I personally experienced many things mentioned in Zhuan Falun. Master has guided us to eliminate the old cosmos’ nature of “egotism and selfishness” and to:
“...attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Clarifying the Truth to Chinese on September 11, 2001
On the day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., many airplanes flying to the United States were diverted to Canada, and some of them landed at the Vancouver International Airport. Many passengers were taken to the Thompson Community Centre of Richmond which became an emergency reception center.
That evening, several practitioners and I went to the centre as usual to do the exercises. Seeing so many people there, we knew it was a good opportunity to tell them about Falun Dafa. Another practitioner and I went to see if we could help. We were told Chinese translators were needed, so we volunteered.
We entered a bus full of Chinese. I greeted them and told them I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and I would be happy to assist them. I then translated the procedure for them to register for hotels.
Before finishing, I said, “We are destined to meet in such a special circumstance this evening. Let me use this opportunity to tell you a important truth. Falun Dafa is really good! I hope all of you will have chance to know the truth of Falun Dafa!”
Everyone paid attention to my words. Many of them smiled at me and some nodded. Some applauded and said, “Thank you!”
We greeted four buses of Chinese who were flying from China to Los Angeles. I assisted them to register and board the right buses to their hotels. One gentleman came to me and said, “What you just said on the bus was very brave! We know Falun Dafa practitioners are good people. They are being cruelly persecuted in China.”
After boarding buses to their hotels, many of them stood up and waived to us. Some held their hands together in front of their chests to show their respect.
I hope they will remember that Falun Dafa is good and have a good future!
I Meet Master
In 2002, I was fortunate to meet Master in person. On behalf of Vancouver practitioners, I invited Master to come to our city. Master said to me kindly, “When you get back, you can tell local practitioners that I will be there when you hold a Fa conference.”
I relayed the message word for word to the coordinator of the local Falun Dafa Association. Local practitioners were very excited. On May 18, 2003, a Fa conference took place in the international conference center at the Westin Bayshore of Vancouver. Master came and spoke for more than one hour to the more than 1,500 practitioners from Canada and other countries.
I wanted to greet Master in person after he gave the lecture. But as a host I could not immediately leave the conference hall. When the conference was over, I learned that Master had already left. I regret missing Master that day.
Several months later, I was driving with another practitioner to run some errands. When we turned onto a small road, a car in front of us suddenly stopped, and Master stepped out!
The other practitioner and I were so excited and we yelled out. We got the opportunity to represent all Dafa practitioners in Vancouver and bowed three times to Master. We thanked Master for coming to Vancouver and speaking to us. We could feel Master’s great compassion as he kindly smiled at us.
I will treasure this moment forever.
Calling to End Persecution During Hu Jintao’s Visit, September 16-17, 2005
Vancouver was the last stop of former CCP leader Hu Jintao’s North America visit in 2005. Practitioners there held a peaceful rally calling to end the persecution of Falun Dafa on September 16 around the Westin Bayshore Hotel where Hu stayed.
The hotel faced Coal Harbour. I decided to rent a 50 foot yacht so we could display a giant banner. Due to the political pressure, the captain who initially agreed to do this canceled our contract a few days before the event. Local practitioners immediately found another company. This time I clarified the truth to the manager and asked him to hire a reliable captain.
I asked a young male Western practitioner to help hold the banner. I wanted the world to see that Falun Dafa is for people of all races, ages, and genders. Local practitioners made a long banner with the message, “Falun Dafa is Good” in both English and Chinese, and attached it to the yacht. My husband brought the young Western practitioner and I to the yacht.
The captain was a kind Jamaican. Since I had visited Jamaica in the past, we had a good chat.
The usual laid-back atmosphere around Coal Harbour was completely different that day. Plain clothes police could be seen on every level of the hotel. Our yacht could be seen clearly from the windows of the presidential suite on the top level.
The Western practitioner and I held up a giant banner which said, “Hu Jintao, the time Gods and people give to you is limited!”
On shore, there was a strong contrast between the aggressive people hired by the Chinese consulate, and peaceful Falun Dafa practitioners.
The harbor was filled with boats that day. When I noticed a patrol boat approaching, I was nervous for a moment. Then I immediately told myself, “What we are doing is the most righteous thing!”
The patrol boat passed us, and some police saluted us. Some gave us a thumbs-up. Suddenly, people on the surrounding boats started applauding us! It was an unforgettable experience. I felt honored to be a Dafa practitioner during the Fa rectification!
Our voyage lasted two days and we returned on the evening of the 17th. The rental company required the gas tanks to be filled up at a designated gas station before the yacht was returned. When we tried to add gas, something unexpected happened: the gas tanks were almost full! The total gas cost for our two day voyage was less than $30!
The captain could hardly believe his eyes: “This is a miracle!” He said excitedly that he would tell the rental company what happened, and he would also tell his friends in Jamaica.
The manager of the rental company also could not believe what happened. He thought something might be wrong with the boat, and insisted he observe it for three days before going through the final return procedure.
Three days later, my husband accompanied me to the rental company. The manager kept saying, “Miracle! It’s a Miracle!”
My husband told the manager, “The Bible tells the story of Jesus walking on water. Today you witnessed a miracle from Falun Dafa!”
The next day an international media site published a news story about our yacht, along with a photo of the message on our banners. One practitioner said, “Even the media is helping us spread our message!” We once again witnessed the power of Dafa when we work as one body and follow Master’s words,
“Doing, but without pursuit” (“Abiding in the Dao,” Hong Yin)
and:
“...gaining naturally without pursuit.” (“Fa-Teaching Given at the Conference in Sydney”)
We witnessed again what Master told us,
“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
Saving More People Around the World
Egypt, 2004
Before my husband and I headed to Egypt, local practitioners prepared a light and portable banner, along with many bookmarks with information about Falun Dafa in English. I had a lot of precious memories from our two month trip.
While we toured the pyramids, I told an English teacher and his students about the persecution and gave them some bookmarks. They asked to have their picture taken with me. My husband took the photo, with the Egyptian students holding the “Falun Dafa is Good” banner.
I once mistakenly entered the wrong car on a train and I was the only woman. A gentleman gave me his seat. He then pointed to the words on my T-shirt and asked about Falun Dafa. We chatted in English and I gave him a bookmark. In Arabic he loudly told everyone about Dafa. The other passengers came to me and asked for bookmarks. While my husband helped distribute them, a passenger told me excitedly that his son had a computer and he would be able to read more about Dafa online.
On another train, as soon as I found an empty seat and sat down, a woman in a hijab in me suddenly spoke to me in fluent Mandarin Chinese. She pointed at “Falun Dafa” on my shirt and asked what it was. We started to chat. When we arrived at the station where she was supposed to get off, she said she would stay longer and get off with me together, because she wanted to chat with me more. When we parted, she said she was really happy to know about Falun Dafa. She said she was the Chinese translator at the presidential palace and she would let more people know the truth about Falun Dafa.
I am so grateful for Master’s arrangement to meet these precious people!
Peru, 2006
Before we arrived in Peru, I contacted the coordinator of the local Falun Dafa Association. Since there was only one Chinese practitioner there at the time, the Peruvian practitioners were curious and happy to see me.
I had a chance to join their activities in Lima, and it was an unforgettable experience.
We collected signatures at the main bus station, on a petition to end the persecution. A Peruvian practitioner ran to me and said excitedly, “A Chinese man signed the petition!” When I looked at the signature it was my husband’s. We all laughed.
That evening, I joined their local group Fa study at a practitioner’s home. Everyone did heshi in front of Master’s portrait before entering the living room. While they read Zhuan Falun in Spanish. I silently read in Chinese.
An experience sharing followed. Before they began their discussion, all the practitioners recited loudly, in Chinese: “Look Inward!” They repeated it three times.
When they finished, they hugged each other and said goodbye. I was in awe. I believe they will be able to resolve any conflicts!
Voyage Along British Columbia Coastlines, Canada, 2007
In the summer of 2007 my husband and I sailed our boat along the coastlines of British Columbia and visited many islands. Each place we went to, we visited the local library and left Dafa booklets there, We also met and chatted with boat-people from all over the world. I told them about Dafa whenever I could.
One time, in an ocean park, a beautiful twin sail yacht caught our attention since it was rare. That evening, the couple who owned the yacht came and talked to us. They said their previous boat was identical to ours. When they learned I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, they said they always supported human rights. I gave them a full set of Dafa introductory materials.
My husband joked that we made friends through our boat. I said, “Master brings pre-destined people to practitioners.” I am thankful for my husband who has supported my truth clarification over the years.
A Final Word
Things changed after the pandemic hit. The 2020 Shen Yun performance was canceled. The travel plans my husband and I made were postponed. I could not go back to Taiwan to visit my 99-year-old mother. I was not very effective at clarifying the truth through the computer.
I seemed to enter a hibernating stage, and I began slacking off.
I thank the local practitioners who reminded me and encouraged me. So I looked back at my cultivation in order to find the passion I had in the beginning.
Cultivation is very serious! We are at the most important moment of history. In order to save more sentient beings, Master has been extending the time for us!
Master said:
“For what was it that your life journeyed through history to this day? For just one, brief moment. In the long river of time, this stretch is really but a moment. Don’t be so passive and down—get going! You are a cultivator. Sentient beings are waiting for you to save them!” (“Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day”)
Thank you Master! Thank you fellow practitioners!
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