(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I live in the countryside and there are no practitioners in nearby villages. As a result, I have few opportunities to interact with other practitioners. I’m only able to talk to out-of-town practitioners probably only once or twice a year. Fortunately I have access to the Minghui website, which has helped me stay on track through these years.
As a practitioner, I know I need to tell others about Falun Gong and debunk the defamatory lies spread by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When they listened to me tell them about the crimes the CCP has committed against us, 71 people told me between January and August this year that they wanted to quit the CCP and its two youth organizations. This might be relatively easy for practitioners who are diligent. But for me, it was a lot of work to persuade those 71 people to quit the CCP. Below are some details.
Late last year I saw an article on Minghui predicting how many more people practitioners could still save before the end of the Fa-rectification, judging from the daily number of people renouncing their memberships in the CCP and its other organizations. I was worried about the low number, thinking that the situation would not improve if I kept doing so poorly. I knew that I had to do better to clarify the facts and save more people.
I am introverted and not good at talking to people. My wife often complained about it at home and I do not talk much at work either. This is an obstacle for me. But I also knew it could not be an excuse for me to not clarify the facts. At least I should work on my shyness and keep learning how to talk to people. Plus, there are so many good examples on Minghui.
During this process, I put forth a lot of effort and overcame many attachments.
“Please, do not embarrass me. Just take it easy and stay at home instead of running around,” my wife said. “If you lose your job [for explaining the truth about Falun Gong to people], I will file for divorce.”
Several coworkers I get along well with also said, “The managers may know you are talking about Falun Gong here. Please be careful and avoid trouble.”
One time, there was a township-wide meeting with representatives from major agencies and organizations. One township leader pointed out that some employers (including mine) still employed people who practiced Falun Gong. “See, the entire township knows what you do now,” a friend said to me. “Please be careful because the CCP could crush you easily.”
Facing these challenges, I knew I could not be intimidated by these superficial phenomena. After all, as a practitioner, I should align with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. As a practitioner, I must fulfill my mission to tell people the facts and help save them.
I often had one-on-one conversations. That way I could explain things clearly, which in turn boosted my confidence. After each conversation, I would write down the name of the person who agreed to quit the CCP in a notebook. By April this year, over 30 people had decided to quit. By August, the list had increased to 71. I know this was encouragement from Master. With these experiences and constant learning from other practitioners, I also found myself better and better at clarifying the truth to people face to face.
A practitioner who lives in the city told me, “You villagers are modest people. It is relatively easy to convince them to quit the Party.”
“I am not so sure about that,” I replied. “When the CCP slandered Falun Gong, it spread hate propaganda everywhere. Lots of people were fooled, and they do not listen.”
When I talked about Falun Gong in the village, some people might not have said anything, but I could see from their expressions that they had a negative attitude. Some contradicted me and I wasn’t able to counter their arguments since I was not eloquent. Even though I felt humiliated and lost face, I was not upset or willing to give up. With support from Falun Gong and Master, I know I will have the wisdom to fulfill my mission.
A Stubborn Neighbor
One of my neighbors, Lei, used to be against Falun Gong. I tried to talk with him about this, but he was either quiet or argued with me. I sent forth righteous thoughts, but he still did not listen.
“Come on, let’s talk about something else, shall we?” he would say.
But I knew this was the most important thing for his life and I needed to make a breakthrough.
“If I can’t help my neighbor, who else I can help then?” I thought.
One day when I was studying the Falun Gong teachings, I thought about Lei and why he had not agreed to quit the CCP. “Have I done anything improperly?” I wondered. Then I realized that I had been nice to Lei because I wanted him to renounce his membership in the CCP organizations so that I could add him to my list. This was a selfish pursuit, although it was deeply buried. Nonetheless, the old forces could mess things up because of my attachment. Plus, the fact that Lei had not changed was because he was waiting for me to change.
Master said,
““You have to save me”—they all utter this, imploring to be saved. But the way this comes across is not what one would expect by using the kind of reasoning and comprehension found in the human world, such as how you must be courteous and humble when asking for help—“As you are here to save me, I must first express my gratitude toward you, and I will do my part to make it easier”—it’s nothing like that. As they see it, “If you are to save me, you have to reach my level first, and you must have this measure of mighty virtue before you can save me. Without such mighty virtue, without having reached my stature, how could you save me?” So they would have you trip and fall, suffer, and eliminate your attachments, after which, with your mighty virtue having been established, you will have cultivated to that level and be able to save them. That’s how they want to have it.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
I decided to rectify myself and be truly good to him from the bottom of my heart. For example, Lei is in poor health and cannot do heavy labor. When he needed my help, I responded and did the job well. When I passed by his place and saw him working, I often stopped by to help. This included planting vegetables, spraying herbicide, and lifting or carrying heavy objects. Even if it was muddy or raining, I helped him. I simply helped him without asking for anything in return or accepting anything from him. He and I thus became closer and closer friends.
This spring he asked me to help cut firewood, so I went over. That’s a job that requires a lot of strength, so I basically did it myself because of his poor health. I first moved the logs to the table saw, then cut them and stacked them up. There were over two tons of logs and I was busy the entire day. Seeing me working so hard, all sweaty and with sawdust all over, he was very touched and kept saying I was a good person. Taking that opportunity, I explained to him that the CCP is doomed for the sins it has committed. Since all of us had vowed to devote our lives to the regime when we joined its organizations, we have to renounce our memberships to avoid consequences. I thought to myself, “Whether he quits or not is his choice, but I have to help him become clear on this.”
To my surprise, Lei did not contradict me this time. “Sure! I’ll quit,” he said. I was really happy for him. Seeing how he’d changed, his wife also quit the Youth League and the Young Pioneers. Lei often praised me in front of others, “That dude is really awesome!” Other people in the village also respected me.
After Lei’s family had quit the CCP organizations, I did not stop helping him. I still gave him a hand whenever I was needed. I did this before I overhead the following. When I was visiting the county seat, I overheard someone say, “These Falun Gong practitioners are a little weird. When they talk with you about quitting the CCP, they are very nice to you. After that, they act like they don’t know you. What’s going on?” I knew such a situation would be rare, but such snobbish behavior is related to CCP culture. We practitioners are truly selfless and considerate of others. That is also a manifestation of our level.
Making Connections
Of the 71 people on my list, most of them heard about Falun Gong from me on different occasions. There are many gatherings in the countryside, such as weddings, funerals, building a house, moving to a new home, joining the military, going to college, major birthdays, and others. Money is tight in rural areas, and villagers can raise funds by hosting such events.
Knowing that this is a great opportunity to meet people, I try to attend as many events as I can. Occasionally when I run into someone on the street, I might start up a conversation and ask how things are going. “We are all neighbors or relatives, so we should all help each other. Right?” I’ve often said. To save people, if I have to give some gift money, it is worth it. Many villagers are modest and, after hearing what I had to say, they did notify me when something came up. Very often there would be dozens of people at an event, and there would always be someone I could talk to and save.
Once I heard that a relative was to have a wedding. We were not closely related and my father had little connection with them. Nonetheless, I drove into the mountains and attended it, with money as a gift. “Wow! I did not expect you to come. Thank you so much!” said the relative. At the wedding, I talked with the person next to me and in the end he agreed to quit the CCP organizations.
In situations like this, relatives who have not seen each other for decades meet and talk. We ask about each others’ situations and chat about current affairs. It would be natural to talk about how corrupt the CCP is and the advisability of quitting the CCP. At that wedding, I helped eight people quit.
Another time, I visited a relative a few days after the Chinese New Year. There had been a feud between him and my father, and we had not seen each other for more than 10 years. Since my father had died and I was now a Falun Gong practitioner, I thought about mending that broken relationship and bringing the relative and his family the blessing of Falun Gong. I brought two boxes of gifts to wish them a Happy New Year. His entire family was very touched. “I never dreamed you’d come!” he said. They prepared a delicious lunch for me and I talked about Falun Gong. All five members of his family severed ties with the CCP.
Very few of my relatives have not heard about Falun Gong from me. I’ve explained things to them systematically, one by one, and made a note of those who did not agree to quit the CCP organizations. If they did, I reminded them from time to time to keep in mind “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
A director where I worked had heard from me about Falun Gong many times. He knew about the persecution but did not want to quit the Party. I believed he was afraid of possible consequences since we worked in the same place. Considering his situation, I realized I should pay attention to the context. Once I heard he was sick. I took some gifts and visited him at home. He was very touched and said, “Thank you so much for coming!” This time, I once again talked about the benefits of Falun Gong and the CCP’s brutality in persecuting innocent people. Because we were in his home, he was relaxed and only too happy to quit the Party.
Based on my experience, I know full well that helping a person quit the CCP is not trivial. Any omission or lack of confidence might ruin the chance. Therefore, I always tried my best and explained things well. This is similar to cultivating the land. Some people are in a rush and leave lots of weeds behind them. I try to avoid that and instead put in solid effort. In addition, I often remind people to tell their family members about what I said so that they can benefit, too.
Pseudonyms
Since quitting the CCP is done from the heart, given the current situation in China, pseudonyms are also acceptable. Below are some examples.
Once I talked with a street vendor. He’d had a stroke in the past and did not have a steady job. To make a living, he sold vegetables.
After chatting for a while, I told him about how the CCP destroyed traditional Chinese culture. “Moral values have declined sharply and counterfeit products are everywhere. The officials are also more corrupt than ever,” I said. When he nodded in agreement, I said such a regime would for sure be weeded out. “The CCP includes the Party, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers, and everyone who belongs will face consequences. Why not separate ourselves from the regime?” I suggested.
He said yes and was willing to quit the Youth League. Since his surname was Wang, I suggested he use the name Wang Kang (meaning health and safety in Chinese) to quit. “That is a great name. I like it!” he exclaimed. “You know what? My WeChat username was Wang Qi (meaning gas or anger in Chinese) because I used to refill people’s natural gas tanks. I wish I had used the name Wang Kang.”
He said life was very difficult for him. After the stroke, he’d contemplated suicide several times. Fortunately, someone found him and rescued him each time. I explained that we did not come to this world for nothing. In fact, rejecting the CCP and keeping in mind “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion is good” would bring blessings in the long run. He nodded and thanked me.
At another time when I was passing a factory, I saw a young woman waiting for a bus. It was a freezing winter day, so I stopped and offered her a ride. She thought I was a taxi driver and asked, “How much?”
I’d never intended to charge her anything, but if I said it was free, she might be suspicious, so I replied, “Whatever you want to pay.”
When I talked about quitting the CCP as we were driving, she was quiet and a little nervous. Knowing that she must have been poisoned by lies, I started debunking the CCP’s typical hate propaganda, such as the staged self-immolation on Tiananmen Square. After a bit, she understood and became more relaxed.
I explained that the CCP had nearly wiped out traditional Chinese culture and was facing consequences and that was why we should reject the regime for a better future. In the end, I added that if she did not believe what I said, she could regard it as a story. “But if it is true, why not get this insurance for free?” I also suggested she use the pseudonym Qianqian (beautiful) to quit the CCP. She smiled and agreed.
After we reached her destination, she asked, “How much?” I said not to worry about it. “As long as you keep in mind Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, you will be safe and happy. Right?” I said. She smiled and thanked me again.
Once I met the mother of a business owner. She said that society was “hopeless.” “My son is a builder. But someone who owed him money just ran off. How can we make a living like this?” she said.
When I asked if she had heard about Falun Gong and quit the CCP organizations, she said her nephew was a practitioner, but she did not believe it.
From the traditional culture to the CCP’s brutality and lies, from ancient prophecies to the regime’s slanderous propaganda, I explained to her how the CCP has harmed the Chinese people and society. Little by little, she accepted what I told her and said she would quit the Youth League and the Young Pioneers. When I suggested the pseudonyms Anshun (safe and easy life), she was very pleased. She also agreed to tell her husband and son about the phrases “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
Above are my experiences. I think everything we do, including finding a pseudonym, requires us to be considerate of others in order to achieve the best results when it comes to helping people. There is still a gap between me and other practitioners who have done really well, but I will do my best to catch up.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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