(Minghui.org) I started to practice Falun Dafa more than two decades ago and have been doing technical support for Dafa projects since 2013.
In the early days of the persecution of Falun Dafa, I knew almost nothing about technical stuff. I had a computer at home but I never used it. Then I came across an article in Minghui Weekly that said one could access Minghui.org by putting a CD in the computer and clicking on an icon. I also read another article that talked about how some practitioners helped others install computer operating systems and set up truth-clarification materials production sites. I thought how nice it would be if I gained those kinds of skills. As a result, I started to pay closer attention to technical articles in Minghui Weekly.
Although there was no one available to help me, I gradually learned how to access Minghui on my own. Then, I downloaded a practitioner-written manual on how to launch a materials production site. I could hardly understand the manual at first because there were so many technical terms. But I didn’t give up and kept reading while also researching technical materials written by non-practitioners. Later, I successfully installed dual operating systems on my computer and could access Minghui safely. Then I bought an inkjet printer and set up a materials production site at my home.
I often visited a practitioner-run forum, where I could usually find answers to my questions about my printer. Since then, I have used several printers and never needed to send them out for repair. I learned some basic repair techniques and how to replace parts. Although it did take time, I learned a lot from the process and got so I could help others as well.
Early Trials
After Windows XP was phased out, we needed to update to Windows 7. I was able to successfully update my computer in 2013.
At that time, another practitioner in my residential complex also bought a new computer and he asked if I could help install a dual system on it. I tried for two days but wasn’t able to install the systems, as the process turned out to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Fortunately, I had made a copy of his original system on an external hard drive before trying to install the new systems. This allowed me to restore the original system so that the practitioner’s family could continue using the computer. Nonetheless, there were still glitches, and the computer wasn’t able to connect to the internet. He had to ask a technician to come to fix the internet problem.
This was a serious lesson for me. Although this practitioner did not say anything negative, his wife was unhappy and he never asked me for technical help afterward. The reason he’d bought the computer in the first place was to access Minghui, but that never happened. As time passed and he got older, he became even less interested in learning how to use the computer.
I felt really bad about the experience. Still, I wanted to learn more about computers. Master Li (Falun Dafa’s founder) then gave me an opportunity.
Once, when visiting a fellow practitioner, I met another practitioner named Fen who had strong technical skills. She noticed that I had already had a bit of a technical background and wondered if I could help other practitioners install computer operating systems.
“We have very few technical practitioners here and they are all very busy. Sometimes these technical practitioners need to go to other counties to help practitioners there,” she said.
I was still not sure, and shared with her the hard lesson I’d experienced earlier.
“No worries. We can provide you with a complete package on a disk which you can use to install the system. It’s much simpler that way,” she said.
“Please teach me,” I replied.
Helping Others
I am an introverted person and not good at interacting with others. The process of helping others was a big push for me to step out of my comfort zone. Over time, things became natural for me and it was as if I found my place in cultivation.
Master said,
“It’s precisely to have you put to full use at this crucial time what you’ve learned among everyday people and are good at, to have you validate the Fa using the everyday people’s skills Dafa created for people in this world.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference,” Guiding the Voyage)
Fen was pretty busy with a full-time everyday job. She offered technical support to other practitioners in her spare time. In addition, she participated in several other projects to raise awareness of the persecution. After we worked together for a while, she asked me to be responsible for a region that she had been providing technical support for in the past. I was happy to reduce her load. In fact, I have not only helped that region since then, but have also provided assistance to whomever approached me.
To some degree, what technical practitioners do is similar to the service provided by non-practitioner technical support. The difference is that we do it to help save people and cultivate ourselves in the process. Not only is the service free, but we sometimes have to pay for the USB drives and some of the tools needed for the work.
Over the years I have provided technical support to many practitioners, the majority of whom are in their 50s or older. Some were in their late 70s. They were always respectful and some offered me small gifts to thank me. One of them, Hua, was already in her 70s. It took me 50 minutes to get to her place on an electric bike. She was very warmhearted and offered me food and drink every time I visited her. She also insisted that I accept her bags of treats before I left her home. She was so persistent that sometimes it was difficult to say no to her.
Hua’s computer often had issues and, whenever that happened, she would be very worried. However, almost every time I got to her home, I would find no major issues at all and it was simply because she had changed the setting that I set up on her computer. Hua was detail-oriented and she always wrote down what I told her or the questions she needed to ask me. Very often I solved her problems and told her what to do. But after some time, she would ask me to come again and it was still the same issue. This happened over and over again, and I grew impatient with her. Every time, on the way to her home, I recited Master’s Fa teachings and kept reminding myself to be patient and compassionate.
I once visited another practitioner named Shu because her printer had problems. After I did some work, the printer ran well again, but soon stopped working. I checked and found that the continuous ink supply system had been leaking. The printer worked again after I replaced the ink supply system. Then I noticed that the ink tank track had no more lubricant. The printer was dirty inside, with ink dust covering nearly every surface. I cleaned it for her. Shu said she had used the printer for a couple of years, but never dared to take it apart, let alone add lubricant to the ink tank track. I told her I would be back again the next day with lubricant.
When I returned to her home the following day, there were four or five practitioners waiting for me. They all said they wanted to learn how to lubricate their printers.
Another time, I made an appointment to install a computer system for a practitioner named Ting. When I arrived at her home, I found several other practitioners waiting for me. They said they wanted to learn how to install computer systems.
This happened several times and I was very moved each and every time. I gave the practitioners at Ting’s home each a copy of the installation manual and a USB drive used for system installation.
For every practitioner I provided service to, I always did my best to teach them as much as possible based on their ability. I really hoped they would become independent instead of relying on others. One practitioner said she liked working with me since I had patience and tolerance. I explained that most technical practitioners are busy with all kinds of different things – unlike me, a practitioner who was retired. Besides, we should be more considerate of each other anyway, I explained.
Master helped me a lot along the way. For security reasons, sometimes a practitioner might just ask me to come without offering any details about their technical problems. Some asked for my help through others, while others simply gave me a slip of paper with an address. No matter what, I would bring all my tools and arrive there on time.
Occasionally there were bad weather days. Once, I told Ling I would deliver a laptop computer with an operating system already installed. But there was heavy snow the day before and the road was slippery. Since the electric bike couldn’t navigate the roads, I took a bus to Tong’s home. She was thrilled, “I knew you would come,” she said.
One time it was raining when I was about to visit Hong. I put on my raincoat and hopped on my bike. The rain got heavier and there was a gusty wind. My clothes were soaked from my waist down. After arriving at Hong’s apartment building, I wrung out the water from my skirt and went upstairs to her unit. Seeing me soaking wet, Hong took out some clothes and asked me to change into them. But I said I would be fine and that my clothes would soon dry from my body heat.
I often recited the teachings of Falun Dafa on my way to practitioners’ homes. Even though sometimes I had to travel an hour to get to some destinations, time went by quickly when I recited the Fa. Occasionally, instead of reciting the Falun Dafa teachings, I would think about what problems I might encounter and how I should fix them. This also helped me a lot. With help from Master and Dafa, I could easily solve issues, even some that I had not encountered before.
I was always very grateful to Master for giving me wisdom. Sometimes I also asked for help from other practitioners, including those on the forum.
Improving Myself
As time went by, I began to feel really good about myself. Every time I was able to troubleshoot a new technical problem, I thought I was really capable. Gradually, I developed the attachment of zealotry. Some practitioners also praised me, saying that their computers and printers would be nearly useless without me. I enjoyed their praise and didn’t realize that I had put my technical capability above all else.
Recently, a practitioner bought a second-hand high-end laptop. I planned to install a full disk encryption system on his computer. It should have been easy, but I could not complete it even after trying it for two days. Every time, it would stall in the middle and would not continue. After doing the sitting meditation one morning, I realized I had forgotten to ask Master for help. With both palms pressed together, I asked Master for support. Although I did not feel anything special, upon turning on that laptop, I suddenly had a thought to check a translating app on my cell phone. The app helped me understand the laptop manual in English. I then got an idea and when I tried the idea, it actually worked. My eyes were filled with tears – I knew Master was helping me and I was very grateful.
Two years ago, practitioner Cui asked me to install a system on her desktop computer. She dropped off the computer at my place and I promised to have it back at noon the next day. When I went to her place the next day, however, there was nobody at home. At that time, I still carried truth-clarification materials for distribution with me. I ended up waiting outside, holding her computer in one arm and the bag of materials in the other. I also had a backpack. After knocking on her door for a while and getting no response, I became anxious and upset.
I was hoping to run into Cui on my way back, but I didn’t see her at all. My resentment then surfaced. While I understood that Cui’s not being home could be due to some emergency, I felt that she should have arranged for a family member to wait for me at her home.
I then became alarmed by my resentment. I immediately sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it. The substance disappeared and I was relieved. Later on, I learned that Cui had to take her grandson to the hospital and that she had totally forgotten about me. When she remembered our arrangement, she immediately asked a family member to go to her home to wait for me. But I had left by the time the family member got there.
As a matter of fact, my grudges towards Cui were not entirely new. I had always looked down on her way of doing things. There were barriers between the two of us. Through this incident, I could feel that my resentment towards her was reduced, but it was not completely gone. And it soon resurfaced.
Once Cui came to me saying that another practitioner Ju was going through some illness tribulations. The symptom was hemiplegia caused by a stroke. We took turns going to Ju’s home to study the Fa with her. Six months passed, but she still did not show much improvement. Because many practitioners took turns visiting her almost every day, some practitioners expressed different opinions and I did not want to go there again either.
One day Cui asked me to visit her to discuss this issue. On the way there, negative thoughts kept coming up, and I was worried she might insist on my going to Ju’s place. It was as if my forbearance had reached the limit. Upon arriving there, however, Cui did not say anything extreme. She said that going to support Ju was completely voluntary and each practitioner should decide whether he or she wanted to go.
Upon hearing this, all my resentment was immediately dissolved. I knew that, had she said anything strong, I would probably have exploded at the time. Apparently, Master used these opportunities to help me remove negative thoughts and resentment towards Cui. Since then, Cui and I have been able to collaborate well with each other, with no barriers between us.
It was just as Master wrote,
“The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos
Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in springRighteous thoughts can save the people in this world”(Hong Yin II)
Compiling QR Codes
QR codes didn’t become popular until recent years. Minghui didn’t have QR codes available for download in the beginning. Several of us practitioners then pooled our skills and formed a QR code team. Some provided technological support, some tested the codes, and some coordinated various activities. My responsibility was to compile the codes.
The QR codes provided by our team could be used to directly access Minghui, The Epoch Times (which has a web page for quitting the CCP), Dyna Web, and other websites. Because we only distributed the QR codes in our local area, our codes could be used for a much longer time than those published on Minghui. Some QR codes are still working after one or two years. Practitioners who distributed QR code cards to people also gave us positive feedback.
Here, I would like to share my cultivation experience in compiling the QR codes. Because of various backgrounds, different practitioners also had different opinions. Every time I finished designing a QR code card, I always sent it to other practitioners for comment through secure email. I then made revisions until everyone was satisfied with the design.
It was also a process of improving my xinxing. Very often, after spending a long time designing a QR code card, I might be very happy with it, but I would still send it out for feedback. Some comments were good and I would be very happy to incorporate them into my design. Some feedback, though, wasn’t in line with my concept. Nonetheless, I would still accommodate people’s demands as much as I could. After all, those who gave feedback were responsible for distributing the QR cards to people and I trusted they knew better about what kinds of cards would appeal to people. Occasionally, I had to spend more time revising a card than designing a new one. This is because each card had two QR codes, a title, instructions, and an illustration. Even a small change to one part of the card would affect the entire design.
One time, a practitioner named Zhan asked me to design several QR codes that could be printed on self-adhesive mailing labels. After I sent my draft to her, she changed my favorite part of the design, which really upset me. But I still used her design because as a practitioner, I must let go of my ego and work well with the whole body.
Master said,
“If you've got a good idea, well, you came up with it, you're being responsible to the Fa, and it's not important whether your idea is adopted or whether your approach is used. If another person's idea can achieve the same effect and you aren't attached to your own idea and instead you go along with his, then whether you've shared your approach or not, Gods will all see this and think, "Look, he isn't attached, and he's able to be so tolerant and broadminded." What do Gods look at? Isn't this what they look at?” “...But true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)
As a result, I followed Zhan’s advice and revised the card almost completely. Seeing her satisfied with the revised design, I also relaxed. I learned that, when collaborating on projects, there were also many opportunities for us to identify our attachment to ego and improve in that area.
Once, practitioner Yan asked me to add our local QR code to a self-adhesive sticker design from Minghui. I did that and sent it to her. She said she might make some minor adjustments and did not need any more help from me. After a while, she told me she tried and could not make the change. So she needed help from me after all. At that time, a thought came to my mind: “Oh, so there are also things that you do not know.”
My impression was that Yan was capable of almost everything and she coordinated many projects. Occasionally, she could be tough on others. When the above thought came to me, I did not think too much about it. But when it surfaced again, I became alarmed: this is jealousy and it should not belong to a practitioner. So I immediately sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it.
These are just some of my experiences over the recent years. There is still a long way to go for me to meet Dafa’s requirements for practitioners. For instance, I do poorly in face-to-face truth clarification. I also sometimes forget to study the Fa and do the exercises when I get busy with my projects. I will work on my shortcomings and make breakthroughs going forward.
Thank you, Master!Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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