(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I first heard about Falun Dafa in August 2004 when I was 54 years old. I have cherished it very much and remained diligent in doing the three things. Here I’d like to share the importance of righteous thoughts in my cultivation practice.
It was in a small park that I encountered Dafa. That afternoon an older practitioner taught me some exercises, told me it was Falun Dafa, and gave me a flyer. On the way home, I saw something extraordinary. It was as if there was a fireball (or a light ball) rotating in the sky, which brightened my road until I returned home.
Following the instructions on the flyer, I found the book Zhuan Falun on the Internet and finished reading it in three days. Since I was young I have been interested in cultivation practice, and I have been waiting for something righteous for more than 20 years. I knew that Falun Dafa was what I had been waiting for and I was very happy with it. In the following few months, my happiness continued and I also witnessed many miracles.
Master said,
“There are a number of people engaged in spiritual practice who have always longed to progress to higher stages. They have traveled far and wide and spent a great deal, hoping that a renowned teacher might show them the way, but to no avail; a person’s reputation is no guarantee of true insight, after all.” (The Eighth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Setting up an Information Booth at a Tourist Attraction
I retired early in 2009 so that I could have more time for cultivation practice. At that time, about one million tourists from China visited South Korea each year, and the number increased about 20% to 40% per year. To help Chinese people learn the facts of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa, I signed up for a tour guide training program. Although I was relatively old and Chinese is difficult to learn, I was not worried about losing face and nonetheless studied Chinese for two years.
Myeong-dong is the busiest shopping center in Seoul. It is packed with Chinese tourists, and the Chinese Embassy is not far away. This makes it an important place for telling people about Falun Dafa and the persecution in China, and helping them break away from the vicious CCP. There are two information booths there, one of them was maintained by a couple, who later left Seoul. Another female practitioner and I then took it over. But we could come only on Saturdays and Sundays. When more practitioners participated in the efforts, another practitioner and I began to explore additional places.
Bukchon Hanok Village is a free tourist attraction maintained by the Seoul government. The traditional architecture and buildings attract many tourists, including Chinese, every day. When I approached the police station in charge of the area, I was told that information booths were not allowed since there was only a driveway, no sidewalk. I did not know what to do. Then one policeman came up and said he had seen someone distributing flyers there previously, so obtaining a permit was possible. Obtaining help from this officer was not accidental and we had another encounter with him two weeks earlier.
At that time, a high-ranking official from China was visiting South Korea. Three of us practitioners stayed near the hotel, sending forth righteous thoughts. Three hours later, five police officers found us in there. Citing a violation of the rules, they forcibly sent us home in a police van.
There were three officers in the vehicle and they were all quiet in the beginning. After I introduced myself as a retired civil servant, however, they became respectful and the situation changed. I then talked about how I started to practice Falun Dafa and the physical as well as spiritual benefits I had received, along with the persecution in China. They listened attentively and asked questions, and the conversation went very well. One of the police officers was the one I later met when applying for a permit for Bukchon Hanok Village.
The police officer recognized me right at that moment and approved this information booth. This was not accidental to me.
Master said,
“Clarifying the truth is the master key.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IV)
Master also said,
“You put in the effort and your teacher will handle the rest.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
My understanding is that as long as we have the heart for truth-clarification, Master will help us turn something seemingly impossible into something possible.
In this way, we obtained a permit to set up an information booth at the small entrance area to Bukchon Hanok Village. The situation improved later. By the road, we laid out 40-meter-long posters against the wall and could talk with people about Dafa as well as the persecution on the side of the 6-meter-wide driveway.
The posters were a collaboration between practitioners, with some in charge of designing and producing them. We also updated the contents from time to time. All year around, Chinese practitioners tell the facts to Chinese tourists, while Korean practitioners do this with other tourists. This became a major place in Seoul for people to learn about Dafa.
It is a process of cultivation, with both external and internal pressure. I was once called to the office in charge of this tourist attraction and reprimanded. I was told that the flyer we distributed and the pictures displayed contained violence and bloody scenes, which were not suitable for children, and that the office had been criticized by higher offices. Although an officer yelled at me loudly, I listened calmly. In the end, I replied, “So, the CCP is killing innocent practitioners and selling their organs for money, and we just let it be?” With these words, the furious officer became quiet and could not say a word. From this I learned that one sentence from a practitioner with righteous thoughts has the power to suppress the evil elements behind people.
I proposed replacing the posters in question. But the practitioner in charge of materials did not agree, and insisted on keeping the contents. I felt wronged, but I let it go. After all, cultivation means letting go of attachments, including giving up ego and focusing on collaboration. With forgiveness and forbearance, at least my xinxing would be improved. Later on, that practitioner also modified the contents of the posters and produced more with the revised content. They worked well, and upon looking back, I knew this was a process of cultivation.
Bearing the Burden and Protecting the Booth
There is a large cafe in the cultural center which could hold up to 500 people, with a parking lot that could hold 30 tour buses. It is a large-scale cafe for tourists and 90% of the diners are from China.
There is a long walkway to the cafe which is suitable for truth-clarification. In the beginning, only two or three practitioners came. Later, when the number increased to 6 or 7, problems arose. Some practitioners raised their voices and even argued with tourists. Some even followed tourists to the parking lot to continue their conversations.
The cafe owner was upset, saying this could decrease tourist flow or cause safety concerns. Some practitioners dismissed them saying it was important for us to help Chinese tourists learn the facts and break away from the CCP. The cafe owner, along with the culture center staff and parking lot staff, called the police to drive us away. Three cafe workers also held knives in hand to threaten us. They said that they paid rent of 20 million South Korean won (or $18,000) for this place, and we could not just stand there for free. Waving a safety stick in hand, the cafe owner also yelled to us saying that we needed approval from the culture center.
Theoretically, things would be easier if we could get a permit for this. Because this is private property, that was not possible. Six of us then went to the culture center president, three sending forth righteous thoughts and three going into the office. I explained that the center was one of the largest facilities in South Korea that safeguarded freedom and democracy. Consistent with that, we were volunteers to promote freedom and human rights to Chinese people. The president’s secretary signaled the president, suggesting that he not approve us. The president thus delegated this to a director.
The director and I had a long conversation and he said no. I was not deterred. “In the hope for a better society, we are doing this to embrace virtue and bring blessings,” I said gently and earnestly, “If you could help us, you would be blessed too...” Before I stopped, the director said he was a Catholic and he also believes in virtue and blessing. He told us some stories he had from the past and approved our request.
The cafe owner was unhappy about this. But we reached a deal anyway. That is, we could not have more than four practitioners at a time, and we could not follow tourists to the parking lot.
With strong righteous thoughts from all practitioners and help from Master, we were able to keep this information booth. This was an opportunity for us to improve together. But harassment came soon after things settled down.
One day a group of Chinese tourists came to eat. There were over 20 of them, relatively young, dressed in group clothing with short hair. As the group left the cafe, one of them came over and stamped on a poster that was on the ground. I tried to stop him, but the rest of the group came up, punched me in the head, and kicked me. One female practitioner also tried to stop them, but she was pushed away and materials were scattered all over the ground.
The tour bus driver told me to report this group violence as soon as possible. But the cafe owner urged me not to report it, as it would not do him or me any good. I thought for a while. Reporting this to the police would make it complicated, while our goal was only to tell the facts to Chinese tourists.
“Please report this to the police. I am your witness,” the bus driver said again.
I said no. I did not hurt at the time at all. But in the following few months, one of my legs was lame and I limped.
Although I had been beaten, I could feel the cafe owner’s difficulty and did not want to bring trouble to him. So I just let it go. If I could exchange my suffering for the opportunity for more people to be saved, it is worth it. Looking within, I found myself harboring a strong attachment – afraid of losing this place, which often made me uneasy. After this incident, however, I became much more relieved. The cafe owner did not give us a hard time either.
“No matter how a person cultivates, he can’t conceal the attachments that haven’t been eliminated. No matter how he cultivates, I use all kinds of methods to expose his most stubborn attachments—even when he thinks he’s doing the most sacred work. Even when you’re doing Dafa work I will still have them manifest. It’s no good if the work itself doesn’t help him to improve; the improvement of his xinxing is the number one priority, his elevation is what’s most important.” (“Teachings at the Conference of Changchun Assistants”)
I found that this was an opportunity from compassionate Master to help me eliminate the attachment. Many Chinese tourists have lunch and dinner here. Lots of them learned the facts there and decided to quit the CCP organizations.
Overcoming the Language Barrier and Clarifying Facts
When speaking with Chinese people at tourist sites, we Koreans have a major barrier of language. Some Chinese practitioners translated some common phrases into Chinese and even made audio recordings, which helped me a lot. The common phrases I often tell people are, “I am a Korean. South Korea is a democratic country with freedom of speech and freedom of belief. Why should you quit the CCP organizations? Because China has a history of thousands of years of divinely-inspired culture. We believe in traditional Chinese culture, not Marxism or Leninism. Communism is atheistic, and its followers will not be protected by the divine when disasters come.”
Upon seeing a Korean-speaking Chinese, these tourists are often curious and ask lots of questions: Where did I learn Chinese? How much money do I make per day? What is my salary at my day job? I told them I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and explained to them how Dafa came to South Korea. These words were very effective. Since I talk with them like friends, they are not afraid and easily quit the CCP organizations. Some of them said that my Chinese was very good, and some wanted to shake hands with me. Others gave me a thumbs up.
One time there was a young man who was reading the posters. I chatted with him for a while and he agreed to quit the CCP organizations. Interestingly, whenever I said something, he would repeat it. As a result over 20 tourists behind him also heard what I said. “The self-immolation incident was staged by the CCP. Just think about it, Tiananmen Square is so big, how could police find fire extinguishers and fire blankets in one or two minutes?” I said, “People are saying that ‘Good is rewarded with good and evil meets evil’. This is a heavenly law. The CCP has committed many wrongdoings, please do not follow it and become its scapegoats...” People heard our conversation and about half of them quit the CCP organizations.
Another time, I saw a young man sitting on the ground reading materials. After I greeted him, he asked a few questions such as where I lived and when I began to practice, and where Master Li (the founder of Falun Dafa) is. He also asked some personal questions. Although suspecting he might be a spy, I answered his questions anyway and explained Falun Dafa to him. Suddenly, I noticed tears in his eyes. After he left I thought this over and guessed that he might have been a practitioner in the past. I should have said to him, “You know, Master is waiting for you.”
A pure heart is the key. When speaking with Chinese tourists, I look at them and explain things sincerely. They also look me in the eyes and see my honesty. If I had attachments of zealotry while thinking this person might be saved, most of the time things would not work out.
One day there was lots of interference. As I was explaining the persecution and quitting the CCP to a tourist, someone – either family members or other tourists – would come to interrupt the conversation. Only three people quit the CCP organizations that day. The same thing happened the following day. When looking within, I realized that I did not study the Fa enough and just focused on doing things. On the third day, I studied the Fa before going out. Forty-three people quit the CCP organizations that day, and 35 on the following day. My understanding is that Master has been helping us all along. We just needed to make it happen. In fact, when clarifying the facts to people, I could move about swiftly with agility and did not feel tired at all.
Tour guides often eat quickly and they come out first and wait for the tourists. I often chatted with them. “I really like your job. You know, we are also here doing good deeds helping others and accumulating virtue,” I often say, “Maybe smart people like you know Falun Dafa better. But many ordinary tourists only believe the CCP’s propaganda. Since they are coming out [of China], it is a good opportunity for them to learn the facts.”
“By accumulating virtue at a young age, later on we will be blessed with health and happiness,” I continued. The tour guides agreed and allowed the tourists to accept materials. Many tour guides also quit the CCP.
We also give DVDs with information on Falun Dafa as gifts to some tour bus drivers who are open-minded. After tour guides, drivers, and police officers learned the facts, we encountered little external pressure.
My objective was that once I reached my goal of the number of people quitting the CCP organizations, I would increase it. After my number exceeded 5,000, I increased my goal to 10,000. I have now accomplished 87% of my goal. There are days when I don’t want to go out to clarify the truth, such as snowy or rainy days, as well as holidays. And I always remind myself that I need to overcome the attachment of comfort and go out more often.
Summary
We once signed a contract to post 800 pictures in 100 subway cars to expose the CCP’s brutality of forced organ harvesting. On the day after the contract was signed, as soon as I went out, a fragrance of peace and lilac flowers came to me. My entire body relaxed, with my skin becoming smoother. Through my celestial eye, I could see a layer of substance like a fishing net that enveloped me was pulled up from my ankles, passing my head and moving towards the sky before disappearing in the sky. I then felt an unprecedented sensation of being so relaxed and free. The feeling of liberation was beyond description. We know that once we do something good, Master will give us more.
The principles of Falun Dafa are profound. As I continued reading these books, all my questions were answered. The more attachments I let go of, the more understanding I will gain. Cultivation is so wonderful.
I spent about eight months hand-copying Zhuan Falun. I also spent two years memorizing the book, paragraph by paragraph. I could learn Chinese and the Fa at the same time. I am so happy.
When doing meditation one day in July 2019, I saw a white cloud in the sky. I had a feeling that the sky was like my true self, and the clouds could represent my attachments, desires, and all kinds of notions. At that time, I was in the cloud, which gradually descended. If it continued like this, my physical body would die. On the top of the cloud, I continued jumping upward. At that moment, I lost consciousness instantly, as if I was electrocuted to death.
I then realized that since I already had a physical existence between heaven and earth, what else did I need? I felt as if my true self and my physical body had merged together.
After that experience, I became very happy, from the bottom of my heart. Many things including loneliness no longer bother me.
On the cultivation path arranged by Master, when encountering difficulty, we have to constantly challenge ourselves and make breakthroughs. There may be fear and difficulty, but no danger. My understanding is that righteous thoughts include courage and constantly improving ourselves.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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