(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
Before I started practicing Falun Dafa in Changchun, China, in July 1994, I was a qigong enthusiast. I looked for a cultivation method that would show me how to improve my character. After reading Master’s book Falun Gong, I was deeply drawn to the principles he talked about and felt that this is what I had been seeking. I began to practice. I read and memorized the Fa. I also followed the book’s guidance to take fame and personal gain lightly and indifferently. Among intellectuals, promotions and salary raises are highly sought after. I gave these opportunities to others. Because my coworkers knew I practiced Falun Dafa they wanted to collaborate with me.
By July 1999 (when the persecution began), I had been practicing for five years. My determination to practice was unshakable. We participated in a peaceful petition at the provincial government from July 20 to 23 in 1999. On July 26, our entire family went to Beijing, planning to take part in an appeal for Dafa. Having experienced the CCP's various political movements, I knew what might happen. My wife told our children they should continue practicing no matter what happened. I wrote the following poem:
July 20
The evil reveals its ferociousnessDisciples going to the capitalKnowing it could be a trip of no-returnThis life is born for the Fa
I later realized that Master had already pushed us to our highest positions. My wife and I went to Beijing for the third time to appeal. The day before we finished posting the truth clarification materials we brought with us. After handing a record player fully loaded with truth-clarification recordings to a kind-hearted local person from Beijing, we dressed neatly and went to Tiananmen Square. We noticed a group of plainclothes police officers there. We asked an armed police officer what was happening. He said they were there to arrest Falun Dafa practitioners. When we asked why he replied, “They want to seize power.” We asked, “Do they have guns? Do they have airplanes and cannons?” He said, “No.” We then asked how they could seize power. He replied, “It’s what the higher-ups said.”
My wife talked to him and learned that he also arrested practitioners. We continued to clarify the truth to him and advised him to be compassionate. In the end, he promised not to arrest practitioners. Such an innocent and naïve young man was misled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to commit crimes.
After July 20, 1999, we went to Laoshan New Village to distribute information about Falun Dafa and saw a banner slandering Dafa. The banner hung horizontally on a wall along the road. Many passing vehicles and pedestrians could see it. We couldn’t let it continue poisoning people. We sent righteous thoughts and asked Master for help. It soon started raining. We cut the banner down. Thank you, Master! I wrote the following poem,
Rectifying Laoshan
In the new village, an evil banner hungWith words so venomous, foully sungDisciples send forth righteous thoughtsEvils were eradicatedIn clear night, sudden rain pouredMaster’s protection, of this I’m sureTogether disciples stepped up aheadWith scissors, the evil banner shredWitnesses stand in silent dismaySuppressed, the evil’s hold gave wayRighteousness stands, undiminishedAt the Laoshan Village, Dafa’s truth is nourished
We went to universities multiple times to deliver truth-clarification materials. The main content was the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and pamphlets. When we returned along the same route we noticed people reading them.
We use every opportunity to clarify the truth. Even though we kept having to move we told everyone we could about the persecution. The residents responded positively, with some said they would not allow their children to join the Communist Party’s youth organizations.
In October 2009 a group of people, including police officers, and officials from the neighborhood administrative office came to our home twice in the morning and evening. We believed that under Master’s protection, we could overcome this challenge. With fellow practitioners' help we managed to leave.
When I looked inward I saw my attachment to excitement, doing things, and my comfort-seeking mentality.
When we returned to Changchun. I realized that Master allowed us to come back so we could save the people there. We visited old classmates, friends, and teachers. We clarified the truth to them and helped them withdraw from the CCP. There was a classmate from my high school days who had a high position in his city. He believed in Marxism. I began by explaining that Marx was a Satanist and how his atheism deceived people. I continued to talk about the persecution of individuals who believed in Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance by the CCP. It took an entire afternoon to awaken his conscience and kind thoughts. Eventually, I helped him and his wife quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
We arrived in San Francisco in June 2012, and we were there when some individuals attacked Falun Dafa practitioners in Chinatown. The next day, we went to Portsmouth Square to clarify the truth. We handed out truth-clarification materials, but people refused to take them. An elderly Chinese immigrant with a cane tried to chase me away. Every day, people cursed us.
I recalled Master’s teaching about the incident in Flushing,
“Calmly think things over, and broaden your mind a little. If you can really regard everyone as a sentient being that we want to save, and then you try to save them, see if things change. It’s definitely no coincidence that the evil emerged in Flushing and has made people do bad things. It must have come about to target our students’ omissions. Don’t blindly go battling against their human sides. Your goal is not to defeat them, but to save them. Do things with compassion and a calm mind, and then see how it goes.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference” in Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume IX)
I treated every person I encountered as a life to save. Whether they accepted pamphlets, listened to the truth, or chose to withdraw from the Party, I greeted them. I interacted with each person calmly and peacefully. Over time, the hostile atmosphere began to ease. One day, the elderly Chinese immigrant who had previously tried to chase me away with a cane came to our display boards. He gave my wife and me a thumbs-up, and then apologized.
Many elderly Chinese immigrants often gathered at Portsmouth Square. Once a large double-sided truth-clarification display board was set up there, along with a banner that read “Falun Dafa is Good,” the whole Portsmouth Square immediately became full of righteous energy, suppressing the evil. The path in front of the display boards was always crowded, with people passing by each day.
Once, four men came from China. They wanted to take photos at the location. The wind was strong that day, so two held up the banner while the other two took the photos. Eventually, all four of them chose to withdraw from the Party. There was an elderly Chinese immigrant who often passed by Portsmouth Square. I helped him and his family of five withdraw from the Party.
One woman who understood the truth withdrew from the Party herself. She then brought her husband and daughter to withdraw as well. They prepared their nicknames in advance. Another middle-aged woman, after shopping, passed by and talked to us. She said, “I want to quit the Party!” She also helped her husband to quit the Party, and in the end, she helped us pack up the display board. There were many examples like these.
An elderly Chinese immigrant frequently visited the truth-clarification display board to discuss various topics with me. One day, he caught someone who had dirtied our banner and brought the person to me, asking me to handle the situation. He was willing to testify to the police and even told the man to clean the banner.
Another elderly Chinese immigrant often sat alone on a chair in a daze. When I handed him truth-clarification materials, he said, “I don’t want to read anything. I'm just waiting to die!” I told him not to be too pessimistic. I said that a person has more than one lifetime. I also shared examples of reincarnation and other topics. He ended up taking the truth-clarification materials. He frequently came to me to discuss various matters.
After the 2013 U.S. Western US Fa Conference, my wife and I began to clarify the truth in front of City Hall. I wanted to clarify the truth to a man, but before I could he said, “If you say anything, I'll call the police.” I thought, “I haven”t even said anything, and he's threatening to call the police?”
I told him, “This is the U.S. and I have the freedom to speak here. You can choose to listen or not.” Afterward, I reflected on myself and realized that this person affected me. I hadn’t considered his perspective. He was a tour guide. My actions might have affected his work. The next time I went to the city government’s tourist spot, my interaction with the tour guide went more smoothly, and I helped him withdraw from the CCP. The next time I saw him he greeted me.
One day, a family of four took photos at the tourist spot, and I went over to help. Later, they urgently needed to use the restroom, but the nearby buildings were all closed. I guided them to a nearby hotel, and they were very grateful. After listening attentively to my truth clarification, they all quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Once, I clarified the truth to a male tourist, and he sternly asked me, “Why do you hate the Communist Party so much?” This time, I wasn’t affected by his words. I calmly explained to him that, as practitioners, we don’t have any enemies, and our purpose is to save people. He understood and said, “I am a Communist Party member; I want to quit.” Another tourist overheard and chose to withdraw from the Party as well. The power of Dafa changed my mindset from thinking that people like this are hard to save.
Another time, there were over ten tourists about to return to their tour bus. My wife loudly clarified the truth as they walked towards the bus. No one said anything except for one woman who shouted that she loved the Communist Party. My wife followed and clarified the truth to her. She decided to withdraw from the Party.
In the past, I might have thought that people like her were die-hard Party supporters. This incident prompted me to change my perspective: We shouldn’t judge people by their behavior. If we approach them with compassion, we have a better chance to save them.
Since arriving in San Francisco in 2012, I have actively promoted Shen Yun every year. I participated in various activities, including hanging fliers on door knobs, putting up posters, sending righteous thoughts in malls, distributing Shen Yun flyers at theaters, handing out flyers at Fisherman’s Wharf, distributing flyers in upscale communities, and even providing security. I do whatever I can to contribute.
A few years ago, I had been experiencing leg pain for over a year. I couldn't keep up with the others when we hung fliers on doors. I truly felt embarrassed. The following year, when the time came to hang door hangers again, I realized that while I hadn’t considered leg pain an illness before, I had thought of it as a result of aging or excessive walking from a medical perspective. These were all human notions. The next time I distributed fliers, and I ran up and down stairs, I completely forgot about the leg pain.
The following year, I was assigned to hang fliers again. We would pick up a person at another practitioner’s home. I needed to use the restroom, so, I went to a nearby fast-food restaurant. After I walked out of the restaurant, a female practitioner I never saw before scolded me loudly, “Did you ever do door hangers?” I apologized and said, “I’m sorry, everyone. I’ve inconvenienced you all.”
Upon returning home, I studied Master’s teachings. I realized that what impacted me was my attachment to “saving face.” It was what I needed to elevate from.
I took on the task of hanging fliers on doors again. Opportunities like this are rare. My wife and I took the bus and then used a rolling cart to distribute the flyers individually. Some roads are steep; after climbing, we must go up several flights of stairs to reach the top floor. We’re out of breath and sweating. Even on slightly inclined roads, my wife usually finds it difficult to walk.
Shen Yun frequently performs at the San Francisco Opera House. I believe that people who regularly attend performances there are mainstream people interested in the arts. They should be pretty receptive to seeing Shen Yun.
My wife and I once went to the Opera House to distribute Shen Yun flyers. In the beginning, the rain wasn’t heavy, but the flyers got damp. Since we couldn’t go inside the theater to distribute them and had to stay a certain distance from the entrance, I questioned whether it was worth it. Another day, it rained harder. I thought that even the audience would get wet from the rain before entering the theater. Since we lived far from the opera house I wondered if we should still go.
But when I considered the urgency of saving people, I realized we must go. My wife said, “If people are going to watch, then we should distribute.” So, we set out early and sent righteous thoughts along the way. Despite the heavy rain, the audience still accepted the flyers. Even as the performance was about to start, the people who arrived late were still happy to take the flyers.
Sometimes, a few days before Shen Yun starts, there might be some unsold tickets. Fellow practitioners and I go to upscale neighborhoods to distribute flyers. We also go to Fisherman’s Wharf to distribute Shen Yun flyers, where many tourists from out-of-town visit. People there often show a lot of interest in Shen Yun. Seeing people standing in the rain, yet still listening to us talk about Shen Yun, profoundly moves me. It’s Master who leads sentient beings there, so I persist in distributing Shen Yun flyers until the very last performance.
I understand that as long as we follow Master’s requirements, we will have opportunities to save sentient beings through Shen Yun performances.
During this Chinese New Year, Master pointed out in the new teaching “How Humankind Came To Be.” I realized that there are still so many sentient beings in the world who have not been saved. Master personally leads us to create Gan Jing World, which shows that Gan Jing World is extremely important for saving people.
Young people, especially college students, are greatly influenced by new trends and modern thinking. Therefore, we go to campuses and distribute Gan Jing World bookmarks to them. Most of them are happy to take them. Before their holidays and graduation ceremonies, there is a concentrated gathering of people. They line up to enter the venue, which often held in a large auditorium. We can distribute bookmarks during this time because there’s limited time for speaking. However, when they are outside the venue talking to their parents, we can distribute bookmarks and introduce Gan Jing World.
In one instance, over thirty thousand attendees were at a graduation ceremony in Oracle Park. To ensure good timing, we researched in advance which streets were near the three entrances of the venue and how to get there. My wife and I even went there a day ahead of time. As a result, we arrived early on the following day. We began distributing bookmarks when the crowd was not too large. The whole process went smoothly. We had less than 700 bookmarks and quickly distributed them. My wife congratulated the graduates, and I mainly distributed bookmarks to the parents of the students.
In our daily lives, we often carry bookmarks with us and distribute them whenever possible. We also take the time to watch videos about the Gan Jing World that fellow practitioners share. We understand that this is a collective effort, and we need to do our part well.
Looking back on the past 29 years of cultivation, I realize that I’ve reached this point because of Dafa and Master’s guidance and care. I deeply treasure this journey and I am committed to walking the path ahead with dedication.
(Presented at the 2023 San Francisco Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)