Today’s Articles — April 7, 2001
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A Falun Gong Practitioner Speaks Out in Geneva at the "Human Rights Situation in China" Symposium
On the afternoon of April 3rd, a special symposium on the "Human Rights Situations In China" was held at the UN headquarters in Geneva. This symposium was jointly organized by the renowned French "International Federation of Human Rights" and the United States' "Kennedy Foundation." Since the symposium took place during the 57th session of the Commission On Human Rights, it attracted significant attention from both government delegates and members of Non Government Organizations (NGOs).
Spread the Fa and Offer People Salvation with Benevolence
Greetings to Master Li! Greetings to fellow practitioners! I am a practitioner from Switzerland. I started to practice Falun Dafa in October 1999. However, my genuine cultivation started in the summer of 1998. It has been over two years now. My daughter and I would like to talk about our recent experiences in cultivating Dafa. I am Catarina. This June, I will be 11 years old. I live in Bern, Switzerland. I started to practice Falun Dafa in April 1999. I felt my lower abdomen become warm the first time I did the Falun Dafa exercises. During last July and August, we began to spread the Fa widely. At the beginning, we distributed Dafa materials on the streets or put them into people' mailboxes. We have also set up a booth on the street to distribute Dafa flyers to passersby. The effects have been good. At that time, although I was spreading Dafa, I was not putting my heart into it. If people accepted the material, I would give it to them; otherwise, I would not bother asking them again. I thought I was doing well by "following the natural course." I just felt a bit of regret for those who did not accept the Dafa material, especially for those who came from China. Later I felt such an attitude was somewhat wrong. Master said, "Nothing happening around a practitioner is coincidental." How could it be coincidental for those Chinese people to meet me? I realized I must spread the Fa with a more active attitude. From then on, many Chinese people have happily accepted the Dafa materials from me. Some of them even asked me whether or not I have updated materials when they met me again. Through reading Master' new articles after July 1999 and the experience-sharing reports of fellow practitioners on Minghui net, I have made huge progress in my cultivation. I have understood the importance of spreading the Fa, which is both great and sacred. During the process of spreading the Fa, we must put the Fa in the first position; we can do anything if we have the Fa in our hearts. Master said that one could practice cultivation under any circumstance. Then one could spread the Fa under any circumstance too. Spreading the Fa on the train offers a lot of exposure and covers a wide area. Some people carry the Dafa material with them after reading it; some people just left the material on the seat; then, some other people would pick it up and read it. Therefore, one copy of material had an effect on multiple people. In July 1999, I started to help spread the Fa. One day, I had a fever. However, I still went to school during the day and spread the Fa at night, since I knew the situation of Falun Gong practitioners in China was very bad and I wanted to tell people the truth of Falun Dafa. One day I went to collect signatures with my mom, I saw the sky was purple and many small Falun in the sky. I had many Xinxing tests. I am now a 4th-grade student in elementary school. I had a lot of tests in my class. Some male classmates treated me badly. They called me "little cat" or "a cat." At that time, I felt very sad and told this to my friend, Natty. She said, "It is all right. Don' listen to them, even if they call you that again. They then will stop doing that." I realized this was a Xinxing test for me and I must pass it. The next day, they still called me "cat." I did not get angry this time but smiled instead. This test passed in a few weeks. One day when I distributed Dafa flyers on a train, an elderly gentleman bowed to me before accepting the flyer; moreover, he repeatedly said "Thank you!" Another day, in a first class car, a middle-aged gentleman accepted the flyer by stretching out both hands. Another young man did a '' gesture to me after reading the flyer. I think I did not deserve their gratitude. It is Master whom they should really thank. Without Dafa, without Master, even protecting ourselves can hardly be ensured, let alone spreading the Fa widely. One day in particular, while riding on a train, my human side controlled me. I sat there idly with a lot of Dafa materials in my bag. My mind was wandering around. All of a sudden, I shed tears and felt I had let Master Li down, along with my fellow practitioners in China who are suffering in prison. What I have endured is not worth mentioning at all. I then stood up and distributed some flyers. When I got off the train, a gentleman stood behind me. He kept saying, "I want one." I thought it must be Mater Li' hint. Many people are still waiting for us to introduce them to Dafa. I regret that I had wasted so much time on the train. I think the signature-collection during last November was an important step in the process of Fa-rectification. During a lecture in Changchun, Master Li said, "Things that appear very commonplace on the side of everyday people may appear truly magnificent in the dimension which you cannot see, in the realm of your cultivation practice." I think there must be some deep meaning behind the signature-collection. On the surface, the signature represented that the ordinary people showed their support and sympathy for Dafa. But in reality, it is Master' compassion to give every living being an opportunity before re-positioning them. The sooner a living being hears about Dafa, the sooner he or she will be helped. The more signatures we accumulated, the larger the righteous energy field would be, and the sooner the evil would be eliminated. Another test happened to me when I distributed the Falun Dafa introduction flyers. I gave a flyer to a gentleman. All of a sudden, he threw the flyer back at me. I was a little bit angry and sad at the beginning. However, I realized this was also a Xinxing test. I was then no longer angry nor sad. Now I talk about another experience of mine. One time when I was waiting for the bus at a bus stop, a car suddenly drove up to me. A lady pulled me back immediately. I thanked her very much. However, I knew it was Master Li who saved me from a car accident. At that time, the Chinese government' false information had contaminated the Swiss media. Some people misunderstood Dafa. I then took this opportunity to tell them the truth. Some people changed their thoughts and signed their names. They also gladly accepted the Dafa materials. Among the people who signed, some of them were interested in Dafa, some of them showed deep sympathy for Falun Gong practitioners in China who have been brutally persecuted. Some of them did not know about Falun Dafa, so I introduced Dafa to them. For those who did not want to sign their names, I would give them a flyer introducing them to Dafa so that they would get to know Dafa. When some people were hesitating to sign their names, I would say, "Please sign your name if you really want to help the human rights of Falun Gong practitioners in China; otherwise, it is not required." Some people then signed their names. Whenever a person signed his name, I would be happy for him from the bottom of my heart. I knew he would not be the only one to get to know Dafa; behind him there were numerous people including his family members, his friends and others. If we were completely unselfish, our hearts would be broadened. Our attitude while we step out to spread the Fa is very crucial. Our deeds are also verifying Dafa and harmonizing Dafa. Master said, "The things that you do with a pure heart will be the best and most sacred." Every time I went out to spread the Fa, I would take it as my cultivation process. I did not feel alone. Master is always with me. Other people would also understand my German. When people asked me questions about Dafa, I would answer them according to my own level. I treated them as tests from Master. The more work I do in spreading the Fa, the more Fa I understand. When I collected the signatures, I happened to be in the process of karma-elimination. My lips looked dry and cracked. I stood in front of a mirror and thought, "How could I go out to talk to people like this?" Meanwhile, I thought, "Why do I have karma-elimination at this special moment?" I then realized it was time for me get rid of my vanity. At the beginning of collecting signatures, I had a lot of human attachments. I would first give people the Dafa introduction flyers and then watch their attitude before asking them for signatures. Therefore, I could only get about 20 signatures each day. Later, a fellow practitioner told me that I could just directly ask people for signatures. Then, the number of signatures increased to 70-80. When we went to the dining hall of the University of Zurich, we simply put the signature forms on each dining table. Within 3 hours, we received about 200 signatures. For one weekend, I prepared to go to downtown Bern to collect signatures, but for some reason, I did not go; instead, my whole family went to a lake to have a walk. When I asked a lady for her signature, she asked me some questions, but I could not understand her. Then she talked to my husband, "Could you answer this question?" My husband immediately stood up and told this lady about the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China. She then signed her name and gladly accepted a copy of "Falun Gong: the Real Story." I sincerely thanked my husband. Although he does not practice cultivation, he has helped me a lot. Now I want to talk about the cultivation story of Natty. One day, Natty came to my home. My mother was playing the Falun Dafa music. I thought Natty might not like it. I then turned the music off and went to the bathroom. After I went back, the music was on again. I then turned it off again. Then Natty said, "Why did you turn it off? I would like to hear it. It is so nice." I didn' expect that. Then I turned the music on. Natty said that she would like to practice Falun Dafa. I then showed her the movements. Last September, I gave her a copy of the book "Falun Gong." She was very happy and brought the book back home with her. Last November, she and I went together to collect signatures. Her whole family signed the petition. Her mother told her, "You did very well." After she finished reading Falun Gong, I gave her a copy of Zhuan Falun. Up to now, she has finished reading it twice. She said she would read it for the third time. Her third eye is opened. She saw Master Li and a Falun beside Master Li with her third eye. Master Li smiled to her and talked to her. However, she did not understand what Master Li said. She and I saw a Falun on the same night. I saw a green Falun on the door. However, I did not see Master Li. The deadline for collecting signatures was postponed. I thought that it was because many people with a predestined relationship had not obtained Dafa. Master was offering practitioners and other living beings another opportunity. Therefore, I took every possible opportunity to collect signatures. A practitioner in Geneva had gone to the police department to collect signatures; all people except two signed their names. I was deeply touched by this experience. I then went to the City Hall of Bern to collect signatures; all except four people signed their names. An official in the City Hall signed his name, and told me, "What you are doing is right and good." He hoped I could get more signatures. I treated his words as an encouragement from Master. I should do it even better. One day, when I was collecting signatures in a train station, a lady signed her name and she even asked other people to sign their names. Another day on a train, after a college student signed his name, he asked me for a few blank signature papers and said that he would ask his friends to sign. A week later, I received from him a paper with over 20 signatures on it. A fellow practitioner asked my schoolteacher for his signature and he signed. My religious teacher also signed her name. My mom said "you could bring a copy of the book Falun Gong to your religious teacher." I then gave her the book. She said to me, "You finally brought it to me. I have been waiting for it for a long time." She was so happy. Then my mom said, "now you can bring the book to your other teacher." At that time, I became afraid. I thought, "What will he say if I give him the book? He might say, ', thank you'" The next day, my mom asked me again to bring the book to him; I still dared not to do it. I finally gave him the book on the day before the last day of school this February. He said, "It is so good. I can read it during vacation." He appeared very happy. One day on a train, two rail policemen came over to me. I asked them for their signatures. They told me that they could not sign their names since they were on duty, but they would be glad to accept copies of "Falun Gong: The Real Story." Another time on a bus, I asked a lady to sign her name. She refused. I then gave her some Dafa material. While she read, I asked other people for their signatures; some of them signed. However, she still refused to sign after she read the material. When I got off the bus, I felt really sorry for her, because very few people would refuse to sign their names after reading the truth. However, unexpectedly, she suddenly stopped me from behind and said she would like to sign. She said the Chinese government was too brutal. After she left, I cried for her, because I knew she would have the opportunity to obtain Dafa. Now I want to talk about my karma-elimination. One day, my ears ached. I felt aches all over my body. At night, I cried. My mom said, "Do not be afraid. This is karma-elimination." However, I was still a little afraid and continued crying. Then, my mom said, "this is a test. If you cannot overcome it, the next one would come." I then said, "I want to overcome this test. I do not want to have two tests together." I was a little bit afraid. I felt better when I thought of Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance). Two days later, I was much better, and fully recovered in three days. At the Western United States Conference last October, Master said: "I think you should, as a student, a cultivator, do these things from the perspective of benevolence as well. Inform people of the truth, tell them about it--this is also offering people salvation." Master also said, "Probably nothing is coincidental, because for you, a practitioner, in the process of your cultivation you have fundamental tests all the way to the very end." I think that the time of Master' publication of new articles is related to our cultivation status. We should not stick to our human concepts in spreading and guarding the Fa. Our intention should not be limited; instead, it should take the whole Fa into consideration. Master talked about the structure of the universe, as a matter of fact, which involves the issue of realms. It is now the time of Fa-rectification. We are the disciples; we should assist Master in this secular world. We should "Validate the Fa with reason, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and offer people salvation with benevolence--this is establishing the mighty virtue of an enlightened being." I now have a better understanding of the meaning of the Master' poem called "Assisting Fa." During our cultivation, we will meet all kinds of tribulations. We should always take Fa as the Master. Whenever we meet tribulation, we should look inward to correct ourselves and then continue. In the article "Cautionary Advice" Master wrote, "If everyone of you can understand the Fa from the bottom of your heart, that will truly be the manifestation of the Fa whose power knows no boundary--the reappearance of the mighty Buddha Fa in the human world!" I have known the trouble of Falun Gong practitioners in China for a long time. I think that is very bad. The fellow practitioners in China are not afraid of death. They are really great! I would like to learn from them. I have read Zhuan Falun twice. I still have many attachments. I will continue to read the book and constantly improve my Xinxing. I would like to be a good disciple of Master Li. The above are some of our recent experiences. I still need to improve myself constantly and make further advancement. Thanks to Master Li and thanks to everyone. February 24, 2001
Falun Dafa Gives Me Serenity and Reveals the Mysteries of Life and the Universe
My name is Tony and I am a 28-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner from Gothenburg in Sweden. I have been practicing Falun Dafa for almost a year now and I feel so happy, so filled with energy and harmony. This is something I have never experienced before in my life.
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Master Li quietly watching the world from amidst the mountains after leaving New York following July 20th, 1999. (Published January 19, 2000)