Clarifying the Truth to Scholars from Mainland China at an International Academic Conference

(Clearwisdom.net)

A Rare Opportunity

This fall, I had a chance to attend a large-scale international academic conference in Australia. Before I left, I had a very strong desire to spread the Fa at this conference. I knew that many of the scholars and professors would be from Mainland China, so this was a rare opportunity to spread the Fa to them.

When I registered the day before the conference, I began to see Chinese people. I knew that I was the only practitioner there, so I began to realize my true reason for attending the conference. All activities in society are created to spread the Fa--and they can also be used by the Fa. So being a Fa particle, I took it as my duty to clarify the truth by taking advantage of this opportunity.

Since this was the first international conference I had attended, I really didn't know where to begin. When I spread the Fa in the past, I was always with other practitioners and I had always depended on them somewhat. Now, there was no one else to help me or give me suggestions--I had to enlighten to everything on my own and I only depend upon myself to get it done. So before I went to the conference, I stayed in the hotel and sent forth righteous thoughts for a long time to deter interference. I was determined to use the wisdom given to me by the Fa to successfully carry out this task.

A Smooth Start

The next day, before I started out to clarify the truth, various kinds of human notions came out. I asked myself, "Is it appropriate [to clarify the truth in this environment]? Is this disturbing? Is it legal?" All of these notions tried to keep me from stepping forward. Finally, I thought it through: "All of these thoughts are human notions. I'm just being selfish and trying to protect myself." The righteous thoughts defeated my human notions.

During the morning break, I saw a few Chinese people sitting together and chatting with each other. I decided to join them. "Are you from Mainland China?" I asked. "Yes, we are," they replied. And with that, my four-day truth-clarifying journey had started.

At first, we talked about our research interests. Then, very naturally I changed the topic to Falun Gong; being a Falun Gong practitioner, I was naturally very concerned with what's going on in Mainland China. When an old professor said he was disgusted with the way Jiang Zemin had handled Falun Gong, I told them about the popularity of Falun Gong in other countries and about the brutal persecution of practitioners in China. The professor said he had already suspected that the self-immolation incident was staged. He also used his extensive life experience to explain the self-immolation scheme to another Chinese person who had questions about it. I took this smooth start as encouragement from Teacher!

Sharing Personal Experiences Is Straightforward and Effective

Later on, the process of spreading the Fa became even smoother. During the conference, I tried to clarify the truth to every person I met from Mainland China. Some were glad to know the truth. Some were indifferent. Some were scared upon hearing the words "Falun Gong." Still, I always tried my best to tell them about the suffering of practitioners in China and the current situation of Falun Gong in other countries. My words revealed all the viciousness and lies of Jiang Zemin's government. There were a few people who tried to talk me out of practicing Falun Gong using their scientific knowledge. But I told them my personal experience. I found that sharing personal experiences is both straightforward and effective.

All Obstacles Are Actually Human Notions

For several hours everyday, I was asked to work at a booth space that our school had booked at the local exhibition center. Because of the September 11^th terrorist attacks, however, very few people came to the exhibition and I had plenty of time to clarify the truth to the Chinese people and to the people from Chinese companies. Actually, one booth near me was occupied by a Chinese chemical engineering company. The company's kind-looking executive manager and his two assistants were there. When I asked them about Falun Gong and when I told them I was a Falun Gong practitioner, they were shocked and couldn't understand why. They even suggested that I give up Falun Gong. I then told them the way other countries treat Falun Gong and how my friends in China were persecuted. I also analyzed several political movements in China. As a result, the executive manager stopped giving me "advice" and started really talking to me.

On the last day of the exhibition, when I was on my way back, the executive manager saw me and immediately came out to say goodbye. He even said, "I'm going to start practicing Falun Gong."

During the several days I was away, I felt like a happy bird. My body was so light and I "flew" everywhere. I even wore a large yellow Falun Gong pin on my bag. The pin was very noticeable. In four days, I spread the Fa to almost every Chinese person that I met. I also talked to some Chinese people that lived outside of China. Sometimes we talked for a few minutes, while other times, we talked for a few hours. Everything was arranged so well and went so smoothly. Occasionally, however, I didn't do so well since I was trying to defend myself. But when I got rid of the notion of "self," everything changed for the better. I realized that all the obstacles were actually my own human notions.

Constantly Deter Evil Interference

After the four-day conference, I felt both physically and mentally exhausted--I just wanted to rest. In actuality, it was the laziness in my heart and the degenerated notions that tried to make me take a break.

When I boarded the plane back home, I forgot to bring Falun Gong fliers with me. But I did introduce Falun Gong to a Caucasian woman sitting next to me; I was reading the English version of Zhuan Falun, so I lent it to her. I was very surprised to find that she finished over forty pages. In the end, I gave the book to her.

During the conference, the evil took advantage of a loophole of mine. The second day after I arrived at Australia, my lips became drier and drier. I thought that it might be because of the dry weather. Later, the situation became even worse. My lips cracked, bled and could hardly move; it was very painful to even speak. Still, I didn't think much about it and kept spreading the Fa. However, my lips got well as soon as I returned to Singapore. At the conference, I didn't realize that it was interference. It was only afterwards that I realized I used my mouth and lips so much during the conference. Wasn't it obvious that the evil feared me clarifying the truth? At that time, I followed everyday people's thinking, a human notion. The evil thus took advantage my situation.

When I met the professor again at the conference, I asked him about the Peaceful Journey booklet I gave to him. He said he did not dare to bring it back since he was afraid that Chinese customs officers might find it. When he said this, I realized that I had not done enough and that the compassion in my heart was not strong enough either. I only told him the facts, but I didn't help him to feel the great benevolence and the prestige of the Fa. I didn't help him awaken and support the Fa from his heart. So this way of spreading the Fa was not in-depth. We need to not only clarify the facts to people, but also help them understand the underlying reasons. From another angle, it is just because of the power of the great Fa and the benevolence of our great Teacher that so many practitioners have been determined to bravely step forward and peacefully face brutality and cruel tortures without showing any extremist acts or opinions. When people learn this, their support, respect, and admiration towards the Fa, toward Teacher, and towards the practitioners themselves will arise in their hearts. We didn't pay enough attention to this issue before.

I appreciate Teacher's arrangements and Teacher arduously saving us.