I'm honored to have the chance to report to you some of our experiences over the course of clarifying the truth to the Chinese people.
Every day, Hong Kong receives hundreds of thousands of tourists from Mainland China. Our first truth-clarifying site was established more than two years ago at a tourist spot. Since then, similar sites were set up one after another. Today, at almost every place that tourists from China often visit you'll see Dafa practitioners. Rain or shine, practitioners are always there--seven days a week, all year round--clarifying the truth with compassion to group after group of fellow Chinese from morning until late into the night.
In our physical eyes, these tourists are just regular Chinese. It is hard to imagine that they are actually kings and lords from remote celestial bodies in the cosmos. Tens of millions of years ago, in order to participate in the Fa-rectification, and in order to save sentient beings in their universe, they were brave enough to follow Master, went through reincarnation at different levels until they reached the Three Realms. They experienced all kinds of hardship and finally they were in the era when Dafa is spreading. However, out of jealousy, Jiang fabricated all kinds of lies about Dafa, trying to destroy their only chance of assimilating to the Fa. This has shocked heaven and earth!
At the very beginning, we did things with many human attachments. Every day we faced hundreds or thousands of Mainland tourists. We had to face their indifference, misunderstandings and even obscene remarks. Many of our attachments surfaced: we felt anxious that they didn't want Dafa materials; we complained that they didn't believe the truth; we were disgusted at their uncivilized manners. Although we understood from the Fa that humans were just manipulated by the evil, that we shouldn't regard humans as evil, and that Dafa practitioners must be compassionate under all circumstances, from time to time we were not able to completely meet the requirement, and unwittingly took the path arranged by the old force. Our criticisms, complaints and lack of rationality made people lose some of the life-saving chances that Master arranged for them.
One time, while I was clarifying the truth, I coincidentally met an old friend from more than 10 years ago. As soon as I saw her, I was so anxious to talk about nothing but Dafa. The result was not that great. After I examined myself, I realized that I was very selfish, and did not look at things from her perspective. I only saw how busy I was. I focused on talking about the truth, but didn't really pay attention to others' needs. Had I been selfless and considerate, I would have invited her for lunch to talk about the old days and ask about her current life. She would have had a chance to witness the warmth and sincerity of Dafa practitioners. She would have had the chance to see that Dafa practitioners lead the same normal life. Some of the lies about us would have dissipated on their own. In this way, I could have validated Dafa and clarified the truth with my actions. I may even have been able to find more of my old friends and relatives through this friend and gradually clarified the truth to them. Those who learned the truth would then talk to their friends and relatives, and thus a positive circle would have been formed.
Our experience helped us understand the deep inner meaning of "Validate the Fa with rationality, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and save people with mercy" (Essentials for Further Advancement II , "Rationality"). Slowly, based on the Fa, we learned to get rid of various human attachments. First, we should treat all sentient beings with compassion under any circumstance. They may do wrong, yet we must unconditionally assimilate ourselves to Dafa. Only this way can we create history and make sure the future universe will not face destruction. In addition, difficult situations are also good chances to temper us. Gradually, we could deal with all kinds of situations with a smile. It doesn't matter if it is sarcastic comments or yelling, we face all these with compassion. We have to be worthy of the sentient beings who have placed all their hopes in us.
In the past, if I heard tourists saying "Go away, I don't want to listen," I wouldn't know what to do. Later through looking inside, I discovered that I had not discarded my attachment to fame, and had been blocked by human notions. When tourists were willing to listen to us, we would be very happy and talk on and on; when they attacked us with vicious words, we'd feel very upset. In fact, we never leaped out of human emotions. Therefore our original nature was not able to manifest. As we discovered and got rid of our attachment to fame hidden behind our truth-clarifying effort, the side of our original nature immediately knew what to do. Now when we run into these situations, besides sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate evils behind them, on the human side, we peacefully talk around their attachments.
We would say: "Sorry to disturb you. Hong Kong has freedom of expression. It is your right not to listen. We respect that. We just want you to give us your opinion. We teach children not to lie, but Jiang uses government resources to persecute Falun Gong, and he has taken many lives. Now the entire world knows Falun Dafa is good. When the top is not upright, it may cause people below to be not upright. This is a matter of social morality. Everyone is in the middle of it." When our compassion emerges, those tourists often want to hear more. When we get rid of attachments to fame, no tourist refuses to listen. Everything changes when we cultivate ourselves as we participate in Fa-rectification.
One day, over 20 mainland officials came. The minute they got off the bus, they tried to stir up trouble. They uttered some unpleasant remarks, and also said that they were communist party members. The practitioner who was dealing with them was not moved. With a smile on her face, she greeted them calmly: "Hello, Mr. Party Members." Then she pointed at the picture in which a practitioner was stepped on by a vicious police officer on Tiananmen Square, and continued: "Please look at the picture, the person who stepped on someone else is a communist party member like you. The person who is being beaten is a Falun Gong practitioner. They were peaceful and unarmed. The only reason they were beaten in the broad daylight was because they wanted to say a few words of truth to the government. Do you still remember those days in the Cultural Revolution? Deng Xiaoping was knocked down three times for speaking the truth. Peng Dehuai was tortured to death for writing a long letter to the leaders." At this point, these twenty some tourists all looked like children who knew they had done something wrong. Their hostile facial expression went away. All of them took our flyers. Some who had gone into the bus even came back and took the materials.
One other time, we were clarifying the truth to a group of young people. A good looking girl said arrogantly: "We are not interested in this. We only want to have more money so we can enjoy ourselves." This practitioner immediately used a different approach, and said: "You're right about that, who isn't thinking about that nowadays?" This tourist immediately relaxed. Our practitioner continued: "But wouldn't it be possible to care about others while seeking material comfort at the same time?" This practitioner flipped through the pictures in her hands and told them about the persecution that Falun Gong practitioners are being subjected to. The girl said, "Actually even if we know about it, we are not able to help." Our practitioner told her patiently: "Actually your knowing the truth would be very comforting to us." When the girl was ready to go back on the bus, she turned around and held the practitioner's hand.
Our effort didn't stop at talking and distributing flyers. We prepared all kinds of bulletin boards, we bought video and TV equipment to continuously play videos that expose the evil. We also hung up the banner of "Falun Dafa is good." After tourists get back on the bus, there will be practitioners holding up the boards and showing them in front of the bus. We don't want to waste any chance of saving them. Sometimes, they would draw up the curtain, but that can't move our hearts. We look inside ourselves and send forth righteous thoughts. Our compassion emerges when we think of the fact that the Lord of Buddhas has created the best chance for every being to live. The new cosmos is so magnificent. Let's all go home. So many times, curtains were opened up again. They saw the truth and waved good-bye to us happily in the end. Seeing buses leaving one after another, compassion fills up our hearts. It is Jiang who is poisoning and endangering those lives. These people are like sick children who need tender loving care from parents. We must take them back to the road that will lead them back to their home with the compassion Master has shown us, "Dafa disciples are now sentient beings' only, sole hope for salvation." ("Righteous Thoughts")
Master has clearly pointed out to us: "On the rest of the journey, may you fulfill, with godlike righteous thoughts and righteous actions, the grand vows you made before history!"("New Year's Greetings from Master")We understand better and better that cultivating ourselves well is the best way to eliminate evil. It is fundamental to our saving sentient beings. In ordinary people's minds, thoughts are abstract and shapeless. The pure and righteous thought of Dafa disciples can create new universes! How do we best offer salvation to beings with our righteous thoughts?
During our experience sharing, we discovered that deep inside we didn't regard ourselves as gods, didn't treat seriously our historical responsibility as gods, and didn't use our abilities as gods to create opportunities for people to obtain the Fa and to be saved. How to achieve that?
One day, when I was reciting Lunyu, I suddenly understood one thing: because I had been too conservative and didn't want to let go of conventional ways of thinking, I had been walking on the path of today's science: "... a subject will not be studied until it is recognized--it follows such a path. As for phenomena that are intangible and invisible in our dimension, but objectively exist and are reflected into our physical dimension as concrete manifestations, people dare not approach them, dismissing them as unknown phenomena..."(Lunyu) If the enormous current of Fa-rectification arrives today, I will for sure regard myself as a god. It is truly a reflection of poor Xinxing when I can only recognize what's manifested in this dimension. It is exactly my notions that have made me "crawl within the boundary delimited by [my] own ignorance."
Master told us in "Congratulatory Statement to the New York Fa Conference:" "In history's past, you brought to humankind the splendor it should have; in history's present, Dafa has bestowed upon you the mission of saving all sentient beings; in history's future, everything of yours that is pure and righteous will be what ensures that the colossal firmament has formation and stasis, but not destruction. Walk your paths well. The beings who are saved are to be your sentient beings. All that you do establishes all that you will consummate."
We've been bestowed with a mission, and we're the future lords of the universe. I decided to change myself fundamentally. Every day, I cultivate myself according to what's required of a righteous divine being, and try to be a genuine Dafa practitioner from my heart. I require my words and actions to carry Dafa's dignity. "If humans are able to take a fresh look at themselves as well as the universe and change their rigid mentalities, humankind will make a leap forward." (Lunyu). Quickly I noticed changes in me. I felt my body was enormously big, and became more confident when I clarify the truth. My words carried more power.
When I clarified the truth before, I liked to say that many prophecies proved that we are right, and that Jiang is coming to his end, the grand manifestation of truth will soon arrive, etc. Now I understand that I said those things because I did not have enough faith and was pursuing externally. Through studying the Fa and getting rid of all human notions, I was ascending and truly felt the power of the Buddha Fa. When I look around, I am no longer anxious; I know everything is within our control.
I used to feel very unsure about whether these people were saved as they were leaving. But now I've learned to use my righteous thoughts to save beings. When we send forth righteous thoughts, we have this one strong thought: we will save every person coming to our site. We use our abilities to eradicate all elements that prevent them from getting to know the truth, and pave the way for their salvation. As we distribute flyers, we continuously eliminate the human attachments that exist in us and let our original nature shine forth. We send forth righteous thoughts nonstop, and save every human being with our righteous thoughts. We deeply feel that when we can truly be pure and harmonious, tourists surrounding us also appear friendly. Through sharing, we realize that we need to be genuinely compassionate about those tourists, and should not just be kind to them so they will agree to take our flyers. We should treat them with all sincerity. More importantly, we should not criticize them under any circumstance. Many of our thoughts such as they are just hopelessly poisoned, or they are so indifferent or assume that they would be afraid of accepting flyers, will be taken advantage of by old force and do more harm to them. The truth is that we should just do what we're supposed to do without those human notions and assumptions. If some of the tourists are not good, that's largely due to the arrangement made by the old force. Since Master does not acknowledge their existence, the old force will be for sure eliminated. As disciples of the Lord of Buddhas, we don't accept their arrangement either. Therefore, the best way to deal with it is stay unmoved. We sternly tell the evil in other dimensions: we are Dafa disciples, and we firmly believe in Teacher and Dafa. We do not allow any evil to persecute Dafa and harm sentient beings. The old evil forces are breaking the heavenly principle, and they will pay for all they have done. Teacher determines everything, and Teacher does not recognize them.
We've realized the importance of studying the Fa. One time at the site, two monitors and two speakers broke down at the same time. We quickly scheduled to study the Fa together, examine ourselves, and send forth righteous thoughts. In the end, everything was back to normal again very quickly.
Also, tolerance and willingness to work with one another is very important. There was one practitioner who was not able to come out and hand out the flyers with us due to family reasons. Initially, we criticized him for not being able to let go of emotions, and not being diligent enough. Later, we realized that this kind of criticism and looking externally were what the old force wanted. Master teaches us to look inside of ourselves and have enormous tolerance for fellow practitioners. What we should have done was to offer assistance to him and firmly believe that he would break through this very quickly. Our criticism may add more tribulation to him, as our thoughts carry energy.
Recently, we've been telling the Mainland tourists about Jiang being sued in the US and the news about the establishment of an organization in North America dedicated to investigating torture against Falun Gong. We are keenly aware that we must convey this kind of information with a pure heart. Any trace of complacency, showing-off or competitive mentality needs to be eliminated. I remembered we once distributed some information about chief evil that was received from other members of the public with strong attachments. We created loopholes for the evil to take advantage of. Only when our minds are pure can the dignity of the Fa be embodied. And only then can the goal of waking up and saving sentient beings be achieved.
I know very well in my heart that I am still very far from what's required of us by the Fa. I will continue to cultivate myself, and get rid of all kinds of human notions and attachments in accordance with the Fa so that the evil beings have nowhere to stay, the old forces have no reason to exist and the power of the Fa can shine through. Studying the Fa well and cultivating well can ensure our saving the sentient beings and eliminating all evils.
The above is just a little bit of what I have experienced and enlightened to. Please kindly point out to me if anything I said is inappropriate.