(Clearwisdom.net) At the end of the year 2000, after studying Teacher's article "Suffocate the Evil," I suddenly awakened to the realization of the important responsibilities of Falun Dafa practitioners. There was no time to delay in validating Dafa and saving sentient beings, so I started to positively and actively tell people the facts of Dafa and the persecution.
1. The First Step Is the Village -- Clarifying the Truth to All My Relatives
At the beginning of December, I visited my relatives in the countryside to introduce Falun Gong to them. I carefully carried six copies of Zhuan Falun [the principal teachings of Falun Gong], a CD of the Falun Dafa lectures in Dalian and a VCD player. I traveled by train and several long-distance buses, then walked the rest of the way to my relatives' homes. I let my relatives listen to the lectures late at night, and they would sleep during the daytime. In less than two months, I visited two counties, two provinces and seven villages. Even though there were many difficulties and I felt exhausted at times, I successfully introduced Falun Dafa to over one hundred people. One of my elder male cousins had eleven family members from three generations living in the same village. After listened to the truth, nine of those people happily listened to the lectures with me, and the other two people did not oppose Dafa either. My cousin's 4-year-old granddaughter even instinctively crossed her legs and placed her hands in the heshi (1) position when she watched Teacher's lecture videotapes. She sat in front of the television, beside the adults, listening without uttering a sound, and she would not feel sleepy even late at the night. Her father came to take her home, but she was not willing to leave until she finished watching the lectures with her mother. We eventually finished all the lectures in three days, and I taught them the five sets of exercises. I also left them two copies of Zhuan Falun. From then onwards, my elder cousin would organize the group Fa study and the practicing of the exercises among his family, and his 13-year-old eldest granddaughter could correct the movements of the others because hers were perfect. Overall, my experience moved me profoundly. They all want to learn Falun Gong! Why had I not come earlier?
At the same time, there were also unfavorable occurrences. My third younger cousin had been deceived by the lies of Jiang's regime, and he was very scared of me. He wanted me to leave, saying, "Leave now! You do not lead a happy life, and now you wish to spoil the New Year for others." When I persisted in staying, he threatened to report me to the local police station. I said to him in a serious tone, "OK! I will just sit here and wait. I have come so far, and my nose is covered with big blisters from the freezing weather. I came for you. I do not mind the fatigue or the expenditure of my own money, but you..." He stopped me by saying, "Leave me alone!" Then he just sat there quietly. My righteous actions cleared his cloudy judgment, and his whole family could then be saved as they sat down to listen to me clarify the truth.
2. Falun Dafa Is Great the Whole Length of the Journey
In the future, I shall continue to tell people the truth of Falun Dafa wherever I go, be it Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter and even in the blistering heat and the freezing cold. After learning the truth, many people from Inner Mongolia and Jilin Province borrowed Zhuan Falun from me with sincerity.
1) Do Not Miss Any Opportunities
Once on a bus to Jilin Province, a policeman sat down beside me. I thought it was a rare opportunity, so I smiled at him and asked, "Are you a policeman? Why do you randomly arrest Falun Gong practitioners?" He answered, "I do not arrest them." There were more than 20 passengers on the bus. They suddenly quieted down to listen, and the attendant said with surprise, "This is my first time hearing anyone speak of Falun Gong publicly on this bus." She brought forward some queries, all of which I carefully answered. People on the bus were all excited to be listening to the truth. I saw from their expressions that they understood the truth, and I felt gratified. When I arrived at my destination, I waved goodbye to the attendant. The policeman also happily walked away.
2) Clarify the Truth with Wisdom
I often clarify the truth from the point of view of ordinary people's mindsets. Many times, I would praise them to get closer to them so I could harmoniously and more thoroughly explain the truth. Once on a small street near a construction area, I saw a young mother with a child. She did not let the child casually throw litter on the street, so I took the opportunity to say, "You have such a good inner nature." She was very happy to hear this. I then changed the topic and asked, "Do you practice Falun Gong?" She replied that she did not but she let me know that she wanted to continue the conversation, so I told her of the beauty of Falun Gong and the truth of the persecution. She often nodded her head during the talk. The child also quietly listened, no longer running around.
It is even easier to talk to elderly people, department cadres, technicians and scholars. I can open up the topic by asking them questions. I have tried this method at the County Political and Judiciary Secretary Offices, the District Court, the prison gate, etc., and I smoothly achieved my intention of clarifying the truth. I have talked to countless people, and the effect has always been good.
3. One Righteous Thought Can Subdue One Hundred Evils
On the night of December 21, 2001, I mistakenly boarded a direct train from Inner Mongolia to Beijing. Because I was concerned about avoiding the persecution and because I had very little money, nor did I have any identification on me, and I felt a bit nervous. The train police and the attendant paced about in my compartment continuously, and several passengers seated behind me loudly slandered Falun Dafa. I was anxious but I did not dare speak, and I felt very uncomfortable. A young man got on at Qi City who said he had a headache, and he asked for a seat on the crowded train. Nobody else was willing to give up his own seat, but I instantly stood up to let him sit. He said, "I have came across a good person today; especially since you, an elderly person, are willing to offer me your seat."
Now was my chance to introduce Dafa on this topic. I told him, "I am a Falun Gong practitioner," speaking loudly so that my statement would be audible to those sitting behind me. The man suddenly stood back up! He took out a mobile phone and said, "Ah, I will report you!" I calmly replied, "Carry through with your threat. What have I done wrong? My Teacher asks us practitioners to care for other people in every circumstance. I visited my relatives recently and have not slept well for five days. Though I am exhausted, I still gave my seat to you." He then said nothing, so I continued to speak loudly about the personal benefits I had experienced from practicing Falun Gong, how the self-immolation incident (2) was fraudulent, and so on. As I talked, the people seated behind me came to understand the truth. They stood in the corridor and encouraged me to continue speaking. The train police and the attendant passed by several times, yet they apparently heard nothing. More than ten people sat around me and listened. Before I got off the train, the young man even said, "Thank you, auntie (3)."
One evening in the summer of 2002, I walked towards Leisure Square while sending forth these righteous thoughts: "Eliminate all the evil elements that interfere with people's righteous faith. Allow them all to understand that Falun Gong is good so they can all be saved." Among the bustling crowd, I sat down on a long circular bench and spoke to the people around me about the truth of Falun Gong. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman stood up and furiously censured me, "Do not speak of these things in public places!" I ignored her and continued talking. She again refused to let me speak. I knew I had to stop this evil because nothing should keep me from saving the sentient beings. I said to her in a serious yet calm manner, "Let's go to the local police station. I have only spoken the truth. Why do you violate my rights and deprive me of my freedom of speech?" The woman simply walked away. I then continued to tell people the facts of Falun Dafa for more than an hour. They listened carefully, and they kept raising questions. I went home only after it got dark. On the second night, I went to the square again to clarify the truth. And on the third day, the woman came again. I was still explaining the truth, and she quietly listened on the side. At one point I raised my eyes to look at her, and she kindly returned the glance without any hatred.
In my several years of clarifying the truth, I have never passed up any opportunities at big events such as wedding parties, funerals, conferences, market places, supermarkets, etc. to fully display Dafa practitioners' righteousness. Now the environment for clarifying the truth has become more hospitable, but we still should not treat our task lightly. We need to be wiser and more clear-minded to achieve even better effects. Also, we must be unremitting so that we can save all the savable sentient beings, help Teacher in the Fa-rectification process, complete our own great historical mission, and be able to report positively to Teacher, who has gone through so many hardships for us.
I wrote this article to offer a humble start for a discussion about how we can best clarify the truth, and I hope that others will add their valuable insights. Please kindly point out any mistakes I might have made.
- "heshi" -- a sign of respect, where the hands are pressed together in front of chest.
- For more information about the staged self-immolation incident of January 23, 2001 on Tiananmen Square refer to http://www.faluninfo.net/tiananmen/immolation.asp
- In China, the term "aunt" or "uncle" are often used when respectfully addressing elderly people.
