Shared at the 2006 New York Falun Dafa Conference
(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings to respected Teacher and fellow practitioners!
I am a Dafa practitioner from Vancouver. Looking back at my cultivation path of the past several years, although I do not have earthshaking stories, from what we have gone through, I have so much to share. Today I will mainly share my experience in sending forth righteous thoughts in front of the Chinese consulate in New York and "clarifying truth" in front of the visa office of the Chinese consulate in Vancouver.
I came to Manhattan along with other practitioners to clarify the truth in July of 2004. Together we endured severe weather in summer and winter. Our truthful and powerful righteous field gradually warmed up the cold faces, and kindhearted people were moved. People came to sign their names to support us after knowing the truth. I deeply felt that New York was in great need of Dafa practitioners to clarify truth and so decided to stay here for one year.
At the beginning, I distributed materials and practiced the exercises at the anti-torture exhibitions. Many people stopped by to ask questions. Because I do not speak English and could not clarify the truth to them, I was really worried. One time while I was doing the second exercise at the anti-torture exhibition, in my celestial eye I saw many practitioners and myself sitting along the two sides of a very long boat in yellow clothes. We were all trying very hard to move the boat forward. I felt that it was very difficult for me to catch up. I thought that Teacher was giving me a hint and that I needed to be more diligent to catch up with the pace of Fa rectification. Later I enlightened that it suited me better to send forth righteous thoughts in front of the Chinese consulate. That is also the place where the evil gathers. For convenience, the fellow practitioners in the sending righteous thoughts team lived together. We came from all over the world. Everyday we spent over one hour on transportation to arrive at the Chinese consulate before 8:00 am.
Most of our practitioners are senior citizens. Every day we hold banners, send forth righteous thoughts, and practice the exercises in front of the Chinese consulate. The wind is very strong there, and it changes directions all the time. If we were not careful, the wind would blow us away along with the banners! During the scorching summer days, we sat under the sun and felt as if sitting in a steamer. In winter, the cold wind and icy rain whipped our faces. It was very painful. But we sat there and didn't budge. Sometimes we even sat in the pooling puddles. Under such a severe environment, we not only persevered but also were very energetic. I felt that Teacher was watching over us at every moment.
Although we looked ordinary, people started quietly noticing us. One day when we were holding banners, sending forth righteous thoughts, and practicing the exercises as usual, a man came over and said in a strangely angry tone, "I really admire your group of grandmas. You never stop even it is windy and snowing." Although his tone was not friendly, I felt that he was still moved by our great compassion and perseverance. Another time when we were practicing the exercises, because the movement is different for men and women, a Chinese senior came over and tried to correct a male practitioner: "Your movement is wrong," he said. "It is different from the women."
One time, after we finished sending forth righteous thoughts at the Chinese consulate, we went to a major subway station in New York to distribute materials. Many people passed by. I was wearing a new leather jacket I had bought for the Chinese New Year. When a couple in their 20s passed by, I handed them material. They not only did not take it, but also hit my hand and the flyers scattered everywhere. When I was picking up the flyers, they even spat on me. They laughed at me and finally left. At that time my face turned red and white and I could not hold back my tears. I thought to myself, "I have never been humiliated like this in my entire life. In the past, I was always praised in my workplace and was in charge at home. I don't need to worry about food or clothes, and now I am humiliated in public." Then I thought, "I am a practitioner. Didn't I come for saving sentient beings and to assist Teacher in the Fa rectification? There are tribulations everywhere in our cultivation path, and we need to cultivate ourselves in the difficult environment." Gradually my heart became calm.
Very often there are xinxing conflicts among practitioners, too. One time a practitioner living in the same room with us lost all of her documents (passport, green card, etc.) when taking the subway. When she came back, she asked everyone to help her to send forth righteous thoughts. I then asked her whether she had asked Teacher for help and had sent forth righteous thoughts. She replied that she did not. I then became upset and thought, "She did not even ask Teacher for help at that critical moment!" I did not want to talk to her and I did not send forth righteous thoughts for her. She complained that I did not have compassion. Soon I lost my own card. This was the chance given to me to realize that, wherever there is a problem, that is where you stumble. I was not kind to that practitioner. Later when I asked my relative to help me get a temporary visa from the Canadian embassy, I took this practitioner along with me. As a result, everything went smoothly. When she was leaving the country, the two practitioners who were supposed to help her to carry her luggage were not there. I happened to be there. I then helped her to move a big pile of luggage on a cart to the bus station. She thanked me from her heart. I deeply felt the harmony of Dafa. Wherever there is an omission, there will be an opportunity and a setting to rectify ourselves.
Although the living conditions were very harsh and the pace was fast, I felt very calm. In the past, I had been to many countries and cities to clarify the truth and participated in many activities of Fa rectification in Vancouver. However, whenever I got home, I felt very empty and could not find my own space. I benefited a lot from this trip to New York, including upgrading my understanding of the Fa and improvement of xinxing and positive physical changes. I deeply felt that I was cultivating myself while saving sentient beings. Many friends told me that I had become very young and energetic.
After the DC Fa conference in July 2005, I came back to Vancouver. I realized that the Chinese consulate visa office in Vancouver was the CCP's most evil place in Vancouver. Everyday at least 300 people visit to get visas. They are from all over the world and all walks of life. Some have business and travel links to China, but the majority of them are precious Chinese people. That street is located in a very busy area. I decided that I needed to hold a banner, send forth righteous thoughts, and clarify the truth there. Before I went back to Vancouver, I shared my thoughts with practitioners in New York. They all supported me and prepared a set of banners and some materials for me. I also bought a small cart. Upon returning to Vancouver, I told the coordinators my intention, and they all fully supported me. I said that I would be stationed there. I realized that there are different paths in cultivation, and this is my path of cultivation: validating the Fa and saving sentient beings.
Office hours for the visa office at the Chinese consulate in Vancouver are from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. I bought a commuter ticket and transferred twice. I arrived at the visa office at around 8:45 a.m. After 10:00 a.m., other practitioners arrive. Everyday, at least two or three practitioners stay there. Monday to Friday are workdays for the visa office and I show up along with them.
In front of the visa office, we hung up banners saying, "Falun Dafa is good!" and "Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong." We played the music of "Pu Du" and the exercise music. I then distributed flyers or practiced the exercises at the site. The whole field is filled with compassion and the dignity of Dafa. So many people are waiting to be saved, and many supported Dafa after knowing the truth. I came to feel the responsibility of a Dafa disciple in the period of Fa rectification.
Two or three days after I held up banners in front of the visa office, the security person came to interfere. "What is your intention when you hang up the banner right across from the visa office? Hang it in your home." I said, "It suits here best, because the Chinese Communist Party persecutes innocent practitioners." He said, "This banner looks bad." I replied, "It is shiny gold. How come it is bad?" He said again, "How many days are you going to hold it? When will you stop holding it?" I said, "When the persecution ends." He said, "It is impossible." I said, "Why is it impossible? Have you read our Dafa materials?" He said that some practitioners gave them to him before, and he was aware. I told him, "You do this because it is your job. I came here because people who have the same faith as I do are being persecuted. It is good for you if you do not interfere with us; you accumulate virtue. Good deeds will be repaid with good, and bad deeds will be paid back with bad." Other practitioners also came over to clarify the truth to him. He gradually changed his attitude. Sometimes he would pick up materials that others threw away. Last time when Hu Jintao visited Vancouver, we went to hold banners at the airport. Therefore, we did not go to the visa office for several days. When we returned, he asked me where I went and how come I did not come? I can tell that he has sympathy for us and he has compassion. This year the "Global Chinese New Year Gala" tour hosted by New Tang Dynasty Television came to Vancouver for the first time, and I invited his whole family to the gala. He was very happy. The next day he told me that the show was great.
I also met a few people who were severely poisoned and who treated us viciously. Not long ago a senior over 60 years old claimed that he was from New York. He said that we were paid $50 every day, and he attacked Dafa. I could not tolerate him. I looked into his eyes and told him, "Do not attack my Teacher." He slunk away after that. Another time, one person who looked like an intellectual said, "The Dafa book is good. However, your Teacher did not even go to college." I said, "You read this book. That indicates that you still have kindness. Although my Teacher did not go to college, this book Zhuan Falun is respectfully read by people in 70 or 80 countries. You cannot achieve this even if you have a doctoral degree. Neither Jesus nor Buddha Shakyamuni attended college." He did not say another word and left.
Every day we distribute a large amount of Chinese and English materials and the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party." Many passersby greet us with polite smiles and take the materials. Some gave us fruit or offered money. I told them that the reason I was here was to let everyone know about the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party and that Falun Dafa is good. I did not come here for money. One time a gentleman from Mainland China wanted to give us a check to buy materials. And several others wanted to donate to The Epoch Times to print the Nine Commentaries. We often had people who came to the visa office ask for our materials. One time a gentleman who looked like an entrepreneur asked for seven copies of the Nine Commentaries and our materials. He said that he was not afraid and put them in his suit pockets.
One day at noon in mid-February of this year, I was distributing materials. A Westerner in his 30s accepted my materials. He walked away and came back after a little while. He knelt down in front of me with both hands conjoined in front of his chest. He was saying something. Although I did not understand English, I felt that it must be another life supporting Dafa after knowing the truth.
We have stories every day. We come across kind people, people with negative reactions, and people who do not care. Overall, clarifying the truth face-to-face truly is a good forum for cultivation. I feel very calm and happy. Here I'd like to end my speech with Teacher's words in "Teaching the Fa at the Western US International Fa Conference:"
"...you still have to walk the path of cultivation yourselves. To walk this path well and progress to its end--nothing is more extraordinary."
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