(Minghui.org) The Singapore Falun Dafa Sharing Conference was held on December 25, 2013. Practitioners from a number of East Asian countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, gathered in Singapore for the Christmas Day event. Nineteen practitioners spoke at the conference, sharing their experiences in the course of cultivation and in their activities to raise awareness to stop the ongoing persecution in China..
Many attendees were moved by the sharing and found room for improvement through comparing themselves with their fellow practitioners.
The Singapore Falun Dafa Sharing Conference was held on December 25, 2013.
Participating in the Global Signature Campaign
Several Falun Dafa practitioners shared their experiences while participating in the global signature campaign to call for an end to forced organ harvesting in China.
Ms. Li doesn't speak English, the official language of Singapore. Yet she still helped collect signatures. When a fellow practitioner who knew English bumped into her accidentally, the two teamed up. They overcome their fear, broadened their effort, and added exhibit boards to their activities to more effectively get their message out.
Ms. Li shared, “Almost every passerby saw 'Signature Drive to Help End Forced Organ Harvesting by the CCP' in a big font. We worked as a team – one spoke English, the other Chinese. Whenever I told people the facts about forced organ harvesting, I said to them in my heart: 'Don't miss this precious opportunity to support Falun Gong. Your choice to offer support will benefit you forever.'”
Ms. Li often stood for hours during the signature drive. Her arms were numb after holding the exhibit board for a long time. Sometimes, she felt suffocating substances in the air during the summer. Yet she overcame obstacles again and again by persevering in her front line effort.
She recounted how she saw people change as time went on. Some who pretended not to see her initially signed their names later. Some people not only signed the petition, but also asked for more materials to pass on to friends and acquaintances.
Several elderly practitioners didn't see the importance of the signature drives initially. When they finally understood how important it was, they adjusted their priorities and collected hundreds of pages of signatures within five weeks. They often stood on the street for over six hours a day. Ms. Cheng, who participated in this effort, said, “The sense of urgency kept me alert. I didn't feel tired at all.”
Clarifying the Facts in-person for over 10 Years
The Singapore government has groundlessly prosecuted Dafa practitioners several times. Undeterred, Mr. Zhang has continued to clarify the facts at tourist sites for over 10 years. He said, “My experience is that the first thing to remove when clarifying the facts in public is fear. Fear is a huge hurdle that keeps us from cultivating diligently and helping Master save sentient beings.”
Mr. Zhang has matured over the years in sometimes indifferent and hostile situations with people who didn't know the truth. He said, “I have become more and more calm. The strength of righteousness enables me to be fearless. I clarify the facts to the police, too. No danger can exist when I am full of righteous thoughts.” Even bad weather did not deter him from going out to tourist sites every day. He shared with the audience that compassion is the source of a cultivator's unlimited power.
Many people now understand and admire Mr. Zhang. A young man told him, “Remarkable! Falun Dafa practitioners are remarkable!” Others told him, “Please come here again. This truth-clarification material is food for the soul!” A Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadre agreed to quit the CCP after speaking with him for about half an hour. He said to Mr. Zhang, “Speaking to you is better than 10 years of book learning!” This is a common Chinese phrase used to commend someone who is very knowledgeable and can express themselves clearly.
Mr. Huang has been clarifying the truth out in public, too. His experience has shown him the power of righteous thoughts. On one occasion, a person cursed at him and was going to hit him when he was distributing truth-clarification materials. Mr. Huang made eye contact with the person and said firmly, “What's wrong with cultivating Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? What's wrong with being a good person? How can these people be subjected to forced organ harvesting?” The person didn't dare to look at Mr. Huang. He lowered his head and left.
Facing One's Shortcomings and Correcting Oneself in the Fa
Ms. Xin shared how she addressed her shortcomings while she was clarifying the truth.
She had made a phone call to China to clarify the truth, and the person who picked up made a vulgar comment. As a young woman, Ms. Xin was taken aback at first. Then she looked within and found that she had a strong attachment to validating herself when making calls. She had thought that her voice sounded very nice and was very proud of it. She also had problems handling criticism well.
Ms. Xin said, “I subconsciously sought others' respect, regardless if they were male or female. I couldn't tolerate it if they were not respectful. I was attached to my reputation.” She was able to remove a lot of human attachments discovered in herself when making calls to China to clarify the truth.
Ms. Xin realized that her level of professionalism improved as she got rid of different attachments. She also looked naturally beautiful. She said that this year's group photo looked much better than last year's, even though she didn't make an effort to stand out. Her picture last year didn't look good even thought she'd tried to have a special smile. She now dresses herself appropriately to conform to the protocol at her workplace, not to show off.
New Practitioner Joins Truth-clarification Efforts
New practitioner Xiaojie shared that she used to think that her life was easy. Now she has realized that she was blessed because several of her family members are Dafa practitioners. She started cultivation earlier this year. She said with tears in her eyes, “Thank you, Master, for bringing Falun Dafa to the human world!”
She read persecution stories on the Minghui website this year. She was so angry about the persecution that she couldn't sleep that night. Xiaojie shared, “I truly see the existence of demons. They are harming a group of innocent and compassionate people. I want to cultivate. I want to do my share to eliminate such demons. If I am indifferent in the face of such brutality, I don't deserve to be a human being.”
Xiaojie also participated in the signature drive to call for an end to forced organ harvesting in China. It seemed very hard to her at first, but things went well after she actually started to do it. Many were happy to sign the petition. Xiaojie encountered a Chinese person who claimed to be a “patriot.” He signed his name after speaking with Xiaojie for over an hour.
Xiaojie wondered, “Where did this eloquence come from? That wasn't me. Master gave me the courage and the wisdom!”
Sharing Motivates Practitioners
Many practitioners benefited from their fellow practitioners' sharing at the conference.
Ms. Zhang just started to practice four months ago after she saw a Youtube video about the self-immolation hoax. She then searched for Master Li Hongzhi's lectures and started practicing Falun Dafa.
This conference was Ms. Zhang's first. She said, “I was moved to tears by several speeches. I see the gap between my cultivation and others. I know that I have a lot to do after today. Dafa is so precious. I will remind myself all the time to study the Fa and do the exercises. Truth-clarification is something that a Dafa practitioner must do. I haven't even fulfilled this basic responsibility.”
Ms. Shen said, “The speeches were so simple yet genuine. Especially the sharing from the young woman. She didn't avoid facing or look for excuses for her attachments. She was so open and sincere. That reflects her cultivation level. I have seen where I need to improve. No matter which project we participate in, we will encounter problems. However, if we can persist, we will elevate. I think I have lacked perseverance in my cultivation.”
Ms. Chen said she had gained a lot by listening to the sharing. She said that others had encouraged her to call China to clarify the truth, but she always felt that she couldn't do it. She was rather encouraged by what she heard at the conference: “If my righteous thoughts are strong, I should be able to make it. I hope I can accelerate the pace of my cultivation and do a better job next year.”
Ms. Dong admired the practitioners who persevered in clarifying the truth on the front lines. She said, “Time is of the essence. This conference will surely motivate more practitioners to step forward and save sentient beings in person. This is what I am taking away from the conference today.”
