A Late Bloomer Among Practitioners

(Minghui.org) I was fortunate to start practicing Falun Gong in 1997. I am 65 years old and may be a late bloomer when it comes to producing truth-clarification materials, but I would like to share my experience in the hope of inspiring more practitioners in China to do the same and help share the workload.

My family could barely afford my education when I was young. I managed to finish middle school, but even a 5th or 6th grader could read better than I can right now. Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its brutal persecution of Falun Gong, I've been getting truth clarification materials from other practitioners. In fact, most practitioners in our area, including myself, rely on a few practitioners to supply them with the materials. It was a huge burden for the few material production sites in our area, and when a material production site was found and shut down by the CCP a few years ago, it nearly paralyzed our distribution system.

In the fall of 2010, I contacted another practitioner after he had been released from prison, to see if he could help. He spent seven years there for simply practicing Falun Gong, and had become disabled due to the torture he was subjected to. His wife, who also practiced Falun Gong, died as a result of being tortured in prison before he was imprisoned himself. When I entered this practitioner's bedroom, I noticed that his bed was surrounded by office equipment, a computer, and a printer. It was intentionally arranged that way so that he could work from his bed. I've even saw him busily producing materials and organizing them on his bed so that other practitioners could come to collect them. I was speechless and deeply moved. The practitioner assured me, “You may collect materials from me from now on. Just tell me what you need and how many you want.” I wanted to cry, as I thought to myself: “What an incredible person he is! He never gives up!”

I felt embarrassed about myself. We have the same Teacher and we study the same Fa, but I had fallen way behind. I have perfectly good legs. How could I stand here and watch a disabled man produce materials for me? The visit inspired me to produce my own truth clarification materials. I must stop depending on others.

It seemed impossible for me to produce materials on my own, as it requires technical knowledge and the ability to use a computer, the Internet and to print. I didn't even know what a computer mouse was, much less a computer or a printer. I don't know the English alphabet to use the keyboard. We learned the Chinese pinyin system in school, but that was over 50 years ago. I had forgotten it all. I wondered how I could do it, as I am an old lady with a poor memory and poor vision.

However, in 2004 Teacher said:

“... all Dafa disciples, students both new and veteran, should get to work and begin comprehensively clarifying the truth. This is especially so for the Dafa disciples in Mainland China: each must come out and clarify the truth, bringing it to every field and valley, mountain and hill, not omitting a single area where there are people.” (“Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People”)

I realized that I must catch up with other practitioners in the Fa Rectification process and meet Teacher's expectations.

Teacher also said in Zhuan Falun:

“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master. It is good enough if you have this wish. It is the master who actually does this, as you are simply unable to do it.”

Teacher's words gave me confidence and courage. So I made up my mind to start a materials production site at my home.

My family is very concerned for my safety because I have been arrested several times for clarifying the facts about Falun Gong. I decided to get a second-hand notebook computer. But when my second son, who is not a practitioner but highly approves of Falun Gong, heard about this, he went and bought me a brand new laptop. He also paid for the initial installation and setup costs and did not want any money in return.

I named my laptop computer “Little Dove”. A fellow practitioner then started teaching me how to use it. It took me a week just to learn how to use the mouse. I was shown how to type, download materials from the Minghui website and submit articles to Minghui. The practitioner gave me many lessons, but I still had difficulty using the computer. I took notes and drew illustrations to help myself learn, but I failed miserably on following my own notes.

Fortunately, my six-year-old grandson, who is also a practitioner, is a quick learner. He paid attention when I had my lessons and picked up everything that I had struggled to learn. So I started going to my grandson for help. He helped me learn to use the computer and even helped to sort out some computer problems. He told me that he was becoming a computer expert.

I told myself that I would overcome all human notions and obstacles, as I started printing truth clarification materials. A local coordinator helped me to buy a laser printer, paper cutter and other office supplies. In March 2012, I started producing truth clarification materials.

Initially, I printed booklet covers on colorful papers, but it didn't look good with black ink. So I decided to buy a color printer just for the booklet covers. I also wrap each booklet in a clear plastic bag because readers tend to pay more attention to publications when they are carefully wrapped.

The monochrome laser printer is a second-hand printer, and I initially had problems with the paper jamming, uneven printing and partially blank pages. I had to stop printing every 20 some pages, remove the toner and give it a good shake before it would print normally again. It cost me a lot of paper and time. The problem even continued after I had changed the printer.

A fellow practitioner suggested that I should resolve my cultivation issues before I work on the technical solutions to problems. As Teacher said, “... look for causes in yourself when encountering any problem.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Australia”)

When I looked inward, I was able to identify a long list of problems, including an attachment to comfort, accomplishment, resentment, not accepting criticism, as well as favoring some practitioners over others. How could I not run into problems when I harbored so many bad thoughts?

Another practitioner also suggested that I communicate with the printer. This is a second-hand printer and might have carried negative energy from its previous owner. I began sending forth righteous thoughts towards the printer to eliminate all of the negative energy it might carry. Then I talked to the printer, “I will give you a good name. I will call you 'Little Bumblebee' from now on. You have a purpose to help a practitioner. You are one of the luckiest lives in the world to have been chosen. You will be saving people and shall have a beautiful future if you cooperate. Let's work together. Make the best use of yourself.”

I never had any problems with the laser printer again. I can easily print hundreds of pages and it keeps printing until the toner runs out of ink. I take good care of my printer. When it heats up from all the printing, I use a hand-held fan to keep its temperature down. I keep it clean inside and out. As a result, we have been working well together.

The quality of the truth clarification materials practitioners produce has a direct impact on people's attitude toward Falun Gong. Teacher has told us that things should be done of a high caliber. I use only white printing paper for articles and use thick colorful paper when I print booklet covers with the laser printer. I always use the latest contents of truth-clarification from the Minghui website. I make two different versions – one for the urban areas and the other for the rural areas – so that readers different levels of education can relate to the contents easier.

Producing truth clarification materials is meticulous work and we must try to check our work before it is distributed to the public. A practitioner once discovered eight pages with the wrong page numbers on them in the booklets that I had produced. Fortunately, she discovered the mistake before any of them were handed out. I then started vigilantly checking the page numbers.

I have very poor eye sight, and if I wear glasses for a long time my vision becomes blurry once I take them off. Instead of wearing glasses, I put my head close to the printer and check the page number on each page as it comes out. The printer becomes hot after a while, and it can be very uncomfortable in the summer with the heat. But I don't turn on the fan because it blows the pages all over the room. I just endure it. Due to my increased level of care, I had no more problems with mismatched page numbers.

I have used nearly 30,000 sheets of A4 paper since I started printing truth clarification materials. I hope I have helped lessen the workload for other practitioners and their material production sites.

Teacher said:

“The divine pens deter those demons in human skin
Like sharpened blades, they extirpate rotten spirits
The old forces pay not the Fa its due respect
Wielding the brush you shall subdue the surge of madness”
(“Deterrence” in Hong Yin II)

In addition to submitting practitioners' articles to the Minghui website, I have also written and submitted 55 articles to Minghui and the Zhengjian website. All of my articles have been published. Before I started practicing Falun Gong, writing was wishful thinking to me, but my wish came true.

I may be a late bloomer among practitioners, but my materials production site has finally blossomed like countless others in China. I would like to thank Teacher for His protection and practitioners for their assistance.

Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.