[Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] Little Feathers

(Minghui.org) People who watched the movie Once We Were Divine are familiar with the name, Little Feather. In the film, the Little Feather is a small feather from a dazzling golden phoenix in the Paradise of Light.

In the movie, the universe undergoes tribulations, and the phoenix descends to the human world to seek the celestial law to save her world. The mortal world is dangerous, so the phoenix deliberately leaves Little Feather in the heavens before descending. The phoenix becomes immersed in human affairs after descending to the mortal world, and it’s hard for her to return to the heavenly world. Little Feather, eager to save the phoenix, risks descending from heaven and being born into the human world to awaken her. After Little Feather descends to the mortal realm to save the phoenix and returns to the heavenly court, she becomes a golden phoenix.

I also know several young people like Little Feather. They are my coworkers. After witnessing practitioners’ positive mental and physical changes they know Falun Dafa is good. Some of them helped me when I was in difficulties, and others reminded me when I slacked off. They are not practitioners, but they are blessed for believing that Falun Dafa is good. 

The Story of Jingjing

I was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) because I practice Falun Dafa. In 2008, I had to leave my hometown and go to another city to avoid further persecution. I shared an apartment with three other people. I was new to the city and couldn’t find fellow practitioners, so I asked Master to help me find them.

Jingjing was one of my roommates. She was a few years younger than me and didn’t talk much. One evening, when it was just the two of us in the room, Jingjing, who wasn’t usually talkative, came to me and asked me to listen to her MP3 player. To my surprise, it was the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. I asked, “Where did you get this?” She said her aunt gave it to her. I told her, “I have videos too.” We both chuckled knowingly.

I asked her, “Why did you want me to listen to your MP3?” She said she just wanted me to listen. She felt I was the same kind of good person as her aunt, someone she could trust. With her help, I met her aunt, and through her I found other practitioners and joined a Fa study group.

I often told Jingjing, “When you encounter difficulties, sincerely recite ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good’.” She had great faith in Dafa, saying her aunt had told her about it too and helped her quit the CCP’s affiliated organizations.

Jingjing had just started working and was under a lot of pressure. She often came back in tears. I comforted her and said, “Just take your time to get used to the job. Look at how good your job is! Good benefits and it’s close to where you live. If they need more people, I’d like to work there.” She mentioned that her workplace was not easy to get into; only those with connections were hired.

Jingjing truly believes Falun Dafa is good. She urgently needed to go to the bank one day, but couldn’t find the key to the drawer where the company stamp was kept. She was in a rush and remembered what I told her about reciting “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” when encountering difficulties. She did and while reciting, she grabbed another random key and tried to open the drawer. With a click, the drawer opened easily. Delighted, she took the company stamp and went to the bank. She later found the missing key in the bathroom. She suddenly felt frightened, thinking, “Why did the drawer open so easily? It’s not safe.” She tried using the same key to open the drawer again, but it wouldn’t open. She realized that Master assisted her.

Another time, Jingjing returned to the office from outside and found that she lost a receipt. She thought she must have dropped it on the way back. It was windy that day, and she worried it might have blown away. She remembered the two auspicious phrases and recited them while searching. Sure enough, she found the lost receipt close to the road. She exclaimed, “Falun Dafa is truly miraculous!”

Later, we moved out of the apartment. I had casually asked Jingjing to help me find a job, but I didn’t expect that after about two years, when her company was hiring, she immediately thought of me. She couldn’t reach me and was about to give up because I didn’t have a phone then. I only had an old QQ account I hadn’t logged into for years. Coincidentally, the day I logged into that QQ account, I saw her message, and that’s how I became her coworker.

Before I started working, Jingjing told me, “In this company, don’t mention who is related to whom, because everyone here has connections.” She knew that I usually talk to people about the truth and distributed truth-clarification materials, but she didn’t stop me from doing so, nor did she worry that I would cause trouble for her by talking to people about Falun Dafa.

Later, a fellow practitioner was tracked by the police and the police found me. They came to our company, found Jingjing and asked her about me. Since they only approached our leaders and Jingjing, I didn’t know what happened. Jingjing didn’t blame me afterward, nor did she mention it to me. Another coworker later told me about it.

Later, Jingjing left that company, but our connection didn’t end there. When I rented a house, I moved into her neighborhood, and she provided me with a lot of help in my cultivation.

Once, we went out together and passed by a stall selling fruit, which looked appealing. I was thinking about something, and absent mindedly tasted a fruit. Suddenly, I remembered that I had just bought some and shouldn’t buy more, so I walked away. Jingjing exclaimed in surprise, “What’s wrong with you today?” I asked, “What’s wrong?” She said, “Why did you taste it without buying some?” I quickly walked back and bought some. I never casually tasted anything while I shopped. Even if I didn’t like the fruit, I would buy a small amount and return a new one as compensation. Sentient beings observe practitioners’ word and action. Although they may not say it out loud, they are very aware. Our words and actions as Dafa practitioners subtly influence people.

During the COVID pandemic, Jingjing felt scared in the beginning. I said, “You don’t need to be afraid. Just remember the two phrases I told you, and you’ll be fine.” She said, “I feel relieved.” She trusted me because she knew I never lied. After showing her Master’s new article, she said she wasn’t afraid of the pandemic anymore and even asked me to come to her house to help her son quit the Young Pioneers.

There was a little episode when I asked Jingjing to read Master’s new article “How Humankind Came To Be.” I gave her a non-deletable truth-clarification USB containing the article. She willingly accepted it and said she read it carefully twice.

The next day, I called her, “What are you doing now?” She said, “I’m studying.” I asked, “Studying what?” She replied, “The thing you gave me (the USB).” That evening, I went to her house to ask what she thought. She said, “Some of the content seems unbelievable.”

I said, “The miraculous healing and fitness stories in the USB are experiences of us practitioners. After so many years, do you think I would lie to you?” She said, “You wouldn’t lie to me.” Then she said, “But the content on this USB can be deleted. It’s not like what you said; it’s a non-deletable USB.” I was surprised, and when I checked my computer, it was so. But the remaining USBs at home were all set to be non-deletable—Master allowed me to give this unsuccessful USB to Jingjing, prompting me to correct the mistake quickly.

With the sharp increase in unemployment in mainland China, almost every company is laying off employees. Even running a business is tough; Jingjing’s snack stall closed down after only a few years. She had been staying at home for four years and felt anxious. Finding a job near home to care for her child was very difficult. I said, “Since you have such faith in Dafa, you are blessed and will receive blessings.”

One day, Jingjing happily told me that she had got a job in a state-owned enterprise. The benefits were good and it wasn’t far from home. She was very happy and said she was blessed.

Ming’s Story

During the three years of the COVID pandemic, the CCP’s control measures caused numerous businesses to close down, leading to a rise in unemployment. Even those who managed to survive had to lay off people or reduce their salaries. Each branch was downsizing in our company.

My branch was doing relatively better than the other branches. The manager rarely showed up at the office. My coworker Ming was her niece-in-law, and when the manager was absent, Ming handled all the day-to-day affairs. Ming is three months older than me, and we get along very well. Although our branch’s performance wasn’t as good as in previous years, we still received our salaries on time. We were even given double pay at the end of the year.

The branch manager was a Party member. I explained the truth about Falun Dafa to her a few years ago, and she agreed to quit the CCP. She also told Ming about my beliefs, saying that I was a good person and that people with beliefs wouldn’t do anything bad. Ming also agreed to quit the CCP’s affiliated organizations.

In previous years, Ming handled our bank transactions. Since I usually used one-yuan bills to print truth-clarification messages, I asked her to exchange some bills for me. I specifically mentioned that I needed one-yuan bills. She knew I wanted them to make truth-clarification materials.

She told me she reserved 3,000 yuan for me at the bank. I was shocked at the quantity. Later, she reserved 5,000 yuan for me, which I went to pick up myself. Two bank staff handed me the money, and then they whispered to each other. I silently sent forth righteous thoughts, and one of them said, “Yesterday, a gentleman also reserved 5,000 one-yuan bills, but he called today and said he didn’t need them anymore. Do you want them?” I happily replied, “Yes, I’ll take them. Thank you.”

I realized that I had a strong ego and a tendency to show off. So, in front of Master’s portrait, I said, “Master, I want to eliminate my tendency to show off.”

Over the next two weeks, I had conflicts with others almost every day, all pointing directly at my show-off mindset and ego. Ming is usually quiet and reserved. But during that period, she seemed to be a different person and always pointed out my flaws. Once, she even said in front of others, “You always think you’re right, whereas I’m wrong.” I asked, “Can you give me specific examples?” She replied, “You didn’t say it aloud, but you think so in your heart.” I was stunned. She said this in front of many people. I realized it was Master hinting me through her words. I’m so grateful for Master’s direct guidance.

Another time, I was struggling during a tribulation. Feeling bitter, I said, “Look at Mrs. Liu next door. She’s always dressed up. She is carefree and has no worries at home. She’s so blessed.” Ming responded, “How can you say that? Don’t you feel you’re the most blessed person? Don’t think about anything else; just focus on cultivation wholeheartedly. You’ve come this far; you must cultivate to perfection.”

Later, Ming obtained two professional certificates within a year. Most people in our company took at least two years to pass the exams. Ming said she didn’t work very hard at it, and it was just sheer luck that she managed to pass the exams.

Ming has a positive understanding of practitioners. One day, she told me that she saw a video on TikTok where two young girls talked about how an elderly lady approached them and urged them to quit the CCP, which frightened them. They said she was mentally ill.

I explained to Ming, “It’s because they have been influenced by the CCP’s false propaganda.” I elaborated on why practitioners clarify the truth to people: Jiang’s regime staged the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident to frame Falun Dafa, causing hatred and misunderstanding towards Falun Dafa among the public.

I asked Ming, “Do you think I’m mentally ill?” She said, “No, not at all. In fact, you seem more clear-headed and intelligent than most people.”

Lian’s Story

Lian and I didn’t work for the same company, but we ended up collaborating on a project. I took the opportunity to tell her the truth about the persecution. She appreciated my openness and said I was too naive because I revealed my “secret” to her as soon as we met.

She had once read a lecture of Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa, and found it very enlightening. However, her mom pressured her not to practice, so she didn’t continue. As we spent more time together, we became friends.

Lian was kind-hearted and always willing to help others. Over the years, I moved several times, and each time, Lian helped me transport important items like Dafa books to my new place. Sometimes, she even helped me produce Dafa materials, like cutting paper and laminating.

She had been struggling with various health issues for a long time—cervical spondylosis, chronic back pain, and insomnia. Every night, she had to take sleeping pills to fall asleep. The doctor prescribed one pill, but she needed one and a half to sleep. She said, “Except for my hair, everything hurts.”

One time, she stayed over at my place, and the next day, she said, “I used to feel tired after waking up, but I slept so comfortably at your place last night. It’s been a long time since I slept so well.” Miraculously, her back pain disappeared over the next few days, and she said, “I haven’t felt this relaxed in years.”

Lian mentioned she had three friends: one was a Christian, one was a Buddhist, and the third was me, a Falun Dafa practitioner. She quietly observed and concluded that I was the most upright among them. I earned her admiration because I was unselfish and never held resentment toward others.

Once, Lian accidentally hit a dog while driving. The dog’s owner wasn’t present, but she waited until they arrived and voluntarily compensated them a thousand yuan. Lian said the dog ran into her car. If this happened before, she would have immediately left because it was not her fault, let alone compensating the dog’s owner. She said she was adhering to Falun Dafa’s principles that I talked about that motivated her to do so.

Another time, Lian got into a car accident on a snowy day, and her car flew onto the opposite lane. Luckily, there weren’t many cars around. Her vehicle landed safely, and she didn’t have any injuries. The repair cost was minimal. Master once again helped her.

She said that being around me for so long changed her. Now, whenever she thought about doing something wrong, no matter how small, she thought of me and did not do it. She used to use the company’s printer and print paper for personal use, but seeing my strict self-discipline, she stopped using company resources.

When she couldn’t decide on doing something, she would ask me first. I analyzed it for her using the Fa principles I’ve learned in Falun Dafa, and help her measure it against the standards of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She wouldn’t do it if it didn’t align with those principles.

Conclusion

Our words and deeds directly affect whether sentient beings around us can be saved. Most people we know haven’t read Falun Dafa books, or they may have been misled by the CCP’s propaganda against Falun Dafa. As practitioners during Fa-rectification, we not only clarify the truth to them but also need to focus on cultivating ourselves. When people see us strictly adhering to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, they will be touched. They will truly know: Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!

(Selected submission in celebration of World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)