(Minghui.org) I gave a copy of the 2024 Minghui calendar to a woman waiting for a bus. She took it and shouted, “Falun Dafa is wonderful! The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will collapse soon!” Another woman also accepted a copy.
I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1998. I was imprisoned in 2005 but I was released within a year. Afterwards, I didn’t encounter much interference, and I’ve been doing the three things. My environment also improved.
After COVID broke out at the end of 2019, I distributed truth clarification materials in my neighborhood. I returned the next day to see how many households took the materials, and picked up the ones that were discarded. I made a note about every household.
I later covered the same apartment building. When I checked my notes, I realized that people from the households who refused to take the materials still turned a blind eye, and about one third of the materials were discarded. For those people who didn’t accept the materials, I felt we needed to talk to them in person.
Since then, I’ve clarified the facts face-to-face and given these people materials. This required that I target the issues they may have been confused about and answer their questions. I immediately saw the difference, and I felt a good outcome is closely related to my cultivation state. In order to achieve a better effect, I needed to rectify myself.
I met a woman who was waiting at the bus stop, but when I offered her a flier she refused to accept it. She said that she had no interest in beliefs or politics, but she continued talking to me. As we chatted, I pointed out the deterioration of people’s morality, that our traditional Chinese culture emphasized virtue and good deeds, and young people used to respect the elderly.
I said nowadays the situation is often reversed and people are going along with the trend. There is also a lack of standards by which to measure what is right or wrong. On the other hand, Falun Dafa practitioners follow the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and continually rectify ourselves.
She acknowledged our ancient traditions, and said she also felt that a lot of social norms these days are a bit off. I then told her about the CCP’s “staged self-immolation on Tiananmen Square” to frame Falun Dafa. She told me that she didn’t believe in the CCP’s propaganda, and that she knew there was no freedom of speech in China.
“One of my classmates practices Falun Dafa. I heard she refused to take any medication when she is ill. I didn’t feel quite right about that. Is one free of illness if one practices?” she asked.
I replied, “When a person is ill, one can choose to use acupuncture, which is different to western medical treatment, whereby one takes medicine or goes through an operation. Some people choose to practice qigong, which sets a high requirement for one’s xinxing and morality. If one’s moral standards are the same as that of a regular person, then it won’t work. Falun Dafa practitioners are not told that we cannot take any medicine. However, I’ve hardly had any illness in the past 25 years, so I don’t need to take any medicine.”
I told her about a paper published on the official website of the American Society of Clinical Oncology entitled “Falun Dafa Prolongs the Survival of Terminal Cancer Patients.” The paper conducted a follow-up survey of 152 patients who used to have advanced cancer and practiced Dafa. Two attending physicians diagnosed each patient with a mortality rate of less than one year. But ten years later, 149 patients were still alive and well. Although the survival rate didn’t hit 100 per cent (three patients died), the study showed that Falun Dafa had a significant effect on survival rate. She said she understood.
Then she asked, “What are you trying to achieve?” I replied, “If one’s every thought could comply with the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, that would be the best.” She asked, “What if you stay at home to practice? Why do you have to go out to talk to people?” I said, “It’s because many people still believe the CCP’s propaganda. If you are deceived, you may be confused about what’s right or wrong and slander the Buddha Fa, creating sins that you would have to pay for. The sins of the CCP are borne by the members of the CCP and its youth organizations. Quitting it means that you are not responsible for its crimes. You are a kind person. You could choose to use a pseudonym to quit the CCP.”
She accepted the pseudonym I suggested and renounced her memberships in both the Youth League and Young Pioneers. Even for a kind person like her, it was still necessary to clarify the facts in person.
Some people received minimal education, or had trouble reading due to their poor eyesight, so we needed to talk to them. One time, I ran into a kind senior man, who agreed with what I said and told me to use his real name to quit the Young Pioneers. But, he couldn’t read the phrases, “Falun Dafa is wonderful! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is wonderful!” After I read it for him a few times, he remembered them. He held the amulet I gave him and kept saying the words.
I was able to walk on the cultivation path steadily because I began memorizing and reciting the Fa. Our Fa-study group usually recites three pages of Zhuan Falun every week. We also recite Master’s new articles as soon as they are published. I check the Minghui website and Minghui Weekly whenever I have time. While reciting the Fa, I get hints about where I need to improve.
Sometimes if I don’t focus when I read the Fa or my curiosity is piqued by everyday news, people refuse the materials. When I study the Fa well, the outcome when I clarify the facts is good.
I recently realized that I began to slack off in my cultivation. I knew it was because I hadn’t change some long-standing notions, and I hadn’t experienced major conflicts or interference. I often reminded myself to pay attention to my every thought and cultivate diligently. Whenever I encounter conflicts, I now assume that I am wrong—this helps me look inward and not form fixed ideas. When I continue to look inward I find that I indeed did something wrong and the other person’s shortcomings were a mirror to help me examine myself.
In the past, I liked to argue over who was right or wrong, and I would stick to my own opinion and negate what the other party said. Now, I feel I should understand other people’s ideas, broaden my mind and not hold onto my own opinion. After I made up my mind to truly cultivate, when I went out to clarify the facts to people, and ran into people who were poisoned by the CCP’s lies, even though they didn’t understand me at first, most gradually changed their attitude and they were receptive to truth. I’d like to give two examples:
One day, there was a lady waiting for the light to turn green so she could cross the street. After she took a calendar from me, she said, “You say Falun Dafa is good, why don’t you do it at home? Why are you always speaking out against the CCP? Don’t forget that we are paid by the CCP.”
I said, “We earned our pensions. Americans also have pensions, but they are not paid by the CCP, nor by the Democratic or Republican Party. On the contrary, the corrupt officials of the CCP are supported by people’s taxes. The CCP itself does not work nor produce anything.” From her facial expression, I could tell that she understood.
I continued, “Our purpose is not to go against the CCP. Every dynasty has its destiny and we don’t care when it ends. Even if it has thrown people who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance into prison, we hold no hatred. We only speak the truth, and are only concerned about kind and innocent people. You listened to the CCP’s propaganda and accepted it without thinking it over. There have been so many natural calamities recently, which all comes down to the fact that morality has declined.”
I told her, “Only by learning the truth and distinguishing between good and evil, and quitting the CCP organizations, can one have a bright future.” Her attitude completely changed. I gave her the brochure. She took it and said, “Let me check it out! Thank you!”
When I handed someone the brochure, “Three Crimes of Jiang Zemin (the former CCP leader)” and said, “Didn’t it say that he was a good guy on TV? Has he really committed crimes?” I said, “Those reporters were told what to say. But that wasn’t the truth.” He immediately changed his attitude and said, “True! I will read this.” People consider Chinese society to be completely hopeless. Someone said that good people can’t survive in the CCP organizations. Another person also said, “What you Falun Dafa people say is true! Everything on TV is false!”
I’m inspired when I see more and more sentient beings learn the truth and make the right choice.