Facing Exercise Site Interference with Righteous Thoughts

(Minghui.org) I was at the Komatsugawa Park exercise site in Tokyo in late April, when we experienced some interference. I’d like to share my cultivation experience during this incident.

One morning, a group of children came up close to us while we were exercising in the park as usual. They made loud noises, took photos of the Falun Dafa practitioners who were exercising, and even set off firecrackers to disrupt us.

The next day, the disturbance continued, with more kids coming, and more noise. However, none of us were moved, and we kept calm minds and sent forth righteous thoughts. A thought came into my mind, “Dissolve all the evil elements that manipulate people to interfere with the Dafa exercise site.”

A practitioner suggested, “Let’s take photos of them in case we need to call the police.” She thought the children might have been hired because they showed up for two consecutive days and took photos of the practitioners.

I remembered what Master told us:

“Japan… well, wherever a problem comes along, that’s where you should go to clarify the truth.” (Fa Teaching Given at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Practitioners, Collected Teachings Given Around the WorldVolume VI)

I thought, “Normally, it’s impossible to interact with these children, but now they’ve come to the practice site on their own. Could it be that deep down, they also long to hear the truth?”

So I walked towards the children, greeted them, and talked to them. I treated them with warmth and kindness and asked for Master’s help. As I approached, the children became alert, stopped disrupting, and gradually walked away. I gently said, “I just want to talk to you. You are like my younger siblings, there’s no need to be afraid.”

At first, only two children were willing to listen to me, but after a while, three or four more children approached and listened in. I gently told them the truth about Dafa. They said that they had never heard of Falun Dafa and were very shocked upon learning about the persecution. They were even more shocked when they heard that more than 100 million people around the world practiced it.

They had thought that “Falun Dafa is only practiced by Chinese people” and were surprised that I was Vietnamese. I told them, “I hope you can help us so that people can practice Falun Dafa in peace in this park.”

After learning the truth, some children copied the exercise movements. But soon they started playing rock-paper-scissors to choose who would set off the firecrackers. One child said, “Let’s see if they can concentrate.” They seemed to be deliberately provoking us to see if we would give in. After setting off several firecrackers, they left, laughing.

One practitioner shared, “On my way home yesterday, the words ‘Let’s see if they can concentrate’ kept popping into my mind. It was unusual for the children to say that in such a situation. I feel that I should seriously reflect on my cultivation state.”

She continued, “Do I feel sleepy while meditating? Can I eliminate distracting thoughts? Can I truly enter a state of tranquility during meditation? Only by achieving these can one meet Dafa’s requirements. Going to the practice site every day has become a habit for me. I often feel that ‘coming to practice today means I’ve fulfilled my duty’, unconsciously seeing it as a formality, and forgetting the true meaning of cultivation. I must always maintain a pure heart of compassion for others, and spread Dafa to save people. When so-called disturbances arise, I should first look within myself.”

I also looked within myself. I have recently often felt sleepy or distracted by random thoughts when meditating. I am aware of this state and am working hard on breaking through it. I think that this incident was a test for all of us at the exercise site, as well as a test of our character and righteous thoughts.

Did we get upset when it happened? When we first sent forth righteous thoughts, did we do so with pure intentions? Perhaps we faced such a test precisely because the practitioners at our site had been working hard to improve themselves and had paid more attention to group exercise.

Another practitioner also emphasized the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts. He shared that one day, while he was meditating alone, a middle-aged Japanese man came by. When the man saw the Falun Dafa banner, he suddenly became angry and uttered some harsh words.

The practitioner remained calm and sent a righteous thought, “Dissolve all evil factors behind this being that caused such negative thoughts, and save him.” The outcome was unexpected. Within two or three minutes, the man returned to the center of the practice site, knelt before the Falun Dafa banner, bowed deeply, and then left quietly. “The power of righteous thoughts truly transformed the situation at that moment.”

After this incident, practitioners at the exercise site sent forth righteous thoughts together and invited other practitioners to join them. Perhaps these efforts worked, because on the third morning, the children did not come back. We believe that they truly understood the truth and will not come back to cause trouble.

That morning, more practitioners came, including some who rarely came. I could feel that everyone was more aware of their responsibility and mission to protect the exercise site, clarify the truth, and save people.

This incident made me deeply realize how important it is to hold on to righteous thoughts when faced with disturbances and interference. These righteous thoughts are not only for protecting our exercise site, but also for saving sentient beings.

After the exercises one day, when we were studying the Fa, an elderly Japanese man asked us in Chinese, “What are you reading?”

“Zhuan Falun, a book about our practice.”

“Can I take a look?” He picked up the book and began reading “On Dafa” out loud. “This is a very profound book!” he said.

This man had asked about Falun Dafa before. This time, he picked up the book and read it himself, which shows that he might have a predestined connection to Dafa. Maybe he also longs to practice in his heart, but still lacks an environment to learn the Fa, and practitioners to guide him. Therefore, outdoor group Fa study and exercises are very important. They not only promote personal cultivation, but also provide a good opportunity to clarify the truth and spread the Fa.