(Minghui.org) Since the deterioration of China-Japan relations late last year, we now rarely see bus after bus of tour groups from China as we did before. This has made me realize how pressing time is for saving people, since the people that were missed may never come back. I will now share some experiences from a truth-clarification site.
While standing at the site, I was often not able to talk to many people as they came and went. This caused me to become inattentive and even chat with another practitioner to ease the awkwardness. I later thought that being lax like that would waste a lot of time meant for saving people. I thus frequently reminded myself to maintain righteous thoughts and stay focused, and to not just go through the motions at the site. I reminded myself to constantly observe and think about how to start a conversation with the next passerby. Sometimes a subtle and kind signal, like making eye contact and smiling, could be the key to speaking with the person.
In Japan, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish whether a pedestrian is Chinese or Japanese. I often tried to start a conversation with the question, “Chinese, right?” Many Chinese people would have a sense of familiarity upon hearing this. Some that shook their heads and waved their hands in rejection at the beginning would be stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and then turn around, nod, and respond, “Yes.”
We would then start interacting and I could clarify the truth. When I saw people waiting for transportation or standing by the road, I sometimes walked up and asked, “May I bother you for a moment?” This way, the person would feel that I respected them. Some people were then willing to listen to what I had to say.
Many older practitioners say that most young people do not want to talk to them, and are harder to save. Because I am a young person, I find it easier to chat with someone of a similar age. For example, I often say, “We are all young people, so be careful when you return to China. Don’t sign a voluntary organ donation agreement. The brain death cases in China now are precisely concentrated among the younger population.” Many young people are willing to stop and listen when I start talking about forced organ harvesting from this angle.
Chinese people who had rarely seen young people at truth-clarification sites would walk up to me and ask, “You look so young. Why do you practice Falun Gong?” I could then take the opportunity to say, “Doesn’t the fact that you are asking this show that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) propaganda is false? There are many young people practicing Falun Gong. Back when Mr. Li Hongzhi taught Falun Gong in China, the audience included people with doctoral and master’s degrees, and people who had studied overseas.” I could also give examples of how practitioners have high levels of education and benefit society.
I think the presence of young people at truth-clarification sites is itself part of clarifying the truth. I urge more young practitioners to step to the front lines to clarify the truth and validate the Fa.
Many of the Chinese people I have talked to in Japan are well-educated and don’t simply follow the crowd. I thus tend to provide more examples and data, and encourage them to go online and verify what I told them for themselves.
I once offered a flyer to a young man who was waiting for transportation, and said, “Excuse me, are you Chinese?” He had a defensive and resistant look, and did not say a word. I knew that he must have some misunderstandings. I thought that even if I was not able to help him understand today, I had to lay the groundwork for him to hear the truth next time.
I began by untying some common knots in people’s hearts, and said, “We are all volunteers. We just want to remind everyone to protect themselves.” I then continued to expand to other topics. In the end, I said, “We just hope that everyone can keep themselves safe and not sign voluntary organ donation agreements when they go back to China. I also remind my own family and friends. I just hope you will all be safe and healthy, okay?” As I was talking to him in such a well-reasoned manner, his expression changed, and he was seriously thinking about what I said.
I sometimes used China’s news reports to prove my conclusions. This tends to be effective with people who lack thorough knowledge of an issue. Even though this man still did not respond in the end, I believe that my words gave him an opportunity to think. I also hope that he will have another opportunity to learn more about the issue.
The truth-clarification site that I often go to started from scratch in recent months. At first, we had only simple white signboards with black text. Later, practitioners made some retractable, standing banners and handheld signboards that were carefully designed for the service center for quitting the CCP. I noticed that the site then started to get more attention.
Pictures are easier to remember than words, and provide strong assistance while clarifying the truth. When people with misunderstandings asked, “Is there Falun Gong in China as well?” I would point to the photo and say, “Before the persecution started in 1999, there were even group exercises with 10,000 people in parks and squares in China.”
Someone asked, “Is forced organ harvesting only done by those little-known small hospitals?” I pointed at a display board, and said, “Look, this says Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Shanghai’s Zhongshan Hospital... These top-tier hospitals are all committing forced organ harvesting.” A woman who sells vegetables near our site was afraid to listen to anything we said. But after we started using the signboards, she would look at them with curiosity. So this was another way for her to learn about the issue.
Since our site is located in a passageway, people seldom stop and linger when they walk by. However, since we got the retractable banners and signboards, many pedestrians now slow their steps or stop to look at them. This provides an opportunity to make conversation to clarify the truth.
One day, two girls stood next to the retractable banner about the CCP staged self immolation on Tiananmen Square. They appeared a bit nervous but also interested in seeing it. I walked up to them and explained that the “CCP staged the self immolation to frame Falun Gong,” and “the International Education Development made a statement at the United Nations that the self-immolation incident was staged by the CCP.”
I then pointed at the signboard, and said, “Take a close look at these video screenshots. The CCP says that this woman named Liu Chunling died due to self-immolation. But if you do a slow-motion video playback, you can see that she was struck down by a man from behind. Also, for this person named Wang Jindong, the CCP says he lit himself on fire. But neither his hair, which is most prone to catching fire, nor the Sprite bottle between his legs, caught fire. Isn’t this strange?
“Just like the saying, ‘experts look for the finer points, while laypeople just watch for the spectacle.’ The hand position of Falun Gong meditation is like this, but Wang Jindong’s hand position was like this...” I demonstrated with my hands. “The CCP is afraid to tell us all these things. The available information is different inside and outside China. Since you came out of China, try to listen, observe, and learn more.” I also talked about the CCP’s forced organ harvesting and my personal cultivation experiences. At the end, both of them withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
The power of signboards and materials has left a deep impression on me during truth-clarification, and I believe we should use them wisely and appropriately. The effect tends to be better if the spoken content, the materials we give out, and the signboards can complement and enhance each other.
When we use signboards and oral explanations to make people feel that the information in the brochures is closely related to their lives, it is more likely they will accept the materials and listen to us explain the truth. If there is time, we can follow the flow and advise them to withdraw from the CCP.
We sometimes stand at a place where people wait for transportation. But as the vehicles are about to take off, people rush to board without time to accept materials. Or even if they do take the materials, there is no time to talk. In these situations, I raise the signboard after they have boarded. The signboard says, “Falun Gong practitioners print the materials at their own expense. They do not receive compensation, and seek nothing in return. They tell you the message only for your safety and well being...” People then curiously look out the window to check it out. This perhaps makes up for not having time to talk to them.
When I can convince a few more people to quit the CCP, I sometimes tend to develop an attachment to zealotry, or develop human feelings toward the person who accepted what I said, thinking that this person is so kind. But I know that our goal is to save more people, and we cannot become complacent over this, and look outward. We should place more attention on those people who refuse to accept the message or do the withdrawals, analyze examples and reasons for their refusal, or shifts in attitude, and continuously adjust our methods accordingly.
I have noticed that many people already have a certain knowledge of the issue. Once we establish trust, it is not difficult to convince them to do the withdrawals. But if we do not break down their guard toward strangers, it is relatively more difficult for them to accept the message.
A practitioner was once clarifying the truth in a large area using a signboard, saying topics including, “It is a heavenly principle that good is rewarded and evil receives retribution,” “Don’t be an accomplice of the CCP,” and “The CCP commits forced organ harvesting.” The practitioner went up to a woman to talk to her, but this woman yelled, “Can you please leave?!”
I knew that this woman was relatively sensitive, perhaps because she was about to go back to China and she was afraid that coming into contact with Falun Gong would lead to trouble. To help her understand the truth, we first had to alleviate her psychological stress.
After the practitioner left, I changed to a different method, and softly said to the woman, “We are not promoting anything. We just hope that we protect ourselves well when we go back home, nothing else. We are all volunteers and do not want anything from you.” I then mentioned how the CCP’s forced organ harvesting has spread throughout the country. I continued to alleviate her stress, “For many of these things that I’m telling you, we just need to be aware.” She nodded and said, “Okay, okay.”
After having established a mutual understanding, I continued with convincing her to quit the CCP, “I can tell that you are very kind. Good fortune does not just fall from the sky. All blessings originate from the kindness we have accumulated. It is a blessing that you are able to travel overseas now. Let me give you a good-sounding alias and help you withdraw from the CCP and affiliated organizations. I will be happy for you if you are safe and healthy in the future. Does that sound good?”
I then figured out that she had joined the Young Pioneers. She said, “Okay. Thank you.” I said, “You’re welcome. I’m very happy to see you today. You remind me a lot of my mom. She has a blessed look just like you.” She grinned happily. At the end, I told her, “The self-immolation on Tiananmen Square was staged. We, good people, would not misunderstand other good people.” I then wished her a great time.
I have seen a number of such cases of attitude shifts. My personal experience is that when we encounter sensitive people, we should try to be more considerate of their concerns by putting ourselves in their shoes, and use friendly body language, a caring tone, and considerate wording to alleviate their stress. This will help them feel that Falun Gong practitioners are doing this for their own good. This way, it is more likely for people to accept the information.
Please kindly point out anywhere there is room for improvement.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!