By a Western Practitioner

It was wonderful to attend the Washington, D.C. Conference. I always learn something very important for my cultivation at conferences, especially when I talk to other practitioners. This time I learned more about how to let people know what Falun Dafa is and how to clarify the truth to them.

Each day I take the subway and the bus to go to work and then back home. I look at all those people in the subway car, sitting there, sometimes not doing anything. I think to myself: "Wow, all these people. It's likely that very few or maybe none of them know about Falun Dafa and the persecution." Each day I ask myself why I'm not handing out flyers to them. Am I embarrassed? Am I worried to intrude on their space? How can I be so selfish and not take this opportunity?

So this weekend I asked a few people how they felt.

One of them was an Australian practitioner. I will never forget her. She spoke from her heart and she truly emanated Zhen-Shan-Ren with every word and action, she was so genuine and transparent. We were in media training where we learned some very important lessons and techniques on how to interact with the media. Everyone seemed to have learned a lot. In the end, however, it became clear to me - the way she expressed herself and the energy about her were the result of her diligent daily effort in her cultivation. Each person she came in contact would learn what Falun Dafa is. Not from her words but from her nature, her conduct and the energy field around her. It was easy to see this.

I asked her opinion about handing out flyers on the subway. She said: "You don't need to do that. If you are standing there, smiling, being nice to people and wearing a Falun Dafa button or shirt, the next time someone hands them a flyer, they will accept it because of that first contact and the good impression you left." I know exactly what she meant for I had experienced it with her, just sitting by her you felt the power of Dafa. She was a Dafa particle and now I know that that is the best way of touching someone's heart.

So from this interaction with her and with a few other practitioners I had an idea. Whenever I'm reading something on the subway, the person next to me usually ends up looking over and reading what I'm reading. I decided to each day take two pieces of literature with me to the subway and read it. Today was my first day. I was reading the Falun Dafa reader and the lady seating next to me was busy doing her makeup. I kept on reading. Soon after she began to read my paper with much interest which made me very happy for her. Right before I left the bus to take the subway, I asked her if she would like to keep it. She let out a big laugh saying she's been reading all along and gladly took the reader. A few minutes afterwards, there she was on the subway, still reading our Falun Dafa reader. Before I started practicing Falun Dafa, the subway used to be like a battlefield to me (I once actually punched a person while riding the subway...). Now I only think of clarifying the truth to them and being a true Dafa particle.

A fellow practitioner said she experienced a similar situation. She had Dafa literature in her hands and was looking for a place to sit. There were many seats, but she didn't want to take any of them. Finally she found the "right" seat. She sat down, and she said that the person next to her seemed to be very nice. Something about his energy told her that and she wanted to tell him about Dafa. She began to read the literature, trying to get him to read it. They began to talk and it turned out he was a practitioner! Once again, I learned that the energy that our bodies and minds carry is very powerful, a physical act, such as handing out a flyer, is not always necessary to attract people with strong yuan fen (predestined affinity).

I have learned to think more in the long term. Of all the people we've taught the exercises and handed flyers to, even if they don't become practitioners now, we've planted a seed for the future wave.

Working diligently on our cultivation and truly aligning ourselves with Zhen-Shan-Ren can play a very important role in attracting the predestined people and providing them with an opportunity to take their stance.

This is only my personal understanding. Please point out any misconceptions.

Thank you.

A Dafa practitioner from New York

Posting date: 7/27/2001
Original article date: 7/26/2001
Category: Views on Cultivation

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