Validating the Fa at the Chinese Consulate in Toronto
By Zhang Liandi, a Dafa practitioner from Toronto
(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Master Li! Greetings, fellow practitioners. I will be sharing Toronto practitioners' experience of peacefully appealing
outside the Chinese Consulate for the past few years. Please, kindly point out
any mistakes. Since Jiang started the irrational persecution of Falun Gong, Toronto's
practitioners have launched a full range of activities to assist Master Li in
rectifying the Fa -- from meditation, hunger strikes, press conferences, round
the clock candlelight vigils, to a public mock trial of Jiang Zemin, and
demonstrations of torture tactics used by Jiang's group. It is war between good
and evil in the other dimensions, which is vigorously displayed in this
dimension. This peaceful appeal seems like a simple task. One does not have to have good
English skills or be technically gifted. Many participants go easily unnoticed.
From the very beginning until now it seemed easy; we refer to it as "The
Consulate Duty." In July 2001, Jiang's group increased the intensity of cruel persecution
towards Falun Gong practitioners. Their atrocities outraged Toronto's
practitioners. A Western woman practitioner led the peaceful petition in front
of the Chinese Consulate. Next, an elderly Chinese woman with a young child
joined in. Successively, other practitioners joined. A hunger strike appeal
followed. We became aware that we should be at the Chinese Consulate all the
time to suffocate and eradicate the evil. Our peaceful appeal will persist until
the persecution ends. From September 2001 to the present, 80 practitioners have participated in the
peaceful appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate many times. The youngest is a
middle-school student; the oldest is 75 years old. The elderly account for the
majority of participants. Regardless of severe weather, we all persist in
clarifying the truth, exposing the evil and promoting Dafa in front of the
Chinese Consulate for the past three years. Some considered the Chinese Consulate as Beijing's Tiananmen Square. So long
as we stand in front of the consulate we are suffocating and eradicating the
evil, because we consider it the headquarters of evildoings. This is what the
evil fears most. This is the reason we have been keeping up our relentless
efforts in our peaceful appeals. We realized that the process of clarifying truth in front of the consulate is
eradicating the evil. While we are saving living beings, we are discarding
personal attachments. Through this process we improve ourselves and validate the
Fa (1). 1. Correcting One's Attitude, Purifying Oneself What attitude should we have? Why are we standing in front of the Chinese
Consulate? As we enhance our understanding in the Fa, we rectify our attitude
and minds; we eliminate any disturbances, purifying our minds. By doing so, we
will be able to do a good job in spreading the Fa and clarifying the truth. We overcame many obstacles in several years. Some practitioners had all kinds
of worries: not having the courage to speak about the evildoings loudly, fearing
that we might not be understood and be an annoyance, not knowing how to deal
with an uninterested lack of wisdom when handling different audiences, thinking
those that shun us are not worth saving; thinking we were the greatest, which
made us seem rude and impatient, and forcing others to accept our materials, and
thinking that the more materials we distributed the better. We practice to make ourselves the best we can and to correct our characters.
Through Fa study, sharing experiences with others and increasing our righteous
thoughts, we strive to be better each time. We realize that when we are pure and
our hearts/minds are filled with mercy, the effects of truth clarification works
best. When a young fellow abruptly asked an elderly lady who was standing in the
snow, "Why are you standing here?" She replied, "I am waiting for you!" This
simple answer from her heart melted any hatred the young fellow had. He accepted
her flyer. We encounter all kinds of people in front of the Chinese Consulate. Some
shower us with mocking comments; some hurl invectives, all of which tested our
xinxing (2). A middle-aged man asked us how much we get paid from the United
States: $30 or $50 per day for distributing materials? We told him we cultivate
Zhen, Shan, Ren (3), we want to be good people; we do not tell lies, we never
receive any money from anyone; we come voluntarily; using our own money to pay
for transportation and materials. We want to speak on behalf of our dear
practitioners in China who are being wrongfully persecuted. He walked away
silently after hearing our explanation. Master said in "Teaching the Fa at 2004 Western US Fa conference," "I've told you before that Shan (4) isn't something pretended, nor is
it a state that's just maintained on the surface. Shan truly comes from
within and can only be attained and embodied through cultivation. When you're
before sentient beings, as soon as words come out of your mouth and as soon as
your thoughts emerge, they are able to disintegrate bad elements and the bad
things that poison the world's people and that exist in people's minds. And then
people will come to understand, and you'll be able to save them." 2. Be Flexible and Tactful in Truth-clarification Master said, "I have repeatedly pointed out that those who practice
cultivation in the society of everyday people must conform to the ways of
everyday people's society." ("Cultivation and Work," Essentials for Further
Advancement) How do we awaken the deceived public? First, our words and deeds must let the
public understand us and let them accept the truth with conscience and kindness,
revealing to them that they are deceived with fabricated rumors created by
Jiang's group. Most people are moved by emotion; using such emotion we could
help them to understand the truth. Many treat the Falun Gong question to be a
very sensitive issue, and some of them are deceived too deeply; so even if they
want to understand us, they fear being implicated and losing personal benefits
and hence are afraid to contact us. We cannot be rigid, and we should use
different approaches with different people. Our conduct can move people. Our polite smiles and greetings can have a
positive effect. People are then more willing to accept our materials and listen
to the truth. Two elderly practitioners -- a married couple -- took the trouble to
familiarize themselves with the surroundings of the Chinese Consulate in order
to provide conveniences for the general public who came for consular services.
The couple provides information such as directions to the subway station, train
station, photo studio, post office, public telephone, restaurants and coffee
shops. They even have coins ready for the roadside parking meters and help to
pay before the meter expires. Most people are moved by our kindness and are
willing to listen to us and accept our materials. Some were deceived and brainwashed by the Chinese propaganda before coming
overseas. Many want to understand the real situation, but are hindered by their
own notions. A middle-aged man stood in front of the display board, pointed at
the picture of Wang Lixuan and her child and asked, "Is this real?" We answered,
"It's real." He shook his head in disbelief. We asked him, "Are you willing to
let your spouse and son go through such an act of torture?" He said, "Absolutely
not." After he earnestly listened to the truth about Falun Gong he nodded again
and again with tears in his eyes. We shook hands and he said, "You continue with
your display and distribute materials here; my last name is Cao. I believe you!" A Chinese garbage truck driver frequently passed through the consulate. He
saw our actions and understood that we all are good people. He was touched and
frequently gave us hot coffee. Gradually he learned that Falun Gong is good and
that it will promote a healthy body, so he started doing the Falun Gong
exercises. Then for a long time we did not see him. One day he came and told us
that a miracle had happened to him. One day during his work he suddenly fell
from the vehicle, causing a fracture to a cervical vertebra. His doctor said he
was seriously injured, and that even after treatment he would either be
paralyzed or half-paralyzed. But a while later he recovered completely. His
doctor said it was a miracle. He too thinks it is a miracle. Some people started out with hatred towards us as they were deceived by the
Chinese propaganda, but when we found a general topic that they accepted, such
as Jiang betraying his country, or the corruption in Mainland China, problems of
unemployment, destroying citizen's housing, downward sliding morality and even
the persecution of Falun Gong, their attitude changed. They are then willing to
read our materials. It looks as though many people are awakening, but there are still many minds
being deeply poisoned by the lies. We feel our heavy responsibility in offering
salvation to more people within this limited time. 3. Exposing and Eradicating the Evil For three years we relentlessly stayed in front of the Chinese Consulate 24
hours a day, exposing the evil through telling the facts. People are looking,
and they are pondering. Our demeanor has moved many who came for Consulate services, and has moved
average passers-by as well. They have begun to understand and have started to
show their support. From stranger to friend, people even come forward to greet
us on their own initiative: some wave to us, others make the Heshi gesture to
express their regards. Nearby residents have given us flowers and beverages to
express their sympathy and support. The Consulate is not happy with the growing support and understanding from
the public. In fact, this Consulate is one of the overseas enablers of the "610
Office" (5). They create disturbances, they incite hatred and spread negative
propaganda. They send undercover agents to the Parliament and the community to
harass, to destroy our reputation, and to fabricate rumors and stir up hatred
between us and the people in the community. At first, the Consulate staff deliberately sprayed us with water when
watering their outdoor plants. They tried to disturb our truth clarification
activities by installing a fence, but by our sending forth righteous thoughts,
their ugly behavior turned out to be nothing more than practical jokes. Even the staff at the Consulate have changed their attitude. Our polite
smiles and greetings touch them, making them feel happy. When a practitioner saw a consular employee coming to water the plants again,
he was afraid that he might ruin our poster. But before we could move, he said
he would not spray our things, and that we did not have to remove anything.
After watering the plants behind the poster, he left. We told him that he is
such a good person, and he smiled. Master said, "Because the world's people have woken up, right now this
persecution that the evil created is getting harder and harder to sustain.
Around the globe the evil beings are losing the environment they need to do
evil, and in China too they are losing the environment they need." ("Teaching
the Fa on Easter, 2004, at the New York Fa Conference") Even the
employees at the consulate are changing their hearts, yet we have to do better
in order to awaken their lost souls. Master said at the 2004 Chicago Fa Conference, "Although the old forces no
longer exist, the things they arranged in the Three Realms are still having an
effect." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference") The Chinese Consulate tried confusing the public with huge amounts of
slanderous information. Many were deceived. It was a setback for us; hence we
have to continue our truth-clarification efforts and sending forth righteous
thoughts to completely eliminate the evil. 4. Fa-rectification and Cultivation Regardless of harsh weather conditions, for three years we have been there in
front of the Consulate, 24 hours a day. An older practitioner couple took responsibility for "Consulate Duty," as
they live close to the Consulate. They always sit in for those who cannot make
it. They do both morning and afternoon shifts most of the time. Often they did
not even have time for their meals, but they did not have any complaints. A 60-year-old male practitioner starts at 10:00 a.m. and remains until noon
at the Consulate. Then he rushes off to Chinatown, carrying bags of materials to
hand out for truth clarification purpose. He leaves Chinatown around 3:00 p.m.
and it will be late when he gets home. Those who do the night shift have their own difficult challenges as well.
Some come straight after work in the middle the night. And their shift lasts
until 8:00 a.m., meaning that they do not have time to sleep. Yet, they did not
ask for a change in their shift. Even if they have to take care of their
families, children, work and school, they still find a time slot to go to the
Consulate. We have an elderly woman practitioner who assumed the task of duty monitor.
She always sits in or finds a replacement for those who cannot make it. It is
challenging, as she has to consider many factors like age, transportation,
distance and weather before she finds someone for any open time slot. These past few years, our daily presence in front of the Consulate gate
unavoidably caused some inconvenience to the surrounding life of the
neighborhood. A few people developed a negative opinion about us, but after
explaining the truth of Falun Gong and the persecution, their attitude changed.
In order to further improve our relations with the neighborhood, we mobilized
practitioners to make 400 paper lotus flowers and presented them to the
neighbors to express our gratitude for their kind support. A practitioner said
that her daughter's teacher happened to live in that neighborhood. Her teacher
took the lotus flower and showed it to her class, telling them the truth about
Falun Gong and how to fold the lotus flower. This act helped to purify so many
little children's minds. Western practitioners join the truth clarification and Fa-promoting
activities to help boost the process. They are very good at truth-clarification,
and they are very energetic. When they talk to the English-speaking Chinese
public, the public seems more willing to listen and accept our materials. Many practitioners seem very ordinary, as they do not speak much in general
or during Fa conferences, but their hearts and minds are full of righteous
thoughts, and they continue to cultivate and eliminate their own attachments.
Though there might be some setbacks, we all know that strong righteous thoughts
will eliminate all the evil. We are at the final stage of eliminating the evil and offering people
salvation. We should not take it lightly. We have a great responsibility. We
should improve our xinxing at all times and never give the evil an opportunity
to take advantage of us. We should try our best to conform and be understood by
general society. Dafa has been around for 12 years. We are honored to be with Master during
this period. Master is leading us, reminding us, correcting us. Please, do not
let this precious opportunity slip by. Do the three things that we are told to
do -- study the Fa, explain the facts and send righteous thoughts. Eliminate all
evil. Let all living beings know that Falun Gong is great, that Zhen, Shan, Ren
is great! We have to complete our grand mission that has been entrusted to us. Notes (1) Fa: Law and principles; the teachings of Falun Dafa. (2) Xinxing: heart or mind nature, moral character. (3) Zhen, Shan, Ren: Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. (4) Shan: Compassion, Kindness, Benevolence. (5) The "610 Office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun
Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all
other political and judiciary systems.
Chinese version available at
http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/6/21/77617.html
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