By a Falun Dafa practitioner from the San Francisco Bay Area, USA

Greetings, Master!

Greetings, fellow practitioners!

I have been walking on the path of cultivation for one and a half years. I am eternally grateful for what I've experienced during this period. At times I stumbled, but eventually I got up with tears of happiness and continued on my journey.

I went to New York City twice to help promote the Divine Performing Arts Show, once at the end of 2006 and again in the beginning of this year. I met numerous wonderful practitioners there from around the world. As soon as I was immersed in this type of environment, I was able to clearly sense my improvement on a daily basis. Although I stayed there for only half a month, I was a new person after I came back. In the past, I went to San Francisco's Chinatown to distribute newspapers only on Wednesdays, while the rest of the time I stayed home studying the Fa and doing exercises. But now, I have only one thought on my mind, which is how to clarify the truth of Falun Gong to more people.

At the beginning of this year, I went to New York for the second time. One day, I was distributing fliers at a subway station with another practitioner. A Chinese man in his fifties accepted my flier and asked me a few questions. I took the opportunity to tell him some facts about Falun Gong. Unexpectedly, he not only didn't want to listen, but also started to say bad words about Falun Gong and our Master. In the face of this, I could no longer hold my temper. I told him seriously: "Stop vilifying Falun Gong and our Master, or you will meet with karmic retribution." Then I realized that people around us were staring at us with wide eyes, not knowing what was going on. I therefore started to explain to them in English. The man did not speak any English, however, and still continued with his abusive words. His mouth became distorted with anger. After I went back to my place that night, his face appeared in my mind again.

The next evening, we were waiting for the bus on 74th Street. While I was getting money from my pocket, a young man came up to me. Pointing to a bill on the ground, he said: "You have dropped your money ." Without any thought, I picked it up. Before I thanked him, I heard a burst of ear-piercing laughter. I then realized that it was a prank from a group of young men. They were making fun of me. Immediately I felt my blood surging to my head, as I couldn't bear this kind of humiliation. Luckily, I didn't forget that I am a cultivator, so I kept reminding myself: "I am a practitioner! I am a practitioner!" Yet, on the surface, I couldn't stand anymore. I raised the tone of my voice to scold them. As soon as I opened up my mouth, I felt somewhat relieved. However, the indescribable regret I experienced thereafter was extremely painful. I also complained to the fellow practitioner in my heart: "Why didn't you stop me?" What a big test this was for me! I didn't pass it. Not only did I fail to improve my xinxing, but I also lost de.

In the evening, while I was studying the Fa and looking inside myself, I saw Master's words in Chapter Six of Zhuan Falun (2000 translation version):

"Yet there is also the case where when one fails the first test, one will regret it very much upon waking from sleep. Perhaps this mentality and state of mind will reinforce your thoughts about it. When the issue again arises, you will be able to control yourself and pass the test."

Another day passed. I went to the same place again as usual. Five or six people were sitting on a bench. I walked up to them and tried to give them a flier one by one. Only one person accepted it. After I walked about three or four meters away from them, I heard someone cursing from behind. I turned my back and found that it came from those people who refused to take the fliers. The abusive words came from the mouth of a young man. I was still able to remain calm this time. I just smiled at him without saying a word.

After the New York Fa Conference, we went to San Francisco's Chinatown four times a week to expose the persecution and to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. During the process, I was often deeply touched by the kind words and actions of some righteous people. For example, there was an elderly lady who doesn't speak or understand Mandarin. But after she learned the truth from our newspaper, she showed great respect to Dafa disciples. Although I could not understand her words, I could get her message. She bought lunch for me several times. There was an elderly gentleman who was also like that. He brought me fruit. From those lunch boxes and fruit, I could sense their deep appreciation of Dafa and caring for Dafa disciples. I was often moved to tears by their kindness.

This spring we started to distribute the "Minghui Weekly" newspaper. It was like the old saying "Everything is most difficult in the beginning." Due to the difficulty, some practitioners inserted it into the Dajiyuan (Chinese Epoch Times) newspaper during distribution. I didn't regard this as appropriate, as the public has yet to know about this newspaper. So what should we do? We need to tell them! While we are distributing Dajiyuan, we need to introduce Minghui Weekly to our readers.

After figuring out how to say the words, while holding a newspaper in my hand, I started to tell the readers: "Minghui Weekly is dedicated to information about Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. It mentions some ancient prophecies as well. It also teaches people how to obtain true health. You don't know how good it is because you haven't read it yet. Once you read it, you are sure to like it."

During this process, I adjusted my wording according to different situations. For example, recently I recalled that Chinese people usually believe in cosmic changes. So while I was distributing Minghui Weekly, I added a few sentences. "Minghui is a term in the Buddha school, and people in this school are taught about cosmic changes. So please help yourself understand the current cosmic change." Or sometimes, I added one sentence: "This newspaper is precious for you." Once I talked like this, the effect was very good. Those who refused this newspaper in the past came over to take one. Some people even came to specifically get this newspaper.

When I first engaged in making phone calls to China, I was doing okay helping the other party quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or its related organizations. However, one day a human sentimentality of mine popped up. I thought: "In the past few decades, I have been suppressed by those so-called advanced personnel of the CCP, to the point of almost losing my life. Yet today I need to save them?" I was really reluctant to do it! I forgot that I am a Dafa disciple.

Then one day I was studying Master's words:

"In my heart is a great wish to save sentient beings." (Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference),

I felt like someone hit me hard: I have been saved by our Master. But those people coming down from high levels who were blinded by the evil specter of the CCP are still lost in the human world. As a Dafa disciple, I am assisting Master in Fa rectification. Yet I still care that much about personal loss and gain? Perhaps among those people who had created great troubles for me in the past, there were some from high levels. Should I not save them because they had suppressed me before? I cried and asked myself: "You have knelt down in front of Master's photo before and swore that 'I will do whatever Dafa requests of me.' Yet now Dafa needs you to save sentient beings and you are not willing to. Where is your compassion?"

For two days, I studied Master's teaching in Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital again and again. Master said:

"The people who have come to this world are waiting for you to save them! (Applause) All the adverse things that come about are tests for Dafa disciples related to increasing mighty virtue."

One day, while talking to someone on the phone, after he had listened to my truth-clarification words, he cursed me aloud. I replied: "Please don't feel upset. If you have any questions, you may ask me." But he said: "I don't want to talk to a bad person like you." Then he slammed the phone down. I could clearly hear his angry voice. I feel very sad for this kind of person.

Another time, a gentleman learned the truth from me. I then asked him if he had joined the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL). He replied: "I am even a CCP member." Before I said another word, he asked: "Are you a Falun Gong practitioner?" I didn't answer him directly, but turned the question back to him: "May I ask if you are a Falun Gong practitioner?" He said: "I don't have a good impression of Falun Gong." At this point, I wanted to get him out of the CCP even quicker, so I said: "Let me assign you an alias. Please remember it and quit the CCP." He agreed. Then I told him: "All of us working at the Global Quit CCP Service Center have spiritual beliefs. We are all practitioners. Who else in society bothers to do this kind of thing, because one needs to spend their own money and use their spare time to make these calls. Don't you agree?" He was silent. In the end, he said: "Thank you!"

When I came back home from distributing truth-clarification materials, sometimes I would be too exhausted to eat dinner. I don't drive, so each time I went to San Francisco's Chinatown, I had to take a bus and subway, a trip of almost four hours. Sometimes, I was very tired, so I told myself: "I will skip the phone calls tonight or make fewer calls, as I need some rest." As soon as the idea popped into my mind, Master's words sounded in my ears:

"Don't become complacent just because you think you've done such and such, for there are so many sentient beings that we have yet to save. You still need to push yourselves so that you may establish even greater mighty virtue within a limited time frame, and so that you won't have any regrets when all is said and done."( Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital )

"Aside from what you as individuals need to go through and establish on your final road to Consummation, what is most important for you and most significant right now is to save people." ( Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital )

Immediately I lost the fatigue and picked up the phone.

I would often run into another type of person. After hearing my words, they would ask : "Which organization are you from? Are you anti-communist?" I usually replied: "This is not exactly an organization. It's called the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP, registered in the U.S. We are not overturning the CCP. It is Heaven's will that the CCP is doomed to be destroyed." Then he asked: "So how may I help you since you called me?" I told him: "If you have ever joined the CCP, Youth League, or the Chinese Communist Young Pioneers (CCYP), please think about quitting them using an alias. Your life will be saved. And you should also help your family and friends to quit. If you could convince them all to quit the CCP and its related organizations, their lives can all be saved. That's an ultimate happy thing. Right?" He agreed at once and jotted down the Quit the CCP Hotline number.

Some people asked me: "How do you know that Heaven will destroy the CCP?" I usually answer this way: "Since you are in mainland China, you are isolated from the truth. The evil CCP has blocked the news and the Internet. It has deceived the Chinese people. For the question you raised, I cannot give you an answer in a few sentences. I called you from overseas. You only need to think it over as to why I make these international calls with my own money. Then you will understand. I call dozens of people every day." She then said: "I see. Thank you." She also wrote down the Quit the CCP Hotline number.

The above is part of my experience in the past year. In conclusion, I'd like to remind us all of Master's words in Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference,

"Dafa disciples' personal cultivation and improvement are no longer an issue, nor is Dafa disciples' achieving Consummation. Right now, one important thing that needs to be attended to is the matter of how to save more sentient beings, and it is something Dafa disciples are to accomplish during their current process of achieving Consummation. This is Dafa disciples' mission, a duty that cannot be shirked, something that they must do and must complete."

Thank you, Master! Thank you, all!

Posting date: 11/26/2007
Original article date: 11/26/2007
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/11/7/166106.html

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