Los Angeles: Introducing Falun Dafa at Yaoshi Temple (Photos)

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Los Angeles, U.S.A.

(Clearwisdom.net) On June 3, 2007, the Los Angeles dance team was invited to Yaoshi Temple to perform two dances, "Pure Lotus" and "The Buddha-light Shines Everywhere."

Dance "The Buddha-light shines everywhere

Demonstrating Falun Gong exercises

People holding truth-clarifying materials

When we were first invited, a nun at the temple told us that the temple would be celebrating Sakyamuni's birthday on that day. We were not concerned about the religious ceremony, and only had a single thought: we would explain the true picture about Falun Dafa and save sentient beings in all places; we would use this opportunity to save people and change the environment.

We arrived at the temple around 10 o'clock in the morning. We saw many Buddhists wearing gray colored robes or skirts. The monks were wearing their yellow cassocks, and nuns were wearing gray robes. The temple is Vietnamese and most of the five to six hundred people in attendance were also Vietnamese.

The abbot of the temple conducted the ceremony, which included a procession into the Great Hall and chanting sutras. When we saw them celebrating Sakyamuni's birthday, we got concerned that our performance here might be interpreted as 'supporting a religion.' However, Teacher said in "Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference:"

"I have said that all beings would come and listen to the truth, because it is their attitude toward Dafa that will determine whether they are kept or not. Why are those meddling deities that exercise control over religions to be cleared out? It's because people in those [religions] have to take a stance, and those meddling deities are not letting them and are depriving them of opportunities to be saved, so they must be cleared out. And it is because they are destroying sentient beings. Despite the fact that they manifest as deities, many beings [with religious affiliations] reincarnated from even higher levels [than those deities] and became human beings. They are so much higher than them that they [the meddling deities] are not worthy of ruining those people. So the meddling deities must be cleaned out and all beings be given a chance to take a stance."

We know that we must use every opportunity to let people hear the truth.

Several of us sent righteous thoughts together outside the Great Hall as soon as we arrived. Our main goal was to eliminate the meddling deities who are controlling the religions and evil factors that keep sentient beings from obtaining the Fa and being saved. Gradually, some people walked up to us and asked for the small paper lotus flowers we were handing out. That gave us a chance to introduce Falun Dafa to them.

We were then being invited to go into the Great Hall to perform the "Pure Lotus" dance. The music for the dance was composed by Dafa practitioners. There were many people in the hall and many lay Buddhists were sitting on the floor. They had to stand up and make room for us. Before we started with the dance, a Vietnamese practitioner introduced everyone to Falun Dafa and recited the poem "Fragrant Lotus" from Hong Yin II:

"The pure lotus is born from the Fa,
Compassion spreads its fragrant scent,
Sprinkling the world with sweet dew,
Blossoming lotuses fill Heaven's courtyard"

Everyone listened carefully. The purity of our dance affected them. They watched our every move. We knew that they could feel the compassion from Dafa practitioners and our auspicious field. After the dance, people applauded enthusiastically. They all extended their hands to ask for paper lotus flowers attached to bookmarks with Dafa information.

We left the Great Hall and started to get ready to perform the next dance on an outdoor stage, but it was still over an hour before the performance started. We all thought it would be nice to demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises during this time and we thought about talking to the host. However, some of us thought that people might misunderstand us if we demonstrated the exercises. Later, we realized that this was a human notion and that it would only keep people from learning the truth.

Once we eliminated this notion, we decided to do the exercises next to the stage before the performance started. Many people heard our music and saw our exercises. Ten minutes later, the host came over and asked us to demonstrate the exercises on stage so everyone would be able to see us clearly. We all knew that it was Teacher's arrangement.

We handed out many Vietnamese-language Falun Dafa flyers to people, including monks, nuns, and lay Buddhists. They all happily accepted them. Many of them have been searching for the true meaning of life for long time. Once the meddling deities are cleared away, they will have a chance to join the practice of Dafa.

After having experienced this day, we could all feel that the Fa-rectification is progressing faster. All sentient beings are waiting for Dafa and the meddling deities are being eliminated. Teacher said in "Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference":

"It is not due to their religions that they are kept from learning the truth, but rather, it's that factors from the meddling deities of those religions are having a negative effect. Right now the factors in that category are becoming fewer and fewer; increasingly more of them are being destroyed. Great changes will gradually come about. Just wait and see."

Teacher has given sentient beings this great opportunities. He is hoping for all sentient beings to obtain the Fa soon. As Fa-rectification Dafa disciples, it is our holy duty to help Teacher rectify the Fa and save sentient beings.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/6/9/156537.html

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