By a Falun Dafa practitioner from France

(Clearwisdom.net) After playing in France, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, and other nations, from August 3 to 5, the European Divine Land Marching Band held parades in London and Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, and participated in the famous Edinburgh International Festival Cavalcade.

European Dafa practitioners realize that the United Kingdom is a very important country, but due to obstruction from the old forces, at the human level, it seems that the UK is geographically separated and politically different from other European countries. For Falun Gong practitioners in other European countries who don't have European citizenship to go to the UK to join Dafa activities, they must go through a complicated process to obtain a visa. This has caused problems for some Dafa practitioners to validate the Fa. But as Dafa practitioners, we know the old forces are purposely trying to isolate the UK. As Dafa practitioners, we must not accept this. Europe is a whole continent and we must break through old force obstructions. The Divine Land Marching Band should play in the UK to help all European Dafa practitioners to validate the Fa together and clear away interference for a smooth 2008 NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular in the UK.

The evil rotten ghosts of the old forces know clearly that when the Divine Land Marching Band plays, the great energy emitted will largely disintegrate them. Thus they try every way to stop the Band. In London there have been terrorist car bombings and in many places in the UK, including London, heavy rains have caused flooding. All of this created interference for practitioners to obtain visas. They could not apply on-line for appointments within the given time restraints according to the immigration rules. Evil forces are struggling on their last legs, but the firm faith of Dafa practitioners in validating the Fa is not moved. Under a very tight schedule, Dafa practitioners cooperated as a whole and worked in different areas. UK practitioners actively clarified the truth with the government officials as practitioners in other nations prepared for different processes in obtaining the visas. In the situation that practitioners were unable get the appointments normally, practitioners continually sent forth righteous thoughts to break through the limits and notions of ordinary people.

Master said:

"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." ("Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference")

Through group-Fa study and sharing everyone realized that sentient beings are waiting to be saved and that it is our responsibility to save them. Everything in society was prepared for Dafa practitioners in validating Dafa and saving sentient beings, and we must not be hindered by apparent barriers. As long as our minds are firm, any obstructions and interference by the old forces will be useless.

There were 19 practitioners in France that needed to get visas to go to UK in order to join the activities in London and Edinburgh. This included several elderly practitioners who speak neither English nor French, and also didn't know how to use the Internet. To apply for a visa, one must first fill out detailed personal information on-line, but all the instructions were are in English. Thus the practitioner who was coordinating this marked the application form in Chinese and filled out the information such as hotels, travel destination, etc., and then sent the relevant information to practitioners who knew how to use a computer, and lastly each of these practitioners helped other practitioners to fill out the forms. Due to the shortage of time, some practitioners asked their family members who knew French to read their personal information to the coordinator, letter by letter, and finished the registration on-line. In the entire process, Dafa practitioners truly showed the power as a whole. They helped each other and cooperated with each other, and in the end returned the registration information to the UK practitioners on time. At the same time, UK practitioners used different ways to help apply for group visas. Even until the day before departing, everyone did not lose confidence. We had firm belief in Master and the Fa. We firmly believed that they would definitely help us successfully obtain our visas. We also continually sent forth righteous thoughts. Finally, the afternoon right before the day of departure, we got the news from UK practitioners that we've got special permission from the UK Embassy. The next morning, the French practitioners could go to the UK Consulate to get their visas. That night, the French practitioners quickly bought round trip train tickets to the Consulate. The next morning, we got there two hours early and waited in line.

In the beginning, since the people who worked in the entrance saw that we did not have the appointments, they told us to wait at the door and their attitude was a little harsh. Practitioners calmly told them about our situations and asked them to query with the Embassy. Other practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts. Soon their attitude turned to be very easy and friendly. The entire field was corrected by the practitioners' righteous thoughts. The Visa Application Department soon opened a window just for the practitioners. Everyone quickly turned in the forms and fees. One practitioner waited there to pick up the visas at 4 pm and the rest of the practitioners each went back home to prepare for departure. Everything went very well and everyone felt very relieved.

Perhaps because the attachment of complacency came out, the evil took advantage of our gaps and tried to interfere with us again. At 2:30 p.m. the Visa Application Department reopened and notified us that the application fee wasn't 98 Euros as we had all paid, but 154 Euros. The people who worked there made a mistake. They said that each practitioner must go to pay the correct fee by 4 p.m. The practitioner who was coordinating notified everyone to immediately go back to the Visa Application Department. But some practitioners lived very far away and it takes one hour for them to get there; also some practitioners didn't have cell phones thus it was very hard to contact them. The situation was urgent, but no one complained. Instead we calmly thought of every way to contact every practitioner. It was the great and compassionate Master who saw Dafa practitioners' hearts of saving sentient beings. He took care of us the entire time and helped us reach every practitioner on time. Some practitioners even received the phone call one second before leaving for shopping. In the end, at 4 p.m., all 19 practitioners got there. Two practitioners were refused but the remaining 17 practitioners got their visas.

From the whole process of applying for visas, everyone felt that the current period is just for Dafa practitioners to save sentient beings. As long as Dafa practitioners' minds are firm and righteous, and are able to put off all human notions and selfish attachments, then everything that's interfering with Dafa practitioners from saving sentient beings will disintegrate under the powerful righteous thoughts.

In the beginning, in London, the Band was not approved for a parade permit. We only got a permit to play in a stationary place in the City's Central Garden, as well as march around the garden. But Dafa practitioners maintained the compassionate and calm minds of saving sentient beings. We first played while marching around the garden several times, which had led the people there to feel the divine beauty of the Dafa band. We clarified the truth with the local police and asked them to talk to their higher officials to give us permission to march in Chinatown. Under the field of righteous thoughts of all Dafa practitioners as a whole, the request was immediately passed. Chinatown was quite lively. The Divine Land Marching Band's mighty and majestic appearance and its Fa music presented Falun Dafa's beauty to the local Chinese people. It greatly cleared away evil factors in other dimensions. Some Chinese people went to the street to watch, some looked out from the windows, and some applauded. Everyone's face showed pleasant surprise and enjoyment.

Every time we participate in the activities with the Divine Land Marching Band, practitioners in the band as well as those who are not in the band all have a deep feeling that in this enormous band, no matter what instrument and what section you are in, all that is played is one unified sound: "Let the sentient beings know Falun Dafa is good." This sound is fortified by Dafa practitioners' righteous thoughts and converged into a powerful energy. This energy is cleaning worldly people's minds and calling for their firm belief and original intention of returning at the time when they decided to come to this world. In the process of saving sentient beings, we are also constantly cultivating ourselves. Before and after every activity, through group Fa studying and sharing, we can see our shortcomings and thus improve ourselves. Dafa practitioners travel everywhere, overcome all kinds of difficulties, and experience many tribulations to put off human attachments. There are countless touching stories. Everyone only has one thought in mind - follow the Master to rectify the Fa and complete the mission of saving sentient beings. Master has prepared everything for us. As long as our xinxing has reached the level and we have righteous thoughts and actions, we will definitely be able to successfully complete our mission of saving sentient beings. "Through righteous thoughts and righteous acts, Dafa disciples are establishing every aspect of their divinity, and are, at the same time, building the cosmos's future." (" To the Chicago Fa Conference")

If anything above is inappropriate, please kindly point it out.

Posting date: 8/20/2007
Original article date: 8/19/2007
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/8/9/160470.html

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