December 15, 2003

(Clearwisdom.net)

There are 150 families in our village. After someone first obtained the Fa in 1997, more than 40 people were practicing Dafa by July 20, 1999. After July 20, 1999, two local Dafa volunteer assistants were abducted by the authorities and illegally put into detention. The rest of practitioners were often harassed, called into the police station, threatened and put under surveillance day and night. Our relatives and families were also persecuted. Under such an immense burden, Dafa practitioners were not intimidated because of their determined and indestructible faith in Dafa. They continued studying the Fa and practicing at home, exchanging their experiences often with each other. They took advantage of every opportunity to tell the truth about Dafa to their friends and relatives. They promoted and validated the Fa to people rationally, based on true local stories by word of mouth and personal encounters. More new practitioners gradually joined the Dafa group. Now the entire village knows that Dafa is good and everyone praises Dafa.

Fa Study

During the past four years of Fa-rectification cultivation, the Dafa practitioners in this village forged a solid, inseparable group, with practitioners assuming their own roles to be responsible to themselves, and to sentient beings. Whenever they had questions or areas in which they lacked understanding, they would use the excuse of borrowing things or visiting so that several practitioners could get together. They took advantage of the opportunity to discuss and exchange experiences. They strove to raise their levels by checking their cultivation based on the teachings of the Fa.

They started studying the Fa and practicing in private after July 20, 1999. After they became more mature in the Fa rectification, more than a dozen people would gather doing group study and practice. They formed new practice sites. The advancement of new practitioners also encouraged veteran practitioners to practice more diligently. Their open and aboveboard attitude, coupled with their rational and free behavior was well known by people near and far. Many times the deputies would come and try to track down the practitioners who posted Dafa flyers. Every time, the local village officials and people would block their efforts. Because the local Dafa practitioners had set such good examples, a lot of practitioners from nearby villages as well as from other areas came for experience sharing and discussions. At the same time, local practitioners were invited to go to other areas to exchange their experiences. This formed a much broader coverage for all practitioners to exchange experiences.

Clarifying the Truth

All local practitioners had fairly good understanding of the Fa rectification by Teacher. To save sentient beings, they clarified the truth to people and exposed the evil lies. Even new practitioners also participated by coming forward and putting Dafa materials in the hands of the people using a variety of innovative methods. This contrasted with the early days when they could only do so at night. They clarified the truth in turns and consistently. Overall, every family and everyone in the village had been reached and touched. A 68-year-old Dafa practitioner had achieved good results with people who were quite stubborn by using his own personal story.

Use every opportunity to clarify the truth: It was never a simple and isolated undertaking when Dafa practitioners visited each other, went to the market, or visited relatives and friends. They would clarify the truth in a few short sentences when they were at the market. However, when they visited relatives and friends it would be an opportunity for more in depth discussion until others truly recognized that "Falun Dafa is good." When they went to the hospital to visit patients, they also clarified the truth to doctors, nurses, patients and their relatives . A female practitioner said, "I don't care who comes to my house, even if my own brothers come, I will discuss nothing but how good Dafa is."

Once a Falun Gong practitioner came across twenty people resting near the field, and she knew only one of them. She exchanged greetings with the acquaintance. When her friend asked, "You look great. Looks like you are in good shape." In order for everyone to hear, she replied loudly, "People who practice Falun Gong are all healthy." She then went further, "You must be a good citizen as a Falun Gong practitioner. If you have a high standard of morality and virtue, then you will enjoy good health." She went on to tell the truth about the persecution, the defamation by China Central TV (CCTV), the fabricated charges, and why Falun Gong practitioners strive to be good people and will never commit wrongdoings. She told them a lot with her compassionate heart in front of all the unfamiliar faces. They also raised questions, which she answered one by one. Everyone liked her stories. Someone even said, "I better let a member of my own family start practicing, since her health is not good..."

Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts

Before they went anywhere to clarify the truth, all practitioners would study the Fa to adjust their mindset properly. Upon return, they would check their experience against the teachings of the Fa and determine whether their mindset and attitude met the standard of the Fa while clarifying the truth. Teacher said in "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference,"

"As for whether the result is good, don't look at the other party, it comes from your minds. If you want it to be good then it will be good. And if you don't intend to make it good, or if your mind is unsteady, then it won't be easy to rectify things. In other words, you need to have strong righteous thoughts. If you're thinking, " I'm truly saving you. I'm truly telling you the facts," then the result will be good."

In addition to sending forth righteous thoughts in their own home at predetermined hours, they would send forth righteous thoughts before going out to clarify the truth so that all interference would be purged. They always send forth righteous thoughts before group study and practice. If they noticed that any fellow practitioner suffered from tribulations or was encountering interference, they would send forth righteous thoughts as a group to eradicate bad things with good results. As such, they seldom experience interference among practitioners.

A fellow practitioner, Liu, had experienced interference twice with stroke-like symptoms. The first time her face was contorted and she became unconscious for 8 hours. The second time she fainted suddenly and all four limbs became stiff. She passed out for one whole night. After she woke up the next day she could not move freely and could not talk coherently. More than ten practitioners formed a circle around her to send forth righteous thoughts. She regained her senses right away and fully recovered after five days. Other people who witnessed these two recoveries without any medicine and hospitalization were awed. Just about every nearby village had people who suffered strokes. Most of them ended up either paralyzed or moving with a cane. The miracle that took place with a Dafa practitioner made people truly appreciate the wonder of Dafa.

The news spread far and wide, and each day there were people coming to this practitioner's home to inquire about the details. This naturally presented itself as an excellent opportunity to clarify the truth. It was no wonder that afterwards groups of people who learned the truth about Dafa started their own journey on the path of cultivating Falun Gong.

New and Veteran Practitioners Strive Diligently Together

With the help of veteran practitioners, new practitioners improved quickly. 70-year-old practitioner Mrs. Wang started to experience body cleansing after just 20 days of practicing Dafa. The heart conditions that she suffered before recurred twice. Just as her children were trying to get her to the hospital and make funeral arrangements, Mrs. Wang woke up and told them, "Please don't be worried and scared. This is Teacher cleansing my body." Then she got up and walked back to the house. Her family members and neighbors who witnessed this were all amazed. They felt from deep in their heart the miracle of Dafa. Especially her son and grandson, who never believed such stories, now all witnessed it first hand with their own eyes. They were both overjoyed and ashamed since they could not repay Dafa for saving the life of Mrs. Wang. From this point on they actively supported their mother and wife in practicing Falun Gong. Another practitioner returned a garment that he picked up 20 years ago to the owner after just practicing less than 20 days.

All practitioners held themselves to a high standard in the course of cultivation, constantly examining their conduct according to the requirements of Dafa. They let things take place naturally so as not to disrupt the cultivation arrangement of Teacher. Once during a market day, none of the seven assistants felt like going to the market so they loaned their bicycles to others. But after breakfast, each of them went walking out into the village and ended up at the market. They greeted each other but wondered why they had all arrived at the market. After they all somehow met at the market they did not do anything there, but instead they all went to a practitioner's home. So in a short period, ten practitioners from 8 different villages had a 4- hour-long experience sharing session. This was truly a mini experience sharing conference arranged by Teacher.

At the same time all of the practitioners recognized that caring about each and every fellow practitioner, helping each other to make progress in understanding the Fa is by itself assimilating to the Fa. So they often visited all 8 different hamlets governed by the village and exchanged experiences at each practice site. They talked with practitioners who suffered long-term tribulations or interference and helped them to raise their understanding of the Fa. They also sent forth righteous thoughts as a group to eradicate the evil interference. For example, two practitioners, Chen and Mi, had suffered tribulations for ten months. After visiting them several times and sending forth righteous thoughts as a group, these two practitioners finally broke through the old forces' arrangement and reached the proper state that a Dafa practitioner deserves.

With such exemplary conduct, everyone around this village was well aware of them. They all praise the boundless grace, the blessing of Teacher, and the mighty power of
Dafa. Everywhere you go, whether it is in the fields, around the houses and courtyard, or in streets and alleyways, you can hear people discussing, "If everyone were like those who practice Falun Gong, then we would not need deputies to manage us; there would be no need for the police or hospitals. We would not have to worry about locking the door at night." "We wouldn't be complaining that our children do not respect and take care of their elders." "It is so shameful that CCTV keeps on slandering and lying about Falun Gong." "Just look at those who practice Falun Gong; they strive for self-improvement without having to depend on educational meetings (for raising awareness). Why is the government prohibiting them from practicing?"

In the course of cultivation, Dafa practitioners realized that the cosmos has accommodated all lives and beings. Dafa practitioners must constantly purify themselves to reach the higher standard through their cultivation. To accomplish the three tasks set forth by Teacher is to save sentient beings, and that is the sacred mission of all Dafa practitioners. Teacher said in his article, "Dafa is Indestructible,"

"As a Dafa disciple, everything of yours is formed by Dafa and is the most righteous, and it can only be that [you] rectify everything that is not righteous.....Why did Fa-rectification have to be done? Because the beings in the cosmos no longer met the standard."

These Dafa practitioners have been quietly and resolutely cultivating during the Fa-rectification process, clarifying the truth, and saving sentient beings.