(Clearwisdom.net) I do not really want to apply for asylum. The word "refugee," I think, does not sound good. In China I have a retirement fund and more than one house. How could I become a refugee in another country? If Jiang's regime did not persecute Falun Gong, I would not have to do this, so my application for asylum was submitted quite late.
When I arrived in Australia, my daughter picked me up at the airport. She played the "Pudu" and "Jishi" music in the car on the way back home. When I heard these melodies, I immediately broke down. I asked my daughter whether people here were allowed to practice and study the Fa. "Of course," my daughter answered. She told me there had been non-stop appeal for Falun Gong in front of the Chinese Embassy since the day the persecution started in China, and there were many activities in Chinatown to spread the Fa.
Several days later my daughter accompanied me twice to the Chinese Embassy and Chinatown, and she showed me how to take a train or bus to get there. Since then, I have gone to the Chinese Embassy every day to appeal, or to Chinatown to distribute materials. Sometimes I spend the morning at the Chinese Embassy and the afternoon in Chinatown. I feel very happy each day. In China, a practitioner would be arrested for just showing a small banner. Now I can hold a big banner in front of the Chinese Embassy every day with no fear of arrest. In fact, police even protect us! I very much treasure such an environment to clarify the truth and spread the Fa.
I do feel tired since I'm getting older, but I tried to help with housework when I came back from spreading the Fa. My daughter and son-in-law have jobs, and the three grandchildren are not old enough to help. No matter what, I would not let them take care of me after they worked the whole day. I tried to help as much as I could. Even my son-in-law, a non-practitioner, praised me, "Since Mom has come here, the meals have become much better and the house much cleaner." Just as Master taught us, I should do well for those around me to establish my mighty virtue. Otherwise, if I just do Dafa work and do not take care of anything at home, and others must take care of me because I practice Dafa, how can I cultivate myself?
Master teaches us to consider others at all times, so I try not to bother others. I go everywhere on a train or bus by myself, but it is not easy for me since I don't know the language. Sometimes a train schedule changes. As I listen to the announcement, I have no idea what is said. When I see people leaving, I deduce that there must be a schedule change.
I bring a note with me everywhere I go. My daughter wrote on this note the phone number, home address, the bus and the train that I take, and the stops and stations I go to. I get help everywhere as I proceed along the Fa rectification path. Although I don't know them, people always try to help me when they see the note. The Westerners use hand signs to tell me when we reach the stop at which I want to get off. Sometimes I am so tired that I fall asleep and miss my stop. Some drivers take the note from me and contact my daughter. Some send me to the bus that can take me back. One day it was already dark, and after delivering all the passengers at the last stop, the driver took me directly back home. My daughter said to me, "Mom, you are so lucky, going out to introduce Dafa and returning by a car especially for you." I knew that Master was helping me. I often saw wonderful scenes during my meditation in those days. I knew Master was encouraging me.
My daughter was busy moving and re-organizing a new home, and forgot to inform the immigration office of the new address. According to the regulations, if you forget to inform them of a new address and phone number, the asylum application would be voided. Nevertheless, I was so surprised! A miracle happened! The immigration office did not reject my application after not being able to contact me. Instead, they contacted a witness listed on my application and asked her to inform them of the new address and phone number. I realize that as long as I have righteous thoughts and act righteously, Master will help and miracles will happen.
Several months later my daughter bought a business and had to move again. The new place was far from downtown. Soon, the Chinese Embassy also moved to a place where there was no nearby train station. Now a roundtrip to the embassy took over four hours. Gradually, I went to the embassy less and less with the excuse that it was too far away. I also went to Chinatown less and less to distribute materials. I became more relaxed at home.
Seeing my daughter busy in her new business, I couldn't help but have strong emotions. I only have one daughter. I had helped to bring up my grandchildren for both of my sons but hadn't done anything to help my daughter with her three children. Now her business just started. I should help her.
I still felt uneasy just staying at home. I thought, "Today I stay at home and tomorrow I will go out to distribute materials." The next day, though, I would decide to delay another day. The evil will take any opportunity for exploitation. Out of the blue, my whole body developed something like eczema. My eyes swelled up so much that I could only open them a little bit, and I felt unbearably itchy. How could I go out to spread the Fa? It gave me an excuse to stay at home with more peace of mind. But I realized it was due to my attachments. Fellow practitioners agreed with this understanding when we shared our thoughts, so I strengthened my righteous thoughts every day and sent forth righteous thoughts at the correct hours each day. After sending forth righteous thoughts, I would look in the mirror to see whether the eczema my face had somewhat subsided. Of course the result was always disappointing. My daughter told me, "Mom, your thoughts are not pure."
Bad things do not happen alone. Another thing happened: the immigration service sent me a rejection letter for my asylum application. Another practitioner said to me, "Aunt, even after you have done so much for the Fa, they still rejected your application. It must come from the evil factors in other dimensions. We will send righteous thoughts for you." Others told me, "Many ordinary people were successful with their asylum applications in the name of Falun Gong. You have done so well but yours didn't pass. We should not acknowledge the evil factors in other dimensions persecuting our practitioners. We should send forth righteous thoughts!" I was unconvinced. I came back home and said, "It is so hard to become a refugee. Let me go back." My son-in-law, a non-practitioner, was worried and said to me, "Mom, you cannot go back! The Jiang regime is serious about arresting practitioners. You know, one of your daughters-in-law is still in prison." When I envisioned the arrest, I indeed did not want to go back.
My daughter said to me, "The reason that the evil fears practitioners is because practitioners go out to clarify the truth and expose them. You go out much less than before. I'm sure the evil is really happy to see it. They really want practitioners to stay at home, taking care of children, watching TV and being busy with work. They will be happy as long as we do not come out to assist Master in Fa rectification. In fact, the old forces also arrange things this way so that we are so busy with ordinary work that we do not have time to clarify the truth!"
That night, I couldn't fall asleep, and I kept thinking, "Take me as an example: When I was in a good state, they were supposed to reject me but didn't. Now they reject me. The persecution is evil, and the evil exploits my laxness. I am a practitioner. The Fa has many requirements of practitioners. I come to assist Master in Fa-rectification, but I use all kinds of excuses to stay at home."
I realized that if I didn't improve myself and make up for my loophole, it would not be possible to solve the problem through fellow practitioners and me sending forth righteous thoughts. Ordinary people talk about "having one's feet planted on solid ground," and practitioners talk about "Compliance is cultivation." I realized that I should spend more time clarifying the truth. Even though my reddish-colored face was not looking good, I should go to the Chinese Embassy in Canberra to send forth righteous thoughts. The evil torments me to prevent me from coming out, but I will take action against the persecution.
Although I made up my mind, I still felt a little timid. I had a bed at home, but I would not have a fixed place to sleep in Canberra. Here at home, the children listened to me and respected me. There, more older people gathered together, and everyone had his or her own habits, and got used to being respected at home. They could spread the Fa during the daytime and help at home at night; but I couldn't help my daughter with her big load of housework. I felt a little unbalanced. My daughter said to me, "We have come to assist Master in Fa-rectification. I have a business and am unable to go out. You cannot be dragged behind. The asylum application rejection indicates two things. First, you have a loophole; second, I didn't clearly explain the facts about Falun Gong in the application I wrote for you. Applying for asylum is just a formality against the persecution. Going out is the true action against the persecution. Although there are many practitioners in Canberra, every practitioner has his or her own attachments to eliminate through cultivation. If you decide to go but then don't go, the evils will be glad to see this."
I knew she was right. Going to Canberra was for the Fa, not for being respected. How could I be attached those kinds of things? I told my daughter, "Find out how I can go to Canberra! I will go there to make up for my omission. You stay at home to think how to clarify the truth more clearly and write another asylum application for me."
Once in Canberra, I did distribute many materials to Chinese tourists every day. Seeing them accepting the truth-clarifying materials, I felt very happy. Tourists and their drivers treated me very well. Some expressed their appreciation to me. In China we had to distribute the materials at night and return before daybreak. When it snowed, we would be afraid to go home since the visible footsteps might bring us trouble. I really valued the Canberra opportunities, and felt more energetic. No matter how many materials I distributed or how many exhibition boards I carried, I did not feel tired. Only when lying in bed at night did I have difficulty straightening my back.
Since it was not convenient to use the toilet, I was afraid to drink water during the day. I usually said a few words to people when I distributed the materials, so I felt really parched after a day of introducing the Fa. When coming back to the place we stayed, since most of other fellow practitioners were older, I used all my remaining energy to do housework. Practitioners were from different places and had different habits. None of us had perfect cultivation states and we often had conflicts. I was afraid to deal with these conflicts, but thinking of what Master said, I understood that we can't cultivate if everyone just smiled at each other. I tried to become more tolerant. I would do what others didn't want to do and eat what others didn't want to eat.
"Not caring about human pains and joys
A cultivator
Not being attached to worldly gains and losses
An Arhat"
("Leaping out of the Three Realms" from Hong Yin)
This poem of Master's often encouraged me. I knew I had not reached that level. Sometimes I felt upset, particularly when I heard that my youngest grandson had a car accident on the way to school. I thought that I couldn't even take care of my own grandchildren, but I had to take care of others. After studying the Fa I knew I was wrong.
While stepping out to clarify the truth, my eczema disappeared without my noticing, and my face became smooth. My asylum application also passed without going through a hearing. During the asylum application time, fellow practitioners helped me with my xinxing [heart or mind nature, moral character] improvement. I would like to express my deep appreciation here.
During the complicated asylum application process, when things did not go smoothly, I realized something. I think if we have loopholes, the evils will not hesitate to make use of them. We should take action to make up for it and step forward against the persecution. If we do so, then the evils will automatically be eliminated. During my clarifying the truth, I also deeply realized, "Cultivation depends on one's own efforts while the transformation of gong is done by the master."(from Zhuan Falun). As long as the disciples have righteous thoughts and righteous actions, and cultivate diligently, Master's mighty powers will manifest.
