(Clearwisdom.net) Hello, respected Master! Hello, fellow practitioners!
My name is Chen Long, from Edinburgh, Scotland. Today I would like to share some of my experiences with you here. If something is not appropriate, please kindly point it out.
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and also the city where the Chinese Consulate is located. The peaceful appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate everyday was started by a local practitioner 3 years ago. Gradually more and more practitioners, both Chinese and Western, joined in. Even though I also joined, I never really understood its importance from the point of view of the Fa until this year. When the practitioner who has always been there needed to go abroad, I took over this task.
I remember in the first week, I had just found a job working a night shift from midnight to 5:00 am, which was very tiring. So everyday when I got home after work, the first thought that came to my mind was, "I need to get up in 2-3 hours' time, I will be very tired. Can I make it?" This strong ordinary human notion made me forget I am a practitioner. For a period of time, I practiced and sent forth righteous thoughts in front of the Chinese Consulate with this mentality. At that time, I regarded sitting in front of the Chinese Consulate as an ordinary people's task that had to be done. My status was not steady, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and I did not put my cultivation as the first priority.
One day when I was doing the exercises, an old Scottish man came over and said to me, "Young man, I have observed you for a few days, and I am really touched. Nowadays, there are very few young men like you. You are really brave. Carry on. What you are doing is great." When I heard this, tears rolled out of my eyes. I knew it is Master using this old man to encourage me. All the bad thoughts I used to have disappeared immediately, and instead a strong righteous thought and a sense of obligation of saving sentient beings filled the field surrounding me. I realized how lucky I was. Master has given me such an honorable mission, such a precious path of validating the Fa, but I regarded it as a heavy burden instead of treasuring it. If it is the case, how could I still call myself a Dafa disciple at this Fa rectification time? After this, I realized that I should use my cultivated side to validate the Fa rather than using an irrational ordinary people's mindset, because this is an opportunity of establishing our glory, not an extra contribution to Dafa.
Teacher said:
"Then as Dafa disciples, of course you should validate the Fa, that goes without saying. But everything that's done in validating the Fa is done for yourselves--not a single thing is done for me, and that includes the things I've told you to do. Since every Dafa disciple has to establish his own mighty virtue in the process of going towards Consummation--especially since you are beings forged by Dafa--you have demonstrated [your ability to do that] in validating the Fa. So all of what Dafa disciples do is magnificent. That includes what seem like the simplest things, such as handing out flyers, clarifying the truth to the world's people, sending righteous thoughts at the consulates and embassies, Dafa disciples validating the Fa in various ways to government, to society and the community, and to the media, etc.--all of it is establishing mighty virtue for yourselves, and all of it is the path that leads to the final Consummation. In other words, all the things you're doing, including the small and insignificant things, all of them are done for yourselves, and not a single thing is done for Dafa, nor is a single thing done for me, your master."
("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference")
The Chinese Consulate is located on a busy road with people and traffic coming and going all the time. Every day I stood on the opposite site of the Consulate doing the exercises and appealing peacefully. It is a good place for validating the Fa and clarifying the truth. As I was there everyday, I attracted a lot of attention. A lot of people curiously came over and asked me why I was there every day and started to ask about the truth of Falun Gong. Most of them were western people. I remember before when I clarified the truth to western people, I could not break through the language barrier. Before I started telling the truth, I thought in my mind that I could not do it well because my English was not good enough, which resulted in many western people missing the opportunity to know the truth. Later I remembered Master said that if you come across difficulties, do not walk around them. So I memorized some of the content of the English leaflets for clarifying the truth, at the same time, I sent forth righteous thoughts, asking Master to help me. By doing this I found that when I was clarifying the truth to western people, I received very good results. They all said they will always support us. Once when I was doing the exercises, two elderly ladies came over and said to me: "Young man, we would like to give you a kiss to express our thanks and support, because you let us see justice."
Apart from the time I was doing the exercise and sending forth righteous thoughts, I hardly missed anyone passing by, especially precious Chinese people. What was gratifying in the last few months was that most Chinese people accepted our Dafa material and some of them encouraged us to continue our appeal. Meanwhile, my shyness when I spoke English also disappeared. Now no matter where I am, either at the Chinese Consulate or other public places, I can naturally tell the truth in English. My English is getting more and more fluent, my truth clarification is getting better and better and the results received are getting better and better. My heart is also becoming calmer and calmer. In the past, when I was clarifying the truth to people or friends, I was anxious to succeed. Sometimes I even argued with them, which had the opposite effect. Instead of clarifying the truth, it made people misunderstand Dafa. Master said:
"Actually, with a lot of things if you calmly and gently talk to people and handle those things rationally, you'll find that your wisdom will flow forth like a spring, and every sentence of yours will get right to the point, and every sentence will speak the truth." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")
In the last few months sitting in front of the Chinese Consulate, I also came across some people who did not know the truth of Falun Gong and said something bad about Falun Gong. As I could keep calm, when they slandered Dafa, I would try to clarify the truth and at the same time send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil elements in their time space. I know it was because they were controlled by evil, and not themselves wanting to do it. As I was able to remain calm, when they slandered Dafa, I tried to clarify the truth and at the same time send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil elements in their time space. I knew it was because they were controlled by evil, and it was not themselves wanting to do it. So long as I sent out strong righteous thoughts, evil was not be able to stay. For example, once when I was doing the first exercise, I felt a Chinese man was standing behind me. So I gave him some Dafa materials. At the beginning, he listened to me explaining the truth and I also answered his questions. Later, he began to slander Falun Gong and tore to pieces some Dafa materials that I had given him. I realized he came to make trouble on purpose. I immediately started sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil force that was controlling him and continued clarifying the truth to him. He left straight away. He walked around the Chinese Consulate and went in. Later I was told that he was the Consul.
Since I am in charge of sitting at the Chinese Consulate, even though it has only been a few months, it is a turning point in my cultivation. I was able to get rid of a lot of my weaknesses and attachments. I now understand better and have also deeply experienced the profound meaning and purpose of cultivation. These changes in me cannot be separated from studying the Fa. Master said:
"The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." ("Drive Out Interference," Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Now every day before I go to the Chinese Consulate, I get up half an hour earlier to read the Fa. This half an hour reading is very effective; it not only gets rid of my sleepiness, but also makes my righteous thought stronger and stronger.
"Take a pause and look inward to strengthen righteous thoughts, be clearheaded about shortcomings to make further progress". (unofficial translation "Rational and Awaken," Hong Yin II)
Now even though I only sleep a few hours, I am still very energetic.
Now the appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate has become part of my life. I also use the opportunities of national Fa study and changing trains in London to go to the Chinese embassy to join the 24 hour peaceful appeal there. This way I am able to share experiences to learn how to do the three things better as Master asks, and learn through a lot of precious experiences.
Master said:
"In the not-too-distant future, the persecution and this form of cultivation that Dafa disciples have will draw to an end. (Applause) This first-of-its-kind form of cultivation where Dafa disciples are part of Fa-rectification while the cosmos undergoes Fa-rectification, along with the mighty-virtue exhibited by the Dafa disciples, and the magnificent feats that astonish the entire cosmos, they'll all come to an end very soon. (Applause)."
("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Washington DC Fa Conference")
In this last stage of Fa rectification, let's continue our righteous thoughts and righteous action, and complete our great aspiration since the remote past.
Thanks Master! Thanks fellow practitioners!