(Clearwisdom.net)
Our Footprints are All Over Manhattan; Clarifying the Truth All Over New York City
(By a Falun Gong practitioner from Washington, DC)
Since mid August we have taken to the streets of Manhattan every weekend to clarify the truth about Falun Gong and distribute flyers. Other than holding torture exhibits in busy streets, I almost always held up an exhibition board. One side of the board chronicles facts of the persecution; the other side gives an introduction to Falun Gong. I stood near a subway entrance intersection. I held the board in one hand, flyers in the other. I directed the board toward the area where there were the most people, and many people accepted a flyer.
If we speak at the same time we hand out flyers and hold up the board, the effect is better. Even if passers-by don't take accept a flyer, they would hear us or see the board. I noticed that many people took flyers out of sympathy after they read the facts of the persecution. Several people tried to give me money or iced tea. I thanked them but didn't accept anything from them. Once, a girl looking like a student stood next to me, waiting for the light to change. I asked if she wanted a flyer, but she said no. She shook her head. But when she read "Stop Persecuting Falun Gong in China!" on the board she said, "Sorry" and took a flyer. We should do our best and provide people with the opportunity to be saved. Master is the one who saves people!
At first, I stood at one place for half a day or longer at a time and often didn't eat anything until 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. Some people passed me by several times a day. At first they refused to take a flyer. After they had passed me several times, they took one. When I first saw practitioners walking around with boards I didn't think it was a great idea. Later, when we held a torture photo exhibit at Sixth Avenue and 52nd Street, we saw many people, so we formed into groups of two. I held the board high and another practitioner distributed flyers. Although many passers-by didn't take a flyer, I observed that they looked at the boards from a distance.
On Sunday, September 26, we walked to Madison Avenue. We saw police officers all over the place. They said it was a Muslim holiday and there was going to be a parade in the afternoon. We found out that if only one police officer was on duty, he or she would take a flyer and listen to us clarifying the truth; however, if there were two or more officers, they would refuse to take a flyer, saying they were on duty. They know China is under dictatorship, but they don't know why the government would persecute Falun Gong. I told one officer that former dictator Jiang was envious and could not tolerate so many people believing in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance. When I told them the former dictator also controlled the Chinese military, he believed me totally. When I talked about jealousy, I mentioned the fairy tale Snow White and I used it to illustrate Jiang's envy, likening Jiang to the queen in the story.
When the Muslim parade group passed us, we turned the exhibition boards toward them. After the parade, everyone gathered at 23rd Street where many street vendors were present. We held up boards and distributed two bags of flyers. We even had the opportunity to talk to some of them; no one refused us.
Some practitioners paired up and walked around to clarify the truth. The outcome was very good. We realized there are 16 main north-south avenues, including Park Avenue, Madison Avenue, Lexington Avenue and Broadway. If we have two practitioners standing on each side of the street, we would need 64 practitioners. Starting from the south end of Manhattan, it's approximately six miles to reach 86th Street, and we can walk this distance easily in one day. We will have left our footprints behind all over Manhattan. Other practitioners can do it their own way. The people would feel our omnipresence and they would want to know the cause.
This "walking" truth clarification effort, to allow people to hear or see the truth, is like a Great Wall of Courage. We won't block traffic, we don't need a permit and we don't need to spend money on advertising. As the old forces are restricting the mainstream media, this is an effective way to break away from the old forces' arrangements.
In the past month, we discovered many ways to clarify the truth, not only through a torture exhibit but also by way of a torture picture exhibit, entertaining shows, speeches, movie viewing. Coming into contact with anyone it is a good opportunity to clarify the truth to that person. When we park our car, when we buy fast food, when we ask for directions at a gas station, we can use these opportunities to clarify the truth to the predestined people who cross our paths, and we should not let the opportunity slip. Once, I went to have a document notarized and gave the clerk a flyer and a VCD. She was very happy and grateful.
All in all, as long as we always remember we are Dafa practitioners, opportunities are everywhere. Master's fashen is arranging everything so we can offer salvation to more people.
The above are some of my suggestions and experiences. Please point out anything inappropriate.
Breaking Through the Language Barrier and Clarifying the Truth in Manhattan
(By a practitioner from Taiwan)
I realized it is an urgent matter to clarify the truth in Manhattan, part of Falun Dafa practitioners' sacred mission. After making arrangements with family and at work, we took off for Manhattan.
No one in our group speaks English, so before we left, I prepared some simple dialogue in English and Chinese. I made banners and pictures and downloaded truth clarification audio from Clearwisdom.
However, when we first stood near Time's Square and were face to face with the tall Westerners, we were afraid and overwhelmed.
After sharing with fellow practitioners how to overcome the language barrier, we realized we are validating the Fa and we should work as one whole body, so that we as particles form a field of righteous thoughts and fully utilize every practitioner's strength.
Drawing from what we learned during the two previous days, we used the least number of practitioners to hold banners and picture boards. One or two practitioners distributed flyers, while the rest of the practitioners did the Falun Gong exercises. We created a good field and the outcome was very good.
People constantly stopped by to look at the pictures and take flyers. They asked us questions and looked shocked. Some wanted to learn the exercises. At first we could only use gestures with one or two English words, but they seemed to understand. But we thought, "Wouldn't it be great if we could clarify the truth clearly and thoroughly!" Soon, an English-speaking practitioner came and helped us, so we would not miss the predestined people.
Every time before we settled down to clarify the truth, we corrected our mindsets and formed a benevolent field. English-speaking practitioners always came to help us so we complemented each other and worked well as a whole body.
Everyone who learned the truth during this process responded kindly. They said, "We support you;" "we wish you success;" "good luck", "God bless you." More and more people learned the truth.
From this trip to Manhattan I learned that the presence of a single Dafa practitioner has righteous power. Once we break through human notions such as "I can't do this, I can't do that" we can do everything. As long as our xinxing is up to the standard and we are well prepared, a benevolent look and a kind smile and greeting would work in Manhattan to do what we are set out to do.
A Truth Clarification Trip to Manhattan
(By a Dafa practitioner from Taiwan)
On September 20, 2004, we arrived in the center of world commerce and finance, Manhattan.
Scene one: we felt this was a very important historic mission. After we dropped our baggage at the hotel, we wanted to go out and clarify the truth. We went near Time's Square, but everyone was in a hurry and ignored us. Some practitioners traveled a long distance to awaken these people. In the evening we went to the Time's Square again but people were still in a hurry. Two practitioners sat down, sent forth righteous thoughts and did the meditation. Two practitioners distributed pamphlets and clarified the truth, and one practitioner held the board. When we played Falun Gong music, the whole atmosphere changed. Many people looked at the boards and the practitioners who were doing the meditation, and we were shorthanded in giving out the flyers. The changes were simply magical. People supported and encouraged us, and some learned the exercises. We left at 11:00 p.m. and were going to come back on the next day.
Scene two: after sending forth righteous thoughts at 6:00 a.m., we decided to go to a subway station. We saw people in suits going in all directions. We smiled and held up the boards, hoping to give them the most precious gift in their life. They were in a great hurry but some smiled and took a flyer from us. We were happy for them.
Scene three: After we entered a subway station, people who didn't take the flyer on the street took it in the station. Almost everyone asked for the flyer. We were truly happy for them.
Scene four: after we sent forth righteous thoughts at noon, we saw a man sitting beside us doing some exercise gestures. We thought he was a fellow practitioner. When we asked he said he was passing by, and he felt energy passing through his body. He was curious, so he sat with us. We gave him a flyer.
Scene five: Battery Park. Today is Saturday and we originally planned to clarify the truth on Ellis Island, but the police said we were not allowed to take flyers and display boards onto the island. After a discussion we decided not to go to the island but stay where we were and do the meditation and distribute flyers. The music attracted all the people who were waiting for the ferry. There were people from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., and many of them looked at the boards and took flyers.
On our way back, we passed by a fair, and many people looked at the boards and asked us how to learn Falun Gong.
Scene six: today is Sunday, our last day in Manhattan. We again went to the
ferry terminal but there were no many tourists in the morning. Crowds of people
arrived at 11:30 a.m. All of us got tanned in the sunshine, but we were not
deterred in our determination to offer people salvation. Today everyone who
speaks English clarified the truth and we distributed all of our flyers. Our
hearts felt warm and fulfilled.
Practitioners from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan clarify the truth on the streets of Manhattan.
