(Clearwisdom.net) This coming November will see the U.S. presidential election that takes place every four years. After finding out that the Democratic Party presidential candidates would come to North Carolina and hold a campaign activity one Saturday at the North Carolina State University, local practitioners realized that this would be a good opportunity to inform a lot of people about the persecution and the goodness of Falun Dafa.
The meeting site was scheduled to open to the public at 1 p.m., and the two candidates would then make an appearance and address the crowd at 4:30 p.m. Although all the practitioners are busy with many other activities related to Falun Dafa, some practitioners still proposed to go to the site early and distribute fliers so that people would have a chance to see Falun Dafa for what it truly is.
If we look at this from a non-cultivator's perspective, the rally is a political activity, and those who practice Falun Dafa should never participate in any politics. Teacher (1) said,
"Other than doing a good job with his work, a cultivator will not be interested in politics or political power of any sort; failing this, he absolutely isn't my disciple."
("Cultivation Practice is Not Politics" from Essentials for Further Advancement)
If we distribute fliers near the meeting site, will the organizers and the public misunderstand us? The practitioners taking part realized that as long as we keep a righteous mind and are clear on the fact that the purpose of our activity is only to tell people that "Falun Dafa is good," that the persecution has now been going on in China for the past five years, and also to inform them about the shooting incident in South Africa.
We wondered how we could distribute the fliers in a rational way? Teacher told us to think of others first in doing anything. We thought of the hosts and respected that it was their event so we chose a site near the entrance where we wouldn't cause a disturbance to those coming to the activity to distribute the fliers.
Some other practitioners practiced the five-sets of Falun Gong exercises in a grassy area nearby. A staff member came to inquire what we were doing, worrying that the practitioners' distributing fliers might have an adverse effect towards the candidates. We told him that we were not protesting the meeting and that we were only hoping to let people know the true situation of the persecution. Practitioners explained that one of the candidates clearly indicated (in his letter to some practitioners) his belief that the persecution of Falun Gong is a blatant act against human rights, and that he has been seeking for a dialogue with the Chinese Government with regards to the Falun Gong issue. The staff member was relieved, and he then proceeded to support and help the practitioners.
Although it was a very hot day, about 25,000 people showed up, far more than had been estimated. Most people accepted the fliers that we handed to them as they waited in line to enter. Over a thousand fliers were passed out in a short time. The practitioners present all realized that the fliers they prepared were not nearly enough. While waiting in line, many people read the fliers and some even started to talk about the persecution, finding the brutal torture used against Falun Dafa practitioners in China inconceivable. A lady returned to the practitioners after she read the fliers and asked the practitioners whether they had sought help from Amnesty International. Some even returned to ask for a few more fliers for their friends.
Some citizens and volunteers of the event gave practitioners several tickets, so some practitioners could go inside. They distributed informational packages to all the media present. Some reporters said that they already knew about the persecution of Falun Gong. Some practitioners hoped to get close to the stage so that they could have a chance to talk to the candidates and clarify the truth to them, but it was very crowded and they were not able to approach them.
At the Fa (2) study session on the next day, practitioners exchanged their experiences, thinking that the fliers were well prepared: they are very easy to carry, so people tend to accept them.
This is the first time practitioners in North Carolina clarified the truth at such an activity. Some opportunities were missed because we weren't familiar with the situation. The practitioners all stayed in only one area outside. They missed other areas and did not clarify the truth to the media and the politicians. Many Congressmen from North Carolina were present. They gave their greetings to the citizens on their way to the entrance. Had the practitioners done a better preparation job, they could have clarified the truth better to the politicians and media before the event started.
A practitioner shared his experience about distributing the fliers, saying: "It is very important to keep a righteous mind while passing out the fliers. Whether I truly cherish each flier and realize how solemn and precious the fliers are, and whether my mind is pure all the time. When my righteous thought is very strong, people can feel it. When I sincerely looked into their eyes for even one second, I could feel at that moment that their knowing side is very clear about how precious the fliers are."
Another practitioner said that when we cherish everyone we meet so that they could also share the truth about Falun Gong to their friends and relatives.
Notes:
(1) Teacher - referring to the founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi
(2) Fa - universal principle, Falun Dafa teachings
