(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am a Dafa disciple from Indiana. The year of 1996 holds a special significance in my life. That summer, I was fortunate to obtain the Fa and begin cultivation. In the blink of an eye, 15 years have passed, and from an elementary school student, I have grown up to become a teacher. I was the youngest girl at the practice site then, and now I’m a Dafa disciple who is maturing day by day. Thinking back to before July 1999 when the evil Party started persecuting Dafa, those three precious years of group Fa study and practice planted Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance deeply in my young heart. After July 20, 1999, every time I went out to distribute truth clarification materials, send letters, clarify the facts, or post posters, I faced a life and death choice. Because of Master’s protection, time and again the situation would be startling but not threatening, and the danger would pass. In January 2008, with Master’s compassionate care and strengthening, I left China and came to Ohio in the U.S. As I have faced many challenges on my cultivation path, words cannot express the immeasurable gratitude that I have for our compassionate and mighty Master. I have become more firmly determined to help Master rectify the Fa, save sentient beings, walk well the path that Master arranged, and fulfill my prehistoric vows. Here, I would like to share with everyone my cultivation experience in participating in Shen Yun promotion and making phone calls to urge mainland Chinese to quit the CCP.
Participating in Shen Yun Promotion to Quickly Save People
A. I can drive on the highway!
Shen Yun came to Cincinnati in December, 2008. Because there were very few local practitioners, practitioners from other cities in Ohio traveled to Cincinnati to help with ticket sales. The city that I lived in was three and a half hours from Cincinnati by car. At that time, I couldn’t drive yet, but I wanted to participate and save people, too, so beginning in October, fellow practitioners picked me up every weekend. It was snowing hard one night, and a fellow practitioner drove over two hours just to pick me up. On our way to Cincinnati, the snow became heavier, and we couldn’t clearly see the road ahead of us. I asked her, “Is it okay?” She said, “No problem. We are determined to go there to sell tickets, and even if it's raining knives, we have to get there. Please send forth righteous thoughts.” Her words showed me her steadfast heart, and I thought I should learn to drive and not bother fellow practitioners anymore.
Then, in March 2009, Columbus hosted Shen Yun, so in January I started going to Columbus to sell tickets every weekend. A practitioner a few years younger than I came to pick me up. She lived almost two hours from my school, and it’s over two hours from my place to Columbus, so picking me up made the drive almost four hours from her place to Columbus. Once when she came, as I walked out of my house, I saw that she was tired, so I asked, “What if you let me drive?” Hers thoughts were very pure, and she said, “Sure, I can take a break.” Then she gave me the keys. At that time, I had only passed the written driving test and only knew simple things like stepping on the brake and the accelerator. I had never driven on the highway, let alone driven at night. But I didn’t think much about it and just took the keys, played the CD of Master’s lectures, and got on the highway towards Columbus. The other practitioner was indeed very tired and soon fell asleep. Under Master’s protection, I successfully drove over two hours to Columbus. After that, I could drive on the highways.
Master said in “Teaching the Fa in New York City” (1997),
“But although you can’t see me in person, as long as you practice cultivation, I’m actually right by your side. And as long as you practice cultivation, I can be responsible for you all the way to the end; what’s more, I’m looking after you every single moment.”
On January 31, 2009, I drove with that practitioner at night to Columbus to sell tickets again. It was very cold and had snowed for several days, so the road was icy and very hard to drive on.
Before we left, we were afraid that it might be too slippery to drive on the highway, so we began driving on the less-trafficked side roads to see how slippery the roads were before venturing out on the highway. On the side road the car went out of control and started spinning in a circle. I cried out, "Master! Master!" Finally, the car slid into a ditch and came to a stop, sticking up at a 45-degree angle. Seeing that my fellow practitioner behind the wheel was OK, I cried out excitedly, "Thank you, Master!" A tow truck came and the driver and his assistant were surprised that there was nothing wrong with us, and there wasn't any damage to the car.
After being pulled out of the ditch, we set out again, but the conditions had become worse. The icy road made the car bounce up and down. After a while, we entered the highway. At that time, we were over 40 minutes away from Columbus. I called a practitioner in Columbus who said, "It's still snowing here and it's very difficult to drive. We have enough manpower to sell the tickets tomorrow. Please don’t drive any further. Just turn back and go home."
Since we knew there was enough manpower in Columbus, we decided to find an exit and turn around. Within a minute, we found an exit. I read the sign carefully and saw it was the name of the city where I live. We both thought that what we saw had to be wrong, because the city I live in was to the north, while we were driving south. Both of us looked at the GPS simultaneously. The GPS had somehow changed its destination to my home address. It showed that we would arrive at my home in four minutes.
The practitioner on the phone was still concerned about us, wondering whether we had found an exit to turn around and head home. I told her excitedly, "Master has delivered us back home." When she heard that we had already arrived safely, and that it took us four minutes to travel a distance that would have taken an hour and a half, she said, "Master has teleported you along with the car in another dimension. Thank you, Master!"
B. Study the Fa well, and seize the time to save people
Master said in “Drive Out Interference” in Essentials for Further Advancement II,
“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.”
Daily Fa study is my happiest time. Every day, I study Zhuan Falun and Master’s lectures in different areas and new articles. While studying, I don’t aim at studying quickly or set a goal of studying a certain number of pages. Whenever I’m studying the Fa, I immediately become calm, as if I'm totally separated from the outside world. I feel that every cell of my body is being assimilated to the Fa, and my whole body and mind dissolves into the Fa, and I am always moved to tears by Master’s boundless compassion. When studying the Fa, I repeatedly discover my human notions and attachments, and use Dafa’s Fa principles to rectify these human notions and eliminate the attachments. I realize that my human notions have been reduced over time, and I can feel my righteous thoughts becoming stronger.
Because of Fa study, I am increasingly aware of the urgency to save people, but I also constantly remind myself to seize the time and save more. During the year and a half that I studied for my Master's degree in Ohio, I took 36 credits of classes, worked as a teaching assistant for 20 hours every week, participated in promotions for Shen Yun in two local cities, reported on five Shen Yun shows in four cities in the Midwest, and acted as a reporter, editor, and translator. With Master’s guidance, I was able to handle everything well.
In mid-July, 2009, I finished my Master’s thesis and graduated. In mid-August, I was offered a job with a public school in Indiana and became a Chinese language teacher. I work five days a week, teaching 120 high school students in six classes every day and have to prepare a Chinese curriculum for three different levels. Apart from teaching, I spend almost all my time on Dafa projects. Beginning in October 2010, almost every weekend I have driven back and forth for over four hours to participate in local Shen Yun promotion. Many times, I've spent the entire day, on Saturdays and Sundays, selling tickets in the mall. When my body feels very tired and I want to take a break and sit for a while, Master’s Fa in Zhuan Falun will appear in my mind: “When it’s difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it’s impossible to do, you can do it.” Then, I am able to endure it. As I drive to the mall, I listen to Master’s lectures or the CDs of the Shen Yun Performing Arts Chorus Concert. Whether I encounter heavy rain, heavy snow, heavy fog, or thunderstorms at night, I always feel very steady and courageous, because I know that Master is, in fact, right beside me.
C. Purifying myself repeatedly, not blocking sentient beings’ paths home
Master said in, “Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference,”
“What Dafa disciples are doing here is validating the Fa, and they are Disciples of Fa who are saving sentient beings, and have tremendous missions. Put another way, they are emissaries of the Divine.”
I feel that I am delivering a divine message, and I am imparting to sentient beings their hope to enter the future. When I’m at the ticket selling location, I put down all my human notions and only think about selling tickets and saving people. I know that I must purify myself and not let my notions block sentient beings’ path home.
1. Being Punctual
One day it was snowing heavily, but right after I arrived at the ticket booth, someone came and bought two tickets. This incident made a big impression on me. I thought, “What if the people who are supposed to buy tickets had come before I arrived, then wouldn’t I have let down predestined people and they would have missed the show? Wouldn’t that have been my sin?”
Another time, I was selling Shen Yun tickets for Chicago in a mall in northwest Indiana. My home was over two hours away, and there was also an hour time difference. Ticket sales were supposed to end at 9 p.m., and by the time I had packed up everything and driven home, it would be 12:30 a.m. I was very tired that day, and seeing that not many people were in the mall at that time, I left 10 minutes early. As a result, the GPS took me on a side road, which took an hour longer, and by the time I got home it was 1:30 a.m. From this incident I realized that I had made a mistake, and I shouldn’t have left early. Dafa disciples must fulfill our vows to sentient beings.
2. Perseverance
During advance ticket sales this year, I participated in making phone calls to sell tickets. My heart was heavy when I looked at the phone numbers assigned to me. These phone numbers were very precious, because we had collected them from many different activities. Before I made each phone call, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil that might interfere with the being that I was calling and prevent him or her from buying Shen Yun tickets. Some people bought tickets immediately over the phone, but some said that they needed time to consider, so I would set up a time to call them again and remind them. Once when I made a phone call, the customer said she wanted to buy six tickets, but at the time she was busy switching jobs, so she would buy the tickets later. After I had, according to the times we arranged, called her for the fourth time, she said, “Thank you for reminding me. I always take your phone number with me. This show is so beautiful, and I don’t want to miss it. Please make sure you call me again to remind me to buy the tickets.” I immediately made another appointment to call her again, because I know that this life’s knowing side wished to be saved.
3. Memorable episodes from selling tickets
a. Once, after thanking a couple that had just bought tickets, I noticed that one lady had almost gotten to the door of a store. Because I was busy earlier, I missed introducing Shen Yun to her. I didn’t want her to miss it, so I said loudly, “Shen Yun performance, the world’s best show.” She stopped and turned around to look at me. I hurriedly walked towards her with a Shen Yun album, and while introducing the show to her, I brought her to our booth. She followed me and watched the promotional video on the television without blinking. She turned around and signaled to me excitedly. Only then did I realize that she was mute and couldn’t speak. I showed her the seating chart and showed her the seats with different colors and prices. She immediately pointed at two expensive seats in the middle. When I gave her the tickets, I was in tears, and she was in tears too. I thought, “These are the tears of joy a being has after being saved!”
b. One time as I introduced Shen Yun to a man, as soon as I mentioned that Shen Yun was the best present one could give to family members and friends, his eyes began to shine and he bought two $120 tickets. When I gave him the tickets, he said excitedly, “Thank you! Thank you! My mother is 87 now. I have always wanted to give her a special birthday present. Today, I’ve found it. I think this is the best present that a son can give his mother!”
c. Another time, I introduced Shen Yun to a couple. The man was very interested and said he wanted to see it, but he didn’t have the money just then. The woman was pulling the man away and just wanted to leave. I hurriedly took a Shen Yun album and handed it to the man, turning the pages while introducing Shen Yun to him. He was very happy and started reading the album. I then walked over to the woman and said quietly, “You see, this performance is so beautiful, and you husband really likes it. If you bring your family to see this show together, it will become the most precious memory of your life.” The woman watched the promotional video, then she looked at her husband, who was mesmerized by the album, and she seemed to agree with me. She said that they didn’t have enough money just then and would need to wait till the end of the month when they were paid so they could buy the tickets. I asked which day was their pay day, and it was precisely the last day we would be selling tickets there. So I told them, “You must come buy the tickets that day, and I will wait here until you come.”
When the day the couple was to be paid came, it was 5 p.m. and time for us to close the booth, but the couple still hadn’t come. But I kept the thought that they would definitely come and buy the tickets. Their lives came to this earth, waiting countless eons to be saved, so I knew they definitely wouldn’t miss this precious opportunity. I found the manager of the store and said, “This is our last day here. I really appreciate the support you gave us. I still have one customer who hasn’t come; I hope that you could let us stay here for two more hours.” The manager immediately agreed. During the whole process, I sent forth righteous thoughts for the couple. At 7 p.m., just as I was about to pack up and leave, I saw the couple rushing towards me, saying, “We will buy four tickets! Sorry for making you wait. We tried to come at five, but our car broke down on the way and we had to get it fixed. We didn’t expect you to wait for us for over two hours. At first, we thought that it might be too late and you might have left. But we remembered the other day you said you would wait till we came, so we thought we should come and try. We really appreciate how you still waited for us! We will buy four tickets.” I was very touched and thought that they may have waited thousands of years for these four tickets, while I only had to wait two hours. I was really happy for them.
d: Another time, after buying two expensive tickets, an exquisitely dressed lady stood next to me, listening to me introducing Shen Yun to passersby. Before she left, she shook my hand for a long time and said excitedly, “Thank you. I believe this show is the best in the world. Please keep up what you are doing, and one day, people will appreciate what you did today.”
During ticket sales, I was often touched by these sentient beings that were waiting to be saved. Every year during the Shen Yun show, Master always arranges for me to meet some of the people who bought tickets from me at the theater. I know that this is Master’s encouragement to me. Master said in Zhuan Falun, “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while transforming gong is done by one’s master.” As long as we have the heart to save people, Master will bring predestined people to us.
Making Phone Calls to Urge People to Quit the CCP; Urgently Saving People
Master said in “Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference:”
“This is the Great Law of the cosmos, after all, and for the countless sentient beings, it's an opportunity that is hard to come by. It is here just this once, and if they can remain, they will remain; if they cannot, then they will disappear forever. So I feel that we need to keep doing this and keep saving them. If the people who had obtained the Fa today were not you but others, and you were the ones in that circumstance and counted among the ordinary people, think about it: wouldn't you be deserving of pity? And as for the Chinese people, who suffer the most severe persecution, they are persecuted to that extent only on account of the old forces' trying to interfere with you. So there is even more reason for you to save them.”
This year, when I came back from the Washington, DC, Fa Conference, I realized the urgency of saving people, so from mid-August, I started making truth clarification phone calls to mainland China to urge people to quit the CCP. At night, before sending forth righteous thoughts at midnight, I make phone calls for half an hour to an hour. The first time I made the calls, Master encouraged me, and I was able to help five people quit the CCP. Every time when I pick up the phone, I first send forth righteous thoughts, so that while clarifying the truth the person will feel that we are wholeheartedly doing this for his or her own good. Actually, the sentient beings are really waiting for the truth and for Dafa to save them. Here, I will share two short stories.
Story 1: Usually, I can help one or several people quit the CCP every few minutes. But for one phone number, I called twice, and the man who picked up the phone wouldn’t listen to me either time. The first time, he was driving, and the second time, he was in a meeting. The third time I called him, I sent forth righteous thought to let this being hear the truth, and I thought that I must help him quit the CCP that day. As soon as the call connected, I started telling him that quitting the CCP could ensure his safety. From the conversation, I gathered that he had joined the Young Pioneers and the Communist Youth League, but he was afraid to quit, so I told him that gods and Buddhas only look at one’s heart, and he only needed to use a pseudonym. I then told him the IP address of Dynaweb. However, he said he couldn’t go to the website despite trying several times. So I held my palm erect and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil that interfered with him learning the truth and told him not to be anxious. In the end, he was able to go to the website and download anti-censorship programs. Then I told him the facts about Dafa and discovered that he didn’t know the truth about the fabricated Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident, so I patiently told him about it. He quietly listened. After clarifying the truth, I told him, “It's because of a predestined relationship that I can talk to you. I am wholeheartedly doing this for your own good. I wholeheartedly want you to be safe and avoid disasters. Let me help you quit the Young Pioneers and the Communist Youth League.” He started speaking, “I will quit, I will quit. I picked up three calls from you. The first two times it was inconvenient for me to answer the call, but this time you talked to me so sincerely; I understand everything you say. You are doing something so good. Thank you.”
Story 2: Another time, after helping someone quit the CCP, I told him the facts about Dafa and “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” He suddenly asked, “Master Li Hongzhi is not in China now, how can he protect us?” I told him, “Gods and Buddhas only look at people’s hearts. You are a kind person. When gods and Buddhas see that sincere heart of yours, they will certainly protect you in times of calamity.” He hurriedly said, “Then, please send my greetings to Master Li Hongzhi. I will remember what you told me. Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” On the other end of the line, my tears were flowing nonstop, and I said with him, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!”
Thank you, Master! Thank you for choosing me to be your disciple. I feel that I am the most fortunate life in the cosmos. Even if I were to exhaust all human languages, I would still be unable to express the infinite gratitude that I have for Master. I can only be more and more diligent, seize the time to save more people, and save people more quickly, help Master rectify the Fa, save sentient beings, fulfill my prehistoric vows, reach consummation and follow Master to return home.
My level is limited. Please kindly point out any inappropriate understanding.
Thank you, our compassionate and mighty Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
From the 2011 Mid-USA Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference
