(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings, respected Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
There are two parts to my sharing today.
Part I: Going to the Tuidang Center and Portsmouth Square Persistently on Weekdays to Persuade People to Quit the CCP
Master told us,
“the most important goal for you in clarifying the truth is to save even more beings in the process.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference”)
Therefore, in the process of clarifying the truth and persuading people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), facing different people and different environments, I would use different approaches and topics. Clarifying the truth has fully penetrated my life. For example, when encountering predestined people on the subway, I would thoroughly clarify the truth to them. I would also use inspirational examples.
It takes a long time to clarify the truth to some people. One day there was a woman in her thirties with two children who sat next to me after boarding the train. I knew that Master’s fashen had led her here. After greeting her, we started to chat. She was from Guangdong, so I started chatting about Guangdong’s food and culture, traditional culture in general, and children’s education. I said, “Your children are still small, but when they turn thirteen or fourteen, you won’t be able to manage them. Look at the children here [in the U.S.]. They already have boyfriends at a young age.” Upon hearing this, she said frankly, “You think Mainland China is better? It’s even worse.” I knew that the opportunity to clarify the truth had come. I told her that I was a Falun Gong practitioner. I asked her, “Do you know about Falun Gong?” She said that she knew a little about it. I then clarified the facts, and told her, “Although your children were born in America, their roots are in China. You should let them know how wonderful and how profound traditional Chinese culture is at an early age.” Before getting off the train, she quit the CCP happily.
At the Tuidang Center [where Chinese people quit the CCP], there is, basically, no such opportunity to clarify the facts at length. The center is near a bus stop and some grocery stores. People there are waiting for buses, and it’s difficult to talk to them. Epoch Times readers just take the paper and leave. Seldom is there an opportunity for them to stop and chat. What should I do, facing this situation? To have sentient beings understand why heaven will eliminate the CCP in such a short time is truly difficult. One time, an old lady took the paper and kindly said, “Thank you!” I immediately took the opportunity to quickly clarify the truth to her. I told her that the CCP has done too many bad things, and that the heavens would eliminate it. She agreed. I pointed out the number of people who have quit the CCP and asked, “Are you a party member?” She nodded. I said, “If you quit the CCP, you’ll be safe!” She agreed to quit.
Afterwards, I heard Hong Kong practitioners say, “The CCP forcibly takes organs from living practitioners who practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” I thought that this statement really clarified the truth, so in accordance with the situation at the Tuidang Center, I rearranged several of the slogans there. Although they became shorter, in actuality they could quickly penetrate people’s minds. “Do you know what Falun Dafa is? Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is Falun Dafa, the Buddha Fa. The CCP forcibly takes organs from living practitioners who practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Think about it, what will this bring to mankind? In order for you to get through the calamity, quit the Communist Party, the Communist Youth League, and the Young Pioneers!” There were also those who didn’t want to listen and got angry. I clarified the truth more than once to a man about two years ago. He didn’t listen and said, “I didn’t join any organization. Don’t tell me these things.” Several months ago, he suddenly came to the Tuidang Center. He was somewhat emotional and said, “Falun Gong practitioners are so good! The world really has such good people!” He had turned around 180 degrees. I was perplexed. What had happened? It turned out that he had encountered difficulties when he went to New York to take care of some business. When he was absolutely helpless, a Falun Gong practitioner helped him. This suddenly changed his view of Falun Gong. I laughed, “Shouldn’t you quit this time?” He happily said, “I quit! I quit!”
Master said,
“Each Dafa disciple has to make and complete his own path, and your paths in cultivation are all different; in other words, each person's cultivation path is different.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference”)
Now that we have resumed truth clarification at Portsmouth Square, I use the method of making direct contact. At the beginning, I would sit next to people. Some people wouldn’t let me sit there, they would drive me away, or would go far away from me. It didn’t matter what they did, I wouldn’t be moved – because they are in the maze, and they are sentient beings that Master wants to save. I continued to greet them every day. After several days, some people started to change. In less than a week, one person who wouldn’t let me sit next to him, gave me a friendly thumbs-up and told other practitioners that I was a good person! Every day I would carry The Epoch Times and walk up and down Portsmouth Square several times. I used the paper to engage them. For those who refused to take the paper, I would use a simple phrase to persuade them, “Please take a look at the paper. If you like it, you can take another one tomorrow. If not, don’t take it anymore. Right?” It appeared to them that what I said was reasonable. Now these people are reading The Epoch Times every day. I’ve also persuaded some people to quit the CCP, but they were all students, travelers, or those who had come to visit relatives. The people who are there on a regular basis haven’t quit. I thought that I would just let them read The Epoch Times every day. In all these years, I’ve never talked to them face to face. This requires time. I’ve been here for more than two months. I feel that as long as we use the greatest mercy when dealing with people and talking to them, a vast majority of them can be awakened.
Part II: Study the Fa, Cultivate My Heart, Search Within, Do Well What Master Wants
In the beginning of “What is a Dafa Disiciple,” Master told us,
“…the historic responsibility entrusted to you and that you shoulder is so great, and your historic mission dictates that you must, at this critical time, shoulder such a historic responsibility.”
We San Francisco practitioners need to go to Chinatown to make friends. How do you make friends and how do you make contact with them? I need to find the answer in the Fa! One day I suddenly had some inspiration. Don’t I know how to make stuffed steamed buns? I’m a Northeasterner. Pickled Chinese cabbage steamed buns is a northeastern specialty. It’s not available in Chinatown. So I took a few Saturdays to make some stuffed steamed buns and sent them to people in the shops. In the beginning, some people asked, “Why are you doing this?” I told her, “I cultivate the Buddha Fa. I want to bring everyone the goodness of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. Taste it! It’s our northeastern specialty!” Going back and forth, we became acquainted. In the days that followed, I gave them The Epoch Times and Minghui Weekly. They were all very happy to read them.
One shop owner asked me, “When will you have a parade again? That band is great! When you have a parade again, I’ll applaud for you. I’ll have my employees come out to see it, too.” Now they really treat me as their friends. Every day when I go into their shops, they smile at me. That kind of smile is a beautiful, long-awaited, rosy smile.
A fellow practitioner said to me, “Your steamed buns are your Fa implements.” I thought about it, and they really are Fa implements. They immediately draw sentient beings’ hearts close to me. I even posted an advertisement at a Chinese supermarket to teach people how to make stuffed buns, chive boxes, and scallion pies for free. I would go to their homes to teach them. At the same time, I would clarify the truth to them through chatting and persuade them to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. After they understood the truth, they all quit.
Next, I want to talk about “searching within.” Master said,
“For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference”)
In cultivation, I tasted the sweetness of looking within. For example, whenever my husband’s son came over, I would think, “Uh oh, he's coming for money again!” I didn’t think that he was here to see his dad. This meant that I hadn’t completely cultivated a heart of compassion. Even if he really came to ask for money, what does that have to do with me? Let alone a Dafa disciple who wants to completely transcend ordinary people. I found out that whenever he came here for money, my husband would give it to him behind my back. My husband’s action immediately let me realize that I must have not done something well. I looked within on the basis of the Fa.
Master said,
“If you can give up the attachment, you are able to abandon everything; when you are asked to give up material benefits, you will certainly be able to do it. If you cannot let the attachment go, you will not be able to discard anything. Therefore, the real purpose of cultivation is to cultivate your heart.” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Six)
When I found this attachment of mine, I told my husband, “In the future, if he comes over to ask for money, you can give it to him openly in front of me.” My husband didn’t understand. I said, “I’m a Dafa disciple. I need to abandon this attachment. I will not be moved!” My husband was very touched upon hearing this. He said, “My dearest wife, thank you!” From that point on, it really didn’t move me anymore when he gave his son money.
My state now is that if there is something I don't do well, or if I have said something inappropriate, I will immediately realize it. I know that this is the result of my looking solidly within. Of course, I still have many places where I haven’t done well in cultivation, but I’ll rectify myself in the Fa. As a Dafa disciple, it doesn’t matter how toilsome it may be; I’ll shoulder and completely harmonize this historic responsibility, and follow Master to return home.
The above are some experiences during my cultivation, truth clarification, and saving sentient beings over the last several years. I am reporting here to Master, and I also share this with fellow practitioners.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, everyone!