(Minghui.org) Greetings, revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
My friend introduced Falun Dafa to me in 1998 and within a month I no longer experienced an inflammation of my shoulder, something that had bothered me for years.
After the communist regime launched its persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999, I went to Hong Kong, Thailand, and other places to clarify the facts. I started to talk to people in Sydney's Chinatown in 2002, but I didn't fully devote myself to this site until 2005 after I returned from Manhattan.
I participated in clarifying the facts efforts in New York's Manhattan in 2004. Immediately after checking into the hotel, we went to Manhattan to help fellow practitioners.
I sat down to send righteous thoughts. There was a trash can next to me. Instead of smelling the bad odor from the trash, I sensed a pleasant scent of burning incense.
I told my fellow practitioners about this wonderful experience. After our discussion, I realized that, as long as we have a righteous heart, we will generate a righteous field around us, whatever the environment. This encouraged me, and I felt greatly inspired.
Truth Clarification Efforts in Sydney's Chinatown
Upon returning to Sydney, I joined the truth-clarification efforts in Chinatown.
Chinatown is an important place to clarify the facts, because many tourists from throughout the world, including many from China, come to visit. It's the best place to talk to Chinese people. It will also shock the people who participate in the persecution of Falun Dafa.
It requires a lot of time and manpower to maintain the site in Chinatown. Compared to other practitioners, I have the time to be involved in this effort. Therefore, I took charge in maintaining this site.
I had to load up all the materials I needed in Chinatown in my car, but I had a problem putting down the backseat. I accidentally pulled something and the seat went down. I knew Master was helping me.
It wasn't easy to coordinate because everyone had their own ideas. Sometimes I was the only one, while at other times there were many practitioners, and everyone had different idea about how to set up the materials. After years of xinxing conflicts, we all learned how to cooperate better with each other. It's not about whose idea is better, but to let go of the attachment to oneself and harmonize the group's needs.
We now no longer argue about the logistics of the site, but focus on how to persuade more Chinese to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and collect more signatures.
Excellent Xinxing Cultivation
After attending the 2014 New York Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference, I gained a better understanding of the following Fa principle:
“That is why it's said that always cultivating as if you were just starting will surely result in achieving your ultimate rank.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference”)
It is not only important do things passionately, but also remember that this is also part of our xinxing cultivation.
In the past, I would immediately explode when I encountered a xinxing conflict. But now, after all these years of cultivation, I can easily let it go with a smile. It's another test I passed
Many people have asked me why I have stuck with doing truth clarification in Sydney's Chinatown. I say that this is because of my belief in Master and for my cultivation.
Difficulty in Letting Go of Attachments
It hasn't been easy for me to let go of my attachments. There were times that I felt it was very hard to carry on.
We once made a mistake when printing 400,000 Dafa brochures, and I was at my wits end. I knelt in front of Master's photo, crying hard. So many resources were wasted. At the same time, there was interference with the booth in Chinatown. It was a big test for me. It was indeed like what Master said in “Tempering the Will” in Hong Yin:
“Abundant troubles rain down together,All to see: Can you pull through?”
I got depressed and lost weight. I knew I needed to improve my xinxing, but I wasn't able to make a breakthrough for a long time. Master was giving me hints about my attachments. I finally went back to Chinatown and continued to clarify the facts to tourists there.
I realized that it was my responsibility to validate Dafa in Chinatown. I couldn't shy away or slack off because I was needed to set up the booth. The booth provides elderly practitioners who can't drive or speak English an opportunity to persuade the Chinese to quit the CCP or collect signatures on the petitions.
The elderly practitioners used to compare how many signatures each person collected. They finally realized that it was the attachment of competition. We need to have a pure heart when we talk to people.
We encouraged each other, and the cultivation environment at Chinatown became very harmonious. When conflicts arise, everyone looks within and we remind each other that we are cultivators. With improvement in cultivation, we also gained more wisdom when talking to people.
Changing the Environment
With the rapid progress of the Fa-rectification, the people living in Chinatown also changed in their attitude toward us. At the beginning, the business owners and passersby often cursed at us and kicked our posters and table, especially when it was dark. Some people even smashed the table. Some people sang funeral songs to us and some said we interrupted their business.
But now, those who used to harbor discriminatory feelings have turned into friends and respect us. The person who sang funeral songs now often talks with us about the downfalls of high-ranking officials who persecuted practitioners. One person who never accepted materials from us now asks for flyers and began to practice Falun Dafa.
Westerners also support us. They sign our petitions, including the one that calls on the CCP to stop organ harvesting from living practitioners.
Seeing the changes in these people, I felt very touched. It motivates me to be more diligent. A truth-clarification site in Chinatown is a must in every area.
The Result of My Cultivation Efforts
The past ten years of my cultivation has a constant process of giving up my attachment to self. Master has removed many degenerated substances from me. Now I can feel that I'm elevating during the sitting meditation. The longer I meditate, the more comfortable I feel.
I’ve begun to memorize the Fa his year. I can immediately remember the principles from the Fa when problems arise, so I can quickly pass the test and improve in cultivation.
Master said:
“We have said that good or evil comes from a person’s spontaneous thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)
When I remove my notion and purify my thoughts, I can feel my body is cleansed by Master. After over a decade of cultivation, I finally experienced the feeling of being illness-free.
Before closing, I want to say that it was because of the Fa that I could persevere in clarifying the facts about Falun Dafa in Chinatown over the past ten years. When one truly cultivates, the power of the Fa will reveal itself.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
