(Minghui.org) Greetings, compassionate Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I’m sixteen years old. This summer, I participated in the "Ride to Freedom" project, here I would like to share my experiences.
This summer, I was going to review the SAT exam at home, take AP classes, and participate in school club activities. My courses are very tight because I’m going to be a high school Junior. I also participate in some other Dafa projects, so at the beginning I did not expect to participate in the “Ride to Freedom” project.
On May 30, I found out that the "Ride to Freedom” was about to start, and suddenly realized that this is a very valuable and special opportunity to clarify the truth. That night, I studied Master's Fa,
Master said,
"I said that at critical moments, some people are able to give up their futures, jobs, and careers. If that’s the case, didn’t these people pass this trial?" (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Canada).
I started to look inward and found lots of attachments during that period of time. Using busy school work as an excuse for laziness and seeking comfort; also my heart to save sentient beings was not that eager anymore because I thought I was good at making truth clarification phone calls to China. My family also reminded me to treat Dafa as my first priority. Knowing this opportunity would not come again, I took a flight to Los Angeles on the morning of May 31.
Looking back, although all the decisions were made in less a day, it was all Master's arrangements. Deep in my heart I felt very lucky and grateful to Master for giving me this opportunity.
I had not practiced riding since I just arrived on the night of May 31. The number of the bicycles were not enough, either. We were supposed to hurry up and leave on the first day at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles, so a practitioner just randomly gave me a bicycle.
I felt the speed was too fast while I was riding. Afterwards people told me that bicycle was at the fastest cycling gear. I started to panic and forgot to use the brakes. I ran into a parked car and then bumped into a tree with my bike.
I sat on the floor, kept saying "Falun Dafa is good." I felt a little pain but no bleeding at all. Although the car did not have any problem after the crash, I still waited for the owner of the car. The car owner was a Chinese woman and I tried to clarify the truth to her. She said without listening to a word, "I do not care what Falun Gong people do, I just need compensation." I told myself, this is my own karma. I can’t let her have any bad thoughts about Dafa. This is a predestined relationships between us. I want to become benevolent and help her, I want to save her.
After telling her the reason for our bike ride and more about the persecution, her attitude changed and she said, "Falun Gong practitioners are good- you still waited here after you hit my car. It’s all right, you go and keep riding." Since we had to make a lot of miles on the first day, I simply asked her to remember "Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion- Forbearance is good!” and left.
Later, I saw the practitioner at the DC candlelight vigil who was with me while I was talking to the car owner in LA. He told me that the lady did not ask for any compensation; she also learned a lot more about Falun Gong. I realized, the three principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance can resolve any contradictions and problems. I need to improve my own xinxing in order to save more sentient beings.
Our plan on the first day was to ride out of Los Angeles and to start climbing the mountains, but the accident was still lingering in my mind. When I began to study the Fa, I felt like Master was speaking to me in person,
"While walking on a street or in another social environment, one may come across some trouble. You will be made to abandon all those attachments that cannot be given up among everyday people. As long as you have them, all of those attachments must be removed in different environments. You will be made to stumble, whereby you will become enlightened to the Tao. This is how one goes through cultivation practice.” (Zhuan Falun)
The accident I just encountered was evil interference; I should deny this persecution. I also realized that during this trip, I would encounter many difficulties and setbacks along the way. Whenever I thought of the practitioners in China, they were being killed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their children were left homeless- I would always encourage myself to keep going and rescue these orphans.
In the afternoon, it was now our group’s turn to ride. Looking at the people who just finished their shifts, some were wounded, and some said it was difficult to breathe. The coach said to me, “You just came yesterday without training, you do not have to ride today.” But I still did.
The first day of real cycling for me, it was narrow mountain roads with a lot of uphill climbs. On the other side, cars were passing by constantly. I hit a small rock and fell to the ground. I told myself, “There is no time to waste!” I got up, and continued with the ride.
I fell another two or three times that day. Each time I fell, I got up and kept riding. From LA to DC, a three thousand mile journey, the first day was my most unforgettable memory: steep mountains carrying everyone's righteous thoughts and determination to save sentient beings, sparkling like burnished gold under the summer sun.
It was the third or the fourth night. A large number of people were going to the campsites first, and for the rest of the people, as long as they were willing to ride they could ride.
It was eight or nine o'clock at night. Riding on the mountain road, it was very dark and I could not see anything. Because I was the one leading, I did not want to slow down the speed of the whole team. I kept switching the gears and turning the speed up so that we could hurry and get to the campground.
At that time I was scared, feeling that fifteen miles were taking forever. The coordinator was riding beside me, he said, "If you are scared, just ask Master to protect you." I called out to Master in my heart, and reciting Master's poem:
“A Great Enlightened One fears no hardshipHaving forged an adamantine willFree of attachment to living or dyingHe walks the path of Fa-rectificationconfident and poised”(“Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions” from Hong Yin Volume II)
I couldn’t stop shedding tears, but they were happy tears. At that moment, I felt so blessed to trust the Master and the Fa. It is such an honor to be a Fa-rectification- period Dafa disciple, because Master is always there to protect me. Thank you, Master!
Since that night, I was no longer scared to ride.
In our project, I was in charge of helping find a place to sleep every night. I remember the day in Pennsylvania, it was raining very hard. We couldn’t go to the campsite that we originally reserved. There was a possible thunderstorm in the evening so we couldn’t set up the tents.
I started to look up nearby hotels. The hotels were very expensive in PA, especially without prior reservations. The online prices were far beyond our budget. I called five to six hotels, but couldn’t get a good price. I looked within and found that I didn’t clarify the truth well to those people and just wanted to get things done.
I dialed another number while sending righteous thoughts, because it was a nice hotel. The front desk gave me the price of six hundred and eighty dollars. That price was still too expensive, but she gave me the phone number of the manager. I called the manager and told him about the illegal persecution of Falun Gong led by the Jiang Zemin regime and the live organ harvesting orchestrated by the CCP.
The manager commented that we were doing something very meaningful, and finally gave us nine rooms with the price of four hundred and ninety nine dollars, a price even less than our budget.
"Ride to Freedom" is not only biking across America, but also clarifying the truth to people along the road: government officials, media, people on the street, and the hotel staff, basically everyone we can possibly meet.
I had been clarifying the truth to Chinese people on the computer, but rarely face to face. Every time we pass through a city, we would meet a lot of Chinese tourists.
I remember this one time in Chicago, it was the day before Independence Day, we had half a day to go onto the streets and just talk to people. I met a middle-aged Chinese woman. I told her about our bike journey, how the Tiananmen self-immolation was a hoax, and that Jiang Zemin is being sued by people from all around the world.
She said, "You are a very caring child. You guys are different from the kids in China. I support you." I then gave her a nickname and asked her to quit the CCP, she was also happy to accept.
Finally, I told her, please remember, "Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” These words can save your life in dangerous situations. We hugged each other and I saw tears in her eyes when I left.
Clarifying the truth requires perseverance. Sometimes when we clarify the truth to people, they would say bad words, but they are awakening. Also, there are so many Chinese people, our fellow countrymen, they still have a good heart, and are just waiting to be saved by Dafa.
In the “Ride to Freedom” project, there were two European practitioners who kept up with the exercises every day no matter how late it was or no matter how tired they were. I should learn from them.
Throughout the trip, I saw many of my attachments and shortcomings: the attachment of being clean, the attachment of losing face, wishing to avoid conflicts, etc.
Master said "...the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments." (Zhuan Falun)
I do not know how many times I have read this sentence, but I had not really thought it through before. I'm thankful for Master's arrangement to get me out of my laziness a few months ago. I’m going to keep cultivating myself, do the three things well and hurry to save sentient beings.
My level is limited. If there is anything improper, please compassionately point it out to me.
Thank you, Master!Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Presented at the 2015 Mid-US Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)