(Minghui.org) I have been practicing Falun Dafa for five years, and have been involved in Dafa projects for two years. I've distributed Dafa informational materials in the area where I work during my lunch hour once a week since August 2016.
I have collected petitions calling on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to immediately stop the practice of organ harvesting from its prisoners of conscience. Most importantly, I clarified the truth about Dafa to the people who agreed to sign.
Letting Go of Attachments
My mother, a relatively new Dafa practitioner, came to visit me one time. She asked to help collect signatures, but I was reluctant for her to come along because she didn't speak much English. Actually, I preferred doing this task on my own, and didn't want to show her the ropes.
My mother carried the bag of Dafa fliers and small lotus flowers, which she gave to people after they signed the petition. I thought that she wasn't doing the task well and that her presence made people avoid us.
I spoke to her when we got back home, because I felt that she slowed down our efforts. However, after studying the Fa I realized that I needed to look within. Very quickly, I came to understand that I was wrong. Isn't it a good thing if practitioners want to clarify the truth?
I distributed Dafa brochures on my own the next week and did well collecting signatures. I thought that this was because I had looked inwards and improved myself.
My mother came out with me again the following week, and didn't hold any resentment about my bad attitude. I had gained some wisdom as I had let go of attachments. I introduced my mother to the people I met, and said that we were volunteers and would like to give them a lotus flower as a small souvenir. This was effective, and more people than before signed our petition.
People Sign the Petition
Some people stopped when I approached them and told me that they had already heard about the persecution. Among them were people from England, Canada, Switzerland, North Carolina and San Diego.
One lady had worked in China for several months, and a colleague had told her about Falun Dafa while she was there. I told her that practitioners in China have done a remarkable job as they risk their lives to tell people the truth about Dafa. She signed the petition.
I saw two men looking rather mean with lots of tattoos, so I was hesitant to approach them. But they signed the petition and one of them said, “I must do something good.” They both accepted a brochure and a lotus flower, and they no longer looked so mean. I've met people from all walks of life and realized that I should not judge them by how they dress or what job they do.
Sometimes students were at a bus stop in my neighborhood. Often they either ignored me or showed that they were not interested in signing my petition. When my heart was not moved, and I approached them again with enthusiasm and a sincere heart to help save them, their attitudes changed. They listened to me talk about the persecution, and signed the petition.
Overcoming Pressure and Resistance
It has not been easy to be persistent in talking to people about Dafa and collecting signatures for the petition. Although I have done this task for almost two years, even to this day, when I am getting ready to go out to collect signatures I feel pressure and resistance.
One time, I felt as if I was about to go to war on the front line. I thought to myself: “I'm not in China, and I don’t need to risk my life to do this task. Why should I be so scared?” I wondered if it was because I had not got used to doing this, which made me tense. But that didn't seem to be the right reason.
I thought that perhaps it was my karma. I had a comfortable life, so this was a chance for me to pay off a bit of karma. Then, it occurred to me that it was the attachment of comfort. I looked forward to an easy life. Why couldn’t I endure some hardships?
Teacher said, “Forbearance is the key to improving one’s xinxing.” (“What Is Forbearance (Ren)?” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
I started to send forth righteous thoughts each time before I went out, and studied the Fa when I had some time. Although I felt uncomfortable when leaving my home, I soon calmed down and all the pressure disappeared.
Sometimes, I questioned myself as to whether collecting signatures was a meaningful task. But after some rational analysis, I was able to eliminate these negative thoughts.
After I thought a little deeper about this matter, I realized that I have the attachment to achieving merit and virtue. Recognizing my attachments helped me eliminate them.
All these things were arranged by Teacher to enable me to walk my path well. Teacher is always by our side, looking out for us.
