(Minghui.org) I am a Falun Dafa practitioner who lives in Taiwan. Our teacher, Li Hongzhi, taught us, “Whom Master teaches are precisely you, these disciples of Dafa. You are being cleansed, being tempered to maturity, and made ready to save sentient beings. These are Dafa disciples.” (“Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day”, 2014)
Upon learning this passage, I knew that I must do a good job of saving people. However, I was not accomplished at public speaking, much less at clarifying the truth about Falun Dafa to people face to face. On top of that, it was hard for me to persuade people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations. Coupled with my attachments to fear, saving face, comfort, competitiveness, and having to strike a balance between family and truth-clarification work, it was very difficult for me to step out.
Master taught us,
“"It’s hard to endure, but you can endure it. It’s hard to do, but you can do it." And that’s really how it is. When you go back you might want to give it a try. When you’re going through an awful tribulation, or maybe a critical juncture, give it a try. When it’s hard to endure, try to endure it. When it seems impossible to do, or just hard to do, give it a try and see just what you can do. And when you can really do it, just like that worn and weary traveler, you’ll see, "the shade of willows, the blooms of flowers, a place to rest my head"!” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
After I developed an understanding of this teaching, I was determined to go to the tourist spots to clarify the truth.
Discovering my Attachments and Learning from Other Practitioners
I began to go out in public with other practitioners on weekends and holidays to talk with people about Falun Dafa. One of the sites we went to was a jewelry store. Tourists from China would rest near the stalls while waiting for their tour bus. We would talk to them about Falun Dafa and the persecution and try to help them quit the CCP. Other practitioners would set up a row of display boards across the street big enough for tourists to see clearly.
At times I came across tourists who were verbally abusive; they yelled or laughed at me, or simply ignored me. At first, I was stressed and afraid to go out. Master said, “It is necessary for a Dafa disciple to ensure his cultivation on a daily basis, and it is the mission of a Dafa disciple to clarify the facts and save people.” (“A Reminder”) So I felt that I must do this. I spent more time studying the Fa and sending righteous thoughts. I tried to eliminate my attachments, overcome my fears, and steel my will.
Once, I met a couple who were both Christians. They identified with what I had to tell them, but they refused to quit the CCP. They believed that as Christians, they did not need to quit the CCP. But then, a fellow practitioner came over, and they gladly agreed to quit the CCP after just a few words. She said to them, “The communists also persecute the Christians. No matter what, as long as we quit, whatever they do would have nothing to do with us.”
I was frustrated and felt that I was not good at talking to people about Dafa and the CCP and that I did not want to do it anymore. After I looked inward, I found that I had not considered their perspective. Instead, I had focused on my own thoughts, and therefore my message failed to reach people. From then on, I tried to think from the perspective of the person I was talking with and found that they were indeed more receptive.
I also learned from other practitioners. Once, a tourist refused to listen to a fellow practitioner, but she was not discouraged and continued to talk to him. Gradually he loosened up and in the end quit the CCP.
Witnessing this, I was happy for the person who was saved, but I also admired the fellow practitioner. On the other hand, I felt that I was so much less effective and continued to be reluctant to go out and talk to people. After looking inward, I found that I did not have compassion and I also had fear and competitiveness. As I continued to eliminate my attachments, even when others rejected me, I could still calmly clarify the truth to them, unaffected.
Master said, “Nobody can manipulate Dafa disciples who have righteous thoughts and righteous actions.” (Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Lantern Festival) Gradually I overcame my fear. Although I was not very successful in helping people quit the CCP initially, I learned from reading other practitioners’ experience-sharing papers and improved in my efforts.
Righteous Thoughts Emerge from Faith
At the tourist sites, we first send righteous thoughts to purify ourselves and empty our minds. I believe that our demeanor, appearance, friendly smiles, and heart to save people have an impact upon the tourists.
While I sent forth righteous thoughts once, Master let me know that our righteous thoughts come from “faith”–faith in Master and Dafa. Only if one has faith can one’s righteous thoughts be strong. By clarifying the truth, I trust that I will save sentient beings. I treat them as family and friends who need to be saved.
As my mentality changed, I no longer felt stressed. I had no fear; I just wanted to tell them more because they were waiting to be saved.
Master said,
“And human notions change,The degenerate things purged,Brightness now shines forth.”(“Born Anew,” Hong Yin)
Once I changed my notions, I did not look back. I have come a long way from forcing myself to talk with people to taking the initiative to clarify the truth more completely.
Master would bring people with predestined relationships to us. It matters how I talk to them and whether I do it to save someone or just to finish a task. Of course, it is not always a smooth ride. No matter what happens, I must steel my will to save all people and to cultivate myself.
Stories from Tourist Spots
One day, as soon as I arrived at the tourist spot, a family of three walked by and were about to get on their bus. I took out a copy of The Ultimate Goal of Communism and said to them, “This is a book about the nature of communism. Many young people in Hong Kong and Taiwan are reading it. You should read it, too, young man.” The son looked like a high school student. They ignored me and walked past me. I continued to speak to other people.
Shortly, the young man came and sought me out specifically. I was pleasantly surprised. I handed the book to him right away. People do want the truth. The issue is how we can entice them to listen to us.
I later learned to talk about current affairs to get started. For example, if they came from Beijing, I would talk about the harmful substances in smog and its effect on people’s health. I would tell them that lung diseases ensue after 10-15 years. I would also tell them how 80 million Chinese have died at the hands of the Communist Party.
If they have children, I would talk about how a fake vaccine could ruin the life of a child and how a bad government could hurt their citizens. Then I introduced Falun Dafa and the persecution.
To young people, I would talk about the trade conflict between China and the U.S. and the African swine flu that affected a number of Chinese provinces. All this chaos suggested that the big catastrophes were upon us. What can everyday people do? A safe course of action is to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. This message was very well-received.
The closer to the end, the more diligent we should be. We should look inward constantly and let go of self while advancing diligently. We must do the three things well and be worthy of Master’s mercy.
Thank you, Master!
