(Minghui.org) Shortly after I arrived in Hong Kong in 2019, the protests against the extradition law began. It seemed like everyone had an opinion, and the island’s entire population was polarized into left, right or middle. Everyone in Hong Kong seemed immersed in hostility and negative emotions.
I began practicing Falun Dafa when I was a child, but I gradually stopped after I became busy with studies in secondary school. In late 2019, a practitioner in my hometown loaned me Master’s lecture given in New York earlier that year. It was the first time in five years that I had read Master’s teaching earnestly. I always wanted to hear what Master said and I regretted slacking off in my cultivation. I wanted to practice again. Perhaps this thought prompted me to reach out to a local group of practitioners in early 2020.
I felt that I had a lot to catch up on. I became anxious and didn’t know where to start. I started to memorize Essentials for Further Advancement every night before going to bed and discovered that my perspective and how I viewed things slowly changed.
When a classmate invited me for coffee, he said in surprise, “We haven’t met in a while. You seem so different.” I was elated and told him I regained my former faith. He agreed to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after I told him how the regime brutally suppressed Falun Dafa practitioners for more than two decades. He said he would keep it a secret and not tell the other classmates. I told him I practiced cultivation in a dignified manner and had nothing to hide, and that it was my responsibility to tell people around me the truth. My classmate was astonished by my words. He said he experienced the power of faith from my transformation. From then on, he often told his friends not to listen to the CCP’s lies. He helped many people think independently and see through the CCP’s true nature.
When my friend invited me to a gathering, I struck up a conversation with the woman sitting next to me. I clarified the truth to her while sending righteous thoughts. She agreed to renounce her membership in the CCP. A professor suddenly approached me and wanted to hear what I said. I thought perhaps his knowing side wanted me to clarify the truth. I learned that he liked to watch programs produced by practitioners in North America. When I persuaded him to quit the CCP, he said he’d been waiting for the opportunity for a long time. Before parting ways, he said very sincerely to me, “When I first saw you, you appeared to have an aura around you. Perhaps this is the power of faith!”
I was grateful for Master’s arrangement.
I felt that my experiences in Hong Kong were an important stage of my cultivation—however I still couldn’t understand Cantonese. My husband frequently flew into a rage when I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He felt that since I lived in Hong Kong, I should immerse myself in the local environment, and I shouldn’t continue speaking Mandarin.
My husband spoke Cantonese every day so that I could learn it. He became angry whenever I couldn’t reply quickly because I didn’t catch what he said. I was upset, and feelings of resentment welled up in me. I thought, “Why should you be angry over such a small matter?” I thought, “Small matter? Everything we encounter in cultivation is important.” I reflected on myself. I found many attachments including resentment, competitiveness, complacency, jealousy, zealotry, egoism, and so on. I was ashamed and apologized to my husband. I assured him I would work harder to master Cantonese.
Because the pronunciation and grammar are different in Cantonese and Mandarin, it was very difficult to become fluent. I wanted to practice but I didn’t want to watch films produced by ordinary people, so I watched shows produced by the Hong Kong Epoch Times. Within a short period of time, my hearing improved markedly—but my husband continued to reprimand me. I felt wronged, and wept. I thought, “I tried very hard to learn the language. You cannot blame me if I am not talented in languages.” I felt frustrated. I wiped away my tears and tried to find my problem.
Master said,
“Forbearance is the key to improving one’s xinxing. To endure with anger, grievance, or tears is the forbearance of an everyday person who is attached to his concerns. To endure completely without anger or grievance is the forbearance of a cultivator.” (“What is Forbearance (Ren)?” Essentials for Further Advancement)
I asked Master for help. That night I dreamed of the aunties who usually go to the practice site. In my dream they taught me Cantonese. When I woke up, I began to converse with my husband using the phrases I learned in my dream. He was surprised by my improvement. When I told him I learned it in my dream, he found it extraordinary. I mastered the language in three months. Sometimes when practitioners don’t understand Cantonese, I can assist in translation.
I clarify the truth to coworkers as well. My Chinese colleagues are afraid of being labeled as “getting involved in politics.” I agonized over how to explain things to those coworkers who are pro-CCP and support the police in suppressing the students’ protests using violence. Although I told them that participating in politics is a term coined by the CCP to safeguard their power, they were too afraid to hear the truth. Now, more and more people in Hong Kong are gradually influenced by software controlled by the CCP such as TikTok, Wechat, Alipay, and so on. They have become accustomed to life under the CCP’s dictatorship. I also observed another phenomenon--that many people have started using words created by the CCP, including many practitioners outside China. We should eliminate this Party culture influence and return to tradition.
Compared to many practitioners in Hong Kong, I am not diligent. Many elderly practitioners persevere in clarifying the truth on the front lines. Whenever I pass by the cruise terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui with friends, I see elderly practitioners doing the exercises and clarifying the truth. Every time, I point them out to my friends and say, “Falun Dafa practitioners are the most beautiful sight in Tsim Sha Tsui.”
I am glad to be able to do the exercises in parks with other practitioners while living in Hong Kong. Whenever I want to give up or even weep when I cannot let go of my attachments, I feel that Master is right beside me, encouraging me to overcome the tribulation.
Master said,
“There is no affect between master and discipleThe Buddha’s grace remolds Heaven and EarthWhen disciples have ample righteous thoughtsMaster has the power to turn back the tide”(“The Master-Disciple Bond,” Hong Yin II Translation version A)
Thank you Master for your compassionate salvation! Thank you practitioners in Hong Kong for your assistance. Heshi!