By a practitioner in China
(Clearwisdom.net) Somehow I felt that I have not stepped forward enough to validate Dafa; therefore I decided to do so. I had originally planned to go to Beijing on July 20 this year. The trip was delayed till August since I had some truth-clarifying work on hand. I contacted some practitioners to go together. They agreed but eventually changed their minds. They said they were not ready yet and would not go with me this time. I realized it might be a test. Teacher had said at the Washington, D.C. International Conference, "Cultivation is an individual matter, and following the crowd won't do it. Each person's improvement must be well-grounded." Could I go by myself? I was determined that I would go even by myself.
I live with my parents. My parents are among those who are very stubborn. I prepared for my trip quietly and decided to just leave a note before leaving for Beijing, as I did not want them to intervene. However, my mom observed that I was coming in and out of the house frequently and suspected that I was doing work for Dafa. I didn't deny it. In the following days, my parents and I tried to dissuade each other. Although I didn't compromise with them, I was put into a fix. I thought it might be demonic interference trying to prevent me from going to Beijing. However it could not shake my determination. On the evening that I planned to leave for Beijing, I wanted to leave home quietly. But it was not easy since I had to take a suitcase. At the point when I was feeling really anxious, my mom seemed to sense something. This time she departed from her normal behavior and unexpectedly said to me, "If you want to go, just go." I walked out of the door immediately. My mom even called out behind me, "Best wishes to your success!" I believe this was what Teacher wanted to say to me.
In the early morning of August 25, I arrived in Beijing for the first time in my life. Never have I expected that my first trip to Beijing would be for the purpose of validating Dafa. By the time I arrived at Tiananmen Square it was already past 10 a.m. I walked around the edge of Tiananmen Square several times to familiarize myself with the geographical layout and possible escape routes of the place. Eventually I entered the Square. As soon as I stepped into the Square, I could immediately feel the tension in the air. There were more tourists than usual at the Square, as it was a Saturday and during the period when universities hold their sports competitions. The Square was covered with many armed policemen, patrol police, and plainclothes policemen. Many police cars were also patrolling the Square. Under such circumstances, I found many of my human notions all emerging. It was just like what Teacher had said at the Washington, D.C. International Conference, "It's really easy for a cultivator who's in an environment that doesn't have an evil field to say he can let go of life and death -- just like your talking about letting go of life and death in a righteous field like we have here today -- since there's no pressure at all. But it's a different matter if in an evil environment, in an environment full of evil elements, you validate the Fa and dare to step forward to expose the evil." When I was at home, I only heard about, but have never experienced the evilness of this place; when I was indeed in this vicious environment, it was a totally different matter. With much hesitation, I wandered around the Square. At the same time, I carefully observed the activities in the Square. With time passing by, I gradually calmed down and overcame the worries in my mind.
At about 1 p.m., something suddenly happened. An elderly lady leaning on a walking stick cried out about her grievances at the Square. Initially I thought that she might be a fellow practitioner but she was not. However she was still dragged into a police car by the policemen. The event did not affect me and I did not seize such a chance to stand out. How could an ordinary person motivate me? I would stand out on my own with dignity and righteousness.
I gradually realized that the more I hesitated, the less courage I had to step out, since the courage was wearing out. At around 2 p.m., with dark and dense clouds in the sky, rain seemed to be impending but it did not rain at all. If it had rained, today would be in vain. Fortunately all seemed to have been pre-arranged. I started to send out righteous thoughts while walking around the Square. At around 3 p.m., I finally made up my mind about how to step forward -- to unfurl the banner and start moving from the flagpole at the northwest corner of the Square. I would cover a distance of 50 or 60 meters before I could get out through the underground passageway. However along the route, there was a very obvious plainclothes policeman in the way. After I sent out righteous thoughts, he seemed to have something to do and left the Square. I sat down under the flagpole and once again assured myself that I must step forward today or it would be more difficult to do so in the future.
A key moment came and I encouraged myself the last time, "Do not let the opportunity slip through your fingers. No more waiting!" At that very moment, I overcame the barriers of all my human notions and stood up. My mind seemed to be in a blank. I walked forward while taking the banner, with the words of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance," out of my pocket. I unfurled it and started running. The banner flew and waved with a sound in the air as I ran. At that moment my surroundings were a blank to me and I couldn't see anyone although there were many people around me. I kept calling out "Falun Dafa is good!" Every word got carried by the wind into the air and penetrated the sky. Very soon, I arrived at the entrance of the underground passageway. I stopped to put the banner away. No policeman chased after me. I believed everyone was shocked and had not figured out what happened. I walked through the passageway and came to the other side of the road. There was still no commotion. Then I left the Tiananmen Square.
The above is my story of validating Dafa in Beijing on August 25. I wrote it down as reference for my fellow practitioners. I realize from my experience that, the key and most difficult moment is the moment when one steps foward from one's humanness -- It is the moment that Teacher had said at the Washington, D.C. International Conference, "One thought can determine whether you make it through." Although I have accomplished my goal to validate Dafa this time, when compared to many other practitioners who have been at the Tiananmen Square to validate Dafa, I still need to improve myself. I will be more diligent in studying and rectifying the Fa in the future. At the same time, I hope that practitioners who have not stepped forward, will truly step out of your humanness and fulfill your vow made countless ages ago.
