(Minghui.org) Greetings, esteemed Master and fellow practitioners:
It is a great honor to share my cultivation experiences with you.
I am a professional athlete who obtained the Fa in 2011. I, just as most Chinese people, was taught atheism and the principles espoused by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). My mind was filled with glorious thoughts about the CCP, the Party line came above all else, glory for the country, and so on.
With nationalism above all, the brutal competitive environment sapped my energy. I fought hard for fame and gain. Physically and mentally exhausted, I retired.
Master and Dafa helped me let go of fame and fortune, purified my body, and gave me this precious cultivation opportunity. My heart is filled with gratitude.
Stepping into Cultivation Practice
After I listened to NTD broadcasts, I learned of the existence of Zhuan Falun. I didn’t know much about Falun Gong, nor about the qigong craze.
Years later I found this book on internet and read it. I wanted to figure out why Falun Gong practitioners were so cruelly persecuted and yet did not give up their faith. I thought to myself that there must be something extraordinary about it.
I went online, found Zhuan Falun, and read it from beginning to end. That completely destroyed my atheist education. I was shocked to read things I had not heard of. I eagerly wanted to share with others, but only met with cold responses. Although I felt frustrated, I believed in Master's Fa, especially since every sentence spoke truth. I learned the exercises by watching the exercise instruction video.
Because of the scars from my injuries, my legs were stiff and I could not sit in the lotus position. Every day, I did exercises one through four. It took some time before I could do the fifth exercise for the full hour.
This went on for more than a year. Then Master hinted through an ordinary friend that a practitioner should take part in group practice instead of going it alone, and I took my first step to contact local practitioners. From then on, I let go of fear and participated in the local group exercises, group study, and group activities.
Choosing Falun Gong Despite Interference
My husband, also a professional athlete, tried to stop me from practicing Falun Gong. We had emigrated from China and I was dependent on him. He cared for me, and we had hardly ever quarreled since we married. Friends and relatives regarded us as role models. So the biggest test for me was my family.
He did not understand Falun Gong, believing that it was political. I tried to talk to him about Falun Gong, but he refused to listen. He was unhappy and threatened to leave me.
After a few sleepless nights, I decided that, no matter what happened, I would not give up Falun Gong. I wrote a letter about my cultivation with the hope that he would understand. I said that I would accept any decision he made, with the exception being my giving up my faith. My determination resolved the matter, which showed me that I passed a test. This matter was no longer an issue, and I continued to cultivate Falun Gong.
Validating the Fa
After I participated in group Fa study and exercises, my xinxing improved very quickly. Especially after watching the Shen Yun performance, I realized that time was short. Encouraged by a fellow practitioner, I began to clarify the truth about Falun Gong at tourist spots.
This practitioner and I obtained the Fa at about the same time. She is outgoing and daring. Every day she came back with a list of people who had quit the CCP. I am introverted. Even if I opened my mouth, I was not able to persuade people to quit. I could only distribute fliers. After talking it over with her, we got involved in a project in Germany to expose and protest the bodies exhibits and we obtained over 1,000 sheets filled with names.
After Master's 2013 New York Lecture was published, I realized the urgency of clarifying the truth to the Chinese. They travel abroad to hear the truth about Falun Gong. I felt the importance of our responsibility as overseas practitioners. However, I still had to let go of fear. After reading articles on the Minghui website, I teamed up with fellow practitioners and went to trade shows where we clarified the truth to Chinese people.
The real breakthrough for me happened during a trade show. All other practitioners had left, and I had no one to lean on. After three months of going to trade shows, I finally had let go of my fear and could clarify the truth face to face to the Chinese people.
Great Truth-Clarification Locations
A practitioner and I distribute fliers and help quit the CCP at train stations, city attractions, universities, libraries, and student dormitories. We also went to trade shows in the city and surrounding areas. We go from booth to booth, for one or two and sometimes three days. Often we are so focused we forget about lunch. The result of trade shows is the best, with impressive numbers of people quitting the CCP.
Then I realized that airports are where Chinese tourists are most concentrated, especially during holidays. In peak seasons, many tourist groups form long lines. We think that this is a great opportunity for practitioners in our city to talk to people. However, to eliminate any potential interference, we spoke with airport staff and told them what we were doing. We’ve cooperated well with each other.
After my fellow practitioner went to work at a regular job, I was on my own. Although I was bit concerned, I did not back down. Master said, “Dafa disciples are the sole hope of salvation for the beings in each region and each nation.” (“My Thanks to Sentient Beings Who Have Sent Greetings” from The Essentials of Diligent Progress, Vol III)
Thus, I strengthened my righteous thoughts by studying the Fa well. Only with the Fa will I have no loophole. I follow Master's requirements to do well the three things, do daily the exercises, send righteous thoughts, and attend group Fa study.
Gradually, the interference lessened. My husband said that he would no longer interfere with me. He also helps a lot at home. I am out a lot, including weekends. My job is flexible, so I can make Dafa projects my priority. Neither holidays or bad weather stopped me from doing the three things.
When sending righteous thoughts, I add one thought – eliminate any bad substance and interference in my space. I also asked Master for his blessing, because“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Zhuan Falun)
Actually Master has done everything – I’m just his legs and mouth.
Righteous Thoughts Must Be Strong
When clarifying the truth, I’ve met all sorts of people. Some are positive about Falun Gong, while many refuse to listen. Some do not understand us, while some are rude and call us traitors. I have let go of the attachment to losing face and always remember Master’s teaching of being righteous and compassionate to others.
Master said,
“But if your righteous thoughts are strong, the evil will be dissolved. The power of true compassion can dissolve all deviant factors, and when you talk with a person you will be emitting energy outwardly that dissolves evil things, and the evil in other dimensions will not dare to approach or control that person anymore.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference X)
I speak calmly, trying not to trigger the other person's negative side. I do not approach them when they are busy, such as checking in or saying their goodbyes. People in a hurry tend to be short tempered. I have to consider their emotions to keep from having an adverse impact. If one person reacts negatively, it impacts others, sometimes even attracting security. This can push many away. I’ve learned to restrain myself and let go of my combative mentality.
Master has paved our paths As long as we have the desire to save people, we get Master’s blessing and gain wisdom from the Fa. Everything will be as smooth as it should be.
When I was going to catch a bus home, I saw a student with two large suitcases and other bags. I couldn’t turn a blind eye and asked if he needed help. He accepted and I was able to talk to him about Falun Gong. He had just arrived in Germany. He had heard about quitting the CCP but was not quite clear on what it meant. I told him that the CCP had committed horrific crimes, such as the persecution and forced organ harvesting.
I explained that only by officially quitting the CCP and its youth organizations would a person not be implicated in its crimes when it falls from power and is destroyed. He understood and quit the CCP.
Dealing with Interference
There was also interference. When I was talking to a group of people, an airport security guard showed up and asked for my identification. Apparently, someone had reported me for fraud. I told the security guard that I was not taking money, that I was just talking to Chinese people about things they could not hear in China. He did not give me any problem and just said that if someone did not want to listen to just walk away.
Afterward, I approached the woman who had reported me and said, “I am a practitioner, and I am not upset by what you did. But I am doing a good thing and hope that you will learn the truth instead of hindering our efforts.” She acknowledged that she was in the wrong.
Shortly after practitioners in China began to sue Jiang Zemin for his role in the persecution, a security guard stopped me. I told him about the lawsuits and how the Chinese people have been deceived. He had heard about it but wanted to remind me not to impose on others. I realized that nothing was accidental, that it must be related to my cultivation. I reminded myself to pay more attention to what I said and did and to look inward.
Another day, when I had just arrived at the airport, I was told that the Chinese consulate had complained about us and we were being monitored. After that we observed that several of the airport staff were no longer friendly and kept a distance from us. Also, there were incidents that showed that the Consulate was sending people to monitor us. Some pushed empty trolleys back and forth and others showed up too frequently to be travelers.
Once I approached a fellow pushing an empty trolley and said, “I know you are here to monitor us. I understand this is your job, and you need this job to feed your family. But this is Germany. You are violating local laws.” I talked to him about Falun Gong and told him to tell the Consulate that not only we, but also the Germans, were onto their underhanded ways. From then on, we rarely felt that we were being watched.
I appreciate the fact that the airport is a place to let go of my attachments. Here I often bump into acquaintances, colleagues, and their relatives. They also know my husband. At first, I tried to avoid them but then realized that this was wrong. Yet, there still are a lot of people whom I prefer not to bump into at the airport.
Master said,
“Perhaps in the future you may be slapped in the face twice, and you will lose face in front of someone whom you least want to see it. It is to see how you will deal with this issue and whether you can endure it.” (Zhuan Falun)
I know that I have many human notions I need to let go of, such as fear of hardship, fear of losing face, self-validation, self-protection and so on. There is a big gap between Master’s requirement, other fellow practitioners, and myself. So I cherish the cultivation opportunity. It keeps revealing my attachments that I should let go of and reminding me to be diligent in cultivation by always looking inward, being a true cultivator, doing the three things, and being worthy of the title “Fa-rectification period disciple.”
(Presented at the 2017 New York Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference)
