[Minghui Net] Tibet is known for its snow-covered mountains and plateaus, and the people there are humble and kind. During its long history, the Buddha's Law was widely spread in Tibet. After Falun Dafa became known in China, "Dafa is being spread far and wide; people have heard of it and are looking for it; those who have obtained Dafa are overjoyed; more and more people have started cultivation, and the number of people is too many to count." [Quoted from "Seeking Discipleship with Teacher" in Essentials of Further Advancement] According to the destiny of the Tibetan people, Falun Dafa has finally come to Tibet.
Fellow Practitioners Meet in Lhasa; Exchange Experiences, Encourage Each Other and Strive Forward Together
Before we decided to travel to Tibet, we had learned there were many fellow practitioners in Lhasa. To spread Dafa, five of us went to Tibet. By chance, we met with Xin and Yuan, a young couple from Lhasa who cultivate in Falun Dafa. They told us that before July 20, 1999 there were over 300 Dafa practitioners in Lhasa, but after the Chinese government's crackdown, quite a few people stopped practicing. Practitioners in general do not stay in touch with each other. In addition, due to Tibet's unique geographical features and political atmosphere, practitioners there cannot easily contact other practitioners outside of Tibet. They also have difficulty accessing the Minghui Net. Because of long-term pressure by the evil forces, people's understanding of Dafa in Tibet is not quite at the same level as in other regions of China, and for the most part, they have not stepped forward to clarify the truth or spread Dafa.
Xin and Yuan contacted several faithful practitioners and set up a meeting. We stayed in a small lodge and together studied Master's new scriptures, plus the articles from the Minghui Net regarding cultivation within the Fa Rectification. When we read the article, "The Great and Benevolent Master," several practitioners were in tears. After telling them how people in other countries and their governments have embraced and supported Dafa, they all felt very encouraged. Practitioners from Lhasa talked about the special situation there. Each work unit and residential district is tightly controlled. They felt that it was difficult to distribute truth-telling materials on a large scale with only a few practitioners. At present, we need to assist practitioners to read Teacher's new scriptures and Minghui Net articles. This would help them improve themselves within Dafa and help them step forward. We copied some articles and, despite the risk of getting caught, Xin and Yuan delivered the articles to the other practitioners. After saying good-bye, we were on our way to temples to spread Dafa.
During the next two weeks, we visited several temples. Some could be located on local maps, while the rest were pointed out by a female Tibetan practitioner. We brought the Tibetan version of "Lunyu" and the first two Chapters of Zhuan Falun to spread Dafa to lamas, monks, and nuns. We were deeply moved by their kindness, honesty, and faith in Buddha Law. We also felt very happy for those who obtained Falun Dafa.
Buddhist Cultivators Learn About Dafa in the Future Buddha Temple
Upon arriving at The Future Buddha Temple--a big temple for worshipping the Future Buddha--we met a senior nun at the temple door. We told her that we would like to meet the Rinpoche (Living Buddha in Tibetan). She was glad to offer herself as our guide. On the way, we saw a huge Buddha statue and endless scriptures. It made us feel that Buddha's Law had once been glorious in this land. During the trip we only met her and another young nun. We let them read the Tibetan translation of "Lunyu" and told them that this was the real Buddha Law. After reading it quietly, they put the article in their pocket and thanked us for bringing "Lunyu" to them. Perhaps the seeds have been planted.
Unfortunately, the Rinpoche was not at home when we got there. He had been called by the Government to attend a meeting (In Tibet, in order to control temples, the government often asks the Living Buddhas to "attend meetings"). We started conversations with several lamas there. When we told them that we were Falun Dafa practitioners, they gave us the"thumbs up" sign and said: "Falun Dafa is good. Mr. Li Hongzhi is good." They told us that they heard of Falun Gong from television, but they did not believe any of the propaganda. Some of them watched a taped interview with the Dalai Lama, who stated that Falun Gong was good and beneficial to people. One young lama, whose Chinese was very good, wanted to learn Dafa, so we let him read the Chinese version of Zhuan Falun. Upon opening the book and seeing a bookmark with the words "Zhen-Shan-Ren" [Truth, Compassion, Forbearance], he appeared overwhelmed and took a slow, deep breath. He then asked: "Do I understand correctly? These three words, Zhen-Shan-Ren, cover all the principles of Falun Dafa?" We were pleased with his quick understanding and glad that he was able to obtain Dafa. All afternoon he continued reading Zhuan Falun,, translating to his fellow lamas from time to time. We also had a conversation with an elderly lama who tutors the young lamas on their scriptures. He came to talk with us as soon as he learned about our visit. We shared our cultivation experiences and our understanding of Dafa. We felt sorry for him, as he said he would stick to his cultivation way, yet we were touched by his determination in cultivation. The lama expressed sympathy for Dafa practitioners persecuted by the government. Recalling the persecution the Tibetan Buddhism had gone through since the communists took over, his eyes filled with tears. When we were preparing to leave, the young lama who had been reading Zhuan Falun seemed to be too bashful to speak. It turned out that he wanted to keep the book. We were pleased to give him the book as a present. He told us that he would cherish it as much as he cherished Sakyamuni's scriptures.
Just as we were leaving, the Rinpoche returned. He was a very old man and did not know Chinese. After finishing reading "Lunyu" he said: "It is very well written." Then, without further conversation, we said good-bye to them.
(To be continued)
