Greetings, venerable Master. Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I will share on behalf of the truth-clarifying team based at Vancouver's airport.
Vancouver airport is a gateway to Canada from Asia. There are eight flights from China every day, as well as flights from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. More than 1,000 Chinese people come and go from the airport every day. There are more than 2,000 in busy seasons.
We have been clarifying the facts about Falun Gong to Chinese people and distributing materials since 2001. We have surmounted the Chinese Consulate and its special agents' interference, the airport authority's interdict, and conflicts among practitioners, but we have never wavered. We started with one or two practitioners and now we have four to five practitioners. Even though the team is small, through coordination, we manage to have people at the airport daily.
Clarifying the Facts, Creating an Environment, and Walking Our Paths Better and Better
The airport is a special place. Normally the authorities do not allow any individuals or organizations to distribute any material. How did we overcome this obstacle? Master said, "...everything came for the sake of Dafa, was born for Dafa, and was created for Dafa." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference") Master also taught:
"The environment is created by you, yourselves, and it, too, is essential for your improvement." (Essentials for Further Advancement)
"The old forces don't dare to oppose our clarifying the truth or saving sentient beings. What's key is to not let them take advantage of the gaps in your state of mind when you do things." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston")
Through studying the Fa, we deepened our understandings of the Fa principles and stabilized our belief. We understood clearly that the Vancouver airport is a precious place for us to clarify the facts of Falun Gong to precious Chinese people. In order for them to know the truth sooner and bring the truth back to China, we cannot give up the opportunity no matter what interference and restrictions we may face. Because what we do is the most righteous, most sacred thing in the cosmos--saving people--we decided to create an environment with our compassionate hearts and use it to save sentient beings.
If the airport authorities did not allow us to distribute truth-clarifying materials, what should we do then? Master said:
"Wherever there's a problem that is where you need to clarify the truth and save people. Don't take a detour when you run into difficulties. When you see something that does us harm, or when you see something blocking our validating the Fa, don't take a detour-you should face it, and clarify the truth and save those beings." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference")
Even though we were clear on the Fa, none of us could speak English. "Dafa practitioners are one body." After sharing with fellow practitioners, everybody did what they could. Chinese-speaking practitioners clarified the facts to the airlines and guides from China; English-speaking practitioners clarified the facts to airport policemen, security, the manager in charge of safety and airport staff, and the board of directors. After a series of in depth truth-clarification efforts and sending righteous thoughts, the situation in the airport was rectified, and we created a precious environment to clarify the facts of Falun Gong to Chinese people.
Practitioners who went to the airport paid more attention to sending righteous thoughts in the vicinity, maintained righteous thoughts at all times, and cleared out the evil in other dimensions. We clarified the facts to people and at the same time, we abided by the rules and regulations of the airport. In order to minimize the distance between people and appear friendlier, we clarify the facts to people as we help them. This makes it easier for them to accept what we are saying and to take our material. Seeing us helping people year after year and how we have cooperated with them, most of the airport staff became grateful to us. We are also glad to have such a wonderful environment and opportunity to clarify the facts, save sentient beings, and cultivate ourselves.
Most of the airport staff nod when they meet us and some give us a thumbs-up all the time. The manager in charge of safety used to be very serious. He always wanted to drive us away and only relaxed when he saw us getting on the bus to go home. However, our actions over the past six years have changed him, and he greets us every time he sees us. He told us, "You are all very nice people." Once he saw a fellow practitioner distributing material. He only patted the practitioner on the back and said, "No." The practitioner smiled kindly and said, "Sorry." He smiled and walked away. In March, a practitioner put two bags of materials down in a corner on the first floor while clarifying the facts to a delegation. Two policemen were about to take the bags away when the practitioner returned and said, "Sorry" while smiling. When the policemen found out they were our materials, they patted the practitioner's shoulder and walked away.
We still have some minor interference from time to time, but overall the airport authorities have silently allowed us to clarify the truth there. It has been proved that it is very important to clarify the facts to tourist guides and we have achieved good results in this regard. In the past, some guides did not like us to clarify the facts to their customers and always drove us away when they saw us distributing materials. Some even threatened to call the police. But now many guides take the initiative to help us clarify the facts. A guide told us, "I read your material and I agree with you. I do my best to support you. Whenever I drive by the Chinese Consulate, I always try to drive slowly and let my customers see. Once a customer asked, 'Does this place belong to Falun Gong?' I told him, 'This is the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver.' He asked, 'Why can Falun Gong put their signs here? Why don't the police stop them?' I told him, 'This is Canadian soil and Canada respects human rights and freedom of belief. They haven't violated the law. The police protect them instead of stopping them. There is no other country in the world that persecutes Falun Gong except China. They are free to practice Falun Gong in Hong Kong. I saw Falun Gong signs everywhere in Hong Kong.' My words really shocked the people on the bus and they became speechless."
We always quote his example when talking to other guides. Some guides told us, "We did that too. The Falun Gong appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate has become an attraction in Vancouver. People who leave China for the first time are all surprised to see that." Some guides have even taken the initiative to help us distribute materials. In the summer of 2005, a 200-person delegation came to Canada for a meeting. We handed materials to them, but they did not dare take them. Someone told us quietly, "We were told before we left China not to take Falun Gong materials." We then decided to tell them instead. We clarified the facts to everybody, told them about the "Nine Commentaries on Communist Party" and persuaded them to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party. A guide walked over and talked to practitioner Auntie Zhao, "Hi, Auntie. They do not dare take things when everybody is here. Give me some and I'll put them in the hotel lobby. They will take them in the evening when there are not a lot of people around."
We told other guides about this method and some of them did the same. They not only saved themselves but also saved others. After clarifying the facts many times, the guide who once threatened to call the police read the book Zhuan Falun, learned the exercises, and even withdrew from the CCP. He now greets us very warmly, "Auntie, you have got some guests here!" Many of his customers accept our materials because they see that the guide knows us well.
In order to clarify the facts better, we all took the initiative to volunteer at the airport. We provide free services to passengers, lead them to transfer flights, help them to check their luggage, process refunds, change flight schedules, make phone calls for them, and sometimes we pay for their phone calls. Passengers from China often hold our hands gratefully and say, "It's hard to find nice people like you nowadays."
Once a young man rushed toward us perspiring profusely saying, "Auntie, I need to take the one o'clock flight to Beijing. Now it's 12:30. I just came from Ottawa, the plane was delayed and I haven't checked my luggage yet. Could you please tell me where I can check my luggage, get a boarding pass, and go through customs?" A practitioner hurriedly took him to the person in charge of the Beijing International Flight Company. The person in charge got someone to help him and called the crew, asking them to wait for him. After all was done, the practitioner hurriedly took him to customs. The young man suddenly realized he had to thank the practitioner. The practitioner said, "You are welcome. I'm a Falun Gong practitioner. Please remember 'Falun Dafa is good.'" The young man couldn't help himself and said, "Falun Dafa is good" three times and then said, "I met a nice person today!"
Once an airport employee of Chinese descent led a delegation to a practitioner and told the delegation, "She is a volunteer at our airport. She is a very nice person. She will take you to the security check on the third floor." The practitioner clarified the facts of Falun Gong to the delegation on their way to the security check. She gave everybody some material. One person said, "I heard of the Nine Commentaries in China but I haven't read it. I wanted to see it abroad. You really gave me timely help." Hearing this, everybody was eager to accept the material. Some took two copies for friends. After they went into the security check gate, they said with feeling, "Auntie, thank you. You are a very nice person. Goodbye." We looked like family members who had not seen each other for a long time. Once an elderly lady led her son to see a practitioner and said, "Son, it's this auntie who helped me to call you. She paid for the phone call, sent me to the security check gate, and found me someone to take me on the plane." The son returned the money and said gratefully, "I heard you are a Falun Gong practitioner. It's very difficult to find a nice person nowadays. You are truly wonderful people. Auntie, I want to ask you to do me a favor. I have a busy job in Toronto. When my dad comes to visit me next time, I will not come here to pick him up. Can I call you and ask you to help me?" The practitioner gave him her number. Every practitioner has experienced similar stories.
Spreading the Nine Commentaries, Promoting the "Three Withdrawals," and Saving More Sentient Beings
At the airport, we come across people from all walks of life. They are all sentient beings we are supposed to save. Master said:
"Since the gods decided to destroy the evil Party the moment it began to persecute Falun Gong, each Chinese person's belief or lack thereof in the evil Party has become something that determines whether he will be weeded out in the future. This is the role that the Nine Commentaries plays in truth clarification." ("Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005")
We truly feel the importance of spreading the Nine Commentaries and promoting the "three withdrawals" (withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party, the Youth League and the Young Pioneers). We don't want to miss any opportunity. A delegation of over 20 people was waiting in line to ship their luggage when we were handing out truth-clarification materials to them. They only smiled at us and didn't take our materials. One of them said quietly, "We are members of the People's Congress in China." Practitioners replied, "Wow, you are officials. The reason why you came abroad is to study--and for Falun Gong. The Nine Commentaries and the "three withdrawals" are great events for Chinese people. How come you don't dare to face them? The more you hear, the better chance you'll make good judgments. I want you to be good officials. You should listen from both sides, from both the prosecutor and the plaintiff, so that you can make jfair judgments." After the person in the front row heard what I said, he took the materials and said, "What she said makes sense, we should hear both sides. Moreover, since these materials are open to the public overseas, everybody can read them. How come we can't? We'll read them in a critical way, and we should trust our judgment." After hearing what he said, we quickly seized this opportunity and added, "This cadre is right. If you didn't read it, there would be no way for you to tell good from bad, right? As long as you read it carefully, you will come up with justified judgments." Then we gave each one of them a copy of the Nine Commentaries and Dafa materials. This was the first time that a cadre from the Chinese government took our materials. The tour guide said, "He is a high-ranking official, so he is not afraid. He is the Secretary of the People's Congress." One fellow practitioner said, "This person is fairly upright and fairly clear-headed." We were truly happy for those beings being saved.
Even though the CCP has been strictly blocking information, due to the fact that we've been consistently handing out the Nine Commentaries to clarify the truth, more and more people have learned the truth and become "live media" to spread the truth to others.
In 2004, one practitioner handed a set of truth-clarification materials to a tourist and said, "Hello, please come to know the truth about Falun Gong and the tide of 'Quitting the CCP.'" After the tourist took our materials, he asked if there were more. He wanted to bring some to his relatives and friends. Now there are some people who neither understand nor support Falun Gong. Besides the fact that they are deceived by lies and threatened by Jiang and his gang, it is mainly because many people have no conscience at all. They are extremely selfish and lack a sense of justice.
I met a man who used to be an employee at an oil plant. He told me this story: "There used to be a Falun Gong practitioner in my company who was a model worker for many years. Just because he told others Falun Gong was wonderful, he was arrested and taken to a forced labor camp and sentenced to three years' imprisonment. Because he refused to be "transformed," he was tortured by cruel methods. The first time I went to visit him, I couldn't recognize him. His weight had dropped from 180 lbs. down to 100 lbs. and he had injuries all over his body. As soon as I saw him, I couldn't help crying. He then encouraged me peacefully and steadfastly. After I came home, our boss warned me, 'Don't go visit him again. Others stay away from him and you even go to find him!' After I heard that, my heart almost broke. What's wrong with people nowadays? Don't they have even a little bit of conscience? How dangerous it is to live in a society like this! What's the meaning of living among a group of people like this! I admire you from the bottom of my heart. You are truly the hope of China and the world."
What he said moved me. In 2005, I ran into him again. He took five copies of the Nine Commentaries and he and his wife both quit their Youth League memberships. In March 2007, I ran into him again. At the time, he and his three friends were about to go back to China and he took the initiative to ask for more than 10 copies of the Nine Commentaries and DVDs. He said to his friend, "Every time I bring some back home and show them to my relatives and friends. If you go back home, you don't need to bring food or clothes. This material is very sacred. It is the best gift for your friends." His friends, influenced by what he had said, took the Nine Commentaries and Dafa materials and quit their memberships in the Youth League and the Young Pioneers.
One evening, when some practitioners were on a 24-hours protest in front of the Consulate, one person came over and said, "During the day, when you were trying to give me materials at the airport, I didn't take them. Now, whatever material you have, could you please give it to me quickly?" So this practitioner quickly gave him the Nine Commentaries and Dafa materials. After he took them, he walked around the Chinese Consulate a little bit and then walked into the Consulate. Abandoning the CCP is truly what people are longing for.
One elderly professor asked for three copies of the Nine Commentaries. He said to us, "Last time I got a copy here, I was so terrified that I couldn't calm down until I got home. We were so terrified by the evil CCP. This time I want to bring a few copies with me, so that my relatives and friends can get to read it."
One time when we handed the Nine Commentaries to one person among a group of people, he said loudly: "I hate the CCP more than you do. After the Nine Commentaries came out, I had it put in a container and sent it to China. But I also don't think the CCP will become good or collapse. Why? Because it has formed a gigantic succession system. It has got the CCP, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers--one generation after another." We told him: "You are wrong. Since the day the evil CCP began to persecute Falun Gong, gods have determined to eliminate it. No matter whether they are Young Pioneer members, Youth League members, or CCP members, all of them have sworn in front of its bloody flags. This vow is not a simple matter. Gods consider them evil vows. If you don't openly quit the Party, Youth League and/or Young Pioneers, you will be eliminated as well when gods eliminate the CCP. Therefore, helping people to do the 'three withdrawals' is saving people." Then I told him that the discovery of a fossil saying "Heaven will eliminate the CCP" is a sign. After he heard that, he was more confident and he said, "Wait until I come back. I'll bring more copies of the Nine Commentaries home." He also said, "This time I will be on the airplane for over 10 hours. I'll make use of that time to read the Nine Commentaries." Other people heard what he said and five of them took the Nine Commentaries.
Prior to 2005, we didn't do well in the "three withdrawals." We thought that, as the tourists come and go quickly, it was not easy to talk them into withdrawing from the CCP. In 2006, we began to learn from Hong Kong and Australian practitioners. So then what we did was to make up some aliases at home first, and when we ran into people who were willing to accept the Nine Commentaries or listen to the truth, we would encourage them and help them to quit. Our efforts turned out well. A new practitioner was always able to hand out truth-clarification materials. Through Fa study, she came to realize the importance of the "three withdrawals," and she made up her mind to help as many people as possible to withdraw. "As one more person quits the CCP, another person is saved." With this strong righteous thought in her mind, every time she comes across people with a predestined relationship, they ask her to help them with the "three withdrawals." She also goes to the Consular Visa Office and has helped many people quit the Party there.
One time, every one in a delegation took the Nine Commentaries and a practitioner said, "Let me help you quit the Party. If you do, nobody will know except you. And if you truly want to quit the Party, when the great calamity finally arrives, you will be safe." One of them said, "Okay, I'll quit the Party." By seeing what he did, another two people also quit the Party and the Youth League. People from one delegation only listened and didn't take the materials. One said, "We can access the Nine Commentaries on the Internet." We tried to talk to him in a very low voice, "I'll help you with quitting the Party, your alias name is Zhang Tianyi." He nodded his head to show his agreement and smiled at us. For some tourists and airport staff, openly speaking about the "three withdrawals" works well, too. Practitioners handed over the "Quitting the Party Special Edition" and Dafa materials to the person walking at the end of a delegation and asked him if he had read the Nine Commentaries. He answered, "Yes." Then we asked him whether he had quit the Party, and he said, "Yes, over the phone." "How about other people?" we asked. He said that he was not sure, as per his personal observation, there were still many people who had not quit the Party. He thought this was an issue of personal understanding. A practitioner told him, "This is not solely an issue of quitting the Party, it's a great event related to the life and death of every single one of us. You are saved now, please save people around you as well." That person said, "Okay, I got you." We are truly happy for more and more getting to know the truth and doing the "three withdrawals."
Improve as One Body in Clarifying the Truth
Master taught:
"In order for Dafa disciples to walk their paths well and do the three things well, they must study the Fa well and take Fa-study seriously. The regions that have done well saving sentient beings and validating Dafa, and where great changes have transpired, are always places where people have studied the Fa well. And the Dafa disciples who have improved quickly are always those who have made Fa-study a priority. That is because the Fa is the foundation; it is what's fundamental for Dafa disciples; it is what ensures everything; and it is the avenue by which a human being journeys toward godhood. Thus I would like to take the opportunity of this Fa conference in Australia to tell all Dafa disciples around the world: Whether you are a new or veteran student, all the same you must not neglect Fa-study on account of being busy. Don't just go through the motions when you study the Fa. You should study with a concentrated mind, and you must really be studying. There have been so many lessons involving this." (To the Australia Fa Conference)
We deeply understand that only by cultivating ourselves well, can we save more sentient beings. We read and recite the Fa for two to three hours every day.
Besides that, keeping very strong righteous thoughts is very important. One time, spies from the Chinese Consulate reported to the police, attempting to have the police drive us away. We began to send forth righteous thoughts. Four police officers showed up, but none of them could see us. Sometimes when I noticed that spies were following us and using their cellphones, we sent forth righteous thoughts to stop the calls going through; then they didn't go through.
For the past six years, practitioners have become more and more mature and they have been improving. A practitioner who is nearly 70 years old has, since 2001, been going to the airport to clarify the truth. Even though she has experienced much interference, she has never been intimidated by difficulties. At the beginning, she would run into people who cursed Dafa and Master, and she had to hold back her tears. She warned them, "Do you know that cursing people will incur retribution?" Then the person would say right away, "Retribution, retribution, show me!" Right away, she knew that she did something wrong. After she got home, she began to read Teacher's article, "What is Forbearance." When she came across this kind of person again, she didn't mind them any more, and persistently tried her best to save those people who were deeply poisoned. One day, when an elderly gentleman in a suit told her that he didn't want any materials from Falun Gong and then began to curse Dafa, his voice became louder and louder. In one year, practitioners ran into him four times. Every time they cheerfully clarified the truth to him, and eventually his attitude changed. The fifth time we clarified the truth to him, he finally gratefully accepted the materials. It was practitioners' compassion that melted his hatred against Dafa away.
One practitioner who obtained the Fa in 2002 and began going to the airport to clarify the truth in 2004 soon ran into tests, one severe one after another. The first time, police officers demanded she leave. The second time they walked her out to the entrance. The third time they took her to her car and wouldn't leave until she drove away. The fourth time they took her to their office and told her that if she came again, she would be arrested. She got scared and wanted to quit. Some veteran practitioners told her that every one who came to the airport to clarify the truth has experienced this trial. As long as you can let go of yourself and cherish the mindset of saving sentient beings with compassion, you will be able to break through it. Through studying the Fa and looking within, she came to realize that what happened to her was due to her attachment of fear. Teacher said in "What's to Fear?" Hong Yin II:
Should you have fear,
it will seize upon you
If thoughts are righteous,
evil will collapse
The cultivator's mind
is loaded with Fa
Send righteous thoughts,
and rotten demons explode
Gods walk the earth,
validating the Fa
Now she realizes that what she is doing is the most upright thing. She needed to be more dignified to dispel the interference. She only ran into small trouble later on, and she could handle it with righteous thoughts.
For the past six years, during the process of clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings at the airport, all the practitioners who participates are able to get rid of their attachments, such as zealotry when people take their flyers, feeling depressed when not many people take their flyers, attachment to comfort when it rains or is cold, resentment and competitive mentality towards people who don't accept flyers and treat us harshly, and also all kinds of fear. What's replaced is the compassion brought out from saving sentient beings.
We have also gone through great transformations physically. At the beginning, staying at the airport for five to six hours, we felt hungry and cold. Now, even after six or seven hours of walking up and down stairs all the time, we don't feel tired, thirsty, or hungry. We understand Master has been strengthening us and it is also due to the fact that our bodies are transforming towards high-energy matter.
Even though we have done what other Dafa practitioners have done, compared to our fellow practitioners, the disparities are still big. We are also not up to par compared to Teacher's requirements. We have many attachments that we have not relinquished. However, we are confident that we will continuously cultivate ourselves well and solidly, save more sentient beings, and walk well the last leg of the journey with the righteous thoughts from our divine side.
I'd like to conclude our sharing with Teacher's poem "Hurry Up and Tell Them:"
As Dafa disciples tell people the facts,
It's like sharp swords shooting out together from their mouths,
Shredding apart the rotten demons' lies.
Lose no time and save them, hurry up and tell them.
Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Thank you, Master, Thank you, fellow practitioners.
