(Clearwisdom.net) Our group has been distributing the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party in the countryside since late 2005. There are 37 townships in our city and about 1.3 million people. In the beginning, I felt a lot of pressure because we needed more than 200,000 copies to cover every household. But when I remembered that Teacher had told us to spread the Nine Commentaries widely, like flowers blossoming everywhere, we felt we truly needed to do it in order to save sentient beings and fulfill our pre-historical vows. In fact, Teacher has already helped to pave the way, and the only thing that mattered was our hearts.
In the beginning, we didn't have any maps. A practitioner and I rode the bus to certain areas to get an idea of how many households there were. We first determined how many villages there were, then how many households each village had, and finally we added up the totals. We also determined how many roads led to each village. We distributed the copies of the Nine Commentaries at night, and either rode bicycles if it was close by, or called a taxi and returned by bus the next day. If it was very far or we had a lot of materials, we drove a car. Typically, it took four practitioners an entire night to distribute 800 copies in a township before returning the next morning. Our group ranges in age from 53 to 62, and we have been doing this, in all kinds of weather, for two years. With no more than three trips a week, we have covered almost all 37 townships. During the process, some practitioners developed blisters on their feet, and some lost their toenails from excessive walking. Although it was very hard, we were all very happy, because we knew we were doing something Dafa practitioners were supposed to do. One practitioner said, "It felt like I was going on a vacation when we were distributing the materials. It was very relaxing."
Of course it wasn't easy in the beginning. We were afraid of being bitten by dogs or running into a lot of people. But as long as we studied the Fa well, sent forth righteous thoughts and coordinated things well, everything went very smoothly. There were a few times we were ready for our trip, but the weather forecast said it was going to rain. We asked Teacher to strengthen us and hold back the rain. Sometimes the sky was very dark and it started to rain, but we kept negating it with righteous thoughts. We sometimes communicated with the guardians, "Everything in the three realms exists for the Fa-rectification, and you are assisting Teacher to do Fa-rectification too, so you should help us save sentient beings." As long as our thoughts were righteous, the rain would soon stop and the moon would come out. We felt the moon was smiling at us, and it gave us even more confidence in saving sentient beings.
We came to understand that while distributing the Nine Commentaries, we should also cleanse the environment, so whenever we visited a village for the first time, we began having one practitioner do the counting, while the rest of us sent forth righteous thoughts to cleanse the field. It was very efficient. Sometimes there were dogs in the yards, but they didn't bark at us even when we were very close to them. Sometimes when dogs barked at us, we would stop them with our righteous thoughts.
Sometimes someone challenges us by asking, "What are you doing here?" When this happens we clarify the truth to them. As long as we do it well, they let us go. We also persuade them to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations, and they are very grateful to us. We have at times become afraid and felt that it was very difficult to continue. But as soon as I think, "No matter how hard you feel it is, is it comparable to what the imprisoned practitioners are going through? Or is it comparable to what Teacher has to endure?" As soon as I think of Teacher, my righteous thoughts come out. I tell myself, "Even if I am the only one going today, I will do it. A Dafa practitioner should be as capable as ten people, and ten practitioners should be as capable as one hundred." As long as my thoughts are righteous, there will surely be someone going with me, and things will go very smoothly. I then realize that Teacher has helped me again.
During a period last year, the police department arranged for more than 300 security guards to specifically arrest practitioners. One day, we had studied the routes in a township and got ready for the trip. A practitioner told me, "That village has spies equipped with motorcycles. You'd better wait a few days." I thought of Teacher's words, "By all means you need to do what a Dafa disciple should do, maintaining your righteous thoughts." ("Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago") And I thought, "Since we came to the earth with heavenly courage to assist Teacher with Fa-rectification, how could we let the evil hinder such an important matter!" We went as planned. Indeed, there were security vehicles patrolling that night. However, because it was very dark, we hid when the vehicles approached and continued distributing materials when they went away. We returned safely the next day.
One day, one of our drivers was taken away by the police, and the police got his cell phone which contained all the other drivers' phone numbers. The next time we asked for help from a driver, he became afraid. He said he would not go because he felt he had been followed. I invited him to my home and shared my understandings with him, and he finally agreed to drive us to the countryside. While in the car, we constantly sent forth righteous thoughts. After we got out of the city, the driver said he finally let go of his fear and felt relieved. In the end we all returned home safely.
Every time we returned, we studied the Fa together and looked for areas to improve. As time went by, some practitioners began to develop an attachment to complacency. They paid less attention to Fa study, stopped looking inside and started complaining about others. One day, as we set off, I told the driver that since the roads in that township were rough, he didn't have to drive us all the way into it, and he could just drop us off at a nearby road. A fellow practitioner didn't agree, and she asked the driver to drive her all the way to the entrance. I detected her attachment, but didn't remind her immediately. I went to the west with another practitioner, and she led the driver to the east. In a short while, the car got stuck in the mud. I finished distributing the materials in six villages, as planned. When I came back, I heard that because the car got stuck in the mud, she didn't get a chance to distribute her materials, and the car didn't get out until she called her relatives to come pull it out. She looked inside and saw her attachment to ease and comfort, and realized that she had failed to think of others. Seeing her admit to her shortcomings, I thought, "I have to be tolerant. I cannot blame her. It's alright as long as she and the car returned safely. I had a problem too. If I had talked with her when I left the car, she might have agreed to carry her materials on foot. We should both learn from this lesson and do better next time."
Teacher said,
"Whatever you experience during your cultivation--whether good or bad--is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating." ("To the Chicago Fa Conference")
A few days ago, another practitioner coordinated a trip. She is very courageous and resourceful, but slightly immature. I was a little worried, so I told her to be careful, and that she should make sure to study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts, and make sure to coordinate well.
After the first trip, she told me to find a bigger car and several practitioners, because she was planning to distribute all the materials in one night. I did what she asked me to do, but the driver got confused and wasted over an hour waiting for us, and the next day he couldn't come. I heard that the practitioners in that township had distributed some materials that day, so I discussed this with two other practitioners and decided not to go that day. In addition, I was thinking about encouraging the local practitioners in that area to participate in Dafa projects more. Then I went to share my thoughts with the practitioner who was coordinating. Surprisingly, she got very mad, "No one can change my plan. We must go there today. You stay here, and I will take care of everything." I realized it was the evil communist specter trying to create a separation between us, so I said, "Please calm down. We are not merely distributing materials. We are also cultivating ourselves in the process, in addition to encouraging local practitioners to step out." She became even angrier, thinking that two practitioners had disturbed her plan. She wouldn't listen to me no matter how hard I tried to explain the situation.
After she left, I looked within, trying to find out where I went wrong. For two years, I had never had such a problem with distributing the Nine Commentaries. I thought that this must be interference. I immediately sent forth righteous thoughts and asked for Teacher's guidance, and used my knowing side to communicate with the practitioner's knowing side with the thought, "We must eliminate the separation between us." I realized that I must let go of my "self," and I must harmonize with the team members. I switched two elderly practitioners off with two other experienced practitioners, and kept sending forth righteous thoughts during the entire trip. It went very smoothly until we came back the next morning. Our car had a problem three miles from home - one of the bolts holding the wheel fell off. It was very dangerous as we were on the highway. Luckily nothing happened because Teacher was protecting us.
The coordinating practitioner came to my home after we got back, and we shared our understandings. From the surface level, the incident happened because the car was too old and needed an inspection. In addition, that particular trip was twice the length of our other trips. But I understood the real reason. Before we made our trip, I always thought that with practitioners' cultivation states, we would avoid interference, which was actually acknowledging the old forces. I also used to worry a lot about conflicts emerging among practitioners, and now I have realized that this was also acknowledging the old forces in a disguised form. If a practitioner has attachments, it is up to Teacher to rectify him/her, not the old forces. The old forces are not worthy of testing Dafa practitioners. From now on I must change my notions, and I'm sharing my lessons here hoping to be helpful.
This concludes my limited understandings. Please point out anything improper.
