(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Master, greetings fellow practitioners!
I started practicing Falun Dafa in 2002. Through cultivation I found answers to all the questions in life. Everything that happened to me was exactly as Master described in Zhuan Falun.
I once read an experience sharing article by an Australian practitioner which mentioned, "Fa determines what we should do, not what we would like to do." I then realized that I should clarify the truth to Chinese people more. I often gave out truth clarification newspapers in Russian, clarified the truth to Russians, made paper lotus flowers, and took part in truth clarification events in the streets as well as at Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Art Exhibitions. However, I never forgot that I should clarify the truth to Chinese people and tourists in front of the Chinese Embassy, in train stations, and other places, including to Chinese students in university dorms.
This spring, a fellow practitioner who had been to Vladivostok to clarify the truth three times asked me to join her on another trip there. The invitation was very tempting, as Vladivostok borders with China. There is a huge Chinese market and many Chinese tourists. There would be opportunities to save a lot of Chinese people. But I am a pensioner. To go or not to go? I pondered for a long time and finally decided to take the journey.
I bought train tickets a month in advance, planning to spend August and September there. Interference immediately followed. My son suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. He needed to be cared for. My grandsons had to prepare for exams, and my daughter-in-law could not do everything herself every day. I had to take turns with her, staying at the hospital two days and nights a week to look after my son. There I continued to study the Fa, send righteous thoughts, and do the exercises as normal. Soon my son regained his mobility. I took colored paper to the hospital and folded lotus flowers, and my son helped me. When I gave the flowers and newspapers to doctors and nurses, they were so happy. They thanked me sincerely. My son took all of this in. I felt that he was very happy. Actually, when I first started practicing Dafa, he was against it. At that time our relationship was strained. I now no longer had to worry about my son when I left for Vladivostok with the fellow practitioner.
On August 1, our train left for Vladivostok and got there after seven days and nights. A practitioner couple took us to their home. They had moved from Moscow to Vladivostok specifically to clarify the truth to more Chinese people. I think they were terrific as it took courage to do what they did.
In the 45 days that followed, we kept to a set schedule. Every morning we got up at 7:00 a.m., and set off at 8:00 a.m. to a park to do the exercises and send righteous thoughts. We then went to a World War II memorial, which was a tourist hotspot with most tourists coming from China. Speaking Chinese, we distributed the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and other truth clarification materials. Fellow practitioners displayed the exhibits, which documented the spread of Falun Dafa in the world on one side and had photos of practitioners being tortured in mainland China on the other. Chinese tourists read the exhibits carefully. I told them, "The Chinese Communist Party has killed many people." "The heavens will eliminate the CCP!" "Quit the CCP to guarantee your safety!" I also showed them the "Quit the CCP" button I wore on my chest, pointed to the total count of those who have withdrawn as published in the paper. They watched and chatted. Some even took photos of the exhibits.
When they had time, other practitioners came to help at the pier before noon. Usually at that time many Chinese came for boat rides. Most were happy to accept our materials. Before the boats set off, another practitioner would stand close by and open up the exhibits to show them. Many Chinese would become sad upon seeing the displays. One lady even shed tears. Ond Chinese tourist came close to me and in a low voice said in Russian, "Falun Gong is persecuted where we are." I replied, "I know." Having seen the exhibits the fellow practitioner showed him, he was deeply saddened.
At around 3:00 p.m. each day we returned to our lodging. After a few bites to eat and some rest, everyone went to the beach to do the exercises. We also displayed the exhibits. Passersby would come up to watch and accept materials, and some learned the practice from us. Others asked where they could purchase a copy of the book Zhuan Falun. Chinese people came by often too. Seeing our exercises, people often said, "Falun Gong!" We replied in Chinese, "Falun Gong is good, very good!"
In the interim, three things revealed my attachments. The first was, according to local practitioners, every Chinese working in the Chinese market had renounced the CCP. This was confirmed when I went to the market myself. Most Chinese tourists stayed only for a few days. Many dared not sign to quit the Party. I felt disappointed not being able to claim victory in urging Chinese to quit the CCP.
The second was when a fellow practitioner from Vladivostok went to another large city in the far-east, Chabarovsk, to clarify the truth to local Chinese and got 80 renouncements in one visit. But he did not ask me to come along. I felt a bit hurt.
The third was when that fellow practitioner was about to make another trip to Chabarovsk, my travel companion offered to go with him, which he accepted. When I offered to go, however, he declined. Why was that? I felt a bit upset.
Two days later, when I came out of the room in the morning, it was too dark to see. I kicked hard a pile of truth clarification newspapers that had just arrived the night before. My toes did not break or dislocate, but were bruised. I asked myself then, "How many tribulations would I have to go through to look inward and realize why these things had happened?" I had not enlightened, so I received a "stick wake-up." Indeed, a whole pile of attachments burst out in me - conceit, showing off, anger, jealousy, blame, selfishness, etc. I had carried out the sacred mission of saving sentient beings with such strong attachments.
The fellow practitioner later went to Chabarovsk with another practitioner and a practitioner from a nearby village. The three of them gave out 800 copies of truth clarification materials and got 200 signatures for quitting the CCP. When I heard the news, I felt very calm, as I had found my problem.
After exercises on the beach each day, we usually went to Chinese restaurants nearby to clarify the truth. Often groups of Chinese tourists dined there. The first time I went to a restaurant, some tourists came out of the restaurant and were very friendly. They accepted the papers and were reading there. At that time a Chinese who seemed to be the restaurant owner came out and asked us to leave, in Russian. Whenever we clarified the truth in front of the restaurant, he came out, stared at us, and asked questions. Once I told him about the millions quitting the CCP, which he didn't believe. I showed him the paper, and pointed out the statistics. Still he did not budge, "This is not true. It's all a lie." I took out a name list of Chinese people quitting the CCP from St. Petersburg and said, "What is this then? I can't write Chinese." The Chinese people around us all came over to see. He became quiet and disappeared into the restaurant.
It was even easier for Russian-speaking Chinese to accept the truth. Often they even helped us to clarify the truth. They took leaflets from us and passed them on to Chinese tourists. Once a Russian-speaking Chinese even shouted out loud, "Falun Dafa is good!" Of course there were also bad incidents. Once we ran into a group of Chinese at a bus stop. We gave them newspapers and showed them banners. Everyone accepted the newspapers and started reading. At that time a Chinese came over and said something angrily. So they returned the paper to us. One of them even grabbed a hold of the banner and was about to tear it up. I stopped him. I felt so sad for those people. On one hand, they wanted to know the truth. On the other hand they were afraid that someone would report them when they returned to China.
On our last day in Vladivostok, we went again to the Chinese restaurant. I distributed newspapers by the door. All the Chinese coming out of the restaurant accepted the papers, and soon they were gone. At that time the owner came out. I told him that we were leaving, said goodbye and invited him to visit St. Petersburg. When we parted ways, the owner said, "Good job, well done!" Hearing this, I was moved. Dafa is changing people.
Thank you Master!
