(Minghui.org) For the past few years, I have been explaining the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong to people face-to-face. From doing this, I have a few stories that I would like to share with fellow practitioners.
I. A Sentence That Shocks People Into Listening
I work in retail and have been dealing with people of different genders, professions, ethnicities, religions, and mindsets every day. I always try to make the most of this opportunity to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to them and help them with the “three withdrawals” (quitting the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations). Because they come from different backgrounds, I talk to them from an angle appropriate to their background. And then, in the end, I always come back to the truth of Falun Gong. When I clarify the facts to them, I always pay attention to their facial expressions, so as to adjust my approach, the depth of my truth-clarification details, or the topic in a timely way. The ability people have to accept the truth varies. Sometimes it seems that they listen to me while not paying full attention, and yet I have realized there is one sentence that truly shocks almost all of them. After they hear that sentence, they immediately stop everything they are doing, and look at me in a dumbfounded way, sometimes for several seconds.
This sentence is, “The self-immolation incident at Tiananmen Square was staged!” I consider this shocked reaction a manifestation of people truly being saved. Even so, after a few seconds, their surface human elements become active again, and some of them then show their resentment towards the CCP for fabricating lies. Some wonder why the CCP fabricated this hoax, and some quickly regain their composure and become indifferent. Others begin talking in favor of the CCP, and some who do not believe me walk away.
From this scene, I have come to realize that we must talk about the “basic facts.” The gang led by Jiang Zemin fabricated this staged “self-immolation incident at Tiananmen Square,” which has deeply poisoned the Chinese people. The CCP is still using this staged incident to poison great numbers of students at school. However, on the other hand, the evilest lie has also become the most effective talking point for saving sentient beings. Therefore, we must solidly clarify the “basic facts.”
II. Give People a Clear and Positive Conclusion
I was once clarifying the facts to a lady who was an ethnic minority Chinese. As the environment was relatively relaxed, I spent a little bit more time speaking with her. She unexpectedly stopped me, and asked, “You have talked so much, but can you tell me whether Falun Gong is good or bad?” I said, “Falun Gong is very great, but bad people from the Chinese government have been persecuting it.” She replied, “Ok, I get it.” Sometimes, when we clarify the facts, our hearts are not pure enough, as we are always afraid that people will not understand, nor accept us. We thus take a detour and talk about too many facts. Actually, when a sentient being comes to listen to the truth, all they want to hear from us is, “Falun Gong is truly wonderful; however, the CCP has been persecuting it.” Giving a clear and positive conclusion by telling people, “Falun Dafa is wonderful” is necessary. Otherwise one's truth-clarification may not be successful, and it could lead to people drawing negative conclusions and not being saved. Large numbers of people have been poisoned by the CCP's lies. Some elderly people, especially, may draw conclusions contrary to what you are trying to tell them. And if you do not catch it, the consequences can be terrible. I remember one time when I was clarifying the facts to an elderly person by saying, “What has been reported by the government about Falun Gong practitioners committing bad deeds is lies. My father practices Falun Gong.” He ended up hearing that Falun Gong is fake, and the government has reported on their committing bad deeds. Because of this, he also felt pity for my father for practicing Falun Gong. Upon hearing this, I quickly corrected him. I said, "That is not what I told you. Falun Gong is good. It is the government framing Falun Gong that is bad. My father had been sick for twenty years, and when he began to practice Falun Gong, he was healed after only two weeks." After he heard that, he didn't say anything else.
III. When We Clarify the Truth, We Won't Have Good Results if We Have Human Attachments
With all kinds of human attachments, we can't achieve a good effect in clarifying the facts, and we may instead get ourselves into trouble. I have listed a few common human attachments that might easily manifest as follows:
1. Desire to achieve a good result in a speedy way. It comes down to the fact that we may be attached to building up our own mighty virtue. This situation is rather perilous. When we are in this state, we often overlook the safety issue, or the other party's openness to the truth.
2. Showing “hatred” towards the CCP. The manifestation is that our speech is filled with “hatred,” leaving others with the impression that we are “playing politics.” If we are in this mode, people will sometimes change their role into that of a “third party,” or a neutral bystander.
3. A strong feeling of revenge. This mainly happens with those who do not accept the truth, or even openly curse Dafa.
4. An attachment of forcing others to accept something. This manifests when we will not stop talking, nor allow the other party to speak. It might be with the purpose of having the other party learn more about the truth, but by doing this, the other person may exhibit antipathy. Clarifying the truth to people is a process of communication. By reasoning things out with others we arouse their universal kind and righteous thoughts from the bottom of their hearts, and then reinforce those thoughts.
5. Strong competitive mentality. When I was clarifying the facts to others, I often ran into people who refuted me with all kinds of biased theories. They even went so far as to treat the evil Party's theories as the only truth, and were persistent. If you don't want to lose the battle, you end up in an argument with them, and moreover, can become deeply involved in it. At that time, you are not in the mode of clarifying the facts, but rather in a battle where one's evil nature has gained the upper hand.
IV. Pay Attention to Your Approach When Clarifying the Facts to Special People
People from certain departments in China, such as local community management committees, police departments, Procuratorate and juridical departments, and certain other government departments, are often deeply poisoned by the Party. In addition, they also commit evil deeds as part of their mission to persecute Dafa practitioners. When it comes to clarifying the facts to these people, two things require attention.
First is to test the other party's moral bottom-line, by mentioning an incident publicly reported, in which there a was clash between the Chinese government and its citizens. Then after hearing his or her response, you can formulate the proper words to lead into the topic of truth-clarification. To these kinds of people, it is relatively safer to talk about the truth from a “third party” perspective.
Secondly, we need to show that we are very concerned about the other party's safety. Put yourself in his or her shoes, with what you are doing being solely for the benefit of the other party. Doing this will help reduce the other party's hostile attitude.
V. Follow Everyday People's Manners to Help Save Sentient Beings
Chinese people stress personal relationships. Therefore, if you can manage to find connections with a person, say, if you are from the same hometown as he is or you are his friend, then he may be very willing to listen to you. If you are kind to him, he will likely treat you the same. For these everyday human matters, if we use them properly, it will help us clarify the facts and ensure our safety. I give every customer a very warm welcome, and then I begin chatting with them, often finding connections with them. On the other hand, we won't have a connection with people from every profession in society, but at least we know about some of them. Also, if we have a heart for saving people, Teacher will give us wisdom. After my clients finish listening to the truth, their responses are different. Some become excited, and others show heavy feelings on their faces. I have also run into some people who are very stubborn and want to follow the evil CCP to the end, and some even become angry with me. At that time, I have to use everyday people's ways to comfort them, making them feel as if nothing has happened. I treat them cordially and wish them well. In addition, I invite them to come back again. Many clients are very touched and say, “Your service is just excellent. There is no way I can find a service like this anywhere else!” By treating all people with kindness and politeness, no matter whether they are kind or not so kind, they will feel that you are great.
VI. Clarifying the Facts to Groups of People
If many people come into my store at once, they are often connected, being a group of classmates, coworkers, a family, or friends. As the saying goes, "Items are classified, people are divided into groups." People who arrive together normally share some similarities. In theory, the degree of difficulty is the same when clarifying the facts to a group as to an individual. Among a group of people, there is often one who plays the spokesperson role. I have also found this with a husband and wife. There is one who likes to listen, the other does not. The same thing happens when proceeding with the “three withdrawals.” There is often one willing to do it, while the other shows no stance. If there is higher Fa principle on how to handle this phenomenon, I have not yet enlightened to it.
The above experiences in clarifying the facts face-to-face to people, show that I have room to improve in my cultivation, and that I still have unsolved problems. I would like to ask that diligent practitioners give me some hints. For example, there are many people I talk to who become upset when talking about the CCP, and don't admit membership in either the Party, the Youth League, or the Young Pioneers. Their argument is that their memberships have long ago expired, or they haven't paid the Party dues for many years. However, when you ask them to show their stance by doing the “three withdrawals,” they either don't speak up, or just refuse. Some don't believe that the CCP will collapse, and some say that even if the CCP were to collapse, it would only impact its officials. When you give them an instance, such as, “When the gate of the City is on fire, a fish in the pond is affected,” they still don't want to listen. I truly hope practitioners can share experiences in solving this issue.
