(Minghui.org)
Greetings, Master!
Greetings, fellow practitioners!
Today I’d like to share my experiences of validating Dafa and saving sentient beings.
Macau is a small city at the border of Southern China. The so-called “handover” [of Macau sovereignty to the government of China] has brought in the evil Communist Party’s full-scale suppression of Falun Gong practitioners in Macau. Even so, Dafa disciples have persisted in clarifying the truth.
Clarifying the Truth to Senior Police Officers and Legal Professionals
Master says in “Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Midwest-U.S. Fa Conference,” “Wherever there's a problem, that is where we should go clarify the facts ...”
After being in contact with the police over a long period of time, and through Fa study and sharing whenever we encountered problems, practitioners have realized the importance of clarifying the facts to the police. Because the police in Macau are influenced by the pressure exerted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), they have blindly followed the CCP and done wrongful things against their own will. Two police entities come each day to monitor us: 1) plainclothes officers from the Intelligence Office and 2) plainclothes officers from the police department. Since they have a lot of opportunities to be with practitioners, we started with them, introducing them to Falun Gong, exposing the evil party’s fabrications and lies, and telling them the facts about of the Tiananmen self-immolation hoax. These officers are also encouraged to read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and the Epoch Times newspaper.
Little by little, day after day, our patience has yielded positive results. Our truth-clarification sites are safe, and tourists from China feel less pressured when they want to actively learn the facts, and the results are getting better. Some police officers have started to learn Falun Gong. One day, an on-duty officer came to a practitioner and said, “Could you please give me another exercise VCD?” He said that the one he had gotten had been given to another colleague to duplicate. “Many people want it,” the officer said. “But when will I get it back? So I have come to get another one. Thank you.” The practitioner gave him one and he was very pleased.
One day, a police officer asked a practitioner to correct his exercise position, but the noticed that he was being watched by another officer. He immediately stopped and started to chat about other things. The other officer came up and said, "If you wish to be a Dafa disciple, you must be upright. In our area, everyone knows Falun Dafa is good; what are you afraid of?" The first officer was surprised and everyone smiled understandingly.
A practitioner once called the police station to coordinate matters related to the truth-clarification site. He accidentally dialed the number of the former chief of that police station. The former chief recognized the practitioner's voice and said humbly, "Falun Gong is good. In fact, I support you!" There have been quite a few such instances.
One time, a Macau practitioner approached a legal authority who is the director of a legal studies institute. This practitioner introduced Falun Dafa to him as well as the facts of the persecution, and also answered his questions. The meeting went on for about an hour. In the end, this practitioner presented the director with a pamphlet of the “United Nations on International Human Rights Law," which was compiled by Macau practitioners and contains other Dafa information. The law expert expressed his gratitude.
First Test
When I first obtained Dafa, Macau practitioners had already spent years clarifying the facts to Mainland tourists near the Ruins of St. Paul’s – a major landmark in Macau. Macau only has a dozen practitioners, and our resources are very limited. I had been hoping to join them soon to clarify the facts, but when the CCP started the persecution in 1999, my home was ransacked by the police. I was working in Mainland China at the time. Many times I was held in custody and questioned when I passed through customs at the China border. I also had the experience of being detained by both Hong Kong and Macau customs. I had a fear then – a fear that being seen in public would affect my job in the Mainland. I was like that for six months before coming forward to distribute flyers in public.
In Macau, there has been a police presence at all of our activities. They take down the names and the ID numbers of all participants and photograph each person. In the beginning, I was trying to distribute the Nine Commentaries to tourists at some distance from this tourist attraction. People came and went, but I felt insecure. I kept looking around to see if there were any policemen nearby. Speaking about distributing the Nine Commentaries, I hardly approached tourists actively, nor looked them in the eye, nor did I chat with them at all.
Some time after that, plainclothes police officers discovered me on the edge of the tourist site. Identifying a new face, a plainclothes officer immediately walked up to check my ID card. I tried to get away by walking in the opposite direction, but another officer came. Surrounded by two or three police officers, I had nowhere to go and had to show my identity card. Knowing my rights, before I showed my ID, I took down their police badge numbers just to show them that I had their information as well. When I handed them my ID card, the officer looked at it quickly and said, "Oh, it turns out to be Miss Lin." Taking down no information, he gave me back my ID card.
Seeing his reaction, I realized that my name, in fact, had been known to them for a long time. From 1999 to 2003, I had been worrying that my cultivation practice would affect my life, my career, etc., all of which was just inviting trouble. Even if I were not practicing, the Macau police and the Mainland police were already in possession of my information and had put me under surveillance. It would be true remorse if I didn't practice Dafa just because I didn’t want to be on their watch list. Thank you, Master, for not giving up on such a disappointing disciple.
With Belief in Master and the Fa, Evil Is Extinguished
The first truth-clarification site established in 2001 by Mainland and Macau practitioners in the tourist district is open every day. In early 2006, local practitioners started another site in the pedestrian area in front of Senado Square, which is open on weekends and holidays. Senado Square is Macau's most prosperous district, filled with tourists and local residents who come to shop. Whenever there are festivals, the place is packed and it’s a must-see attraction for Mainland tourists. With daily traffic of tens of thousands of people, we’ve achieved fine results in clarifying the truth. There is always a crowd of Mainland tourists in front of our display boards. They’ve taken a huge number of copies of the Nine Commentaries and other materials. Oftentimes we run out of materials before closing time. Tourists also ask a variety of questions. This site complements the site in front of the Ruins of St. Paul’s, which is mostly visited by tour groups.
The enormous impact of our truth-clarification site has frightened and annoyed the evil. At the end of 2006, Macau police issued fines of MOP$600 (Macao Pataca, approximately $75USD) to each of the two sites without prior warning. They claimed that our sites were occupying public places illegally and demanded that we immediately clean up, otherwise, they would issue more fines. If we were to put up any posters, the police would arrest all of us and confiscate all the posters. The evil seemed steaming and insufferably arrogant. In fact, we have, in accordance with the requirements of Macau's laws, each time notified the Macau Civic and Municipal Affairs Department (IACM), and the truth-clarification sites in Macau are operated legally under the law. After this happened, all the practitioners in Macao shared with each other and reckoned that we needed to eliminate this interference of the evil CCP and continue to do well with our truth clarification. Moreover, the sites must not be closed. The CCP has deemed our sites a thorn in its side since 1999,and has tried for years to interfere with and get rid of them through the Macau police.
Our sites continue to be open without missing a day, and practitioners continue to strengthen their efforts in sending forth righteous thoughts to dissolve the interference. Meanwhile, we tried to schedule a meeting with the person in charge of the police station that issued the fines to find out more about the incident and clarify the truth at the same time. On the day of the meeting, most of the Macao practitioners showed up, with some taking leave from work. Apart from the practitioners designated to meet with the police, the rest of us gathered in the hall of the police station, sending forth righteous thoughts. The meeting seemed not to solve the problem, and the officer said that he had to follow instructions from his superiors. We gathered together afterward to discuss the next plan of action.
Master said,
“Wherever you run into difficulties you can't avoid them and go around them. Wherever there's a problem, that's where you need to go resolve things and where you need to go clarify the facts. You must remember this! Once a problem comes up somewhere, that's where you need to go clarify the facts. Don't avoid it, no matter how evil it comes across.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference III)
Since the officer had spoken about his superior, we went straight to his boss. Together with a few righteous Legislative Council members, we tried to make an appointment with the police chief. We also drafted an appeal to refute the wrongful actions of the police and the IACM. In our appeal, we stated our legal basis, their illegal actions, the facts about the persecution of Dafa, and the true face of the evil CCP. We also looked inward for loopholes, which may have caused such interference.
The authorities were timid. After three or four times attempts at scheduling, when all practitioners and Legislative Council members arrived at the police station on time, even the acting chief refused to meet with us. A few weeks later, no more fines were issued to us at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, but we were still not allowed to hang posters. We then hung the posters on ourselves and continued our daily truth-clarification activities. Our site moved from the side to the front of the tourist attraction. However, the interference at the site of Rosary Church continued. Practitioners realized that we needed to strengthen our efforts. We then relocated our practice site to the front of the police station and took turns each day from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. to exercise and send forth righteous thoughts. The two-hour long exercises were compressed to one hour, while sending forth of righteous thoughts was extended to an hour. Meanwhile, practitioners started to lodge complaints with the Macao Court, the Procurator's Office, police headquarters and branches, the Judicial Police, the Legislative Council, and the IACM head office and its branches. While clarifying the truth face to face, we also continued to write letters to schedule meetings with the departments in charge of fines, the chief of police, and the director of IACM. In the letters, we told them about the wonderfulness of Dafa, the evil nature of the CCP, and the principle that good is rewarded with good returns.
Master says:
"... the evil CCP could save itself some trouble by not doing anything; whenever it does something bad, and particularly to Dafa disciples, it results in a scandal and fiasco for it, and ends up helping Dafa disciples with what they are doing." ("Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference")
When the Macau police came every week to issue us fines, we decided to expose them. The acting chief police refused to meet with us, so we published an open letter in the Epoch Times. The Epoch Times also reported the story of the police issuing fines, with photos of the police officers involved in both the printed newspaper and on their website.
When the police came to issue fines, they only issued fines to three practitioners, and I was one of them. At first, every time I saw a police officer coming, I wanted to shy away. I would walk a bit farther away in the hopes that he would not see me. But I am a Dafa disciple; how could I be so selfish? How could the evil take away my rights? Besides, I have the protection of Master's law body. I forced myself to face it. As soon as I saw the police coming, I would send forth righteous thoughts to eradicate the evil factors behind them, then tell them the truth, and tell them that their acts were illegal. Gradually, I was less and less concerned about myself. In the end, I was able to disregard the purpose of the police, whether they were coming to issue me a fine or not, as I truly understood that clarifying the facts and saving sentient beings are my responsibility. No interference can hinder this great mission.
Once when a police officer in charge came directly to supervise the police interfering with us, a Macau practitioner smiled and said to him, "You have a gun and a cannon, but no reason. We are unarmed but rational. You can fabricate an injustice, but can you ensure that the verdict will not be reversed one day? Good and evil will receive their karmic retribution when the time comes!”
In 2008, after two years of being issued fines every week by the police, as well as after numerous appeals and meetings with various government departments, numerous articles exposing the evil, and persistent righteous thoughts in front of police stations, all interference disappeared without a trace. The police no longer came to issue fines. As for the countless fines we were issued, we didn’t pay a single pataca. All interference disappeared as though it never existed.
Clarifying the Truth and Getting Rid of Human Notions
In 2007, when the police first started to fine us, I realized that our truth clarification efforts in the courts and government departments had not been good enough. I then started to distribute the Epoch Times each morning to the Macau Legislative Council, the Court of Final Appeals, the Intermediate Court, three police stations, and other places. One day each week, I distribute China View in front of the courthouse and, the next day, in front of the Macau Government Building. Another practitioner distributes the Epoch Times every day to the lower courts. This is how we clarify the truth to the government departments.
Every day I wear nice clothes and high heels to distribute the newspaper, while smiling and greeting everyone kindly. When people take a newspaper from my hands, I say, "Thank you." People are happy to get the newspaper from me, and slowly they've begun to exchange a few words with me. They see me coming in every day, rain or shine, to distribute papers, then I go to work. They then visit the truth-clarification sites over the holidays, and many have begun to show admiration for Dafa disciples. On one occasion, just as I stepped out of a commercial building on a company matter, I met a reader who works in the government. He gave me the thumbs-up sign to show his support.
In addition to distributing papers to government departments, I also take the paper to restaurants in the various business districts. Macau people have the habit of reading the newspaper while eating their breakfast. Some restaurants provide newspapers to customers in order to attract them. My thinking is that if we provide newspapers to restaurants, one paper can by read several people, so that's a pretty high readership. I therefore distribute China View to many restaurants. One day, I'd just put down the paper and was about to leave when an employee came after me and asked, "Can you give me one more copy? I like your newspaper, and I’d like to take it home." Over the years, many readers have praised our newspapers. One time when I was conducting interviews during a parade, the interviewee was from the staff of a disciplinary force in Macau. Even he praised the paper, saying, "Wow, you are from the Epoch Times! It’s a good paper. I often browse your website.”
When I first started distributing papers, I had xinxing tests. I grew up in Macau and was educated there, from primary school to middle school to university – it was all in Macau. Macau is a small place. I bump into acquaintances all the time, from schoolmates and friends in the courts, to prosecutors and the government employees. In the beginning, some schoolmates looked at me disdainfully, as if to say, "Look at you, so poor you have to make a living distributing newspapers on the street." So when I saw an acquaintance, I wanted to hide. Then I thought, “I am doing the most righteous thing, to have people learn the truth and be saved. Is that something embarrassing?” Slowly I let go of such a notion. When I see an acquaintance, I quickly greet him or her with a smile and hand them a copy of the newspaper. Don't all acquaintances have a predestined relationship with me? Through Fa study, I came to realize that those schoolmates might not truly think that way, and they reacted the way they did because I had the mentality of saving face. Therefore, Master arranged for this phenomenon, so that I could let go of that notion. Once this notion was gone, that never happened again.
Steadfast Righteous Thoughts During Tests
Soon after the Macau police stopped issuing us fines at the end of 2008, a new test came. In November 2008, the Macau Government, which is heavily influenced by the evil CCP, officially enacted Legislative Process Article 23, aimed against Dafa disciples. Before the news was announced, the atmosphere in Macau was no longer the same. People in the Legislative Council and the courts no longer took the newspaper. Some pro-democracy activists said that there was probably no chance of organizing parades in the future. My heart was moved, and I didn’t know which direction to go. This draconian law was rejected by half a million Hong Kong citizens who took to the streets in 2003, so would trouble be stirred up in Macau in 2008? Once the legislation passed, the CCP could use the law to put us in prison. How would we run our truth-clarification site? Could I still clarify the truth as usual? Questions were circling in my brain, and I knew I needed to improve more.
Studying the Fa is the essence of improving. If I could not think it through correctly, then I should not think about it. Whenever incorrect thoughts manifested, I thought: “This is not me. I am a Dafa disciple and I will not allow any evil to disturb me.” After Fa study about a week later, my heart gradually settled down, and I could think clearly again. I asked myself, “Do I want to be an everyday person or a Dafa disciple?” It’s true that everyday people can’tnable to enjoy life for more than three days before some discomfort or calamity arises. Before I obtained the Fa, I was the same. Not to mention the big things, certain trivial things could upset me incredibly. Every moment I was thinking of plans for the future, which is very tiring. When I look around at my ordinary friends, rich or poor, aren’t they living their lives like I used to? Do I again want to experience illness and death, and then come back again? I am provided with an opportunity to break through this and return home with Master. Do I want to give that up? The answer is obvious, of course: I want to return home with Master.
When my thoughts were firm, everything seemed different. Master’s teaching came to mind:
“All of you are already aware of the principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition. If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist. This is not to be self-imposed, but is achieved by truly and calmly letting go of it.” (“Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)” from Essentials for Further Advancement II).
Master also said,
“If you are a true practitioner, our Falun will safeguard you. I am rooted in the universe. If anyone can harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe.” (Zhuan Falun)
Yes. Who would be able to harm the universe? Therefore, without giving serious regard to this draconian law, all Macau practitioners stabilized our thoughts and continued our truth-clarification activities.
Quitting the CCP and Its Affiliated Organizations and Saving Sentient Beings
One characteristic of Macau is that it has a huge number of tourists from Mainland China. In 2011 the number of tourists reached 28 million, with the majority of them from Mainland China. Each day, tens of thousands of people, and more during major events and festivals, pass by our truth-clarification site. In the past, we mainly displayed our informational panels and distributed materials, and relatively few of us took the initiative to persuade tourists to quit the CCP. We thought that if we mentioned it, the tourists would hand the materials back to us.
In early 2009, we were determined to break through this barrier by encouraging people to do the “Three Withdrawals” and bring a brighter future to those predestined people [Note: The “Three Withdrawals” refers to withdrawing from the CCP and its affiliated organizations – the Youth League and the Young Pioneers]. When I first started, only one or two out of 20-30 people were willing to quit. I felt frustrated and wanted to give up. But my mind quickly changed by thinking that if we were going to become a divine being, could it be so easy? Wasn’t it a test for me? How could I give up so easily? Cheer up and keep trying!
Slowly, I could get 5 or 6 people in a morning to quit the CCP, and later on the number went up a bit more. When the number reached 10, I told myself that it was still too few and the number should be more than 30 to be considered OK. Once I had this idea, I reached the target within a month. When I reached 70, it basically took me just three minutes to help one person quit, and it seemed that I had reached the limit and could convince no more. This continued for some time. Then I thought, no, Master says: “Dafa disciples, I won't set a ceiling for you, as you're now in the midst of establishing mighty virtue.” (“Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference”) So many people pass by every day—could I be satisfied with 70? With more effort and determination, now I can convince an average of a100 or more in half a day, and sometimes up to 180. I know it is not any special ability I’ve got, it is that Master saw my thought and supported me. “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Zhuan Falun) I fully appreciate this point. Whenever the “Three Withdrawals” didn't go smoothly, I stopped to ask myself, “What am I doing here? Do I really want to save sentient beings? Am I validating myself or validating the Fa? Do I have the mentality of jubilation?” Once I adjusted my state of mind, the effect of helping people to quit the CCP always becomes better. It feels like my energy field can shield a person, who then naturally chooses a better future for themselves.
I also know that one person’s power is limited, and the strength of a group is immense. Whenever we reach a new record, we brief other practitioners and encourage them to share and join in with helping people to quit the CCP. Now, many of us keep breaking our own records. Macau practitioners take the initiative to persuade people to quit the CCP. The two truth-clarification sites have increased their daily success of people quitting the CCP from 100 to 200, and they are now approaching 300 people per day.
Big Changes in Mainland Tourists
After nine years of directly clarifying the truth, I clearly feel the advancement of Fa-rectification. At the truth-clarification site at the Ruins of St Paul’s, we’ve only got one practitioner there most of the time. Back in 2004 and 2005, mainland tourists would rage at us. Sometimes if one person came to vilify us, other Mainlanders would surround us and swear at us. One time, a person scrunched up the newspaper I gave him into a ball and threw it in my face.
Later on, the abuse became less and less prevalent. In these past two or three years, as soon as someone comes to vilify us, his family or someone in his group will push him away and apologize to us, saying, “Please ignore him.” Since 2011, as soon as we start to clarify the truth, Mainlanders stop and listen. Everyone nods and agrees, and one by one they quit the CCP. Some tourists read our banner out loud, “Falun Dafa is good.” Younger tourists often take photos with the banners in the background.
Closing Remarks
Believing in Master and the Fa has allowed me to make it through all the ups and downs in Macau. With Master’s mighty mercy and protection, the interference from the evil Party just collapses. Righteous thoughts comes from Fa study. Master says: "To tell you the truth, the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments." (Zhuan Falun)
It is true that whether we are at the stage of individual cultivation or of Fa-rectification cultivation, clarifying the truth, negating the persecution, saving sentient beings, and everything that we encounter is all about cultivation and letting go of attachments. But to realize one’s own attachments, to find them and let go of them, only studying the Fa is the key. Only when we study the Fa well do we not fall down in the face of the evil’s pressure and in the passing of tests. And only when we study the Fa well can we keep our minds sober and not get lost, can we see the light and future amidst difficulties, can we look within when encountering conflicts, can we cultivate ourselves well, improve ourselves, and reach consummation.
Master said, “The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Master also said, “You must study the Fa well, for that is the fundamental guarantee that you return to your position.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa”)
In the end, Let's encourage each other with Master's poem:
“Seeking Master for how many years,
One day seeing him in person,
Obtaining Fa, cultivating to return,
Reaching Consummation, returning with Master.”
(“Predestiny Leads Back to Sacred Fruit” from Hong Yin)
I hope that all fellow practitioners and I can return home with Master. Please kindly point out anything incorrect in my understanding.
Thank you, Master!
Thank you, fellow practitioners!
