(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I worked as a chef. In 1999, like thousands of other practitioners, I was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I was forced to leave home and became homeless. My life was very difficult.
After I returned home, my wife and I opened a small restaurant with a 24-hour service.
I became very busy at the restaurant and had almost no time to do the exercises and study the Fa. I also did not send forth righteous thoughts or dare to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to others. I strayed further and further away from the Fa. After working hard for several years, I felt mentally drained and physically exhausted. I lived like this for almost seven years.
I always wanted to return to cultivation. Soon, compassionate Master gave me an opportunity.
One day in April 2011, a practitioner asked me: “Come to group Fa study.” I was happy to be offered this opportunity to return to the group environment. I was really delighted, but also worried. I felt there was a risk in being in contact with practitioners. I was afraid of being persecuted, as I had been wanted by police in the past, and had been held in a detention center twice.
However, realizing that Master was giving me another chance to cultivate and do things well, I decided to join the group Fa study in the evening.
The Fa-study group had been formed two months before. In the beginning when we studied the Fa, I thought, “Is it safe for so many practitioners to gather together?” After I repeatedly went to the Fa study, my mind gradually calmed down.
I experienced the elimination of my attachment of fear and human notions several times.
After a few weeks, some practitioners suggested that we send forth righteous thoughts near forced labor camps and prisons. The other practitioners asked me, “Will you go?” When I heard their question, a bad thought immediately jumped into my mind: “If the police check our IDs, won't I be exposed? It's too dangerous.” But I was embarrassed to say it out loud. I decided to go with them.
On the way there, nothing happened. We sat nearby and sent forth righteous thoughts. I felt great. But on the way home, there was another test for me. I sat next to a practitioner who was the driver. I noticed a parked police vehicle on the road in the distance. It seemed like the police were checking every car. I was very nervous. When we drove by, however, it turned out to be two cars parked together and two people chatting.
I thought: “I just threatened myself . My attachment of fear caused it, since, 'the appearance stems from the mind' (“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting”).” This experience helped me remove my attachment of fear.
Another experience was buying fireworks. The experience has really eliminated many of my fearful substances. We read on the Minghui website about buying fireworks and lighting them. Local practitioners and I repeatedly went out to buy fireworks for several days.
One evening, I went to a square to light a firework, but it only made a few bangs and then appeared to fizzle out. On the way down, it turned into a crowd of people in the square. I was scared! If the firework hurt them, I would have committed a big sin. However, the firework burned out after a few bangs and did not hurt anyone.
That night, I couldn't sleep. The electricity in my entire building and the local area was out, and it was very dark. At 3:30 a.m., it was time to do group exercises. I wondered if I should go to a fellow practitioner's home to join the exercises. I hesitated for a while, but then decided to go. After finishing the exercises and sending forth righteous thoughts at 6 a.m., I felt many of the bad substances in me had been eliminated.
When I thought about what happened again, I realized it was because I had a very big attachment of fear, and my mind wasn't calm when I had lit the firework. Because I didn't clarify the truth to the people in the square, my action just became a formality. In addition, I had an argument with other practitioners beforehand. Our field wasn't pure and clean, thus inviting interference.
Not long after I let go of my attachment of fear, practitioners asked me to buy fireworks with them again. As soon as I heard this, my fear floated up again. My righteous thoughts and human attachments started fighting.
I thought: “Let the other practitioners go.” I was worried about the danger! But then I thought: “Why did they choose me? If buying fireworks is dangerous, why should I pass the danger to others? Master had practitioners approach me. This means that I'm capable of doing it. This is also another opportunity to let go of my attachment of fear and human notions. How could I push it away?!”
Thus, I decided to go with the practitioners to buy fireworks. After we got in the car, we started sending forth righteous thoughts. After half an hour, we arrived at the shop. The dark sky became clear and cloudless. We all felt delighted. My attachment of fear had been eliminated by my righteous thoughts.
Adjusting My Work Environment
After I returned to the group cultivation environment, I sold my business.
One year swiftly passed. I persisted in studying the Fa. I also participated in many projects to save people. I felt fulfilled. But I ignored that we should cultivate while maximally conforming to the ways of ordinary human society; we should have a job. When my wife saw that I had stayed home for a year, she started pressuring me to go back to work. I resisted in my mind; I really didn't want to do the same work again, because this work rarely left any spare time. I was worried that it could affect my cultivation.
When I shared my thoughts with other practitioners, they encouraged me to use a cultivator's mindset to face this issue: We need to do the three things well and at the same time ensure harmony with our family. I needed to walk my own path. Encouraged by fellow practitioners, I opened a new restaurant, merging my cultivation with my livelihood.
Not long after I opened the restaurant, I bought a television and installed a satellite dish to watch NTDTV. I hoped that my customers would also have a chance to watch NTDTV. At beginning, I had many worries and fears. Midday on the first day the NTDTV was on, it broadcast “Mainland News Interpretation” and “Today's Clicks”; it also showed the global numbers of people quitting the CCP and the overseas Falun Gong practitioners' parade.
At the time, I was afraid that someone would report me and that I would be persecuted. I asked myself: “Is what I am doing right? Should I do it? NTDTV exposes the lies and eliminates the evil; whoever watches its programs will benefit. So I should do it; it is correct. Then I should let go of my attachment and do it in an upright and dignified manner!”
I recalled Master's words:
“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)
When I remembered that Master decides everything, my fears, worries and negative thoughts were all eliminated.
NTDTV was on in my restaurant every day. Every customer who ate in my restaurant was attracted by the programs. During peak meal times, at noon and in the evening, NTDTV broadcast just the right programs that people were concerned about and interested in. Sometimes, customers asked questions while they watched the programs. The counter staff, all of whom were practitioners, answered their questions.
I also clarified the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution to the customers in my restaurant. After watching NTDTV programs, many customers understood the truth. At the beginning when they watched NTDTV, they were shocked and deeply touched.
Sometimes customers directly demanded that I put on NTDTV. They said things like, “We only want to watch NTDTV, because we love to hear what they say.” Some also said, “The CCP is very bad; it should have collapsed a long time ago!”
Once, as a customer was passing by my restaurant, he stopped and looked in through the window. Then he came in and said: “I didn't plan to eat here, but when I saw the TV, it was broadcasting my favorite program, so I came in. Otherwise, I wouldn't have stopped here.”
My family was also changed by this environment and became more and more supportive of me.
When my customers needed change, we gave them currency bills with truth-clarification messages on them. In the past, we had used stamps to stamp the truth-clarification messages on the money. Later, many different templates were published on Minghui, so we started using these templates to print messages on the bills.
Every day, I put all of the money together and gave it to practitioners for printing truth-clarification messages; then we could use these bills the next day. Because we used a lot every day, sometimes we ran out of these bills. Practitioners then used many contacts to exchange the money. They also started preparing truth-clarification bills earlier in the day.
Sometimes the money was new, and customers would ask: “Even the new bills have messages on them. Did they come like this from the bank?” The regular customers understood. People are awakening.
I often clarify the truth to my customers. Sometimes I talk to one person, and sometimes I can talk to all of the people at the table. After explaining the facts to them, I give them informational materials so they could understand more. After Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs became available, I handed them out face to face. I gave the DVDs to my customers, as well as my suppliers and drivers when I went out to buy goods in the market.
Because I often go shopping in the market, sometimes as soon as I come in, I hear people saying, “Here comes Falun Gong.” Once, I gave a DVD to a vegetable vendor. He hesitated and didn't want to accept it. Another person passed by said: “You should take it. The show is very good, really different.” The vendor then immediately accepted it.
Another time, I went to buy chicken meat. After buying it, I handed a DVD to the seller. She immediately asked: “What's that? I don't want it.” I saw that her face wasn't unkind. I said: “It's free. Just watch it. I promise you won't regret it.” She didn't respond back, so I just left her the DVD. Several days later, I went to buy goods from her shop again. As soon as she saw me, she smiled and said: “The Shen Yun show is great! Thank you!”
Her face was kind and full of smiles. She asked: “What else do you have? Please give it to me.” I then gave her the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party DVD. A few days later when she saw me again, she said, “It's scary.” I said: “It's the CCP's history of killing. For the sake of your future, I hope you can quit the Party.” She agreed immediately.
Cherishing Our Group Environment
I cherished the opportunity that Master offered me to return to cultivation. Thus, I thought that no matter how difficult it may become, I must insist on doing the three things well and put cultivation as my priority. I didn't delay doing the three things because of my business. Our local group adjusted our Fa-study time to accommodate my circumstances.
Every day, I closed the shop around 9 p.m., and we held group Fa study until 11 p.m. We sent forth righteous thoughts twice: at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. The next day, I joined the group exercises in the morning at 3:50 a.m. After doing the exercises, we studied one lecture of Zhuan Falun or watched Master's lecture on video.
We have maintained this great cultivation environment.
Two years after returning to cultivation, I truly felt that I'd benefited from our group environment. I understood that I have many attachments and shortcomings. I constantly cleanse myself. Every day after the busy work, I sleep for only three or four hours, but I feel very refreshed. I feel like I've merged into the Fa.
Cooperating as a Group to Save Sentient Beings in the Countryside
The year before practitioners and I went near the forced labor camps to send forth righteous thoughts, I took some truth-clarification materials with me and distributed them to the residential areas nearby. I always wanted to go back to my hometown and distribute truth-clarification materials there. I told this to fellow practitioners. They were very supportive and started preparing materials for me.
The first time we went to my hometown, we sent forth righteous thoughts all the way there. It was a long trip. Later, we went there again several times, covering most of the villages near my hometown.
Master encouraged us by showing us many miracles. Every time when we set off from home, we saw fireworks. It was not time for New Year, but as soon as we arrived at the villages, we could see fireworks in the distance. It seemed as though the people were setting them off to welcome us.
Later when I returned to my hometown, I heard my relatives say: “Falun Gong has been here. Every house has received a gift with the word 'Happiness.' It's very pretty.”
People in my hometown are very simple. I knew they would cherish the gifts very much. Today's people have come for the Fa. Master's encouragement and people's positive responses gave us great confidence. Practitioners all wished to carry on this project. We have continued doing so for two years.
Last year, we went to the countryside every two weeks. Later, many practitioners joined the project, so we began going once a week.
In the past, practitioners distributed the materials on foot. Later, we noticed that some villages had good roads, so we could use the car to distribute them. This way, we effectively improved our distribution.
Every practitioner was responsible and coordinated well with others. Each had a role to play: The driver drove the car, the practitioner next to the driver observed the road conditions and noted down the route, and practitioners in the rear opened their windows to distribute the materials to each house.
Sometimes we were led to places by Master. These places were not in our plan, and some were not even on the map. We understood that although we were carrying out the actions, it was Master who was truly saving people.
Because there are more practitioners participating now, we can distribute truth-clarification materials very efficiently. We need to prepare even more materials and pack them. This involves a great amount of work. Practitioners always try their best to prepare the materials each week. In addition, many other practitioners have provided truth-clarification materials to us for several years.
We deeply understand that the time to save sentient beings is very tight now. We will continue doing it solidly.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners! Heshi!