(Minghui.org) I have never been afraid to talk to strangers about Falun Gong. However, it has always been difficult for me to talk to people I know. I was afraid that they would not understand me and treat me as a weird person. So, among all my acquaintances, I only talked about Falun Gong to a few very close friends.
My mindset has changed after I read the Fa more intensively and talked to other practitioners. I realized that my fear stemmed from my strong attachment to fame. It is a manifestation of my selfishness. I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the bad thoughts and increased my Fa study. Gradually, I stopped being afraid. Instead, I felt proud when I told people about Falun Gong.
It was at a high school class reunion when I first talked about Falun Gong in public to my acquaintances. One of my classmates, who is the vice mayor of my hometown, organized the reunion. It was the largest reunion we ever had. Twenty three people attended, and I had not seen some of them for 28 years.
At the banquet, everybody gave a toast. When it was my turn, I held up a soft drink, and told them, “I don't drink.” The vice mayor and the others asked me why. I smiled: “because I'm practicing a discipline from the Buddha School.” The vice mayor was intrigued: “The Buddha School? I lived in Tibet for three years, and I know a lot about cultivating Buddhahood. What particular discipline in the Buddha School do you cultivate?”
“Falun Gong,” said I calmly. The noisy room became quiet all of sudden. Everybody looked at me. I briefly told them about the benefits of practicing Falun Gong, and how it is embraced in over 100 countries around the world, why I practiced it and the truth of the self-immolation on Tian'anmen Square, among other propaganda stunts the regime made up, and why I practice it.
Everybody kept silent after I finished. After a short while, the vice mayor said: “you are brave. Look around. Everybody here makes up the elite of this society. You have the courage to talk about Falun Gong here. It's great! You are a winner!”
Indeed, my classmates are the elite in society. Most of them are the leaders in their workplaces and have certain power. However, they may not have heard the facts of Falun Gong directly. I was very glad that I could finally tell them what Falun Gong was about. I said to myself, “Master is encouraging me using the vice mayor's words.”
Later at the party, the vice mayor came to me, trying to convince me to stop practicing. After a fruitless long speech, he said that I had been brainwashed by Falun Gong. Other classmates echoed him. Some of them said: “you can practice at home, if it is really good. But don't let others know. Also, don't talk about it in public.” Some said: “Don't have conflicts with the regime. You can't win.”
I knew that they were worried about my safety. I also knew that although they could not accept Falun Gong all at once now, this breakthrough lays the foundation for further truth-clarifying in the future.
We had more smaller class reunions later. Every time, I prepared some Falun Gong materials for everybody. I also talked to them individually about Falun Gong in detail.
One year after a large class reunion, a classmate, who is the manager of a big company, had tried to convince me to give up Falun Gong, and told me that he read the materials I gave to him. “I saw a lot of Falun Gong practitioners in the U.S.A. I also read more about Falun Gong. I realized that you are the nicest person among all of our classmates. Keep up the good cultivation,” he said.
A classmate, who is a community leader, once said to me on the phone: “Your belief is great. I support you.” Another one, who is a doctor, once said: “You look young, and have no wrinkles. It is because of your practice. It really benefits you physically.”
Last January, at a small party, I talked about Falun Gong to my high school classmates again. One guy, who is a high-ranking government officer, said to me in front of the others: “I went on a business trip to Germany last month. Several people welcomed me at the airport, holding banners with Chinese words. A German lady even said something to me in Chinese. Can you guess what she said?:”
I shook my head.
“How can you not guess it?” He said: “The German woman told me 'Falun Dafa is good.'” Everybody smiled.
Now all of my high school classmates know the facts about Falun Gong. I will keep up my efforts and tell more people about it in my everyday life, and allow them to choose bright futures for themselves.
