(Minghui.org)

Dear Editor,

I have spoken recently with a person who visits the United States frequently, and he has told me about his experience encountering practitioners there. I believe that what he said offers us some lessons in truth-clarification.

This is my first time writing to the Minghui website. Please help correct any mistakes in my submission.

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Fellow practitioners outside of China:

Greetings! I'm a Dafa practitioner in China. I have encountered the following situation during my truth-clarification:

I encountered an elderly man who has been to the U.S. many times. He stays there for about six months each time, mainly in Houston. But he also travels around.

Since he spends so much time in there, I thought he must already know the facts about the persecution. I asked him if he had seen any practitioners outside of China.

He shook his head and said, “A lot of people practice Falun Gong. It's allowed in the U.S. I have seen quite a few of them in public.”

So he has had access to the truth. However, his reaction surprised me–he seemed rather negative about it.

Upon further inquiry, the man repeated, in very strident tones, what the practitioners had said, “Have you quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)? Do you know about it? Why don't you hurry up and quit!”

“Did they really speak to you like that?” I asked.

“Absolutely!” the man responded.

I doubted what he said.

“But the practitioners I come across in China are very pleasant,” I said. “They speak to people in a very kindly manner.”

“Not those in the United States--they are very aggressive. If you don't listen to them, they will drag you off to the side, lecture you, and then pressure you to quit the CCP!” the man reiterated.

I asked the same question in different ways, but got the same answer.

Even after a few more visits to the U.S., the man's answer was still the same. His opinion was set.

“Falun Gong practitioners are intimidating. The U.S. protects them; they are not afraid of anything there,” he would say. “I have often encountered them out in public. If I don't listen, they pull me over and lecture me!”

This man is a veteran CCP member, and has been heavily indoctrinated by Party culture. As a result, he's often groundlessly hostile to the United States. He doesn't understand why the United States would protect Falun Gong practitioners, and his experiences there have only caused more misunderstandings.

I'm not sure if he has told me the complete truth, but I'd just like to remind practitioners outside of China in case what he says is true.

If what he says is true, then, please, let us look inward and correct our behavior. This approach is not only ineffective in saving people like this man, but it also increases the difficulty in saving them in the future.

This man's negative experience has made it more difficult for other practitioners to further clarify the truth to them.

Many mainlanders are quite stubborn due to the Party's long-term brainwashing and propaganda. Some protect the CCP to an irrational degree and are already predisposed to treat practitioners badly. They might even be hostile to the U.S., so being spoken to about quitting the CCP in the States may also seem like some kind of political ploy to them.

However, these Chinese tourists are, after all, ordinary people who are lost in the maze. They need our help precisely because they don't know the facts. If we don't speak to them with kindness and patience, we may further damage them. We shouldn't aim for short-term success and thereby cause long-term losses.

In addition, we should absolutely avoid getting into arguments. If a Chinese tourist leaves before the debate is over, he will very likely have the wrong notion that, “My view is correct because you didn't win the debate.” So we should remind ourselves at all times that we're saving sentient beings, not trying to win a debate or prove ourselves right.

Those who have been deceived by CCP propaganda think of practitioners with disrespect. They don't believe that practitioners are wise or more aware of the truth. On the contrary, they look down on practitioners and think they are foolish and gullible—exactly what the CCP told them.

If we speak to people in a condescending tone of voice, we will push them away. Even if we are really thinking of their own good, our strident tone may cancel out our kind intentions. Only compassion can overcome their stubbornness and help them gain salvation by accepting the truth.

The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out any shortcomings. Thank you.