Clarifying the Truth at a Flea Market in the U.S.

(Clearwisdom.net) About nine months ago, we noticed many Chinese people starting new businesses in our neighboring city. In our state we have something called "Flea Markets," which can be found in many small cities and towns spread across our pretty state. Someone can start a new business with very little money. They might be very small indoor air-conditioned shops, or others are only covered with a roof to stop the summer and fall rains. Some are even completely outdoors with just a table.

The first section of "To Fellow Practitioners" dated September 7, 2002 on Clearwisdom.net says, "The Urgent, Foremost Priority Is to Clarify the Truth to the Many Chinese People Who Have Been Shackled and Deceived by Lies." The first paragraph says, "So before the magnificent current of Fa-rectification arrives, we must and should be able to act with a greater sense of urgency and take more effective measures. We will do better in the area of clarifying the truth to the general population of China in a clear-headed, rational way." I was thinking after reading that article that maybe the better way would be to ask my fellow practitioners to go and rent a booth at the flea market and spend the whole day there. After a little discussion we were off to start to discover how wonderful our day could be spreading the Fa in this kind of environment.

When we approached the office to rent the booth, we realized we would be the only people there not selling anything at all! We wondered what their reaction would be. Their response was very satisfying. They were happy to have something so different and really thought about the best place to put us. They actually considered where we could be seen by most of the people and made their recommendations to us.

The next big issue to be solved was how to set up our display. Flea markets usually offer only small spaces, so each of us had our own idea of how to best set everything up. I remembered reading on Clearwisdom.net that Dafa disciples' realm is manifested in considering others first and not being attached to individual opinion. This thought helped the situation. This small space was actually transformed into a pure land for the day. A couple of attempts to put all the truth clarifying materials in this limited space satisfied everyone and left us smiling at Dafa's wisdom in action.

Our neighbors, the other vendors, thought it strange we didn't sell anything. They couldn't understand why someone would spend the day there and not make any money. When they thought about it, they actually liked the idea--no competition for them. They offered their assistance, their ladder, and showed us where the power was located to plug in our CD player. Since we were always smiling, they started to smile too.

An article from Clearwisdom dated Sept. 19, 2002 by a Chinese practitioner entitled, "Think of Others and Clarify the Truth with Purpose" said something that really stuck with me. The third paragraph said," It's not always necessary to change people's heart solely with logical discourse. As Dafa practitioners, the benevolence and kindness we display are the fundamental factors that can truly change people's hearts."

We started off doing the exercises, passing out flyers and playing the exercise tape. In between we would play Dafa music that other practitioners had compiled. One practitioner went off into the "super flea market" to mingle with the crowd of people.á He met a young Chinese man in his early 20's whose only knowledge of Falun Gong was from his father and CCTV. The practitioner calmly shared his righteous views about Falun Gong. It was the first time a Falun gong practitioner had actually talked to this young man, the first time another point of view was offered to him. Before their discussion ended, it just so happened the PA system announced, "There will be a Falun Gong exercise demonstration at noon." This too was probably the first time the young man heard that announcement in his flea market. I could tell from the practitioner's big smile and light steps as he approached our booth that something precious had happened.

During the rest of the day, many western people stopped to look our exhibits and take flyers. Some were attracted to the Dafa music itself; others asked questions and sought answers. Another rewarding moment was when a little Chinese girl only two or three years old saw our posters. She was with her mother who was visiting the booth right across from us. The young girl's curiosity reached the point that she just walked over to our display. She didn't speak but just pointed at the posters, not casually like a child playing with her brothers and sisters, but really asking, "What is this?" With every gesture she made I patiently and deliberately said, "Shi Fu" to this picture, "Falun Dafa" to that picture, "Zhuan Falun" to this example, and "Falun" to that image. I did this until she was completely satisfied with my responses. She wasn't afraid of being with a stranger; she really had a wish to understand what she was seeing. We asked her mother if we could give her a small gift--a small piece of colored cloth with Chinese and English letters "Falun Dafa is good." It had a beautiful gold tassel and a long golden string to hang from. Her mother and her mother's friend and the young girl all accepted this exchange of virtue and truth.

Before the day ended we had many nice stories to share. One Chinese vendor came as we were packing up our posters and were ready to leave. He wanted to see the posters--not just the one in front, but all of them. He shared with practitioners that he had been in the United States for ten years.á He felt what the Chinese police and public security officers were doing was wrong. He wanted us to know that, really from his heart.

As we left for the day, the vendors near us thanked us and wished us luck. We made sure we cleaned up the area around us. Quoting again from the article, "Think of Others and Clarify the Truth with Purpose," the practitioner said, "We are Dafa practitioners so we can overcome various personal limitations with rationality and wisdom we have acquired through Dafa cultivation. However, if we fail to realize our limitations we will be in a self-absorbed state, and people we come into contact with will find that we don't understand them."