(Clearwisdom.net)
I have a small gift for my friend Zhou Xuefei. It is a small hand-made bag made from a blue fabric that its maker even dyed herself. It is delicate and lovely. In the bag is a small mirror framed by white wood. Although Xuefei is nearly blind, I believe that after hearing the story of this small handbag, she would be consoled and clearly see the beauty of her face and the smiles of all kind-hearted people.
I attended a party hosted by the Zigen Foundation tonight with my mother and daughter. We met many kindhearted people who made contributions in helping the children who were deprived of education in the poverty-stricken mountainous areas of China.
People who attended this party were from all walks of life, including attorneys, doctors, engineers, teachers, news reporters, and also ambassadors from the consulate. This was not only a gathering for the kindhearted; it was also a gathering for the people with predestined relationships.
I started a conversation with the lady next to me. When we talked about health problems, the topic naturally led to Falun Gong. She listened to my cultivation experiences attentively and said, "This is a very strong testimony." Then I showed her the booklet, Witness to History, which I had brought along with me, and she said, "The pictures of people doing the exercises are so magnificent." A doctor and a gentleman also joined the discussion and asked many questions. As we talked, we got acquainted with each other and then gradually became friends. The lady carefully put the materials and the CD that she received into her handbag.
During this party, people from the Zigen Foundation used overheads to present the research they conducted relating to the situations of the children who were deprived of school in the distant mountains of China. Heartwarming stories were told one after another. After that, several junior high school students compassionately sang for the audience. And in the end, it was time for the guests to draw prizes. All of the prizes were made by parents whose children received support in returning to school. They were all very exquisite handiworks. The people who received prizes then contributed them; thus a valuable charity sale began. This was also a chance to share kindness.
I bought this beautiful little handbag at the charity sale. The emcee handed me the microphone smilingly and asked, "Who is this gift for?" At that moment, my heart was very peaceful. I looked at the audience and began my story, "Greetings everyone. I am very happy to see you all tonight. I am extremely moved by your kind hearts on this cold night. I believe that this compassion will flow like a lucid stream into the hearts of the children, turning them into kindhearted and caring people when they grow up. Today, this special present is for a friend of mine in China. Her name is Zhou Xuefei. She and her husband supported "Project-Hope" a few years ago. They provided financial assistance for returning seven children to school. What is even more precious is that she established communications with the children through letters. She continuously encouraged them to cherish the opportunity to study, and to be hardworking and kind persons. Unfortunately, later on, both her husband and herself lost their jobs..."
The entire hall was silent. I continued with the story, "Even in such a difficult situation, Xuefei and Chaohui still wrote letters to encourage the children. Even when Xuefei almost lost her vision due to being tortured in a detention center, she still thought about the children, wrote letters to them, and sent them fifty Yuan for New Years Day." [500 Yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.] The touching story moved people's hearts. Finally I said, "To express my gratitude to your kindness and to my friend Xuefei, I would like to share with you these three words, 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.' I hope these words bring goodness to all lives and to the entire world!"
A round of warm applause broke the silence and I heard people say, "What you said was so touching." The smile on people's faces lit up the dark snowy night. A young reporter said emotionally, "I know Falun Gong is good. Many of my classmates practiced it when I was in Tsinghua University. They were all very nice people." The reporter from the Chinese World also came over to talk to me. Many others asked for my phone number to get in touch in the future. Tears welled up in my eyes because I knew all of this is Teacher's benevolence.
Xuefei, you will feel comforted when seeing this special gift because the story of Chaohui and you moved so many kind people. And at the same time it planted the seeds of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" in their hearts.
December 20, 2002
