(Clearwisdom.net)
After reading a Clearwisdom.net article titled "A Suggestion: Overseas Practitioners Should Continue to Frequently Practice The Falun Gong Exercises Together Outdoors," I was very touched.
(Refer to http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2004/4/16/47091.html for the above-mentioned article.)
Around one year ago, I suggested to practitioners in our area that we should follow what Mainland practitioners did before the persecution started, and also practice outdoors together every day. However, no one responded to the idea, so it was forgotten. After that, I mentioned the idea a couple of times, but there was still no response from practitioners, and I did not initiate the group practice.
Recently, through studying the Fa more, I understood more about some problems. Teacher said in the article entitled "Path:"
"Studying the Fa and doing cultivation are a person's own affair. Yet often there are quite a number of students who consistently take other people as their role models--they look at how other people do things and then follow suit. This is a kind of poor behavior developed among everyday people."
"Today, when Dafa disciples clarify the truth in response to the evil's persecution, there are some students who are watching what others do. But a person always has to enlighten on his own to what he should do in the face of tribulations. Every time a person improves, the Attainment Status he has validated and enlightened to rises."
In "To all students at the Nordic Fa conference," Teacher said,
"So in clarifying the truth, don't wait, don't rely on others, and don't just hope for changes in external factors. Every one of us is creating history for the future, that's why everyone is not only participating in group activities, but also taking the initiative to look for things to do. As long as something is good for Dafa, you should take the initiative to do it, take the initiative to work on it."
I think that I cannot wait any more. The waiting is equivalent to having an expectation and is equal to asking for something, and even more it is the same as allowing bad ideas to continue to exist. As overseas practitioners, we should not let the comfortable environment cover our original true nature and cause us to forget our historic mission and responsibility.
The next day, I took a Dafa banner and some truth clarifying materials downstairs and found a place that people would pass by. I tied the banner between two trees and then started to practice the exercises. After finishing the first set of exercises, I saw a young western male standing in front of me with a cup of coffee in his hand and he started to ask me questions. He also asked if he could try to learn the exercise with me and I agreed. He followed along with my exercise movement very quickly and correctly and finished the second, third and fourth sets of exercises with me. He even finished the half hour standing exercise (second set of exercise) without stopping. During the standing exercise, I saw tears coming from his eyes and I did not know if it was because of excitement or enjoyment, but he did not try to wipe them away and stood still until it was completed. I thought his showing up was not just because he was a predestined person to attain the Fa; it also encouraged me to continue to do a better job.
After this, I tried my best to come out to practice every day and every time, the people passing by always voluntarily took truth clarifying material and sometimes someone would stop by to watch the exercises. During the exercises, there were some Chinese people who stopped to ask some questions. One time, a middle aged lady stood in front me and waited until I finished the exercises. She said to me that yesterday she'd heard the exercise music and realized it was Chinese music. She was very surprised that overseas, she could hear such beautiful Chinese music, and she wanted to come down to find out what was going on. But after she came down, I had already left, so she came earlier today. Our conversation was very pleasant and I answered all her questions. We stood there talking for more than half an hour and she was very satisfied with our conversation and took home some Chinese language materials that explained the facts about the persecution against Falun Dafa.
Every time after practicing the exercises, the power of Falun Dafa shocked me and I felt very energetic. The righteous power also affected the surrounding practitioners and some of them came out to practice with me. One practitioner said to me that one time when she stepped out the door, she could see the Dafa banner from a very far distance. The banner was made with red characters on yellow cloth. It was dancing in the wind and easily drew attention. She also saw three Chinese students carrying backpacks pass by and take truth clarifying materials before they left. This practitioner's comments also gave me a lot of encouragement, and I was determined to continually do a better job.
After those few days' experience, I felt that I should have done this earlier. Today's human beings are all waiting for Dafa, but I did not make the best use of the peaceful environment and did not put saving sentient beings' lives in the first place. Instead, for my own temporary comfort and ease, I had abandoned my important responsibility.
Practicing exercises outdoors helped me get rid of one layer of the human shell and let me understand the real meaning of life. I have come to realize that I do not exist for my "self" and that only by letting go of myself and following Teacher's words, can I be reborn. As overseas practitioners, we should cherish our good environment and create more opportunities to validate Dafa, and it is our responsibility to let more lives to walk into Dafa and understand the truth of Dafa. Dear practitioners, let's encourage each other, cherish and righteously walk our paths together.