(Clearwisdom.net) I learned about Falun Dafa in March and April 2002. My obtaining the Fa seemed simple, but it was not by chance. I received Dafa information from my mother.
Shocked by the Persecution of Falun Gong at Tiananmen Square
In 2001, my mother saw by chance a news broadcast on the teaching channel (she usually didn't watch this channel at all.) It was about Western Falun Gong practitioners who had gone to Tiananmen Square to display a banner, and were beaten by Chinese police officers. My mother saw the three words "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" in this news. She couldn't understand why the policeman of the Chinese Communist Party beat the Western practitioners. She thought that Westerners believed that "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" was such a good thing and that going to China to support the principles was a righteous action.
This event greatly touched her because westerners did something that should be done by Chinese people. However the way they were treated is inconceivable. Before this viewing, we had no knowledge about the CCP's brutal persecution of Falun Gong. We even traveled to the mainland, since the media didn't report this news. In Taiwan, where living was so comfortable, we couldn't see any true facts about the incidents that were happening in China.
Later we learned that on November 20, 2001, at about 2:00 p.m. Beijing time, 36 Western Falun Gong practitioners, who came from 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, France, United States, Canada, and Australia, displayed a banner saying "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" on Tiananmen Square, and staged a peaceful appeal for Falun Gong, sitting in meditation on the Square. A few minutes later, they were all illegally arrested by the Chinese police. One practitioner made a brief phone call to a friend from a police station near Tiananmen Square and told the friend about their situation. The practitioner and also said that reporters from CNN and other overseas media were arrested along with them, at the same time.
In a letter written on November 19, 2001 to all Chinese people, "Why I Go To Tiananmen Square," a Canadian Falun Dafa practitioner by the name Zenon stated:
"I am not against the Chinese government. I am not against China. In fact from practicing Falun Dafa, I have come to better understand the Chinese culture and people. This is why I feel that I must go to China."
"I know Falun Gong is good because I have been practicing for three and a half years. Because of practicing Falun Gong, I have been able to get over drinking, smoking, doing drugs and many other bad habits which only helped to pollute my heart, mind and body."
"Falun Dafa came from your land of China and your beautiful and ever so rich culture. Without it, I would not be who I am today. With the deepest respect I have come to your country to stand up for the truth for you. I hope with my white face and pure heart I can awaken the goodness in your hearts. Please don't follow the president and his criminals to persecute Falun Gong -- it is not good for you."
On the afternoon of November 20, 2001, Zenon walked, with 35 others, to Tiananmen Square, unfurled a banner that read, "Falun Dafa is Good", and spoke in Mandarin to Chinese onlookers, "The world knows that Falun Gong is good. Canada knows, Europe knows, America knows!"
Searching for the Falun Dafa Books
On the same day she watched the news broadcast, my mother went to a bookstore to look for a Dafa book. She wondered why this book was prohibited in China, and why such a good belief system was prohibited there. She thought that the beating of such kind people who believed in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" was an injustice. My mother searched for a long time that day. The bookstore only sold Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa, and she didn't know that there was another book called Zhuan Falun.
Only when she carefully read through the whole book, Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa, did she find that there was a listing of all the other books available on the last page. She then learned that Zhuan Falun was the main book of the principles of Falun Gong. She started to search the bookstores that were selling Dafa books in the Keelung area. She searched every bookstore, and at last she found the right one. She then bought all the Dafa books she could find on the shelves, including Zhuan Falun.
During the following several days, she finished reading Zhuan Falun. Her heart was shocked. My mother realized that she must let her children know about the book. She finally found the truth, which she had pursued all her life.
Finally Understanding that the Purpose of My Life is Cultivation
My mother contacted me and sent me a set of books including Zhuan Falun, Essentials for Further Advancement, Essentials for Further Advancement II, and The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa. At first I didn't pay attention to it and I couldn't understand my mother's excitement. I brought the books home, but didn't sit down to read through the books. Maybe my predestination hadn't come yet. At that time, my mother was anxious to attend the nine-day lecture class and exercise teaching. She tried to change her work hours in order to attend the practice and Fa-study.
Not until I truly read through Zhuan Falun once did I understand why my mother was so excited, and why I was also anxious to cultivate. When I was young, I didn't want to be a human being and felt that life was no fun at all. I finally understood why I was not interested in a life where normal people seek things, and I finally knew the true purpose of being a human being. Before I obtained the Fa, I decided that I must go to Kunlun Mountain before I reached my 40th birthday. (In my mind, I believed that Kunlun Mountain must have some places to cultivate and there would be someone there waiting for me to arrive.) I didn't realize that Master knew my wish for cultivation. I came down to this world just for cultivation, not on Kunlun Mountain, but to cultivate among normal people and to validate Dafa. All my life, I had been waiting for this opportunity to assist Master in Fa-rectification.
I understand why I had always wanted to cultivate since I was young. In fact, it was determined millions of years ago. It is never an accidental event. Everything is the ingenious arrangement made by the benevolent great Master. A non-practitioner doesn't know what the purpose of life is, but Dafa practitioners know it clearly. Non-practitioners want to gain things of this world, but practitioners indeed don't want this at all. We only want to follow Master and we all want to go home. But there are many people who are lost among ordinary people and are waiting for us to wake them up. For those of us who wake up first, it is our responsibility to do so and it is also Master's expectation of us.
Clarifying the Truth in Manhattan and Sending Righteous Thoughts
At the end of April 2005, I attended the experience-sharing conference in New York. I stayed for one more week to clarify the truth in Manhattan.
Every morning, we first went to the Chinese Consulate to send forth righteous thoughts five times and then headed to the streets of Manhattan to clarify the truth. During sending forth righteous thoughts, I found that many practitioners were being interfered with. Some practitioners seemed to fall asleep. Some had their hands closed when making the lotus flower hand gesture. Some had their hand bent when making the upright hand gesture.
I also participated in the activity supporting the International "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" Art Exhibit. I was to distribute exhibit flyers and the truth-clarifying materials. I knew I couldn't finish the task without righteous thoughts. I also saw how rampant the evil was. Suddenly there was a gale of wind turning around just at the gate of the exhibit, and a cloud was seen just above the exhibit place but not at other places. A few drops of rain fell. At that time, I was taking many flyers and was going to distribute them. I thought that the dirt and sand that was blown by the wind made people unable to see our exhibition board and made many people hide inside buildings. Such evil should be eliminated. So I went to the gate of the exhibit and started to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate all the evil that interfered with the art exhibit in other dimensions, and to purge all forms of the Communist evil specter in other dimensions. It didn't take long, less than three minutes, and the wind disappeared and the clouds went away. I suddenly felt sunshine on my body. The sun came out.
That afternoon, I shared my experiences with all other practitioners who were supporting the art exhibit. It is very important to understand that if we didn't have strong righteous thoughts, we could be taken advantage of by the old forces. After sharing experiences, almost every practitioner went to the gate of the exhibit and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate all the interference.
We gained a lot from the New York journey. When we have strong righteous thoughts, our power is indeed strong, and often changes many people's attitudes on taking flyers or not, their attitude toward us, and so on.
Viewing Dazzling Falun from the Airplane
Ordinary people may not understand why a seemingly simple thing might not be simple for a practitioner. A practitioner has to pass every test in the cultivation. In fact, there are many unbelievable things happening every day around practitioners. It may look like ordinary things but may be a magnificent event in other dimensions. I knew it was Master's arrangement for me to clarify the truth in Manhattan.
During our return flight from New York, we saw many Falun flying around our airplane, and they accompanied us back to Taiwan. There was a small interlude when taking photos. We couldn't see the outline and color of the Falun clearly with our flesh eyes. We only could see Falun changing their colors through the camera. So I asked a few of the Falun not to change their color so quickly and let me take a clear colorful picture. The Falun indeed stayed still and let me see their figures. There were also many golden transparent Falun flying in the sky. I also asked them to stay still so I could see them clearly.
In my everyday cultivation, I often think about the poem of "Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions" (Hong Ying II). Here I share it with everyone.
"A Great Enlightened Being does not fear hardship
Having forged an adamantine will
And with no attachment to living or dying
He walks his path of Fa-rectification openly and nobly"