(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, Revered Master!
Greetings, fellow practitioners!
Compared with Hong Kong or Taiwan practitioners, or other practitioners who cultivate well, I feel that I'm far behind and haven't done enough. But with fellow practitioners' encouragement, I gathered up my courage and am here to share my cultivation experience with you.
I remember in 2007 on New Year's day, my youngest daughter, who is not a practitioner, called me and encouraged me to diligently strive forward and cultivate better. After hearing a non-practitioner say such a thing, I realized that this was not accidental, but it was Teacher using my daughter's voice to remind me to follow the course of Fa-rectification. Almost a year has passed and I would like to summarize my progress and experience, to report to Teacher, and to share with my fellow practitioners.
1. Phoning Mainland Chinese to Urge Them to Quit the CCP
I left Mainland China in 2005. I have empathy for the difficulties that the practitioners in China must deal with in order to clarify the truth and persuade people to do the "Three Withdrawals (withdrawing from the Communist Party, the Youth League and the Young Pioneers)," and save sentient beings. Under the high pressure of the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the persecution of Falun Gong, practitioners in China who clarify the truth face to face, are constantly in danger of being turned in to the authorities. And they are in danger of being watched and illegally arrested when persuading people to do the "Three Withdrawals." But, they do it all the same, because Teacher teaches us:
"Right now, one important thing that needs to be attended to is the matter of how to save more sentient beings, and it is something Dafa disciples are to accomplish during their current process of achieving Consummation. This is Dafa disciples' mission, a duty that cannot be shirked, something that they must do and must complete." ("Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference").
After studying Teacher's lectures and articles, I felt that time is limited and that we have a very urgent mission. I had already been studying the Fa, practicing the exercises and sending forth righteous thoughts every day, but I had encountered some difficulties when it came to clarifying the truth. Many of us older Chinese practitioners don't speak English and are therefore unable to join many projects. We also can't drive and aren't able go to San Francisco to clarify the truth except on weekends when fellow practitioners are available to take us. So, after some thought, I decided to make phone calls to people in China since there is no pressure and no danger in this peaceful and free country. So I began calling friends and relatives in mainland China to persuade them to do the "Three Withdrawals." Except for a few people who have not withdrawn, about 150 people I called have withdrawn from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Earlier this year (2007) in June, I received some telephone numbers from fellow practitioners and began calling other mainland Chinese to clarify the truth and persuade them to quit the CCP. The first time, I made more than 20 calls and no one quit the Party and they immediately hung up on me. I did it for a few days, making almost no progress. At that time, I felt very bad. And, every time I picked up the phone to make a call, I expected that nobody would answer. I had run into a huge obstacle. Every time I thought about making calls, I felt a lot of pressure and disappointment. So, I stopped making calls for a while.
I studied the Fa continuously. Teacher says:
"As Dafa disciples, if right now you cannot accomplish that and lead beings to salvation, then you will have failed to fulfill the vows you once made, and will have brought calamity to the entire Fa-rectification, the universe, and sentient beings. That's why I said just now that this is something Dafa disciples must do well." ("Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference")
Teacher requires us to save sentient beings. So, we must do it. I was thinking that because of Dafa practitioners' efforts, some 30,000 to 40,000 people withdraw from the CCP every day. These fellow practitioners are great. They must be doing well with their Fa study, cultivation, and clarifying the truth. This was one reason I felt encouraged to go on. But more importantly I thought I should do it wholeheartedly. As long as you have a desire to save sentient beings, Teacher will help you. So, I made up my mind that I must break through this barrier.
After listening to other practitioners' sharing, especially at the Washington DC Fa Conference, I found the sharing to be very helpful for me. After I returned home, I broke through the barrier that was holding me back. I became more and more confident, and my phone skills became more effortless. I will summarize the evolution of my phone skills:
At the beginning when I made phone calls, whenever I said I was from the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP, the other side would hang up. Later, I changed my greeting. When my calls connected with someone, I would say nicely, "Hi, I'm so-and-so, calling you from overseas. I want to tell you some very important news which relates to you and your family's good future, and can change your future. I care about you, and you must to listen to me, otherwise you will lose the opportunity to be saved." Then I would quickly explain, "Every day there are 30, 000 to 40,000 people withdrawing from the CCP and its related organizations. Many high-ranking officials use aliases to withdraw. For the sake of your own life and your safety, please withdraw from the CCP and all its related organizations!"
If the other side is silent, I talk about how corrupt the CCP is, and how hard and difficult ordinary Chinese's lives are, and that any other country in the world is better than China right now. But, I always adjust what I say according to the situation. If the person who answers the phone is an official, or a young person, I talk about the CCP's past political movements, and the fact that the CCP has killed 80 million innocent Chinese people since it took power. If the person who answers the phone is an elderly person or someone living in the countryside, I will talk about how corrupt the CCP is, and the fact that it doesn't care about seniors. There's no health insurance system in China, but the American government cares about their seniors. Not only that, the CCP doesn't care about rural people's lives either. They also have no health insurance system, their kids cannot go to school, etc. When people say that they never joined any CCP organization, I will tell them to recite,"Falun Dafa is great" to avoid disasters and to have a good future. For everyone who listens to the truth clarification and learns about the three withdrawals, I always give them my best wishes at the end of the call to leave them with a good impression of Falun Dafa.
It has been three months since the Washington DC Fa Conference, and through making phone calls, I have helped more than 150 people quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. At least 10, and some weeks more than 20 people quit the CCP every week after I talk to them. Of course, we cannot use the numbers of people quitting the CCP organizations as the yardstick for saving sentient beings. But through clarifying the truth, they can understand the truth, and if they don't quit the CCP immediately, they might have other chances later. When making phone calls, I focus on the quality, not the quantity. Sometimes I need to call a phone number a few times to reach someone. I'll wait until someone finally picks up the phone. This gives sentient beings opportunities for salvation.
The members of my family are non-practitioners. In order to not disturb their sleep, I make phone calls at night in the garage. Friday night is the best time for me to make my phone calls. My family is not home from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday. I use this time to call and sometimes I can help six or seven people quit the CCP.
After I started making phone calls again, when I send forth righteous thoughts, I add the thought to totally eliminate the evil that blocks and interferes with the people who answer the phone. This allows these sentient beings to hear the truth and quit the CCP and thus be saved. Some people understand immediately upon hearing the truth. A few young people not only resigned from the CCP organizations, but also asked for my phone number and the address for the Minghui/Clearwisdom website and other overseas websites. Some people also asked me to send them text messages. I didn't know how to do that, so I told them to wait until the next day and I found fellow practitioners to answer them.
One woman, after hearing my truth clarification, said, "I totally agree with what you said. I am a government official. My whole family works for the government. Some are in the Police Department. I'm a Party member and I'd like to use an alias to quit the CCP." I was very happy and said, "Thank you. Please tell your family, especially the ones working in the Police Department, to please treat Falun Gong practitioners well. Good people will be rewarded and evil will be punished. Tell them to quit the CCP. I'll call you tomorrow." The next day, when I called again, two more people quit CCP, and I talked to her about the persecution of Falun Gong. She sympathized with Falun Gong and said, "Religious freedom should be protected. We support you."
Another young woman, after hearing the truth, said she wanted to quit the CCP organizations and said, "Can I join your organization?" I said we are cultivating Falun Gong, and we don't have any organization. I told her if she wants to cultivate, she could ask local Falun Gong practitioners to teach her, or find a copy of Zhuan Falun to read. She said, "I want to join your volunteer work, like helping people quit the CCP." I said, "That's great. You can help your friends and relatives quit the CCP organizations to save them. I'll call you in a few days." I called her again a few days ago, but she wasn't there and one of her classmates answered the phone. And so, I helped her classmate quit the CCP organizations.
A man, after hearing the truth said he agreed. He didn't want to put down the phone, so we had a good conversation. When talking about Falun Gong, he said Falun Gong is indeed very good. Later, I asked him to help his family quit the CCP organizations and he said his family had already quit the CCP and he was the last one. Then he thanked me.
Some people who answered the phone asked, "Do you know what this place is?" Some said, "This is the Police Department," and some said. "This is the Bureau of Investigation." I said, "It doesn't matter where you are, even if you are at the State Council, I still want to save you. Today I am able to talk with you because we have a predestined relationship. I'm here to save you and I hope you will listen to me; otherwise you might not have this opportunity again." Some would listen to my truth clarification. While talking to them, I sometimes asked, "Are you listening?" They replied, "Yes." I then said, "Quit the CCP as soon as possible." Some said, "I know." Some were silent and then hung up. Though they didn't quit at that time, they learned the truth.
Once, two farmers answered my call. They said they never joined any CCP organizations. I told them, "Then you can recite 'Falun Dafa is great.' They asked me, "What benefit do we get by saying 'Falun Dafa is good'? Does it make me money? I am short of money now." I said, "Which is more important, money or life? If a big disaster comes and you lose your life, what would you need money for? Saying 'Falun Dafa is good' can protect your life, ensure your safety, and provide you with good health. After you have good health, aren't you able to make more money?" I also told them about the health benefits after practicing Falun Gong. By the end of our conversation, they learned the truth and said Falun Dafa is indeed great.
2. Some Experience of Clarifying the Truth in San Francisco
Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005":
"But I have noticed that the Chinatown area is a blank spot in your efforts to clarify the truth and validate the Fa. And yet that is the most, most important place in your region out West. For the most part you haven't paid much attention to it."
Teacher pointed out very clearly in his lecture that all Bay Area practitioners should go to Chinatown to validate the Fa. At that time, I wasn't familiar with Chinatown at all. I could only go to Chinatown when fellow practitioners took me there. It was not until this year that I finally realized that I should walk my own cultivation path, I can't only depend on fellow practitioners and only go to Chinatown on the weekends. During the weekdays, I should find a way to take the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to Chinatown. In the beginning, a fellow practitioner accompanied me, showing me the route. Later, I told myself I must take the BART by myself and blaze my own path. I don't speak English, so I just remembered the first three letters of the destination station. One time, I got off at the wrong stop, then I had to spend more than an hour going in and out of the station, looking all around to find help. In the end, I found a Chinese person to ask. After much effort, I finally arrived at Chinatown. Now I am very familiar with Chinatown. Whenever I have time, I will take the bus and the BART to Chinatown to distribute newspapers and truth-clarification materials.
When distributing newspapers on the street, I can see that those Chinese people who used to look very hostile no longer look unfriendly. Some even accept our newspapers to read. I noticed this especially after the "Minghui Weekly"was published. But, some people would not accept it, upon seeing that this newspaper is related to Falun Gong. When I saw, I would tell them, "You won't feel disappointed after reading this newspaper. This truly is a good paper. It introduces how Falun Gong can help improve health. If, from your heart, you truly think Falun Dafa is good, and Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance is good, your health will improve." I also tell them the stories about how doing good deeds will be rewarded and doing bad deeds will be punished. In addition, I tell them my own experience of how my health improved after practicing Falun Gong. Some of those who wouldn't take the paper started taking it. Nowadays, some even make a special trip to get a copy of Minghui Weekly and other truth-clarification materials. Some are moved and said, "You are truly a hard worker. Thank you." Some even give us suggestions, "What you are doing can only help unimportant people like us know about the persecution. It doesn't help change things too much. All of you should write to President Bush and Congress to let them know the truth. If President Bush speaks out, putting pressure on the Chinese government, it would be more helpful to you." When I hear encouragement like this, I am very moved. I thank them for their suggestions.
My daughter and son-in-law are not practitioners. Sometimes when I go out very often for Dafa-related activities, they don't seem to understand. Sometimes they aren't very happy. I tell them, "Do you know any people my age, who aren't practitioners, who don't go see doctors? I used to have poor health, you know about it. Here in the U.S. I don't have health insurance. If I don't practice Falun Gong, how could I still do all the housework to help you? And, in return, you have the duty to take care of me. Seeing a doctor is expensive; wouldn't you have to pay for it? As for the Dafa activities, you can only support me, don't try to stop me.' My son-in-law immediately said, "What you said really makes sense. We will support you." As long as we treat our family members with the high standard of the Fa, we will gain their support. Once, several friends of my son-in-law came to visit me, while I was explaining the truth, my son-in-law even jumped into the conversation to help me. All of his friends quit the CCP and its organizations. My son-in-law also told his friends when I was not present, "My mother-in-law practices Falun Gong. She is very nice, and also has good health. She does all the housework. We are very lucky". His friends said to me, "We all envy your son-in-law." I told them we are very fortunate because I practice Falun Gong.
As I summarize my cultivation experience, no matter what it is we do, only if we follow Teacher's Fa and do it with our heart can we achieve good results. I will continue to strive to save more sentient beings. If there is anything in my sharing not up to par with the requirements of Dafa, please kindly point it out to me.
Thank you, Teacher!
Thank you, everyone.
