(Clearwisdom.net) Hello, everyone. I am a Dafa practitioner from Taiwan. In late October 2006, I went Manhattan, New York to help with selling tickets for the Holiday Wonders show and the Chinese New Year Spectacular. I stayed in New York for close to three months. Here I'd like to share my experience of selling tickets in New York with fellow practitioners.
Having No Human Notions in Saving Beings
When I first arrived in New York, a fellow practitioner took me to sell tickets to stores on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. We entered each store and tried to sell tickets all along the street. All the stores we went into were high-end shops. I followed this fellow practitioner and watched her go in naturally. No matter who she saw, either the store manager or a staff member, she introduced NTDTV's Holiday Wonders. She did not seem to have any human notions holding her back from speaking to whomever she met. However, we entered one store and saw a young man at the entrance taking off his coat and gracefully moving for others to take pictures. Going in further, we saw that the light was very dim and the music being played was provocative on the dance floor. I thought that we were entering a pornographic store and my human notions came forth. Facing these seductively charming people in the pornographic store, I began to feel that I had no mercy or righteous thoughts to introduce the Spectacular to them. I only wanted to leave the store as soon as possible. However, I saw my fellow practitioner calmly take out the photo album of the Spectacular and begin to introduce Holiday Wonders. She did not have any human notions about them. She was just merciful. I really felt ashamed and saw the difference between the two of us. Master opened all doors to save all beings, but when I faced the beings, I saw differences in the rich, the poor, the noble and the humble.
Taking Hardship as Happiness
In the beginning, there were more than 50 practitioners from around the world selling tickets, and we lived together in one room. Every morning we studied the Fa and did the exercises, then went to Chinatown and dressed up as celestial maidens to sell tickets. We also divided into groups and went to grocery stores and subway entrances, where there were many people, to play the Holiday Wonders promotional DVD. In order to sell tickets and let beings know the truth, we stood in the cold winter wind from early morning to evening every day. We then went to theater entrances to distribute leaflets and only after the theater programs began did we return to rest.
In the dormitory, there was only one small place to bathe, one restroom and several pots for boiling water, so if we wanted to take a shower or use the restroom, we needed to stand in line for a long time. For meals, we took turns to boil noodles. For sleep, more than fifty practitioners slept in bunk beds in one room. Although life like this was laborious and inconvenient, as soon as we thought of our Master, who in order to let all beings know the truth, maneuvered a lot of gong and used a lot of mental and physical effort to instruct everyone in the Spectacular, the hardship we had did not count as anything.
During the days after the Holiday Wonders show, because there were not too many practitioners left in the dormitory, we formed a group to sell tickets for the upcoming Spectacular. After sending forth righteous thoughts every morning, young female practitioners dressed as celestial maidens, and elderly practitioners held posters and showed the New Year Spectacular promotional DVD at subway entrances close to all important financial districts.
Selling Tickets on Wall Street and Other Places in the Financial District
We went to Wall Street to sell tickets. At the beginning, I felt very discouraged in my heart facing a group of mostly indifferent and harried office workers in the world's financial center, as they just bluntly and indifferently refused the offerings in our hands. However, as we continually sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate interference, I slowly felt their indifference melting and they were willing to stop their hurried footsteps to hear about the New Year Spectacular.
One time, another practitioner and I brought along a DVD player and distributed leaflets at a subway entrance. The New Year Spectacular promotional DVD was playing and when I heard the pure background music, suddenly my innermost feelings swelled up, and I was unable to control the flow of tears down my face. I understood in an instant the significance of why I had come here from afar at this time. The Spectacular had already been arranged by Master in another dimension. I thought to myself, "I eliminated difficulties getting to Manhattan from Taiwan and experienced all kinds of difficulties just to tell you that the New Year Spectacular has vital significance to your life." At that time, I no longer distributed materials on my own initiative, but just gently placed the introduction in my hand. I thought in my heart, "The New Year Spectacular is a key to open your memories that have been sealed for a long time." I asked that the beings take the information of their own free will. I was surprised that when I changed my thoughts, there were more people joyfully taking the materials. The next morning, when we again distributed the materials on Wall Street, it seemed that the passersby all also understood the significance of the Spectacular to their lives, so they did not take the material indifferently. They greeted me of their own accord, smiled at me and said thanks!
We distributed materials at the subway entrances every morning. At about 10:00 a.m., we went to the dormitory together to study the Fa and do the exercises. Then we made pickled vegetables with steamed rice or instant noodles as our lunch. After eating, we divided into groups and went to restaurants in the financial district or to stores where there were many customers and asked them to put up posters and put leaflets in the stores so the customers could take them.
I was once assigned to a restaurant located at the Wall Street subway entrance. I was dressed as a celestial maiden and held a poster. When I was discussing with a fellow practitioner how to explain our intention to the busy manager, a gentleman saw our Chinese-style dress, smiled and invited us to his company. At the beginning, I hoped we were going to a big company. However, after we followed him, I found it was simply a shoe shining store located in an office building. Nonetheless, we were still happy to play the promotional DVD for the managers. They liked our programs very much and asked us for the information and DVDs, and said they would show it to the office managers who came to shine their shoes. At the same time, they also took a poster to put on the door as an advertisement. Only then did I suddenly become enlightened--this was a golden opportunity to introduce the New Year Spectacular to managers on Wall Street. Here, we thanked Master's merciful and ingenious arrangement, which gave us the chance to save all living beings.
While selling tickets in the financial district and on Wall Street every day, I deeply felt that people's knowing sides really wanted to know the truth. Our studying the Fa and cultivation practice can bring predestined people to us and let them know the truth.
On one occasion, we put up posters at a big grocery store in the financial district. I remember it was a cold day, but I dressed in thin celestial maiden clothes. When I was distributing the leaflets, feeling very cold and shivering, I saw a gentleman open his eyes wide to stare at me. He then said to me that he once heard me introduce Holiday Wonders in front of Beacon Theater where the Holiday Wonders show was being performed. Finally he and a family member bought tickets to watch the show. I felt that predestined relationships are interesting. In such a big place as Manhattan, we met again at a different location. The man also decided to watch the New Year Spectacular at Radio City.
Another time, I distributed materials at the entrance of the Beacon Theater. I saw an American mother with her three-year-old Chinese girl playing outside. The mother saw that the short feature film of the New Year Spectacular was playing on our TV set, and she then asked her daughter to watch the program. It was unexpected that the little girl continuously watched the film like an old friend many times and did not want to leave. Seeing that she opened her eyes wide to stare at the screen, I was deeply moved because I saw that she understood she was a life from a high level.
Dressing up as a celestial maidens to sell tickets makes it very easy to attract people's attention. At the same time, we sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate a lot of interference. The might is enormous to let people know the truth. One day at 6:00 p.m., time to send forth righteous thoughts, I calmed down and stood in front of a restaurant to send forth righteous thoughts. I was surprised that a principal from a Wall Street high school came to me on his own and asked for materials. He said that my celestial maiden costume made him connect with ancient Chinese culture. He was very interested in such things, so he came to ask about the Spectacular and wanted several teachers in his school to watch the Spectacular together.
Master Sent Me a Golden Chinese-style gown When I Sent Forth Righteous Thoughts
When I first arrived in New York, a practitioner took me along to introduce the Holiday Wonders show, going house to house. I walked seven hours continuously, but unexpectedly I did not feel tired. Only after I returned to the dormitory in the evening did I find the sole of my foot swollen with a blister. Although it hurt to walk, I knew that I had come to Manhattan from Taiwan, from afar to save living beings. I endured the foot pain and continued to introduce Holiday Wonders. One evening, at a group Fa study and experience sharing, one fellow practitioner in the marketing department asked me whether I wanted to sell tickets in the financial district together the next day. I immediately agreed. However, that evening when I returned to the dormitory by subway from the group Fa study, it was already after midnight. Only then did I find my feet too sore to walk. I walked along the street in this foreign land and had all sorts of feelings in my heart. I had given up an easy and comfortable life in Taiwan, and come here to endure suffering. However, when I changed my mind, I felt it was strange. The foot pain made me unable to walk, but I answered that I would sell tickets to save beings without hesitation. Perhaps because in my heart I wanted to save people, when I sent forth righteous thoughts after returning to the dormitory in the evening, I saw Master in another dimension drop down from heaven to give me a golden Chinese-style gown.
When I recollect the time I was in New York for three months, walking dressed as a celestial maiden along the New York streets in the cold wind every day, and eating pickled vegetables and rice, I do not feel bitter, because when I went out to distribute materials I always felt that the people I met were all predestined old friends. While studying the Fa and practicing cultivation every day, I also unceasingly and quickly sublimated and became younger and younger. My skin was refined and luminous. Originally, my masculine character also assimilated to be gentle and graceful like ladies in ancient Chinese times.
Finally, I would like to share with you Master's poem, "Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions" from Hong Yin II:
A Great Enlightened One fears no hardship
Having forged an adamantine will
Free of attachment to living or dying
He walks the path of Fa-rectification
confident and poised
