(Clearwisdom.net) I live in a large city with a scattered population, and transportation to the outlying areas is especially inconvenient. As a result, some of the surrounding villages have not received much printed information about Falun Dafa. By accident, I obtained maps of every village and town in the surrounding countryside, and I understood that Teacher wanted me to save the people there.
Abandoning Fear, Alone in the Countryside
In recent years, many practitioners developed attachments related to comfort and fear, and only a few of them went to the countryside to distribute Falun Dafa fliers. Even those few who used to go with me gradually stopped for various reasons. Teacher said:
"...don't wait, don't rely on others, and don't just hope for changes in external factors." ("To All Students at the Nordic Fa Conference" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Therefore, considering the urgency, I decided to distribute printed materials in the country all by myself.
One quiet and dark night, I, a lone woman, went by myself, feeling absolutely terrified through spacious fields. Strange noises made by hidden animals often emanated from the corn fields, and I could hear the sound of crickets and frogs. Some of the streets I walked had graves along both sides, and I was startled when suddenly several strange birds took to the air. Although I could not see much, I guessed that they were demons interfering with me, trying to keep me from saving sentient beings. Therefore I strengthened my righteous thoughts: "I am a Falun Dafa practitioner, Teacher and guardian gods are besides me, what do I have to fear? What can a few small evil spirits do to me? Wherever the truth arrives, it clears away the evil; if they dare to interfere with Fa-rectification, they will certainly be destroyed. They really should be scared of me." As soon as I developed these thoughts, the righteous field around me increased, fear disappeared, and I was restored to my usual tranquility.
Once I went to hang banners in the farthest village of a township, I wanted to hang it really high and I attached it to the thinnest, most distant part of a fishing pole. This process was very difficult and took us all night, because the pole was too thin and fragile and, it took me a long time to hang the banner at the entrance of the village. I looked inwards, and found an attachment of showing off: if I had not insisted on hanging it up higher than the others, it would not have caused so much trouble.
Coordinating among Fellow Practitioners, Improving as One Body and Saving People
In the process of distributing materials, I gradually realized that it would be selfish to do all the work by myself. Instead, I should give my fellow practitioners the chance to step forward and establish their mighty virtue. In addition, several people would be able to accomplish more than one person and together, we would be able to save many people.
Therefore, I told my fellow practitioners what I had been doing and what I had learned about abandoning human notions while distributing Dafa materials in the countryside. I told them some of the things that had happened to me and they were very moved. Some of them offered, "Next time you need a companion, look for me" Gradually, several other practitioners joined our team.
Of course, there were also some practitioners who were not willing to step forward. Just before we got ready to leave, I asked one of them to come along and he refused. I was not moved, and looked inside for a reason. Could it be because I was young, with insufficient experience, and not trusted by others? I noticed that he observed me going out several times, and saw us return without any problems every time. He listened to our lively discussions about what we had done and finally decided that he could not stay home, and told me that he also wanted to go the next time.
Since we wanted to act as one body, we had to be prudent. We studied the Fa, strengthened our righteous thoughts, maintained a positive mindset, and sent righteous thoughts as a group before departing. We also asked Teacher to strengthen us, and everything went smoothly each time. One night, five of us hired a car, and managed to distribute over 1,800 pieces of materials without any problems!
The next time, in order to reduce the pressure on the driver, practitioners in our team decided to let the driver take us to a point close to our destination and drop us off. The driver then returned home and we carried the materials and distributed them on foot in one night. In the summer, it was easier because we could rest for a while in a corn field after we had finished, and then take the bus home at dawn. But in the winter, the weather was very cold and when dawn came, it was too cold to sit down and rest. Sometimes, we had trouble walking because we had blisters on our feet and had to walk very slowly. However when I thought about Master's poem:
"He comes with Truth that gives him free reign
And travels the four seas with a free and easy spirit" ("Tathagata" from Hong Yin II)
my heart was filled with happiness, despite the pain.
Dafa Works Miracles
In the beginning, my vision was not good and I had trouble seeing the house numbers clearly, or even the road. I was very slow, and my fellow practitioners almost had to drag me along, which embarrassed me. Gradually, I found that my eyes improved. Regardless of how dark it was, I was able to see the road clearly. In the beginning I also was always tired and my hips hurt from walking. I remembered what Teacher said:
"Your arms, legs, fingers, and mouth can move whatever way you want them to move. Why is that? It's because they are yours." ("Lecture at the First Conference in North America")
I told my legs sternly: "You are my legs! You must listen to me! If you do not cooperate well with me while I am distributing materials, when I reach consummation, I will not want you!" Ever since then, I walk very lightly, and even the young male practitioners cannot keep up with me.
I grew up in the city, and the houses in the countryside all look the same to me. I cannot remember the roads at all. However, Dafa gave me wisdom, and now I can not only remember the road, but I also know the directions!
Cooperate and Improve as One Body
Teacher said,
"Make clear the truth,
and drive off foul spirits.
Spread widely the Nine Commentaries,
and the wicked Party shall fade." ("For the Good of the World")
Teacher clearly pointed out the direction for us. In the beginning, most of our local practitioners had some ideological obstacles against handing out the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party: The cost of the Nine Commentaries was too high, the villagers' level of education was not high enough, it was too much of a waste. Also, the Nine Commentaries are heavy and not convenient to carry. We therefore simply left 10 to 20 books in each village as a gesture, which did not really "spread them widely". Later, practitioners from another area came to share with us, and gave one book to each household, thus giving all sentient beings a chance of being saved.
Producing the Nine Commentaries is a huge project that requires many people's involvement to get it done quickly. It also requires us to be well coordinated, and to improve as one body, instead of just leaving it to one or two people. Following Teacher's articles and lectures, we exchanged views and tried to look at it from many perspectives and use everyone's special talents. Some of us contributed money, some participated in the binding, some provided a place to meet, some distributed materials, some did the printing, but everyone worked towards the distribution of the Nine Commentaries. As Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference"(2002) :
"The next person's things are your things."
Everyone helped to the best of his or her ability and kindly helped each other, creating an auspicious field. I chose to distribute the Nine Commentaries because there are few people who can go out at night. I worked out a routine where I first explored the way on my own to find out how many materials were required in each village. I then touched base with the other practitioners about the actual distribution. Our team was not constant and I decided to just take it day by day. Whenever I saw practitioners that I knew, I would ask if they were able to come along. One elderly practitioner said: "Every time you go out, you have to go with a different team, and you have to carry lots of material. I always take extra time to send righteous thoughts for you." I really appreciate those practitioners who quietly contribute towards the distribution of the Nine Commentaries.
In the early days, I used to be very nervous, careful, and afraid that the old forces would take advantage of me. After the first few times when everything had gone smoothly, I suddenly enlightened during Fa study: Teacher does not acknowledge the existence of the old forces, and we also should completely deny the old forces. There are two paths for Dafa practitioners, one is arranged by Teacher, while the other is arranged by the old forces. Handing out the Nine Commentaries is what Teacher wants us to do. It means that we walk the path arranged by Teacher. The old forces are not qualified to interfere, and we deny the old forces. When I realized this, I felt my horizons broaden. I earnestly looked inwards, analyzed my attachments, exposed and disintegrated them. I felt an obvious and rapid improvement in my level and in my Xinxing. The quantity of materials I managed to hand out also increased.
Teacher's Protection
I was careless when we started to distribute the Nine Commentaries. We once took too many of the Nine Commentaries on two tricycles with seven or eight people. I was in a hurry and left my cell phone in the other tricycle. On the way we discovered that a car was following us. Because I had left my cell phone in the other vehicle, I quickly dialed my own number, and told the practitioners who answered to take another route back. The consequences would have been dire, had I not forgotten my phone.
Another time, I went to the village farthest from our city, and our driver did not bother to check the car before we left. On the way back, we relaxed, some practitioners even fell asleep, and I also closed my eyes. Suddenly, the driver thought that the car did not quite sound right. He quickly stopped and found that most of the nuts holding the wheel to the car were gone. Only two of them were left and they were partially undone. It was really so dangerous! If we had not had Teacher's merciful protection, I cannot imagine what might have happened.
These are some of my shallow understandings. Thank you Teacher, and thanks to everyone!
