(Clearwisdom.net) During the past year, I have had many experiences in clarifying the truth face to face with people. I would like to share these experiences with fellow practitioners.
It was not easy for me to take the initial step to clarify the truth to strangers, face to face. I wanted to ask for help from fellow practitioners and go along with them. On the other hand, I felt that I needed to take the first step sooner or later. Other practitioners had their own things to do, so I started on my own.
I went to the street, where people passed by me one after the other. I had difficulty starting a conversation with people, and my heart started racing. Several days passed and I still hadn't been able to talk with passersby on the street. I was truly worried and couldn't sleep at night. My mind was completely occupied with trying to clarify the truth to people. One day I finally started a conversation with an elderly man, but after I finished several prepared sentences, he said, "Do you practice Falun Gong?" He then left. Despite this initial failure, I became more brave. However, the effect was still not good.
I then found many articles by Master about how to save sentient beings, and I studied them repeatedly. I firmly believe that the Fa will give me wisdom and open the path to save sentient beings. Master said,
"In other words, when we clarify the truth to save them, we need to tailor it to the mindsets modern people have. This is because the extent to which today's people believe in Gods is very limited, the minimal level of morality acceptable to them is also very low, and even when they know perfectly well that something is bad, they still do it." ("Fa Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.)
It is truly so! If we talk at a level too high, and speak as if we are reciting memorized sentences without considering how others feel, how can we save people? What is our purpose? I was clarifying the truth just for the sake of doing things, and was not being truly responsible for the person's future life. As a result, my words didn't have power, hence I could not save people.
With a good attitude and awareness of my method, truth clarification became smoother. I often went to the morning markets and clarified the truth to customers and vendors. Several months passed, I had clarified truth to quite a number of people. Fellow practitioners praised me, and gradually my attachments of showing off, zealotry and competition surfaced. I once told practitioners that I wanted to clarify the truth to everyone who I came across on the street. Practitioners pointed out that such a mindset wasn't right, but I didn't take their words seriously and thought to myself, "It's not a big deal. It's for saving sentient beings. There is nothing wrong with that." My attachment eventually became a big obstacle to saving sentient beings. Several days in a row, after I clarified the truth to a total of fourteen people, no one agreed to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. I felt that I had done a good job and spent quite a lot of time, but the result was not good. I was very depressed, and it dampened my enthusiasm. I then thought of Master. I needed to clear my thoughts and look inside.
Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston,"
"The old forces don't dare to oppose our clarifying the truth or saving sentient beings. What's key is to not let them take advantage of the gaps in your state of mind when you do things."
I deeply felt that if we want to save sentient beings, we must first rectify ourselves in Dafa and eliminate the attachments of selfness, fighting and zealotry, etc.
"It has to be Dafa disciples who do Dafa work." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference" from Guiding the Voyage)
In the following days, I repeatedly read the books the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and Disintegrating the Party Culture. This laid a foundation for my future truth clarification.
After going through many difficulties, I gradually matured on the path of truth clarification. I paid more attention to daily Fa study, and I was no longer moved by the superficial reactions of everyday people. My mindset is that no matter what happens, I need to tell people the facts.
One of my colleagues invited me to her son's wedding. At the wedding, I gave her a copy of the Nine Commentaries and other truth-clarifying materials. I later called her to discuss it, and she unexpectedly complained to me, and told me not to see her if I wanted to discuss this topic. I was depressed for a while, and I knew that my human notions had surfaced.
At night, I read "Touring North America to Teach the Fa," where Master said,
"I've said that Dafa disciples are remarkable. In the midst of such a severe persecution, you're still clarifying the truth to the world's people and saving sentient beings. The beings that you're saving, think about it, are they just ordinary human beings? If they really correspond to gigantic cosmic bodies, then when you clarify the truth to one of them you're rescuing a gigantic cosmic body, a gigantic group of beings, and you are rescuing a Lord, or a King."
Master's words greatly encouraged me. I thought to myself, "Her whole family are Party members. If she is saved, she would influence her family. I need to save her no matter what happens." I adjusted my mindset and invited her to the supermarket plaza. I started talking about the history of the evil CCP, the declination of morality in today's society, such as the poisonous formulas in the market, poor-quality construction projects, etc., and then told her the significance of withdrawing from the CCP. I later talked about the persecution of Falun Dafa, the fabricated propaganda, and I clarified some of her misunderstandings. After talking for several hours, she finally became clear. She agreed to quit the CCP and promised to ask her family to do the same. I gave her more Dafa materials including the Shen Yun performance DVD.
Through this incident, I realized that Dafa practitioners can effectively save people only with great compassion. I had an misconception in the past, that I didn't want to clarify the truth to elderly people because most of them had not joined any CCP organizations. But Master once said that there are seven billion people who had descended to this human world for the Fa. They should be saved before their lives come to an end. Master said in "Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference,"
"Saving people is just that, saving people, and to pick and choose would not be merciful."
It looks that I was being not compassionate enough.
A recent incident truly touched me. One day on my way home, I passed by a small park and saw an older couple. The wife supported her husband. I went over and saw him move forward with a walking stick. It was very difficult for him to walk, and I asked him what happened. He said, "Don't you see? I have complications of a stroke. I am truly miserable." I told him, "Please sit down. Can I have a word with you?" He sat down, and I patiently explained to him that I practiced Falun Gong and that a mere nine words could bring people health and peace. He anxiously asked what the nine words were. I told him, "Falun Dafa is good! Zhen Shan Ren is good!" "Grandpa, please recite it frequently. It will benefit your health. Because it is the true Buddha Fa that saves people." He began to cry. He said, "Really? I am so old. I can still hear the Buddha Fa?" He bowed to me and thanked me. He asked again, "Can I still see you?" I told him, "You need to thank my Master. Our Master spread Dafa to save people." I asked him whether he had joined any CCP organizations. He said no. His wife suddenly said, "He did not, but I did." I then told her the significance of quitting the CCP. She said, "You believe in Falun Gong. I am a Christian. Does this work?" I said that it didn't conflict with an individual's belief. Because Heaven will eliminate the CCP, one will be safe only after quitting the CCP. She withdrew from the CCP.
In retrospect, the process of clarifying the truth, face to face, was a process of cultivating myself and becoming mature. I still fall short however, compared with Master's requirements. I simply want to share my experiences with others. Please point out anything that is inappropriate.
Heshi!
April 30, 2010
