[International Online Fahui] Cultivation During the Covid-19 Pandemic and U.S. Presidential Election

(Minghui.org) Greetings, esteemed Master and fellow practitioners!

I am grateful to have this opportunity to share my experience. It wasn’t easy to come up with this sharing article due to interference, including instant messages, current news, and interesting websites, which distracted me. The most fundamental interference came from myself. I kept delaying the process as I worried that I had nothing worth sharing. A practitioner told me that I was being too hard on myself. The worries indicated that I didn’t cherish myself and the path I have walked over the years and that I had many attachments to let go.

Writing this article is cultivation, as I found my attachments. Recalling the past 22 years of cultivation, with all its ups and downs, I could always recognize Master’s compassion and protection.

I’d like to share my cultivation experience of the past year. Last March Great Britain went into a lockdown due to the Wuhan virus, also called Covid-19. The practitioners started to expose the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) deceptive nature and indifference to lives, to government officials. The practitioners also advised the officials that the CCP hid the initial virus breakout in Wuhan, and allowed it to spread to other countries.

I was in charge of preparing a sample letter for council members of cities that were sister cities to cities in China. This was challenging and I had to overcome a lot of mind blocks and much interference. I wanted to turn down the request, but as a practitioner, I knew that it was Master who chose this task for me. I had to save people and improve my xinxing. I asked my husband, also a practitioner, to help with the letter, as the old saying goes, “Two heads are better than one.” Other practitioners also provided helpful inputs.

We emailed the letter to all the councilors of the major cities in Scotland and received positive feedback. Some replies touched us, as the authorities were also concerned about the CCP’s actions.

Practitioners in Scotland later sent a letter to the media titled “Let’s start calling it the CCP virus.” It was published by a news media in the U.S. We sent the letter to all newspaper agencies in Scotland. I contacted the media outlets in Edinburgh, holding strong righteous thoughts. In the end a national newspaper published the letter. It was a result of good teamwork.

During the lockdown, I sent the link to the Epoch Times documentary video exploring the origin of the virus to my family, contacts, local council members, members of the Scottish Parliament, and other city councils. I also provided the link to a local community website. Several readers told me that they watched the video. The link was later removed from the website because it “violated the guidelines during the pandemic.” Some members of the parliament thanked me for the link.

Exposing the Evil of the CCP

We printed a lot of the Epoch Times special editions on the virus and I delivered them door to door in Edinburgh. Before I left home to deliver the newspapers, I first studied the Fa, sent righteous thoughts, and did the exercises. I knew that I needed to cultivate myself well before I could validate the Fa well.

Master said,

“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

When I did well in cultivation, those I talked to would not hesitate to accept the newspapers after I told them how the CCP covered up the pandemic.

One time I put the paper in a mailbox, and as I walked toward the neighbor’s house, a woman came from the previous house and threw the paper at me. It fell into the neighbor’s yard. She told me that she never wanted to read such claims. I tried to explain the issue to her, but she was angry, and refused to listen.

I looked within, and remembered that I didn’t sent righteous thoughts before I left home. It saddened me that the woman was so poisoned by the Chinese propaganda that she refused to read the Epoch Times. I sent righteous thoughts as I walked away. I wanted to eliminate the evil that interfered with her, and prevent her from poisoning her neighbor. I hoped that she’d have a chance to understand the truth next time around.

The practitioners in Scotland initiated more activities to expose and eliminate the CCP. I took part, and wrote letters to clarify the truth to politicians and media. There was interference from the evils, but looking at it from a positive light, these medias provided free advertisement for the Epoch Times.

The local practitioners and I also delivered the Minghui coronavirus special edition door-to-door. The booklets were heavy so I bought a trolley. We put everything on the trolley, and could easily get on and off buses, and up and down stairs. When I got tired or when it rained while delivering the booklets, I remembered that the trolley was my Fa weapon that helped me save sentient beings. This thought made me smile. We also mailed the special edition to all departments of the University of Edinburgh, and all councilors and parliament members in Scotland.

When the Epoch Times published “Communist China’s Creeping Influence in Britain,” I was glad to see a piece of news focusing on Great Britain, and delivered it to the households in expensive neighborhoods in Edinburgh. I also mailed it to all representatives in Scotland.

I recently handed out two different types of fliers. One asked people to go to the Epoch Times website and sign the petition to reject the CCP. The other petition asked people to go to the British Parliament’s website, and sign a petition that called for the British government to sanction the CCP officials who persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.

When I delivered fliers door to door, I could feel that it was Master’s arrangement for me, and it made me happy. As I put the fliers at the doorsteps of each household, I said in my heart, “I want to save you.” I sent righteous thoughts when I walked down the streets. I talked to people at the bus stops, on the streets, and in front of their houses.

Sometimes people told me that they would sign the petitions, and pass the information on to others. One time I came across a woman who, as soon as she took the fliers from me, said, “I don’t like the CCP, and I will sign the petition.” I made sure that there were always enough fliers in my hand.

Although we don’t always see the fruits of our labor, I still feel that practitioners in Great Britain worked as one body, and changed the British people’s overall view of the CCP. More and more British people don’t want to establish a close trade relationship with China, nor do they trust the CCP. Nonetheless we still need to further clarify the truth to the government officials.

The start of the pandemic is a new chapter in Fa rectification. I needed to be more diligent in studying the Fa. I decided to attend a Fa study group in the evening when I had time.

For a long time I didn’t get up at 4 a.m. to send righteous thoughts because I worried that I would be tired for the rest of the day. Also for many years I didn’t exercise for two hours every day, before I joined the Fa study group online. I realized that if I did the exercises first, I would be more focused when I studied the Fa. But I haven’t let go of my attachment to sleep. If I stayed up at night, I skipped sending righteous thoughts at 4 a.m.

Online Forum

Some practitioners organized an online forum in July 2020 to commemorate the practitioners’ effort to stop the persecution during the past 21 years. They invited many guests to speak at the forum and wanted me to host it on behalf of the Falun Dafa Association. I was reluctant because I couldn’t get a haircut after the lockdown, and my hair was a mess. I also worried that I may embarrass myself.

I saw my attachment to reputation and vanity. In the end I agreed to speak at the forum, knowing that Master had arranged it to fulfill my vows, save sentient beings, and improve my xinxing.

To my surprise I found a hairstylist who could do my hair at home, and I took the opportunity to clarify the truth to her. I practiced my speech with online software, and other practitioners provided me with much support and valuable suggestions. The online forum successfully concluded with the practitioners working as one body.

I joined the team to call and ask over 850 councilors and parliament members to join our online forum. We invited them to sign the global joint statement to condemn the persecution of Falun Gong. Within the team we encouraged one another and shared positive experiences of how we interact with the assistants of the representatives.

Our team overcame difficulties one after another given the strong righteous thoughts and teamwork. Despite technical challenges, over 300 people joined the online conference.

Battle of Good and Evil

As the Fa rectification progresses, Master continues to push me to improve in my cultivation. During the intense presidential election in the U.S., I reviewed the comments on the Epoch Times’ news articles. The supporters of the former president expressed their anger and disappointment, while their opponents attacked them. It was hard for me not to be moved in this battle between good and evil, which gave me an opportunity to improve myself.

Before the 2020 presidential election in the U.S., my family had negative views of the former president, because of the lies from the mainstream media. I tried to avoid having political conversations with my family, so as not to start any conflicts.

When Master published the article “On the General Election,” I realized that I should tell my family that the former president was a stern opponent of the CCP. I sent my family an email and introduced them to the Epoch Times reports on election fraud. My sister-in-law couldn’t accept the facts and replied to me, “Why do Falun Gong practitioners support a person of such poor personality?”

Her reply exposed many of my attachments, including self-doubt, fear of conflict, hope for harmony, and acceptance, fearing others may have a negative impression of Falun Gong and oppose it. My head went blank, and I couldn’t think rationally.

I discussed with a practitioner about how to reply to my in-law. After I calmed down, I realized that it was an opportunity to further expose the CCP’s nature, clarify the truth of Dafa, and how the practitioners are followers of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I explained to my in-law how the former president supported Falun Gong practitioners. She replied to me, “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are magnificent values in life” and agreed with the president’s tough policies toward China.

Pain Is a Good Thing

It was a serious cultivation process as I faced many attachments. To my surprise I felt relaxed afterward. She told me in her next mail that she felt much calmer after exchanging emails with me too.

I recently experienced a lot of pain in the left side of my body when I meditated. I was only able to meditate for 45 minutes because of the pain. The pain made me cry, and I hoped that the meditation session would end quickly. I tried to recite the Fa when the pain was unbearable. For a while I still couldn’t finish the whole hour of meditation.

I constantly reminded myself that the pain was a good thing because Master was purifying my body. The pain also reminded me that I needed to spend more time studying the Fa. When I looked within, I realized that I needed to increase my faith and cherish myself on the path that I have traveled. I also knew that I had to let go of fear and attachment to a comfortable life.

When I was giving out Falun Gong fliers one day, it occurred to me that I was putting up with the pain but it wasn’t getting better. This was a hint for me to improve and let go of human notions. I knew that as a Dafa practitioner, I should be willing to suffer for the beings because I was here to save them.

After that, I sat for an hour when I meditated. I couldn’t move my body. I knew that there was pain but it didn’t affect me this time. I was able to get over the feeling, and my mind expanded because it was filled with the thoughts of saving sentient beings. It was a peaceful experience.

From then on I understood that my body was being transformed when I meditated. Master said,

“...in qigong practice it’s that body that is acted upon.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)

I’d like to end my article with Master’s poem and encourage myself to be more diligent and move forward.

“Great enlightened beings fear no hardshipTheir will is cast of diamondLife or death, they have no attachmentForthright and broad-minded on the road of Fa-rectification”(“Righteous Thought, Righteous Action,” Hong Yin)

Thank you, Master and fellow practitioners.

(2021 International Online Fa Conference)