In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction to the public, more than seven thousand Falun Gong practitioners from around the world held a series of activities in New York City in mid-May 2012. The purpose of the gathering was not only to share the festive joy of life with the whole world but also to urge the world to concern themselves with and stop the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Falun Dafa is currently practised in more than 100 countries. Drawn by Falun Gong's great benefits, including physical health and spiritual peace, more and more people are taking up the practice.
Falun Gong practitioners put on a two-hour parade in Manhattan on May 12th. A pleasant, attractively dressed Chinese woman arrived early at the parade site with friends to watch. Her name is Jane. She hails from Guangdong Province, China, where she used to work for a foreign company after finishing her studies abroad.
Jane was thrilled by the long parade. She had purposely traveled to New York to enjoy this grand occasion. She watched the entire parade intently for the whole two hours and frequently took photos. Through the parade, Jane saw hope for China and the world. Afterwards, Jane shared her spiritual inspiration and her understanding of Falun Dafa.
Feeling the Power of Faith
Jane already understands Falun Gong quite well after seeing firsthand the physical and spiritual improvement of her good friend's family. She explained, “First, I feel that all these Dafa practitioners are very sincere. The true belief from their hearts is what China does not have today. This strong power of faith deeply touches my heart, and the feeling is indescribable. This belief has affected so many people in so many countries. Even though many of these practitioners don't speak Chinese, how can they be so inspired by, cultivate, and understand Dafa? I believe this proves that Dafa has miraculous power.”
Jane continued, “I feel that the Chinese practitioners love their country more than most other Chinese do. Loving China does not mean loving the CCP. From them, I realise that, through 20 years of ordeals, the care and compassion that they show is so glorious and so brilliant, like gold sparkling after the sand is sifted through by great waves. Of course, many issues cannot be clearly clarified instantly. It may take a long, long time.
“When my friend advised me to practise cultivation to improve my xinxing [Editors note: mind-heart nature] before, I always replied that I was fortunate to have a pretty good life despite some tribulations, and I simply took those hardships as part of my life. Actually, I am deeply pained as I read news from outside of China after breaking through the Internet blockade. I denounced the wicked communist party when I realised its corruption and the harsh life of my compatriots in China. I did not see any hope because traditional Confucian culture was completely destroyed after the Cultural Revolution. The social morality has collapsed and people seem hopeless. They have become numb.”
Jane added, “The purpose of Dafa is very good. What China lacks today is Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It is good guidance for people whose morality is lost.”
Bringing Sunshine to China
Jane was very satisfied with her trip to New York. A week before the parade, she had seen Shen Yun Performing Arts in Philadelphia. Although she had already watched the DVD in China, Jane was still stunned and moved while watching the live performance.
“I burst into tears the moment the curtain opened up,” Jane said. “The energy miraculously impacted me. With traditional Chinese culture so completely lost today, I was so moved. I felt like a chord in my heart was being stroked, with Shen Yun bringing the culture back so beautifully...”
Jane continued, “A massive change has occurred in Chinese society over the past 10 years. The entire society is rotten beyond cure. Living in this society, most Chinese feel so powerless, helpless, and hopeless. They are in despair and become numb. To put it bluntly, they do not care about right or wrong as long as they get fed and clothed. They basically don't care about any higher-level things such as Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I hope Shen Yun brings sunshine to China.”
She added, “Yet despite the majority of people being lost, some persons are still awake. But they do not know there are still other choices. They just hopefully wait with a faith for their salvation someday. The spread of Dafa is a very good, very unique event. Now is the special period for people to know the truth. The wicked Chinese Communist party's days are numbered, with the date seemingly coming sooner than I expected. I hope that gods have stronger power to make this day come even sooner. I hope I can witness that day.”
Choosing a Good Future
Jane was born in the mid-1970s. As she grows older, she realises that she is no longer a materialist after several experiences in her life. She sighed, “I always felt dubious of anything that I could not see or experience in person. This mistrust may be linked to the bad upbringing I had and the environment I grew up in. Everyone in China is in doubt about many things.”
Jane was advised by her friend to announce her withdrawal from the CCP last year. She felt it was unnecessary to do so because she no longer had any connection with the CCP after she voluntarily withdrew her membership from its affiliated organisations. She had neither joined the party nor accepted it. She did not quite understand why she had to announce her resignation online. Her friend reminded her to withdraw again during this trip. But she still did not take action until an unbelievable thing happened later.
Jane recalled, “I felt unexplainable pain in my right arm one night. I have studied Chinese medicine and acupressure, and I always could cure minor pains by massaging the acupuncture points. I did not know why it did not work this time. I wondered if it had something to do with my procrastination in quitting the CCP. The pain lasted past 2:00 a.m. I thought it might be time to quit the wicked party. But I did not want to bother my friend at that early hour, until 4:00 a.m. when the pain was unbearable. It was nice that my friend's room was still lit. I knocked on her door and explained to her my thoughts. Miraculously, my pain was gone immediately after I announced my withdrawal.”
Jane thought that this might just be a coincidence. However, another unexplainable thing happened. She said, “I had had severe insomnia for more than ten years, yet I slept deeply the night I got home after watching the Shen Yuan performance. I did not dare to drink tea before because of the insomnia. But I did enjoy a big pot of tea myself the following morning. This was only a dream before! Is it the power of gods?”
Jane feels fortunate that she could come see the parade and witness Dafa's greatness. She concluded, “This opportunity may be predestined. I hope that I can understand Falun Gong further later on. No matter whether I can walk the Dafa cultivation path, I will follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which is also everyone's desire.”
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