“You Are Going to Do The Greatest Thing Tomorrow”
I remember I purchased the flight ticket after struggling with myself for a long time. Because my tuition fee was borrowed from a friend, and the income from my part-time job could hardly cover my living expenses. I struggled for a very long time with the travel and lodging expenses. Part of the reason for this was that the duration of the trip to Geneva happened to be the days that I needed to be on duty. In the end, I told myself that what I was going to do is the most important thing. So, I purchased the ticket resolutely.
Taking advantage of some spare time in the afternoon, I rushed to my workplace and asked for the manager’s agreement for some time off. I also gave several copies of truth materials and CDs to my colleagues to help them understand why I was going. During my evening classes, I was surprised to find that the teacher and my classmates who usually paid little attention to me all smiled at me. When I returned home after the classes, I told my roommates about my travel plans, several of them were negatively influenced by the propaganda in China. Much to my surprise, however, two of my roommates who usually seemed to hold opposing attitudes towards Dafa advised me to take care and to make sure to keep warm! Another roommate helped me to borrow a travel bag from a friend. He told me at dinner on the eve of my departure, “You have to eat more. You are going to do the greatest thing tomorrow.” Right at that moment, I knew Master was telling me: I had made a righteous move.
“I Can’t Do Anything, But I Can Distribute The Flyers!”
I was still at a loss after arriving in Geneva. What could I do under the circumstances that I couldn’t speak the local language? Deep in my heart, I admired very much those Dafa disciples who were busy contacting and clarifying the truth to the delegates representing various countries attending the annual meeting of United Nations’ Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), and those who participated in truth clarification through art performances or using other forms. Among the Dafa disciples who gathered in Geneva, I noticed that a large number of them didn’t know what they could do just like me. However, they came with a righteous and pure heart. An elderly lady from Taiwan said during experience sharing, “I can’t do anything, but I can distribute the flyers!” Her words awakened me. She was perfectly right! There are so many different forms of clarifying the truth. As long as our hearts are righteous, it is always very magnificent and outstanding no matter what we do. Therefore, during the subsequent two days when I was busy with seemingly common tasks, I was delighted and was moved to tears several times by the scenes that I saw.
Elderly Fellow Practitioners
During the experience sharing conference, an elderly male practitioner used simple unadorned terms to introduce his experience of making phone calls to China clarifying the truth. When he said he felt very sorry to realise that so many Chinese people with high social positions were deceived by the lies, he was choked with sobbing. Many practitioners in the conference room were moved to tears. At the parade on March 15th, an elderly female practitioner from Australia was holding a banner among a group of young men. She had to quicken her step sometimes in order to catch up with the pace of the group. I was moved by this scene all along the road, and had to hold back my tears. On March 16th, I saw many elderly female practitioners distributing flyers in the streets to passers-by with smiles on their faces. Bursts of joy came into my heart continually. I knew this was not merely everyday people’s affection. I was in tears because I knew that even though the surface manifestation seemed unexceptional, I was actually witnessing Dafa practitioners silently doing the greatest thing in the cosmos.
Innocent Little Practitioners
Several five to six year-olds also came to Geneva with their mothers. When their mothers distributed flyers in the street, these little practitioners also gave flyers to passers-by earnestly. When their mothers sat down to demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises or to send forth righteous thoughts, these young practitioners also imitated the movements. When they saw paper on the street, they would pick them up and put them into the rubbish bins. Many passers-by were moved to laughter by their lovely movements and sincere manners. Therefore, the passers-by were pleased to accept the flyers and stopped to watch. A five-year-old practitioner twisted his ankle on the eve of the parade, but he still distributed flyers with his mother all day long. On the second day when the parade was about to start, his sprained foot began to hurt. The pain made his eyes fill with tears. When the young practitioner was asked to choose between walking or riding in a car, his mother told him the two had different effects in another dimension. With brimming eyes because of the pain, the young practitioner insisted on walking with his mother. He continued to distribute the flyers with his mother in the afternoon. By evening, his foot did not hurt any more.
An Elderly Lady from Taiwan Who Wanted to Save People Wholeheartedly
I met many elderly ladies from Taiwan in Geneva on this trip. The French they were able to speak was limited to“Vous sont comment”and“Merci beaucoup”. But the restriction of language did not hinder their hearts at all. Every time when I saw them on the street, their enthusiasm made me feel they wholeheartedly wanted to bring the truth to everybody they met. Besides not missing the pedestrians, they also distributed flyers to the drivers who stopped their cars by the traffic lights. Compared with giving flyers to pedestrians, doing the same thing to the people in cars was a little harder. The drivers would not open their windows unless they were interested in the flyers. Therefore, the practitioners had to ask the car drivers one after another. On some occasions, the practitioners were far away from the intersection after asking every vehicle driver in the line waiting at the traffic lights. They had to rush back to the original place before the next red light so that they could continue to distribute the flyers. They repeated the procedure again and again for the whole day. Some drivers were so moved by the practitioners’ enthusiasm that they stopped their cars and indicated their interest in receiving the flyers even though their cars had already started moving.
What shocked me most was that these elderly practitioners cherished the people from China who have been misled by the propaganda very much. Because I had endured a lot of ‘cold shoulder’ and misunderstanding from people who didn’t know the truth, an attachment of fear for clarifying the truth to Chinese people had built up in my mind. Such an attachment had grown to the extent that it overwhelmed my heart for saving people, and I didn’t even notice it. Owing to this concealed attachment, the truth flyers that I picked up for distribution were all in foreign languages so that I had an excuse to dodge Chinese people. In contrast, these elderly female practitioners from Taiwan would take several copies of flyers in every language. Whenever they met a Chinese person, they would say happily, “Look! here is a Chinese one! Where is the material? Where is the CD?” They would then walk towards the Chinese person to present them with the flyer and CD. As they walked with the person, they would say, “You should have a look at this. You have to understand.” Most of the people would accept the material because of their sincerity and compassion. At last, I built up the courage and passed truth materials to several Chinese. They smiled and told me, “We have received several copies already.”
People Who Understand the Truth
As Master [referring to the founder of Falun Gong] has mentioned in the recent Fa-lectures, I truly feel that the people of the world are awakening. They want to understand the truth and support us. I am amazed by the progress and speed of the Fa-rectification. I am pleasantly surprised but also feel regretful to witness the comprehension of the world’s people made possible by Dafa disciples’ continuous efforts. I feel pleased because the people of the world have started to understand the persecution. I feel ashamed because it is so late that I have come forth.
When I distributed the flyers on the street, many foreigners indicated that they had been aware of Dafa for a long time. They told us in English “Good luck!” or “Wish you success!” Some of them told me “This is very good!” or “Well done!” after they saw the flyers and information boards. When we distributed the flyers to the motorists, some government officials raised their thumbs up to us even though they did not take the truth materials. When I passed flyers to them, many foreigners told me with a smile “Falun Dafa Hao (Falun Dafa is good)!” Some young people who spoke English stopped to ask about the truth. On the last day, many pedestrians that I met on the road stopped in front of me, and spoke to me in French with a serious facial expression. Some of them even held my hand while they talked to me. Although I could not understand what they said, I knew they were paying attention to this event and trying to express their blessing. I replied with the only French that I know, “Merci beaucoup”. A middle-aged Swiss gentleman told us in English, “I am not speaking high-sounding words, but I have admired and loved Falun Dafa for a long time.”
“You Can’t Stop Me.”
Master has mentioned in recent Fa-lectures that the old forces would enlarge the tribulations and tests on those Dafa disciples who failed to do well in the past when they step forward all over again. I think I am a typical example. Due to attachments of sentimentality and profit, I have been invariably busy with survival as a foreign student, but forgot to strive forward in cultivation. However, I constantly bear in my mind that I am a Dafa disciple. I think it is because of this thought that Master pulled me back. Ever since then, though, often even when I knew of some activity to expose the persecution, the chance always seemed to slip away. Sometimes when I wanted to attend the activity, I would encounter different obstacles as if there existed an invisible blockade in front of me.
With this trip to Geneva, I also sensed a force trying to block me. I knew that that was exactly what I needed to break through. Even at the last minute when I was about to board the plane, a stewardess came towards me and asked for my ticket. She even ran away to make a phone call for verification. (Later on, it was confirmed to be a misunderstanding.) I sat quietly, and saw all the other passengers board the plane one after another. I knew it was a test, and said in my heart, “I will certainly go, you can’t stop me.” Then, the stewardess brought over my boarding pass and let me get onto the plane.
When I arrived at Geneva airport, I was at a loss because I didn’t know French or German. I walked around the airport with my luggage. To save the expense of hiring a taxi, I forced myself to ask the information desk, in English, how to access the bus services. Then, I tried to ask others using hand gestures how to reach the bus station. After I got off a bus for a transfer, I asked a fashionable looking lady who was smoking a cigarette while waiting for the bus about the location of the next bus station I needed to find.
With gestures, she explained a lot in French. I thought, “It sounds like very far, but what should I do?” The rain started to fall heavily. To my surprise, the lady volunteered to take me to the bus station. I followed her. As the heavy rain fell on her face and make-up, she arduously walked me across several blocks even though she was wearing high-heeled shoes. I knew it was Master’s arrangement. Right at the second bus station, I encountered a Chinese girl. After chatting with her for a while, I knew she was going to the same place, which I believed to be my destination. Therefore, I boarded the same bus with her. As soon as I arrived at the destination, I realised that I was very far away from the place I should be. I didn’t panic at all because I knew Master’s arrangement was always good. The girl volunteered to accompany me for several transfers so as to send me onto the bus destined for the hotel. As I got off from the bus, I saw a big group of Dafa disciples standing across the street. After I arrived at the hotel, I was told I was almost the last practitioner to arrive that day. However, I still caught up with the charity event in the evening. I knew Master wouldn’t leave any single disciple behind.
Memory fades as time elapses. I can’t remember all of the touching stories that happened in Geneva. During those days that I spent in Geneva, however, I witnessed the mighty strength of Dafa disciples in many seemingly trivial matters. When comparing my own heart with the pure hearts of those Dafa disciples, I recognised my slackness and shortcomings. Ever since I decided to make the trip to Geneva, I felt enlightened in my mind and body as though a gigantic gate had been opened up. I don’t even feel the existence of the gate in front of me. As my mind becomes even more steadfast that every sentence taught by Master is the principle that guides us to strive forward vigorously. I am sure that as long as a correct path is selected, the gate will become wider and wider.
(Note: What I referred to in this article may not be Master’s original words.)
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