2004 European Conference: Maintaining The Austria Newsletter

Honourable Master [referring to the founder of Falun Gong, Mr Li Hongzhi], esteemed Falun Dafa practitioners.

For over a year ago now we have had a project in Austria called “The Newsletter.” It is a monthly media publication, primarily meant as a continual information about all aspects of Falun Gong for politicians, journalists and other interested individuals. Beyond that it is primarily an endeavour by which a larger number of practitioners in Austria can work together in a never seizing project.

This cooperation differs greatly in scope and intensity. The work involves mere distribution of handouts, researching and writing articles, editorial tasks and organisational skills. Not all people do the same work at all times, and all are doing their fair share. Everyone has their own ideas about the newsletter, its importance and the goals it might achieve or should achieve.

All in all it can be said that the improved cooperation among those practitioner involved in the newsletter’s production mirrors the content of the newsletter itself. The following joint experience sharing report is an attempt at giving you a cross-section of the mindsets of those involved in the project and their personal experiences and realisations.

Alex: The idea for a newsletter fomented in my mind following the confusion upon my return from China in 2002. The basic aim was to provide people with a tremendous learning opportunity, to regularly present them with information from what they would perceive as a “normal” media source, heavily slanted toward China. This approach has the advantage that the readers in common society would be shown the ramifications of the persecution in a clear and accessible way.

The reason to take this approach can be found in realisations I had gained from truth-clarification, that there are people who, even with their best efforts, won’t tolerate more than three to four sentences, even though the explanation is shallow enough. Then they need a break from the topic, and one has to inject something about Austrian politics, for instance, the economic connections to China, Chinese tradition and culture, or some other common interests or they will tune you out; then one can resume to provide an additional three or four sentences of information about the persecution.

I have discovered that non-practitioners will easily accept the truth when I use this approach, and I get responses such as, “It’s obvious that some of the high level officials in the Chinese government are crooks and are corrupt and don’t give a damn about human rights. I can easily imagine what they are doing right now with Falun Gong. It is really terrible the spectacle they are creating right now!” Such was the response, even from people who had originally looked for a confrontation with me and had, at the outset, even harboured a quite poor impression of Falun Gong.

The goal of the newsletter was to dispel negative opinions about Falun Gong, but then the understanding was not ripe, and coordinated cooperation among the practitioners was also a foreign term for me. Only two others eventually wanted to support me in my idea. So, later on we attempted to synthesise the idea to its nucleus and that is how the newsletter came about.

Doris: I found the idea of a newsletter quite good, although the importance of a newsletter for informing common people on a regular basis did not constitute an acute priority for me. I thought it was then more important to target certain segments of the population and inform them of special upcoming Dafa events. Perhaps I was under the influence of my notion of fear, that too much regular information about the persecution might blunt people to the topic of the persecution. Such an attachment was probably the reason I felt little interest for the newsletter’s beginning phases and was hesitant to work on it.

As time went by, my attitudes toward and understanding for the newsletter changed. I had the impression that the negative propaganda messages the Chinese consulates and legations spewed out relating to the persecution had formed an invisible dark cloud. This cloud was hovering, persistently, and even attached itself to people’s minds. Imagine, if you will, our newsletter presenting a colossal wall made up of correct and noble information, and this information would permeate people’s minds and thereby repel the negative propaganda. With each new issue, the newsletter’s special aim would in each reader destroy the negative and renew the positive.

Christian: The work for the newsletter never was accomplished free of strife and was never euphorically carried out. The more we got involved in the project, the more we found ourselves absorbed in the details, for instance to become fixed on formalistic notions.

That is why I thought it was important for us not to lose sight of the nucleus and roots of our undertaking, which came down to this: with everything I did while involved in the newsletter I had to constantly ask myself, “Why am I doing this? What is the motive? What is the reason for me writing for the newsletter? What is the actual end goal, what are we trying to achieve?” I t always came around to the same answer – that everything we do is to rescue living beings, and to rescue as many during Fa rectification, so they can be positioned correctly.

Martin: The time of the first copies of the newsletter being produced and distributed to members of the government was also the beginning of my cultivation. Since I sensed a great gap between my cultivation and the comprehension of the Fa [law or principles, the teachings of Falun Gong] the other practitioners already had, I wanted to catch up as quickly as possible. I observed the committed engagement in Fa projects every single practitioner around me displayed in their truth-clarification work. Many things were yet beyond my comprehension, but my feeling of duty, to have to do something to alleviate the persecution, urged me on to become involved in any kind of activity.

The newsletter did not seem to be a suitable project for me, because writing reports, establishing contact with politicians and other such things were not my strong suit. The newsletter was already being distributed in several Austrian areas. My own area, Nieder-Oestreich (Lower Austria), was not yet included. I still hesitated, but several practitioners encouraged me. They told me that nothing presents a problem, all I had to do was to drive to the main postal distribution centre in each section of the area, to hand the supervisor the newsletters and the postal system would distribute them into the mail boxes. I thought if things are that simple, even I as a newcomer can accomplish that.

No sooner said than done! But the people at the postal distribution centre informed me that one needs a permit for such mailings. They suggested I leave a copy with them, for them to scrutinise and to telephone them a few days later. Several telephone conversations ensued with the unsatisfactory result that a permit would not be issued. When I enquired about the reasons for the decision I was told that I would have to contact a certain “Dr. so-and-so” in person.

I was out of ideas. To conduct these telephone calls presented a huge hurdle in themselves; now they expected me, with a limited education, to contact a Ph.D. and explain to him the utmost importance of this matter. I am merely a trained jack-of-all trades who is familiar with the workings of a farm. This seemed to be a task for which I was not cut out. Even thinking about what I needed to do gave me a stomach ache. How am I going to accomplish this? I mustered all my courage and tried my best to keep my nervousness in check. The dialogue, laced with my nervousness, brought the same result – no permit.

I had become frustrated and wanted to quit. Others seem to accomplish things without encountering problems, and I could not bring something to a successful conclusion. I thought such is the fate of a newcomer. I turned to a practitioner and asked him to use his influence and gift of speech to intervene in this problem, and to please once more contact the man. The practitioner told me that I am encountering these difficulties not by mere chance, encouraged me and suggested I approach the subject again, perhaps with a better emphasis on the truth.

Now I had finally understood. If I want to experience success in my cultivation, then I cannot simply abandon everything and run off when a larger problem comes my way. As Master has said, “Where ever there are problems, the truth must be told.” And that is exactly what I had done, on a small scale.

With renewed resolve I had decided to send a personal letter to “Dr. so-and-so,” in which I outlined the purpose for the newsletter as well as the background of the persecution of Falun Gong. My wife, who had recently begun to also practice Falun Dafa supported me by helping me to formulate the letter. An eventual ensuing telephone conversation with this man proceeded in a much more cordial vein than previously and we reached a compromise in regards to distributing the newsletter. We must individually address each newsletter, but are permitted to deliver them to the central distribution point, from where they will be properly sent. I was exceedingly grateful.

In retrospect I have realised that such problems are exactly the right thing to overcome anew all the barriers we erect for ourselves. I more or less have stumbled into the position of working for the newsletter. I hope and pray that I might be a needed, small cog in the wheel of this great clockwork called Fa-rectification and Fa-validation. This clockwork functions best when all the small cogs and wheels have found their correct places and will revolve according the to creator’s eternal plan.

Doris: Since I am a new mother, I don’t have time right now to write essays or reports for the newsletter, but nevertheless the dialogues revolving around the planning of newsletter have benefited me tremendously, be they primary decisions about making the newsletter better and better, or last minute decisions before the newsletter goes to press and is being distributed. We were often faced with immediate deadlines and had to finish the project the same evening. Those processes often presented a challenge in patience.

I sensed repeated anger welling up in me, when some people declared that they had to leave immediately, before the task was done, even though they had arrived late to begin with. More often that not my husband was the decisive one, telling me we would stay until things are finished. Oftentimes we remained for a long time. Occasionally I had begun to complain and nag, did not feel like concentrating and let the others speak.

But then I became aware of how selfish that actually is. My primary concern was sleep – would I be able to get enough sleep? I forgot that another practitioner would sit up till late at night, to write the corrections into the computer and was responsible for the punctual completion of the newsletter. At that point I recalled our Master’s words, “His things are your things.”. I was able to look upon as a united whole, working for the same goal, even though we are all so different. All of us are ambassadors for the Fa in public. I was suddenly embarrassed that I had not done enough on my part for the Fa-rectification to the best of my abilities.

During subsequent editorial meetings I consciously tried not to look at the clock too much and had made the decision beforehand to only leave when we were done. Suddenly I saw the joy in this work once more, but also perhaps I felt a renewed responsibility.

Christian: I was privileged to be part of a great motivational experience during the first distribution of the newsletter. Since it seemed out of the question the delivery the newsletters to the central postal distribution centre in Burgenland (a geographical/political section of Austria), I decided I would take some copies directly to the offices of the Burgenland delegates. I also took advantage of this trip to explain the facts to several of the delegates and their co-workers. Their reactions were quite positive. Even the feedback I received from several practitioners indicated that the politician had read the newsletter and remembered it.

Alex: coordination among the group presented special challenges for me, the facilitator of the bunch. I came to recognise the need for this particular function slowly.
For the first few issues of the newsletter I had placed emphasis on the writer’s individual articles; the choice of topic was left to the writers themselves; only factual mistakes were corrected; the format was left to the writers themselves.

My rationale regarding these was based on the realisation that each one of us lives in his/her own world and is responsible for their own circle of living beings in that environment who need salvation. The newsletter should merely provide a superficial stage; that the reader would, on his or her own, seek out the writer. Consequently, the newsletter was a “crazy quilt of colourful confusion.”

How the group eventually shaped itself: Besides lacking experience how to cultivate as a group, we also displayed low xinxing [heart nature/mind nature] levels, we criticised each other on a personal level, sometimes to the point of hurting people; under the guise of protecting the quality of the newsletter, we did not take people’s effort as sincere and harboured grudges against their mistakes. Coupled with that were personal weaknesses and singular and personal conflicts that workers for the newsletter brought to editorial meetings. These were then hashed out during the meetings.

I must also not forget my state of mind then: As many as possible ought to attend these meetings, no matter whether or not they have a clue as to the working of the newsletter; that we are all practitioners; that everyone can contribute their understanding, and come they did, actually many, and always new practitioners as well. This made for a very complex situation.

Although I realised to put suggestions from the other above mine, to broaden my horizon, I could not convey this resolve to the others, because I had lost my composure. I became acutely aware that I must become more patient and show more endurance, but was unable to rein in my anger. Faced with this, in all heart-felt earnest I begged Master to help out of this situation, to become more tolerant of the others and to really be able to put up with the others’ mistakes. Since then the problems seem to have instantly disappeared.

When I look back now, those problems seem minor and insignificant and I am somewhat ashamed of having forsaken help from Master with such a small matter in the first place.

In the meantime there have been many changes with the newsletter. The emphasis is no longer on individual articles but more on the overall effect of the whole. Only a few of the original contributors are now working on the newsletter. New ones have joined who by now have their set areas of specialisation in which they are growing daily. They all carry the truth deeply in their hearts and want to do their part to contribute to the spread of the message, through various contacts, even by writing articles.

I am now aware of the worth of my fellow cultivators and through repeated contact with them am recognising the mutual raising of our cultivation levels. I am convinced that we are nearing the goal, because many of them carry the project around with them in their heads and have become even more active on their own accord.

Christian: as mentioned before, the newsletter and all projects we work on provide wonderful cultivation opportunities. What had previously impacted me most was a mindset that sought out recognition and notoriety. It happened when fellow workers on the newsletter commented favourably about something I had written, and then the disappointment when that which I had written was edited out so barely one paragraph remained.

Master said in the “Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.”: “So what's their state of mind? It's tolerance, an extremely immense tolerance, being able to accept other beings, and being able to truly think from other beings' perspectives. This is something a lot of you haven't achieved yet in your cultivation, but you're gradually catching on and achieving it. When another God proposes an idea, they aren't eager to reject it, and they aren't eager to express their own ideas and they don't believe that their own ideas are good. Instead, they look at what the end result of the other God's proposed approach will be. The paths are different--everyone's path is different--and the truths that beings validate and enlighten to in the Fa are different, too, but the results might very well be the same. That's why they look at the results, and if the result of a God's idea can achieve the goal, if it can truly achieve it, then all of them will go along with it. That's how Gods think. Also, if there's something lacking in it they'll unconditionally and quietly supplement it to make things more complete and perfect. That's how they handle things.“

From that teaching we can recognise gaps we have that exist among us, that separate us from each other and prevent us becoming one entity. Just as the gong in the beginning stages consists of coarse particles that adhere only loosely, so will the planes our xinxing has raised become ever more microscopic, ever more dense, therefore gaining in might, so it is with the unity of the practitioners. The diminishing of distances between the various realms goes hand in hand with our individual raising of cultivation levels. The better we assimilate into the Fa, the more the gaps among us will disappear. That in turn will enhance the evolving of an ever more powerful whole in which we represent mere specks. We must constantly keep in mind that the purpose for all activities is to offer salvation to living beings. In light of this mandate, we should melt away our pitifully small, egotistical notions.

In closing we express a heartfelt thank you to our revered Master and all fellow cultivators. It is a rare privilege to be together with you during these times. Let us use the remaining time well!