Thoughts on Doing the Exercises Outdoors in China

I have been doing the Falun Dafa exercises outdoors for more than nine months. I'd like to share some of my shallow thoughts with fellow practitioners.

At the beginning of 2008, I read an article on the Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom) entitled "Some Thoughts on the Minghui Broadcast of the Morning Exercises." In the article, one sentence rang like a bell in my ear, "The purpose is to think of the world's people." This sentence stayed in my mind. As a Falun Dafa practitioner whose historic mission is to save sentient beings, how was I to understand the deep meaning between doing the exercises and thinking of the world's people. How could I combine "doing the exercises" and "thinking of" the world's people? This thought often brought me back to the grand scene of hundreds of practitioners doing the exercises in the morning everyday before the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) started persecuting Falun Gong. I had looked forward to the exercises each day.
Later a thought came to me that I would do the exercises in the park. Although all different kinds of human notions and elements tried to stop me, I became more and more determined. On May 17, 2008, after I had done my morning exercises and sent forth righteous thoughts at 6:00 a.m., I looked out of the window and saw that it was such a beautiful day, clear and sunny. What a beautiful day! The thought of doing the exercises in the park struck me.

I dressed quickly, took my MP3 player, and stepped out of my home to go to the park. Many people in twos and threes were already there. Twenty to 30 people were doing Taiji in the middle. Then a thought came to me, "This is the first day for me to do the exercises in the park; I'll find a quiet place." Then I had a second thought, "What's wrong with you? You are a Dafa disciple, why can't you give Dafa a rightful place out in the open with dignity?"

I stood there sending forth a strong thought, "Completely eliminate the evil lives and elements in other dimensions that interfere with and hinder me from doing the exercises in the park. I beg Teacher to protect me." I walked near the people who were doing Taiji. Several acquaintances smiled at me and greeted me, and I smiled and nodded at them in return.

I stood among some pine trees and turned on my MP3 player to the first exercise. Immediately the melodious music rang in my ears. When Teacher's instructions for the exercise began, I felt all quiet inside, and I stood there extremely tall and grand, as if I were a Buddha standing there stretching a thousand hands at the firmament of the universe.

I opened my eyes after I did the first, second, third, and fourth exercises. The people who did Taiji had left. I thought it was time for me to leave, too. Just then the music for the fifth exercise sounded in my ears. Indeed, it was the first time in almost nine years that I had done the exercises openly in the park. I thought that I must do all the exercises. I sat down on the lawn in the full lotus position, closed my eyes lightly, and maintained an expression of harmony and peace. I made the hand signs with the music.

After I finished the exercises, only a few people were still strolling in the park. I stood up and looked at the sky: golden sunshine bathed the earth, and the sky was so clear and blue. Words could not convey how wonderful I felt. The toughest task in cultivation is to know oneself, break through self, go beyond self, let go of self, and at last achieve a state of no self. That day I finally stepped out of the important first step.
Since that day, I have been doing the exercises in the park. In the process of doing the exercises I have eliminated the fear mentality and many other attachments. I have upgraded and elevated myself.

Less and Less Fear Mentality--More and More Righteous Thoughts

While doing the exercises in the park, the fear mentality, human notions, and other attachments often surfaced; the fear mentality was most pronounced. Since the severe persecution began, my wife and I have been arrested many times, illegally detained in forced labour camps, and both sentenced to prison terms. Our parents and children have suffered greatly. The fear of being persecuted was not in the forefront of our thoughts, but instinctive fear was reflected from the bottom of our hearts. When I distributed truth-clarification materials, the fear mentality followed me, but it was most obviously present while standing alone doing the exercises out in the open.

One day when I was doing the second exercise, a man suddenly coughed twice. I was frightened and opened my eyes. In fact, he had not tried to get my attention. I asked myself in my heart, "What are you afraid of? Is this fear really you?"

Another day someone said to me, "An old government leader doing morning exercises in the park talked about you. He said, 'Falun Gong is out of control--someone is doing Falun Gong openly in the park.' Please be careful!" When I heard that, I was somewhat tempted, but then I had a second thought, "Isn't it a test to see if I am firm enough?"

The National Security team leader and secretary of the Political and Law Commission often jog in the park. The thought "What if they see me doing Falun Gong here?" sometimes surfaced. Whenever this thought surfaced, I repressed it with righteous thoughts and said to myself, "I do my exercises with openness and dignity. They jog along their way. There's no connection between the two." When righteous thought emerged, the fear mentality was eliminated. On the way to the park, I recite Lunyu, "Cautionary Advice," "True Cultivation," and some poems from Hong Yin and make myself more firm with the Fa. On the way home, I sing in a low voice the songs "Come For You," "Please Sit by My Side," "Teacher's Hands," and other songs composed by Dafa practitioners and encourage myself with the songs.

Compassion Manifests: Present People with the Greatness of Dafa by Showing Them the Exercises and Inspire Them with Kindness and a Buddha Nature

After doing the exercises in the park for more than nine months, I am coming to understand the true meaning and connection between "doing the exercises" and "thinking of" the world's people. Doing the exercises openly is a way to validate the Fa, protect the Fa, give Dafa a position it deserves with openness and dignity, and express a truth to the world's people that Falun Dafa is good. The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The persecution of Falun Gong is wrong. The persecution is against the will of Heaven and humankind; Falun Dafa is indestructible. Despite such severe persecution, Dafa practitioners dare to boldly distribute fliers, put up posters, and clarify the truth. We do the exercises openly, which provides the people of the world with confidence and helps them to see through the evil nature of the CCP. Doing the exercises openly also helps eliminates the poisonous elements of the evil CCP, encourages people to quit the CCP, changes their incorrect mindsets and thinking regarding Dafa, and allows them to accept Dafa and be saved.

It has been more than nine years since people have seen practitioners do the exercises in public. Some people know what I am doing is Falun Gong only because they know me. Once after it had rained and I had finished the standing exercises, I sat down on the lawn to do the meditation. I heard someone doing Taiji say, "Look at Falun Gong--they are not afraid of suffering and hardship."

Once I went to my hometown for several days. When I returned to the park, a lady doing Taiji said to me, "You did not come here for a few days, did you?" I replied, "No, I didn't." She continued, "Good students never skip classes. Even if no one else comes, you must come." I know it is Teacher who said that using her mouth to encourage me to persevere. They have already paid attention to my existence.

On the way to or from the park, I also tell people the truth about Falun Dafa, tell them about the greatness of Dafa and the miraculous changes that I have experienced physically and mentally after I started to practice Dafa. Doing the exercises in the park gives me a feeling of following the course of nature. Indeed, it should be so. Doing the exercises outdoors is very, very normal, because I understand its true meaning that, as a Dafa practitioner, one is supposed to validate Dafa and save sentient beings in this way.

Do Not Become Relaxed or Take It Easy--Be Diligent

In the coldest two months of winter, I put on cotton-padded shoes and cotton and kapok gloves but still froze. Sometimes I really did not want to go out to do the exercises. However, whenever I thought about what Teacher said to me through that lady, I instantly did not dare to slack off. On Chinese New Year's day I did not want do the exercises in the park. Then I thought about how it was the first day of the new year, and certainly there must be a good beginning. That day I was the only one in the park. The whole city was brilliantly illuminated, firecrackers sounding everywhere. But I seemed in a fairyland, listening to the heavenly music, enhanced with supernormal ability.

By doing the exercises outdoors I have realized that we must break through every test, every tribulation, and every notion. In order to upgrade our level, we have to experience pain and hardships. If one has the mentality of fear, one must break through this fear. If one wants to take it easy, one has to break though this mentality. When one breaks through his old notions, one triumphs over oneself, even goes beyond oneself, and then reaches selfless altruism.

Then comes the question of why one wants to do the exercises outdoors? If one only wants to improve and upgrade oneself, that is selfish. If one intends to validate the Fa and save the sentient beings, that is what Dafa disciples are supposed to do.

Teacher told us in "A Reply to the Dafa Disciples of Peru:" "If you each travel well your respective paths there are bound to be difficulties, and going forward to meet those difficulties head-on is for the sake of validating Dafa, saving all beings, doing away with the old forces' arrangements, and countering the persecution." No matter what difficulties and tribulations I'll encounter in the future, I'll definitely continue my cultivation because I am a Dafa disciple.

The reason I wrote this article is not to have other practitioners follow my path but to offer some inspiration. You should think about it whether or not you choose to validate the Fa this way. Of course, the Fa-validation environments are different in every region. One cannot push or force other practitioners to do the exercises outdoors. We cannot go to extremes. We should do it according to xinxing (heart and mind nature, character) level and follow the course of nature. We should be very cautious regarding group exercise--practitioners' safety is a priority--and don't leave any loopholes for the evil beings.

I finished this article months ago but did not submit it because I was wondering if it was appropriate for Dafa practitioners' holistic cultivation and xinxing condition. But if every practitioner waits until the environment is rectified to break through and to create, is that still cultivation? If every practitioner breaks through a little bit, today one practitioner goes out to do the exercises, tomorrow another practitioner goes out to do the exercises, then practitioners will, like stars in the sky, scatter over the earth. Isn't that a positive cultivation field to form?

The above is only my shallow thinking regarding doing exercises outdoors. If there's anything inappropriate, please kindly point it out!