Western Practitioner: Eliminating Attachments While Traveling Across the Country to Clarify the Truth

Master is great and truly showing the greatest compassion while handling Fa-Rectification. Based on my personal experience, I can sincerely and wholeheartedly say that as we, the Fa-rectification Dafa disciples, resolve to do the three things (study the Fa [the teachings of Falun Dafa], send forth righteous thoughts and clarify the truth about Falun Dafa and about the persecution to the world's people) well and save the world's people, Master will surely be right by our sides, clearing away the evil from our path, protecting us, and carefully guiding our steps.

After obtaining the Fa in 2000, due to my poor enlightenment quality, failure to follow a single cultivation path, and pursuit of superficial and material things in ordinary human society, I let Master, myself, fellow practitioners, and sentient beings down by not being diligent in my cultivation of Dafa. However, I now fully realize that Master never gave up on me for one moment and was always right there, providing hints to wake me up. My gratitude for our compassionate Master is beyond words. Sometimes I am worried and concerned about all of the sentient beings that may have predestined relationships that I let down, causing losses to Dafa by failing to be diligent for years during Fa-rectification. Whenever I feel that way, I try to strengthen my righteous thoughts and remind myself that Master is handling Fa-rectification with the greatest compassion.

Although I have brought many ordeals and tribulations upon myself due to my gaps, loopholes and lack of diligence (for example, my wife has in the past been vehemently and unreasonably against my Dafa cultivation and Dafa work) I have nonetheless made my will to catch up with Master's Fa-rectification as strong as steel, and I utilize righteous thoughts to completely negate the old forces' arrangements. Once I began to look inward, see my shortcomings, and treat my wife as a sentient being to be saved with true compassion while letting go of the attachment of sentimentality, I began to see a significant change in her for the better. Master said:

"Only when you truly have in your heart the wish to save that person, and you regard him as a sentient being to save, will you see things change." ("Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan")

In an effort to fulfil my vow to Master and save more sentient beings, I resolved to take seven days off from my job to travel across the country and clarify the truth to people face to face.

I knew that if I didn't take this trip now it might be too late and I would have regrets in the future. Initially, the interference from the old forces was significant and it seemed like, in addition to using financial persecution to prevent me from fulfilling my vows, the old forces interfered with my wife severely in order to create a barrier between me and my mission. I knew it was a test and that the only way to succeed would be to completely negate the old forces' arrangements by strengthening my righteous thoughts, looking inward, focusing on my cultivation, and doing the three things well. With compassion I helped my wife understand how important the trip was, and she began to show considerably less resistance. I knew Master was helping me.

Immediately upon my return, my wife, son, and I planned to move to another apartment. Just one day prior to my departure, the old forces intervened and our rental application was rejected even though it had been previously accepted. We had already provided our notice to vacate the current unit, which was quickly placed on the market and rented to someone else. By being calm and sending forth righteous thoughts while my wife insisted that the situation meant that I could not take the trip to save sentient beings, Master arranged things benevolently. We were able to find a new apartment within hours of the incident and I was able to begin my mission the next morning. I printed and photocopied nearly 400 copies of different truth clarification materials from the Clearwisdom website (including the recent news regarding the United States House of Representatives resolution condemning the persecution of Falun Dafa by the CCP). I also took 500 copies of a hiphop CD which I recorded myself to help clarify the truth to multiple ethnicities of the younger generation.

I took the train for the entire journey, starting in Washington, D.C. When I arrived in Manhattan, I felt that Master and the heavens were smiling down on me because the weather was splendid. In fact, at every stop, including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the weather always seemed to cooperate. In New York, many people that I stopped on the street seemed very grateful that I had made them aware of the persecution and they accepted the materials I offered. Throughout the journey on the train, Master arranged for me to eat my meals with sentient beings that were eager to be saved and were very interested in what I had to share about Dafa and the persecution.

On Sunday in Chicago, as I walked down the street, I noticed a sizable group of Asian people entering a high school. I stepped inside and the on-duty security guard told me that a Chinese community Christian church service was being held. I simply clarified the truth to the guard and said I would like to speak to some of the congregation. The guard gladly escorted me to where the service was being held. I felt Master had once again made the arrangement for me to assist him in saving sentient beings.

I waited in the common area until the service and fellowship was over. I waited for about an hour. There were three doors, and I was concerned that most of the people would use one of the other exits, so I asked for Master's help, sent forth righteous thoughts, and said to myself, "Sentient beings, I am hear to assist Master in offering you salvation. Do not miss this opportunity." After I said that, people started streaming out of the exit I was near and I was able to clarify the truth and provide materials to most of the families. I stayed there until I was the last one. Once I conquered my attachment to saving face, I was able to save more sentient beings.

In a Chicago metro train station, an older gentleman approached me, asking for a few dollars to catch the train to his destination. He said he was having problems with his ATM card. Rather than quizzing him with questions to determine his sincerity, I began talking to him about Dafa and the persecution. His face seemed to light up with amazement as he listened attentively. Based on the questions he asked, I could tell the power of Dafa had touched him deeply. In addition to giving him some money to make his journey, I also gave him a copy of the book Falun Gong and he said he would read it cover to cover and begin as soon as he got on the train.

When I arrived in Los Angeles, Master arranged for me to clarify to truth to the director of US-China Relations and students in the director's office at the University of Southern California. We spoke briefly, but I left him with truth clarification materials and he thanked me for the visit. I then went to the main yard of the USC campus and spoke directly to many students. Initially, the task seemed a bit daunting, but again I sent forth righteous thoughts and asked Master for help, and he removed the substance that was holding me back. Many of the Asian students I spoke with were amazed and moved to see a young African-American Falun Dafa practitioner taking to the streets to expose the CCP's persecution and telling people about the greatness of Dafa. I felt that Master was again encouraging me.

I also went to UCLA and had good results. There, one female Chinese student was so moved by my conviction that, in addition to verbally expressing gratitude, she offered to make a donation to the cause. I kindly refused to take her money. Also, while speaking with students on the main campus of UCLA, a gentleman that appeared to be a faculty member or security guard asked me what I was doing. I simply clarified the truth to him and he said, "That sounds like a reasonable thing to do," and he went about his business. I said, "Thank you, sir," and continued distributing truth clarification materials on the campus.

I am ever so thankful to Master for giving me the strength to completely negate the old forces' arrangements that tried to prevent me from taking the trip. However, I know that I can do better and must do better during the final leg of Master's Fa-rectification. If we cultivate well, do the three things well, and resolve to negate the old forces' arrangements and save more sentient beings, Master can use the immense power of the Fa to eliminate any evil in our path. I thank my fellow Dafa disciples for welcoming me back as a practitioner after such a long period of time and for sending forth righteous thoughts. And I thank our most compassionate Master for protecting me and guiding my steps in cultivation.

My level is limited. Please point out anything that is inappropriate.