(Minghui.org)
Greetings esteemed Master and fellow practitioners,
When I attended the 2012 New York Experience Sharing Conference, I was able to find many of my short comings. Most importantly, I realized that I have to be more diligent in my cultivation.
After I returned to Australia, I was asked by the Falun Dafa Association to be the coordinator for the Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Center. That was a tough order, because a coordinator not only arranges different events, but also balances fellow practitioners' different opinions and resolves conflicts. I saw myself as an introverted person, not very good in dealing with people and not really suitable for a coordinator's role. I declined, but was reminded that I had done well in coordinating our local ticketing team for Shen Yun Performing Arts.
I coordinated the ticketing team from 2009 and found that practitioners in the ticketing team were easy to work with and issues raised were only of a technical nature. However coordinating the Quitting the CCP Center required facing a lot more practitioners and organizing many more activities. Therefore a more capable practitioner should be the coordinator.
However this thought was not right, and it was not accidental that I was asked to take on this role. I then recalled that I needed to be more diligent and do better in assisting Master. I felt ashamed because I tried to avoid my responsibility and thus agreed to be the coordinator of the Quitting the CCP Center.
Truth Clarifying Activities
Sydney's practitioners agreed to increase their Falun Dafa truth clarifying activities in nine Chinese districts in the suburbs. They named it the “Great Wall of Truth.” We rotated our activity to a different suburb each weekend, focusing on clarifying the truth, quitting the CCP and a signature drive to stop the forced organ harvesting in China. If the conditions were right we would also invite the Divine Land Marching Band to perform.
It rained one morning, so I called off the activity. Once the notice to cancel was sent out, the rain stopped, and the sun appeared. I did not enlighten at that time that my heart and mind was not solid.
When it rained again, I discussed the issue with the other coordinator and we decided that from now on, no matter what kind of weather, strong winds or rain, we would do our activities as planned. Ever since, the weather has been fine during our weekend activities.
Impatience Changes to Forbearance
It has not been easy to organize the weekend activities around Sydney suburbs for three years. However, my xinxing improved given the many problems.
For activities in a suburb a permit from the local council is needed, which caused delays at times, and sometimes the delay affected our activity. I am an impatient person and want things to be done the instant I think of them. Such delays in the permits were testing my limits. However, after some time I could forbear better, but at the same time my confidence in my ability to coordinate was affected.
We also needed banners and other materials, and many practitioners stepped in to help, which made the coordination of events so much easier. However, at times not all practitioners showed up. I initially felt disappointed, but I understood that I still have to do well in what I am supposed to do.
Master said:
“...as Dafa disciples we have got to fulfill what we are supposed to. If what Dafa disciples have been working toward really does take place in the near future, and yet you haven’t done well, then at that point you will regret it—truly regret it. If [at that point] you haven’t done many of the things that you originally aspired to do, or haven’t saved many of the people you aspired to save, then that’s a major issue.” (Fa Teaching Given at the 2015 New York Fa Conference)
There were a few fellow practitioners who participated in all the events. These practitioners' compassionate actions truly touched me, encouraged me and gave me a lot of confidence.
Activities to Clarify the Truth Made the Difference
In the area where we held the activities, the people and the environment changed a lot. However, at the beginning, some people behaved quite badly. Once when we were setting up the banners, a Chinese restaurant owner came and cursed us, demanding that we move. I thought that he was unaware of the truth about Dafa.
Now, we rarely see such people. Many Chinese agreed to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. We also collected many signatures for stopping the forced organ harvesting. Some people want to know the facts about Dafa, some thanked us for explaining the facts about the persecution, and others encouraged us.
When the Chinese CCP leaders visited Sydney, there were so-called “red groups” who performed scenes from the Cultural Revolution. Some of them even attacked practitioners. Most of the Chinese from those groups were there as observers, and many of them did not really know the truth. So what we have done is still far from enough.
Master told us: ”…Clarifying the facts and saving sentient beings are what you need to accomplish. There is nothing else for you to accomplish. There is nothing else in this world that you need to accomplish.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2015 New York Fa Conference”)
Letting Go of Attachments Lightens the Heart
I had obtained the Fa in October 1996 in Sydney. Since cultivating in Dafa, apart from everyday work, I cultivate, promote Dafa and Dafa activities and help practitioners with computer issues. I also play the trumpet in the Divine Land Marching Band.
Basically I don’t delay anything to be done the next day. Therefore, I can be quite abrupt. There was not any compassion and forbearance in me, which is the part that I had not yet cultivated well.
Sometimes I even complained a bit to fellow practitioners, saying that time for me was already very tight. I had to study the Fa, do the exercises, fix computers and practice the trumpet. Sometimes I even thought if I were not a coordinator, I would have more energy and time to do one or two things well. Only by looking within when a conflict occurs can I really dig out my attachments.
During a protest against a CCP leader’s visit to Canberra, when all of our Aussie practitioners came together, a practitioner put forward some good suggestions and ideas. Therefore, the event coordinator asked him to join the coordinating team. This practitioner spent a lot of time and effort and made a detailed plan for the event and the Canberra event was quite successful.
When this practitioner shared his plan, I suddenly felt a bit uneasy in my mind. I immediately asked myself if I was jealous. No, I would never be jealous because I understand the Fa principle that every practitioner should play a role based on his/her capability to help Master in the Fa-rectification and walk his/her own path.
But then why had I felt uneasy in my heart? I realized that this practitioner had all the attention and everyone admired him, while I as the main event coordinator was ignored. Was that not an attachment to fame? I shouldn’t have had such a mentality!
Looking within is the key to eliminating attachments. Watching your every thought at any time and capture it once your heart is moved is the key. Then, one will elevate once one gets rid of the attachment. Once I understood that Fa truth, my body and heart lightened up.
Fa Truth About Listening to Others
During many truth clarification activities, fellow practitioners taught me what to do under certain circumstances, but I felt that they did so without respect. I was a coordinator, being coordinated by others. Recently there was a test that had a very strong impact on my xinxing.
We heard that a Chinese officer who is one of Jiang Zemin's cohorts and persecutes Falun Gong, would arrive in Sydney and sign an agreement with the Sydney mayor. A few of us coordinators had an emergency meeting, discussing how to expose the evil deeds that this Chinese official had committed. I sent out an emergency email to inform our fellow practitioners about our action.
I received an email which was full of questions about the activity, such as if what we did was organized by the Falun Dafa Association, why do we do things always at the last minute, has the media been informed, and how are we regarded by the Sydney government officials?
It was as if I was blamed and I felt uncomfortable in my mind and my human thoughts appeared, such as I always do things honestly and seriously, and I wondered what was wrong with this practitioner. However when I thought some more, I realized that this was not right. I came to have a clear head in just a few seconds after my mind went in a wrong direction.
Practitioners who know me well know that I am honest. Being honest is good, but why has this turned into an attachment? It has turned into a state that no one can question me and others must listen to me. As I am always one of my word, have I become so attached to ego?
After I let go of this attachment I felt lighter. Actually, the practitioner who emailed was trying to help me do things better, and had indeed helped me improve. As a coordinator I should be able to calmly listen to practitioners' suggestions and only then can I do better in coordination.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, everyone!
(Presented at the 2015 Australia Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)
