(Minghui.org) Greetings, Esteemed Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
The COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in 2020 has changed the world. It also sounded an alarm for Dafa disciples in our cultivation: how to save more sentient beings in the limited time left.
I’d like to share my experience of how I broke through my attachments and seized the moment to save sentient beings over the past nearly three years.
Speed Up My Cultivation
I live in an agricultural city in northeastern China. My husband has a trucking business and often goes to the countryside for deliveries. He used to take me when he was out. Looking at the rows of villages, I had a wish to go to every corner of the countryside to save people.
For more than a decade before the pandemic, four local practitioners and I went together to clarify the truth face-to-face on the streets year round. Many people got to know us and one person even dubbed us the “five golden flowers.”
When the plague (COVID) broke out in 2020, it was shocking to see how rapidly it spread. Many positive cases were confirmed in our region. The government quickly closed the city and implemented strict lockdown management. Everything came to a standstill, and our daily truth-clarification routine also changed a lot.
Time was so precious and I felt I was failing in my duty for not being able to go out to save people. A large number of beings in the countryside have not received the information about Falun Dafa from us. It was my fear and pursuit of comfort that slowed me down. I was waiting and counting on other practitioners to fulfill the responsibility for me.
After the pandemic subsided some, I thought I’d better go to the countryside to save people. I couldn’t afford to wait any longer. This was not to say that I was better than others. The actual situation is that we have very few fellow practitioners here, but we shoulder the responsibility of saving a large number of sentient beings.
The fellow practitioners I worked with were all in their 70s. I was only in my 50s, the youngest one. If I did not do it, who would? After I let go of the attachments, I was filled with the same enthusiasm as when I had just obtained the Fa, and I did my best to rush forward to save people.
Distribute Material Efficiently on a Large Scale
When the lockdown was lifted, I went to the countryside to distribute materials. I found a fellow practitioner Wang who knew how to ride a motorcycle to go together. We dressed like farmers, so as not to attract attention.
Going to the countryside to distribute truth materials was quite stressful for me. The first thing I had to overcome was fear. There was a time before the pandemic when I was arrested while clarifying the truth in the countryside, and the evil used my family to pressure me.
Although I came through with Master’s protection, it left a shadow in my heart. I worked hard to overcome the fear in the depths of my mind. I reminded myself of the purpose of my truth clarification and strengthened my faith in Master and the Fa. I felt that my xinxing improved.
In the beginning, I walked around each village, handing out truth-clarification materials. After a few trips, I felt that distributing information this way was too slow. Moreover, everyone had a cell phone now, and I was always in danger of being recorded and reported. My human heart was limiting me, and I wanted a better, more efficient way to carry out my duty.
After learning Master’s Fa teaching “Martial Arts Qigong” in Zhuan Falun, I thought of distributing materials like throwing darts while sitting on a moving motorcycle, which requires quick hands and eye coordination.
Master said:
“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
After only one practice, I was able to distribute the material the way I hoped, and one village was soon finished. I felt Master’s reinforcement and encouragement.
After that, Master enlightened me in my dream to expand the scope. I found another fellow practitioner Wei. She and Wang are both older than me. Wang and I covered short and medium distances, while Wei, a very experienced driver, would take me to remote mountainous areas and towns. We covered most of the countryside nearby.
To distribute material more efficiently, I needed to know the map of each town very well. It’s easy for the villagers to become suspicious upon seeing two strangers, so I had better know my way around.
To familiarize myself with the villages, I studied the satellite map to see how many villages there were in each township and memorized their names. When I went out to distribute materials, I didn’t even need to use navigation, as I just relied on my memory to guide us. Fellow practitioners said that I was a living map.
Every time I went out to distribute material, I thought I was a divine being and did things at a lightning speed, not limited by human age. I focused my energy on my hands and made sure that the material would land into everyone’s yard.
I also developed the skills to throw truth-clarification material with both hands. If the motorcycle was too fast and I missed a few houses, I would turn around, and “whoosh”, the materials would then fly into their yards.
Wei and I went to remote towns and villages, about 100 miles round trip. We usually carried 300-400 copies of materials with us and we could cover up to eight villages at aone time. It was like riding a fast horse, galloping from one village to another. Because of Wei’s good driving skills, she was able to drive through the entire village in a few minutes, which was what we wanted: efficiency!
Some villagers were surprised to see us coming so quickly and by the time they picked up the material, we were already gone. Some picked up the material as soon as we distributed it, as if they were waiting for us. And some cheered us for throwing the material like darts!
Going around in the countryside to deliver materials was really hard. I was really tired for a few days in 2020, so I wanted to take a break at home and spend more time studying the Fa.
I had a vivid dream when I took a nap one day. There was a large tub filled with water in front of me. Then men and women from the countryside lined up and walked towards me, saying, “Give me the truth.” When I woke up, I realized that Master was inspiring me that I should not stand still, but continue to distribute materials––it is urgent to save people.
While the pandemic had slowed down, it could come again at any time, so I had to do things ahead of time and finish what I had to do. The next day, I went out again with Wei.
It was November 14, 2020, when Wei and I distributed the last batch of materials. It was already very cold. On our way back, we saw golden clouds in the sky. We were excited and felt it was Master’s encouragement.
This spring, another wave of pandemic broke out in our city, making it a high-risk area. After the lockdown was lifted, Wei and I went to the villages in the remote mountainous towns in the southernmost part of our city to distribute materials. Although we went back and forth more than 100 kilometers every day, we were not afraid of hard work at all. It is our wish that all sentient beings understand the truth.
One day we went to distribute materials again, and the sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the grass was green and vibrant. When we returned, we saw layers of white auspicious clouds in the sky in the distance. We stopped to look at them and became emotional, as Master was again encouraging us to advance on our cultivation path.
For the past three years, fellow practitioners and I have traveled all over our city on a small motorcycle. We distributed a large number of materials. We also covered some remote rural regions, where there were no more than ten households. They are also precious sentient beings and we could not leave them behind! Fellow practitioners said that we were like “the heavenly maidens scattering flowers,” who brought blessings to people.
I often saw magpies, the birds seen as an omen of good fortune, chirping on the branches, sometimes in flocks. Perhaps they were cheering for the salvation of sentient beings.
Clarify the Truth at Farmers’ Markets
In recent years, fellow practitioners and I often went to farmers’ markets in the countryside, because we could reach more people there.
When the pandemic broke out, fellow practitioners all realized the urgency to save people. One fellow practitioner offered to take us to the markets with his car and several of us teamed up to clarify the truth.
There is a large town in southernmost part of our city and it’s more than 80 kilometers away. None of us had been there before, but we decided to go there to bring the truth to the residents.
I asked Wei to go to the market with me in early December 2020. She lives about 25 kilometers away from me and it’s on the way to that large town. I stayed at her house overnight and planned to take a taxi to the market the next morning. After I got up, it was cold, so we didn’t go, but spent the morning talking to people near her home.
The next time around, I still wanted to go. But I hesitated again, fearing the cold weather. After sending forth righteous thoughts, I saw in my celestial vision a flock of birds flying in front of me delightfully. I realized that Master was reminding me not to miss the opportunity. No matter how far it is, I should still go there.
I called Wei and asked her to wait for me. When we arrived at the market, we were surprised to see how many people there were. I talked to them about Dafa and the persecution. We persuaded over 50 people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its related organizations that day.
When I persuaded a senior to quit the CCP, he told me that he had read a brochure about it. I felt particularly gratified because Wei and I had come here before.
In the past, I did not take distributing material seriously, but the pandemic changed my notions and I began distributing the material on a large scale. Master encouraged us through the villagers’ feedback. We felt we should not skip any methods of saving people and the truth must be spread to every corner of the world.
In December 2020, another fellow practitioner came back from working out of town. He also had a car and could take us to various farmers’ markets in different towns and villages. We covered different areas and we brought different kinds of materials for distribution. We could persuade between several dozen and one hundred people to quit the CCP during each trip.
In mid-January, 2021, another outbreak hit our province and various regions implemented lockdown again. It happened after we just finished going to most of the farmers’ markets. We were glad that we did it ahead of time.
After our city went into lockdown, it was hard to go out, let alone go to the countryside. But Wei and I still managed to go to a large town on the east side of the city. It was minus 20 Fahrenheit and the road to various villages was closed. There were pandemic workers everywhere to prevent non-residents from entering the town.
We managed to still go into town and we saw people still buying groceries there. Police cars were patrolling around. Even though it was hard, we still persuaded over 30 people to quit the CCP and its related organizations.
We went again the next day with a third practitioner, Li. It was extremely cold. Wind and snow were blowing against our faces. In just a little while our eyelashes and hats were covered with frost.
Wei started on the north side of town, and Li and I started on the south side. We talked to everyone we met and did not want to miss anyone. Time was limited. I was literately running. Li was usually busy with work and did not have time to come out like this. She was moved to see how we clarified the truth. She said: “I want to learn from you and I need to be more proactive in saving people.”
Between the three of us, we managed to persuade over 60 people to quit the CCP organizations that day. The following day, over 80 people!
Going to the countryside to save people during the pandemic lockdown was really an unexpected reward. We initially thought it would be hard to get out, let alone clarify the truth face-to-face, but cultivation is so amazing. In the process of cultivation, I experienced a layer of the Fa that Master said “Accomplishing is cultivating.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
Xinxing Elevation
The 2021 New Year calendar bearing information about Dafa was produced in our region between the two pandemic outbreaks and during the “Zero-out” harassment campaign (which aimed to force every Dafa practitioner on the government’s blacklist to renounce their faith). The calendars were produced under tremendous pressure and with the cooperation of many practitioners.
Since I participated in the production of the Minghui calendars and witnessed the whole process, I treasured each calendar and the hard work of my fellow practitioners even more. I took the distribution of the calendars more seriously.
I decided to go to remote villages to distribute them and urge people to quit the CCP. It was like going door-to-door to clarify the truth face to face. I hadn’t made a breakthrough in this area yet. I still feared being reported to the police.
But cultivation is about making breakthroughs and moving forward even though it is difficult. I kept adjusting myself, suppressing negative thoughts, and strengthening my righteous thoughts.
Wei and I took a few dozen calendars each time to visit the villages or towns. Whenever we saw someone, we would talk to them and persuade them to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. We had already distributed materials here, but no practitioners had talked to people face-to-face yet. To our delight, people were happy to receive the calendars and quit the CCP organizations. Some even shouted out “Falun Dafa is good!” We were able to persuade dozens of people to quit the CCP a day.
Later, Wei and I worked together with six other fellow practitioners. The eight of us went to two remote villages twice. We distributed hundreds of calendars and persuaded over 200 people to quit the CCP.
Before we finished distributing the calendars, another wave of the pandemic began. Wei and I dressed as farmers and went to the villages to finish distributing the rest of the calendars. Luckily, some local residents were still harvesting crops in the fields and the government didn’t completely ban people from coming out.
There was an elderly man who was tying straw in the field by the roadside. I greeted him and gave him a desk calendar. He held it in his hand respectfully, and said seriously: “Understanding is a blessing.” I was touched: all beings are waiting for us to save them! I helped him quit the CCP and its related organizations.
We saw four students playing on the street. We told them the truth and helped them quit the Young Pioneer. We also gave them some materials and urged them to recite the auspicious phrases, “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
We finished distributing the calendars on November 2, 2021. Because I overcame my fear and elevated my xinxing, my body was very light. I no longer feel tired, and the more I walk, the faster I am; I am full of energy.
Closing remarks
The past three years has been a process of making breakthroughs. I always felt compelled to save people urgently. During the process, I truly experienced what Master said:
““When it’s difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it’s impossible to do, you can do it.””
““After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!”” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
Master is extending the time for us with enormous suffering. May we all cherish the remaining opportunities to cultivate in Dafa, do the three things well, and live up to Master’s compassionate salvation.
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
