PureInsight | March 29, 2004
[PureInsight.org] In my conversation with Ms. Hong Xiuying (See "Personal Interview: The Airport and I Became One" for details), she suggested that I interview Helen. "She is very good at clarifying the truth about Falun Gong. She used to be a schoolteacher and clarifies the truth very well. She also edits all our truth-clarification newspapers that we distribute at the airport." said Xiuying.
A few days later, I interviewed Helen. Here is a condensed version of our conversation:
W: Wang
H: Helen
W: When did you start to clarify the truth to Chinese travelers at the airport?
H: I started in July 2000, right after Teacher published the article "Towards Consummation." I was quite shaken up by it and I felt that Teacher had given us a giant push forward. It was then that I began to understand the importance of clarifying the truth to Chinese people. The international airport in my city is a gateway to China, so I decided to clarify the truth there. I wasn't the first Falun Gong practitioner in my area to clarify the truth at the airport. Some practitioners started to clarify the truth there as early as June 2000. Since I live closer to the airport, I took over some of their shifts.
W: It is easy to go clarify the truth once or twice a year, but you've been clarifying the truth to Chinese travelers for over three years. It is quite an undertaking to persevere in your effort for such a long time.
H: Since I started cultivating Falun Dafa, I have been determined to follow Teacher and follow the Teacher's Fa. Teacher has explained the Fa so clearly, and we just need to follow it. Once I started to clarify the truth at the airport and have contact with Chinese people there, I immediately saw its importance. They are in such dire need of learning the truth about Dafa. I can't let them return to China with doubts about Falun Dafa and have visited the United States in vain. A lot of local practitioners have daytime jobs, but my schedule is more flexible. I only have some work at night, so I can come to the airport during the day. Perhaps it was arranged for me this way. It is not a simple job to clarify the truth, for it requires me to keep up with the Fa-rectification. After Teacher published "Touring North America to Teach the Fa," I developed an even deeper understanding of the significance of truth-clarification.
W: Do you also go to the airport on weekends? Does your family practice Falun Gong as well?
H: I am mostly there Monday through Friday. The two daily flights to China used to depart merely hours apart. I used to bring a lunch box to the airport in order to meet the scheduled flights. No one else in my family practices Falun Gong. But because I have taken care of our family matters well and am considerate to my family, they are fairly supportive of my doing things for Dafa.
W: How much time do you spend at the airport every day?
H: I drive to the airport and spend about four hours there each day. There's not much time between the two flights to China, but now I have Xiuying's help. We are both good at arranging our time.
W: In the beginning, you must have overcome a lot of difficulties.
H: Yes. The evil elements in other dimensions at the airport were rampant, and a lot of people carried negative thoughts about Falun Dafa in their heads. In the past, there were a lot fewer people who would take our truth-clarification material. We have now improved the environment through truth-clarification efforts.
W: You have put together some Chinese newspapers for truth-clarification. Why did you decide to edit and print your own newspapers?
H: In the beginning, we didn't have any material ready to use, so some of us local practitioners had to put together a Chinese newspaper on our own. Our first newspaper was called Falun Gong Forum. Later we discovered that the title was too direct for Chinese travelers, and the title of the newspaper became an obstacle for people to accept it. So, we changed the title to A Close-up Look at China. Lately, to assist the truth-clarification efforts during our local Fa conference, we published another newspaper called The Truth. Why do we want to publish our own newspapers? It is because there continues to be new developments during the Fa-rectification period and, thus, new content for the newspaper. We need to distribute the new information in a timely manner for Chinese people to learn the truth, and we feel some articles need re-editing work, so we decided that we needed to publish our own newspaper to fit the needs of our truth-clarification work. For example, our most recent edition featured a headline news report that 45 Chinese government officials would be promptly investigated if they visited Canada. The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are working together to build a list of the people who have participated in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The current list of 45 names includes those officials who are suspected of initiating or participating in the persecution, such as the former Chinese Head of State and acting Head of the Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin and other high-ranking Chinese officials such as Li Lanqing, Luo Gan, Wang Maolin and Liu Jing. If any of the criminals on the list attempts to enter Canada, the RCMP will immediately conduct an investigation, potentially resulting in refusal of visas to Canada, cancellation of their Canadian citizenship, deportation, charges and punishment based on Canada's laws governing crimes against humanity and war crimes. This article will have a giant impact on Chinese readers.
The printing cost of the newspaper is low. It is specifically targeting those Chinese people traveling back to China. As the Fa-rectification progresses, we need to frequently update the content of the newspaper. Of course, we also distribute other truth-clarification materials at the airport.
W: I think it's a wonderful idea. Because you are clarifying the truth at the "front lines," you know what people need to read most. At the same time, editing the truth-clarification materials is also a process of extending the root of truth-clarification work and fostering its germination. I feel you are not just doing truth-clarification work; you are giving people your hearts and souls! How many issues of truth-clarification newspapers have you printed so far?
H: We print about 10,000 to 20,000 copies each time. Sometimes we supply fellow practitioners in other countries copies of our newspapers; we have received very positive feedback from them. Each year, we print about six issues of the newspaper. So over the course of the year, we print a total of over 100,000 copies of the newspaper. Besides doing so at the airports, we also distribute our truth-clarification materials at different tourist sites. All the articles in the newspaper are aimed to clarify the facts about Falun Dafa. We have distributed several hundred thousand copies over the course of the last several years. It's quite interesting that sometimes you can see people standing still reading our newspaper from the first page to the last. Well, it makes sense. We cultivators leave energy on whatever we touch, and it will all be shinning brightly in other dimensions.
W: How wonderful it would be if there were Dafa practitioners like you two at airports all over the world so that all the travelers from China can obtain a copy of the truth-clarification materials and bring it back to China!
H: I think Dafa practitioners in other areas will start soon if they haven't been doing it already. Practitioners in this area enjoy certain advantages. The security measures at the airports in the United States have tightened since "9/11." But after I visited with the head of security at the airport, clarified the truth to him and sent forth righteous thoughts, he allowed us to distribute materials at the baggage claim area. Another supervisor even gave me his business card and told me to call him if we encountered any trouble. Every one of us who volunteers to clarify the truth at the airport carries one of his business cards with us when we go to the airport to distribute Dafa material.
W: Would you share with me some of your most memorable stories?
H: Okay. Didn't you just ask me how I persevere in clarifying the truth at the airport? I'll tell you why. One day I met two Chinese people, and I gave them truth-clarification materials and chatted with them. The more slender man pointed at the other man and said, "This is my boss. He was saying earlier today, 'It's such a pity that I have not met any Falun Gong practitioner yet after traveling around the U.S. I am really anxious to know why Jiang Zemin insists on oppressing Falun Gong so badly. What on earth is Falun Gong about?' We finally have the chance to meet a Falun Gong practitioner at the last minute before leaving for China." See? The airport is the final passageway before people go back to China, it's so important to have a practitioner here everyday.
Every day, I stay here until the check-in counters are closed. It is the only way that I can leave with the knowledge that I haven't missed a single person on the flight. I truly feel that these beings have waited thousands of years, or even tens of thousands of years, for this day. They have experienced so many reincarnations and gone through a lot of trouble to finally make it to the U.S. How can we not think the best for these travelers from China? At the beginning some people told us, "Don't bother to come here and distribute these materials any more. It's the same as throwing eggs at a rock. The Chinese Communist Party is so depraved, and so is Jiang Zemin. How could you not know these facts? It is useless." But several years have passed, and we are still clarifying the truth about Falun Gong at the airport. They have now changed their attitude and say, "I admire your persistence and perseverance. Falun Gong is great and remarkable. You will ultimately win the battle." If they have a lot of time before boarding, they will ask us a lot of questions. I start from the emotional and physical health benefits that I have experienced, and gradually lead them to the truth of Falun Gong this way. Teacher said: "You have to explain things to them by following the logic of their attachments." (From "Touring North America to Teach the Fa") For example, some people do not believe that we volunteer to clarify the truth at the airport. I remind them of the erosion of moral values in today's society and the loss of trust between people. Next, I talk about why the world needs "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." I tell people that it is because these moral principles are under attack in China that you do not even believe that there are people in the world that wish to be better people and will volunteer to help others understand the truth about Falun Gong without expecting any return.
Some people say, "I don't care about anything else as long as I have money." To them I will say, "Nowadays the society is growing more and more unstable and people are becoming increasingly depraved. Even if you did have lots of money, would you be able to live a happy and undisturbed life?" They will think about it and agree it makes sense. I have met all kinds of people at the airport and they ask me all kinds of questions. As long as I approach them with benevolence in my heart, I can solve any problem. Everyday I send forth righteous thoughts on my way to the airport. When I first began to send forth righteous thoughts, I felt the airport was full of demons in other dimensions and the atmosphere was oppressive. With the progress of the Fa-rectification, now everything has improved. I feel other dimensions are clean, and the only thing obstructing people from accepting the truth about Falun Dafa is the residual influence of the Chinese government's propaganda. Never be bothered by what non-practitioners may say because they are foggy-headed and have been deceived by the propaganda. Consequently, they do not always speak from their own mind. So, we must be level-headed because truth clarification is closely associated with our personal cultivation. We must study the Fa well and be benevolent. However, benevolence is the result of solid cultivation. We can't attain benevolence by repeatedly chanting, "I will be benevolent."
Once, I met a group of people who practice another kind of qigong. They refused to take truth-clarification materials from me, and they said bad things about Dafa. I helplessly watched them walk away from me. I started to send forth righteous thoughts, but it didn't help improve the situation. I thought I didn't have enough benevolence, so I said in my heart, "Compassion, come out!" Then I realized what Teacher meant by, "Compassion comes from a person's cultivation, and it's not something that's acted out..." (From "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Washington DC Fa Conference") Finally, I let go of my attachment and said to them, "Whatever you may think [of Falun Dafa now], I wish you a safe trip and please remember Falun Dafa is good."
One day, I was in a good cultivation state. When I stood at the airport, I thought, "Everybody should be saved." At that instant, I felt my body grow so large that everyone was immersed in my field of compassion and harmony. That day, I truly experienced what Teacher said, "The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities." (From "Energy Field" in Lecture Three of Zhuan Falun) Sometimes I give my name, address and phone number to a Chinese traveler to let him know I stand behind all the information I give him. I try to convey the message that I am truly explaining the truth about Falun Dafa for his good and I don't expect anything in return. When I am completely open and honest with these travelers, some people who at first stubbornly had refused to listen become more receptive. I don't want to give up on people who refuse to take our material and miss out on their opportunity. So sometimes I say in my mind, "Teacher, please give us both another chance." And sure enough, that person turns around and comes back to take the material from us. Clarifying the truth is a miraculous process that cannot be explained by human logic. We can only try our best. Whether they are receptive or not, and whether they are polite to me or not, I always wish them a safe trip at the end of our conversation and ask them to remember Falun Dafa is good. When clarifying the truth to them, we should treat them like our family members and should not feel anxious. If they have wrong notions about Dafa, we should immediately explain the truth to them with a calm mind and treat them as equals. Never talk to them in a condescending way as if you are saying, "I am here to tell you the truth, so you must listen to me."
W: Each time you clarify the truth face-to-face, it is like a battle in another dimension. The battle between the righteous and the evil in other dimensions must be fierce.
H: All Dafa work is cultivation. During the process of doing Dafa work, we improve our xinxing (mind nature, moral character). In fact, it is Teacher who does everything for us behind the scenes. Face-to-face truth clarification is a great opportunity to improve xinxing because when our minds aren't calm and determined, our attachments and emotions are easily provoked. You feel very sad for them as you watch them walk away from you carrying bad notions about Dafa. Once, a couple of people refused to listen to me no matter what I said, and I felt really bad for them. At the end of the day, I drove to a parking lot and cried for a long time before I drove home. I felt so terrible for them. I also felt many sentient beings crying with me in other dimensions.
W: You have been clarifying the truth at the airport for more than three years. How do you keep a good cultivation state and prevent yourself from taking a nonchalant attitude towards your work at the airport?
H: Everyday I meet different people at the airport, and everyday is precious to me. Each day is a new day for me to offer salvation to people. On the other hand, each day we get one day closer to the arrival of the Fa-rectification in the human world, which means people have one less day to hear the truth. It's worth the effort even if only one person accepts the truth about Falun Dafa because it's not just "one person" that is being saved. Each person is associated with countless beings. It doesn't bother me whether they are receptive or not. When I go to the airport, I think of myself as "one warrior that can hold a key position against ten thousand men single-handedly" (an old Chinese idiom).
I always try to keep myself in the Fa and keep Teacher's words in mind. I try to melt into the Fa, validate the Fa and offer people Teacher's salvation. When encountering problems, I always try to remember Teacher's words.
W: That was a great story. Thank you. I hope every airport will become "a key position" that each Dafa practitioner "can hold against ten thousand men" like you said.
March 10, 2004
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2004/3/10/26146.html
