Cultivation Experience

Greetings Master Li and fellow practitioners.

My name is V. and I am 53 years old. I have been practicing Falun Dafa for two years.

I realized that what has stopped me from writing a paper thus far, has simply been selfishness. I had thoughts like, “What will I say? I don’t have many interesting experiences!” Or, “How can I be so arrogant at times?”

Getting rid of comfort has always played a role in my cultivation. I am grateful for those who have written and shared their experiences with me, as I have learned much from them.

So here I am.

I will talk about my experience spreading Dafa and clarifying the truth by myself in Chile.

Like many other practitioners, my path to Dafa has had plenty of steps that, now, after looking back, make so much sense; they have all lead me towards the path of cultivation. I was one of eight children who grew up in a Catholic home in Chile, South America. This alone means that I’ve had the opportunity to experience a life full of tribulations. Yet, overall I would say that my family environment laid a good foundation for my cultivation.

Later in life, for various reasons, I began to be more and more connected to the US. During the eight years I lived in San Francisco, I learned some Zen Buddhism and became a little more familiar with the Chinese culture. I was constantly drawn to China Town.

I encountered Falun Dafa in Columbus, Ohio, two years ago with the help of two different flyers. When I came to Columbus in 2000, I went to a few holistic stores in my search for something that would bring harmony to my life. I gathered several flyers and took them home. After reading all of them, I discarded them one by one—all except for a humble Xeroxed copy of a Falun Dafa flyer. I called the local volunteer and he explained everything to me. He was SO kind! A week later, in another store, I found another flyer, this time printed in full color. I thought to myself… hmmm! These people are seriously reaching out. I had to call again and get directions to the site. I went and ever since then I have been a practitioner.

The changes I have experienced are dramatic and cover many areas of my life. For example, I was able to stop taking sleeping medication once I had practiced for two months. This was after I had taken them for seven years. When I began practicing cultivation, I was also taking 6 or 7 different kinds of medication and vitamins a day; I needed a large budget for that! To realize that these were all attachments and fears and to also be aware that I was not alone on this path made me very determined.

My journey took me—for three months that year—back to Chile where I could share my understandings about Dafa with my peers. I had the chance to share Dafa with many people; however, it was not until the following year that I began to seriously share it with the public there.

Beginning in April of 2001, Jiang Zemin traveled throughout South America, beginning in Chile. I had already scheduled a trip for two days after he was to have arrived, so I moved my trip a day or two ahead so I could be there for his arrival. Four practitioners came from the US and Canada and, together, we went to a park and demonstrated the exercises to the passers-by. We had not begun to send forth righteous thoughts at that time.

I had sent e-mails in advance to local journalists, calling for a press conference. However, only one showed up and they interviewed the only Chinese person among us. In Chile, the concern at that time was not for the persecution, but the question: “Is Falun Dafa a cult?” And, “Who is profiting from Falun Dafa?” The article the journalist wrote was inserted in an obscure location in the issue, but it did clarify the truth and, in summary, stated that “Falun Dafa is Good.” When we were exercising, we saw Jiang Zemin's entourage go by. I am sure he saw us as well since we were wearing our bright yellow shirts and had bright colorful balloons around us.

The help I received from the practitioners traveling with me to Chile was very important, beginning with practicing the exercises together in a public place. I had to let go of my attachment to being ashamed to be seen publicly practicing in my hometown. Today, I am very glad that I did it. It was different from practicing in the USA where nobody knew me.

The practitioners there were a very determined group. They brought China Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun in Spanish, as well as flyers, videos, audiotapes, and shirts. They were loaded with material to share on their trip throughout the many countries in South America. But most of all, their determination was an inspiration for me when I was alone, trying to figure out how to spread Dafa in Chile. I was told that there was another person who had learned the exercises in New York, so I called and called but could not get in touch with her. Since then, and for the following six months, I was the local contact in Chile. My name and phone number were posted on the websites.

The flyer I got in Columbus taught me a lesson: all means to reach out are valuable when spreading the Fa and clarifying the truth. A simple paper printed at your house, a Xerox copy, even a handwritten note will do it. Thus, I tried advertising in the free papers, in the classified ads, and in holistic magazines. It worked. And what worked very well was the websites that displayed the names and phone numbers of local volunteers. There were several persons in Santiago, Chile who came to learn the exercises after they had read Zhuan Falun once, or while they were reading it on the computer, since the printed books those practitioners brought with them were the first ones to get there.

Being alone and doing Dafa work was always a mixture of spreading Dafa and clarifying the truth. I realized how important it was to call the local media and try to reach the journalists in charge of the International News to talk about the persecution. Once, I was watching TV and the news was very distorted: practitioners were called 'fanatics'. So without any doubts, I called the news and ask for the person in charge. Not only was he there and willing to talk and listen to the truth, but he was also willing for me to send him a package of printed information and a video clarifying the self-immolation. Now he is on my list of media people to whom I send information periodically.

After having found the number on an ad, or on the web site, people would call me to find out more about Falun Dafa. Some had plenty of questions, and we had long conversations. Most of them, however, had known about Dafa through the press or through news of the persecution. After learning about the schedule I had set, some came and some did not. I was warned by the practitioners in Columbus that this was common behavior and to not get disappointed. I realized that the most important thing was to be at the same place at a specific time. I did that and it worked!

Yet it was also important to answer all the messages left on the answering machine and to give a ride to those who did not have a way to get to the site or to go visit those who could not come. Once, I was early for an appointment, so I stopped at an art fair to distribute flyers. Several days later, someone who received a flyer gave me a call. She had spent a long time in bed after a tragic accident, and was willing to read the books and watch the video. I visited her and gave her the material I had. Later on, I did a follow up.

The first person to come was a group who learned about Falun Dafa at the airport when they saw several Americans and Canadians with Zhen-Shan-Ren T-shirts on. They talked to them, and one of them gave me their number. I called and they came consistently to the small plaza near the apartment where I lived for almost two months.

At certain point I had to face the difficulty of showing the exercises to someone new when others were more capable. I tried all sort of ways to cope with the situation. I would invite newcomers to simply follow and imitate those who knew it better and I would go around correcting. The number of people who practiced at the same time was 9. Among them were artists, students, business people, psychologists, teachers, administrators, computer engineers, and others.

I recalled what Master said with relation to practicing outdoors: his Fashen would lead those with predestined relationships to Falun Dafa. The current local volunteer found Dafa when he brought his child to play at the plaza. He saw me exercising. We practiced on Wednesday at 6:30pm and on Saturdays at 10am. He kept this schedule.

When the winter and the rains came, I asked the administrator at my building for permission to use a room on the ground floor by the elevators. She happily said yes. It was a very cold tile floors with no heating system. However, I took a little heater and blankets to sit on. The people who lived in the building and who took the elevator saw us and stopped to get information. This worked as well as when we were outside.

A good girlfriend of mine, who learned very fast, was very enthusiastic about Falun Dafa and began calling her friends, family members and coworkers every Monday at 2pm to teach them the exercises. Many came. In the building where she lived, there was a well-known Senator. One day I was coming in at 2pm and I met him as he was coming out. Without knowing him, I approached and greeted him and began a conversation. I used our conversation to clarify the truth to him. He listened with much respect and interest. At that time, Falun Dafa was still considered a cult and a sect to be investigated. I provided plenty of information and explained our practice to him.

One of the people who called to find out about Falun Dafa was from Talca, a town 4 hours south of Santiago. He had read about Falun Dafa on the Internet but learned about it through news of the persecution. Since he spoke very little English and the Spanish websites were not ready yet, he asked me to travel and show the exercises to a group of about 25 people. They offered a place for me to stay, and they also offered to pay my bus ticket. I thank them and declined their offer, of course. I made arrangements and I decided to go. Some friends who learned about my trip warned me, saying that it was too dangerous to go meet with an unknown man who had arranged everything. I explained to them that everything was going to be fine—I am a Falun Dafa practitioner.

I also traveled up north, to visit my 76 year-old mother. She lived six hours from Santiago, and on the bus I encountered more opportunities to share Dafa. Once, while at my mom’s, I showed her and one of my sisters the exercises. My mother has been a dedicated Catholic and she always tried to pursue me to become one as well. This time I shared the principles of Zhen Shan Ren with her—she was very touched. Now, although she is still with the Catholic Church, she practices the sitting meditation and listens to Pu Du. Besides being a good supporter of Falun Dafa, she stopped insisting that I become a Catholic.

One of the current practitioners in Chile is a girl who received a message on the Internet. The message was in English and came from a person she did not know: a professional Italian translator of English to Spanish. She came to the site and learned the exercises very fast. She began reading the book on the computer. She is currently translating Master's scriptures into Spanish. We correspond via e-mail and share our understanding.

One couple came to learn the exercises. They were very advanced in their reading of Zhuan Falun, which they read on the Internet. They had five children and they brought them in one by one. Even the adolescent, whom they thought might be a little reluctant, came and enjoyed the exercises. Their grandma also came, and she read China Falun Gong for the first time in one day! Then she read Zhuan Falun the following day. She is a teacher who owns two schools. She saw an enormous opportunity to spread Dafa in the school among her teachers and students.

A little less than a month after I came to the US, I was in my car waiting at a red light. It was early in the morning and I was going to work. It was a sunny day so there was plenty of daylight. When the light turned green, I checked, and since no other vehicles were coming, I drove forward. That’s when I heard a loud big BANG! I did not know what it was until seconds later, when I saw that the entire front of my car was smashed. I was facing a different direction and I realized that I had been hit by a bus packed with people. Immediately, I thought, “I am a Falun Dafa practitioner and I am fine.” The people who were standing by me waiting for their bus, or close by, ran to check how I was—they thought I was dead. The bus driver was the last one to come. I was concerned about the people in the bus. He said that nobody was hurt. All the time I was aware of the test I was facing, and I remained calm. After the commotion, I even drove to the police station on the bus with the driver, who ran yet another red light. When he realized I had noticed it, he looked at me and said, 'I was simply demonstrating to you what had happened before.' We both laughed…. Later on, he told me that he would have to lie to the police. I explained to him the consequences of that and I talked to him about Falun Dafa and Zhen-Shan-Ren. When we reported what had happened to the police woman, he lied and said it was my fault and that I ran the red light. When we were leaving the police station, he shook my hand and apologized for his behavior. I was never upset or angry. I understood all the time that this was a test. I felt very sorry for him.

Chile provides so many opportunities to clarify the truth, to share Falun Dafa, and to improve xinxing. It is a great place for cultivation. There is a lot of work to do over there. I believe I came back to the US to get ready for the local practitioners who had given me so much support and helped provide me an environment that was always good for learning from Zhuan Falun and all of Master's scriptures. Thanks fellow practitioners!

To be a particle of Dafa is a very serious matter to me and, as I understand, there are many more people waiting to encounter Falun Dafa. We can do that together in every action we are involved with. Distance, technology, cultural barriers, and language—nothing can get in the way of Dafa work. There are so many beings that we can save without doing big and fancy things. I reminded myself that to take action is what is important. And I also reminded myself to be part of a world where my cultivation takes place, because I would like to quit everything, stop working, stop family concerns, and simply do Dafa work; however, I have to struggle with my everyday life as a human being and this is part of my cultivation path—to let go of so many more attachments.

Flyers, ads, e-mails, meetings, demonstrations, T-shirts, pins, bookmarks, and social gatherings are as valuable as TV programs and Internet chat rooms when clarifying the truth and spreading Dafa. If anybody among the audience speaks more than one language and has not yet stepped forward, I encourage them to get involved in the translation of lectures, articles, flyers, etc. There is always something to do with Dafa work and somebody can always benefit from it.

Through e-mail, I have met many practitioners and done much work without even knowing them in person. Dafa is an immense body. When we meet in person I experience a great joy and a feeling of having known that person my entire life.

For instance, there is a practitioner in Australia who was originally from Chile. Sometimes we sent information to the media in Chile to clarify the truth, though we have never met. There is another person in Australia, with whom I have never even chatted in the mail, but I got the opportunity to invite her sisters to come and learn the exercises and get the book. Her sister had talked so much to them about our practice that they were ready to read and exercise.

To clarify the truth, to send forth righteous thoughts, and to share Dafa with others can be done from every corner of the Earth. I remember listening to a young female practitioner from Canada telling her experience while clarifying the truth absolutely alone: she was the only practitioner where she lived. She helped me a great deal.

And I hope that I have helped someone with my story as well.

Some day soon, I hope to be sharing an article at a Spanish experience sharing conference in one of our many countries of South America where Falun Dafa is being practiced today.

Thanks, Master Li, for your boundless generosity!