Fulfilling My Vows to Cultivate and Save Sentient Beings While Working on Media Projects

[PureInsight.org]

Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

I obtained the Fa in 1997, and have been cultivating over 20 years. I have worked as a reporter for Epoch Times in Hong Kong for over six years and now starting my fifth year with the Sound of Hope.  The title of my sharing today is: Fulfilling My Vows to Cultivate and Save Sentient Beings While Working on Media Projects.

Born to Obtain the Fa

I was never very healthy before I obtained the Fa and have been on medications non-stop since I was little. I did not enjoy physical health until I began cultivating Dafa. When I first opened Zhuan Falun and saw Master’s picture, I felt Master was very kind and trustworthy. I started reading the book right away, finished the whole book in three days and then reread it a few more times. I deeply resonated with Master’s Fa. In fact, Master was cleansing my body when I started reading. Every time I read the book, Master would reveal as much of the essence behind the Fa as I could enlighten to at my level then. It was on the winter solstice of 1997 that I realized I should cultivate Falun Dafa. Winter solstice is a day that is easy to be remembered and this day became my cultivation anniversary.

As a Dafa disciple, like many other fellow practitioners, I have experienced joy and happiness from cultivation like I’ve never had in my life. I actively participated in Hong Fa, full of joy. After the CCP launched the persecution, I joined all kinds of activities, large and small, organized by the local FXH, such as parades, raising awareness of the persecution and rescuing practitioners from persecution in China. I have stumbled along in my cultivation path under Master’s guidance and care ever since.

Joining the media projects

In September 2007, I joined the media as my way to validate the Fa.

It was difficult to work for the media back then, and especially so for me, an introvert who was timid and not good at communication. I did not speak Cantonese well in the beginning, and people had to ask me several times before they understood the name of our media when I was making an introduction. They even helped to correct my pronunciation. I was so embarrassed that my face turned red. The evil forces were wild then, and the Party propaganda machine was going crazy trying to demonize Dafa. Many people did not know the truth then. As a result, our media was not well-accepted, and we received very few press releases. Sometimes reporters from other media would forward them to us. The weather in Hong Kong is hot and humid. We rushed to events we learned about under the scorching sun and showed up hot and sweaty, often after the event was already over. There were also challenges during the interviews. Many times, event organizers took me aside and asked how I had learned about their events and was told to not report them. Many times, someone would cover the lens of my camera with their hand as I was trying to take pictures. Many times, I asked residents or subjects for interviews, and was turned down four or five times straight. Many times, my interview request was rejected. Many times, my request for press releases received no response one way or the other. Reporters from other media did not accept us, either. They did not talk to me and excluded me from their circles. I felt very isolated, and all of these were because the staff of our media practice Falun Dafa.

Under such circumstances, I lost it several times and felt bitter, tired and depressed. Now I am really sorry about my unwillingness to perform duties then. I tried to work in the daytime, edited news at night, but refused to go out to the front line to interact with people.

Strengthening righteous thoughts while tempering myself

Should I just give up? I was not sure, and decided to calm down and study the Fa. Fellow practitioners in the media shared their experiences with me to encourage me and remind me that, the fact that I was able to join the media project might not be a coincidence and could well be Master’s arrangement.

I realized that it was because I made a vow to Master that I could join the media projects. Therefore, I could not give up. All I have seen in front of me was due to the fact that the sentient beings did not know the truth because of interference and obstruction from the old forces and the evil. As a practitioner, shouldn’t I cultivate and improve myself? How can I compare myself with non-practitioners? They are the subjects that I should save! Wasn’t it because they’ve not been saved that they behaved in unfriendly ways?  

Under the guidance of Master, I collected my resolve, let go of my ego, picked up my gear, and went out to cover the news. I recalled that I often recited Master’s poem Climbing Mount Tai in Hong Yin to boost my own morale:

“I climb the steep steps, stretching miles ahead,
Winding upward and steep, this road, even to set off is hard;
Glancing back, ‘tis just like cultivating Righteous Fa,
Pausing half way makes salvation hard.
So steel the will, and lift thy leaden leg,
Endure the pain, diligent, and cast off attachments;
Dafa disciples, the tens of millions—
A place still higher awaits you at Consummation”

“So steel the will, and lift thy leaden leg,” described my feelings at that time. I was grateful for Master’s encouragement, as once I made up my mind to go out with righteous thoughts, I instantly felt my field was cleared, my body was lightened, and the heavy weight dissipated. I felt being reborn again and again. At that moment, tears rolled down my cheeks; I knew it was Master who was encouraging me.

Understanding the sentient beings with compassion

I brought up what happened before because my feelings were acute and things were very difficult. Society did not accept us and kept a distance away from our media. We had no interaction with the community. I enlightened that we must identify opportunities and entry points to allow people hear the truth from Dafa disciples. We must gain the trust of the community.

Master said in Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting in 2009, “All of what you encounter and meet with owes to factors that are present within your expanse. If you can have sufficient righteous thoughts, you can then be towering and massive within your expanse and suppress any bad things that might exist there.”

Master's teachings were unforgettable. I used righteous thoughts to face the challenges. When they did not allow me to report, I called them up and told them that this was interfering with the freedom of media. When someone did not accept my interview, I politely asked why. Later I told him, “How can you believe in the CCP’s words? The CCP has engaged in a lot of political campaigns. Suppressing Falun Gong is just one of them, its means of suppression are the same." After that, I worked harder to find more people to interview.

Many people knew very little truth about Falun Gong due to Chinese Communist Party’s slanderous propaganda. Sometimes, when my media work was done, people at the event felt curious to see reporters who work for what they deemed as Falun Gong media, so they’d ask me questions about Dafa. And those questions offered me great opportunities to clarify the truth to them. Often such conversations went on for over an hour. I talked about the so-called “siege of ZhongNanHai” on April 25, 1999; the “self-immolation” on Tian’anmen square; and about the major changes that happened to my own health and mind since I began cultivating. I also talked about the many political movements launched by CCP, including the intensified encroachment upon affairs in Hong Kong. The points I tried to make focused on the fact that we are all being persecuted, every one of us, and none of us could be spared in CCP’s suppression. The media Dafa disciples worked not only provided services to the society, but also revealed the wicked nature of CCP to help people abandon their illusions about CCP. I made friends one after another by talking to one person at a time, as truth spread from one individual to a group. Then a group of people would know the truth about Dafa and respect Dafa disciples, and be my friends, who would help me in my future work, making introduction for me and sending me notification of community events.

Boosting professionalism as a way to convince people

The situation changed gradually. But I felt that the people were suspicious of me and kept a distance away from me, because I did not write articles well in the beginning, despite the proactive efforts I made in reporting. I remembered once that I was talking to a representative of a group when a reporter of another Hong Kong newspaper walked in. The gentleman immediately left me and went to greet her, telling me that she reports news very well. I realized that I needed to improve my professionalism in journalism. I was thinking as a practitioner I could do anything ordinary people could. Therefore, while learning from other colleagues in our media, I also found materials about reporting to study. Each time after I conducted an interview, I would look at how the other media covered the same story, and took notes of the good articles they wrote and the nice phrases they used. I read these notes over and over again until I could use those nice expressions freely in my own work. Before my interview, I would also spend more time learning the background of the incident and the key issues to be covered. Gradually, I learned how to ask questions, even challenging ones. While doing interviews, I also put in more effort than reporters typically do. I not only took notes, but also recorded the whole session. I would insert in the article quotes that most appropriately reflect the thoughts and concerns of the community.

One day, I received a call in the early morning from a representative of a group I interviewed the day before. I was a bit concerned whether there was anything wrong with my reporting, so I asked: is it that you don’t like my article? She said instead, ‘no! I’m calling to let you know that you did a great job, better than a few other media.’ I felt so relieved and was grateful for Master’s encouragement.

There were more and more such incidences. And with time, I earned the trust of people, and connected to more and more groups, and gained access to many resources in society. These groups sent us their congratulatory messages at our anniversary celebration to show their support and respect. A chain reaction has also reached some councilpersons and societal groups. Gradually, I received more and more media notification on political events, my request to interview councilpersons, activists, advocates and political figures on sensitive social issues were granted more and more often.

I did not let go of any opportunity to stay closer with the communities, humbly hoping that I would stay at the same level of theirs, that they would come closer to us and trust us. Getting closer is the first step of truth clarification.

Being considerate all the times and guiding sentient beings to choose the right side

Since the hand-over of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, the CCP intensified its meddling in the affairs of Hong Kong’s administrative, judiciary and educational systems, and suppressing individuals and groups that are pro-democracy and engaged in social advocacy. The ever tightening grip made many people in Hong Kong feel suffocated and depressed. Oftentimes during interviews, people would mention to me that they have been fighting for decades, yet they feel more and more powerless and uncertain about the future. I would take such opportunities to encourage them, with an optimistic smile on my face, “Falun Gong practitioners are the number one enemy in the eyes of the CCP. We are all still living here. We are still fighting, what are you afraid of?!” I told them that the CCP is not as strong as it seems. Its alleged power is unfounded, and what shows on the surface merely reflects the instability and fragility of its regime. Good is rewarded and evil is punished: That’s the law of the universe. The CCP has done nothing but bad things, killed 80 million Chinese, and persecuted our Dafa disciples. It will be held accountable for what it’s done. And now, its days are numbered, and in the near future, we will see its disintegration and demise. When the moment arrives, let’s go to the streets to celebrate. When they heard these words, they were very happy and said, “Yes! No matter what, we must take the opportunities to fight and speak out when we still can.”

I often responded, "When you raise your voices of resistance, we have news to cover. Otherwise, what are we to say? “When pro-democracy activists were being suppressed, put in the limelight of media and center of public’s attention, I sent messages to them to tell them that they are not alone. They are all beings who support Dafa. I must care about them, let them know the truth and be saved.

Little by little, I became close with these people, and I was happy to spend my time communicating with them.  With the progress of Fa rectification, the evil is less and less able to sustain its persecution. While working for our media, the mutual trust between people and me has been solidified. I believe they can see and feel the sincerity, magnanimity and forthrightness that embody our spirit from cultivating Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. While people see more and more of me in news events, they often come over to chitchat and share a joke with me when they see me. Sometimes, they would hold their banners and placards higher for me to take a good shot. They have shared their snacks with me while saying a few kind words. Other times, when I was not able to be on the site of the events, they would take pictures for me to use in my articles. They added me to their social media groups and I became their friend. Sometimes, I learned that they were preparing for events before media notification was disseminated. They also often share with me their thoughts and comments to news events.

In recent years, the truth clarification sites and parades held by Dafa disciples have often been harassed by the so-called “Hong Kong Youth Care Association Limited” (QGH), a known affiliate of CCP. In my social media group, I often saw my contacts expressing their dissatisfaction with QGH and their support for Falun Gong. Sometimes when Dafa disciples were holding parades, some group members would spread the news on the group platform calling whoever might have time to go and support Falun Gong marching on certain streets, as QGH was making trouble there. Once I was interviewing an ordinary person for a parade to demand the popular election, there were about a dozen QGH members on the roadside holding a display board with texts slandering Dafa. The marchers saw them and rushed to shout "Support Falun Gong! Support freedom of belief! Public trial for Jiang Zemin! List Jiang Zemin as Wanted!"

Writing articles is in fact the same as being a man and a cultivator, our work must conform to the principle of professional reporting in the media business. In addition, as Dafa disciples, we must always be humble and polite regardless the attitude of society toward us. When we write, we must not put any beings on stage or push them to a difficult place. Otherwise, we may lose the connection and possibly push them away. I remembered that some academics and commentators had been uneasy about our reports; I therefore sincerely told them that I was grateful for the interview opportunities, and although there was much for us to learn and improve, we put our hearts in our work. Later, I would make sure to share the link of the article with them and invite them for comments and feedback.  

Dafa disciples should always think of others. When people from mainland China were interviewed, I would keep their safety in mind. I would first inquire whether it would be okay to take their pictures. When the response was positive, I would also remind them repeatedly to think clearly.

When a well-known journalist from the mainland, famous for reporting a corrupt official came to Hong Kong for interview for the first time, we had a good conversation. Later, when he was holding a press conference, he took the initiative to call me to attend the event. After that, we became friends. He gave me an inside story of corrupt officials. I therefore wrote several exclusive reports. However, I did not quote his real name. I told him that I could not bring harm to him because of a report. We established mutual trust and now he knows the truth about Dafa well.

Many times, I told my contacts that in the most difficult and dangerous situations, please say: Falun Dafa is good! I told them this is the most auspicious blessing.

Every time I went out to conduct an interview, I tried to study Fa, adjust my mind, and send forth righteous thoughts to clear the field.  I also treated my fellow journalists with “truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance”. Sometimes I give them a good spot to take photos. When they need help, I help them hold the microphone. We also share information and details of media contacts. Now, I have established a very good relationship with my fellow reporters. I have friends in the ordinary people’s media, and we often make arrangement to go to cover events together. The relationship is very good.

Master said in “Unimpeded”, “The paths of cultivation are varied, But none is outside the Great Law, When one is attached to nothing, The path underfoot is naturally smooth” (Hong Yin II). For more than a decade, I’ve had ups and downs, beaten again and again, while I stumbled through my path working for our media. With the encouragement and blessing of Master, I soldiered on. With the advancement of the Fa-rectification process, people in the world have become more and more aware of the truth. The media of the ordinary people are gradually declining. Yet the influence of our media is increasing. We can now receive media notifications of large and small events. Many groups have actively asked us to interview them. Celebrities or political figures all are aware of the major media outlets operated by Falun Gong practitioners. We are guided by Master and we are unstoppable. Sometimes I think of it in retrospect, my feelings are complex. I am so grateful for Master’s guidance and leading the way. He gave me a path to validate the Fa, so that I could grow while working for media.

Last, let me conclude with verses from Master’s poem Diamond-like Will, “Lost beings each foment chaos  Knowing not the great peril at hand, I strive to rescue things before they burst, Could I let rotten demons spell disaster? Will and thought harder than diamond, The vast and miniscule are all my creation.” (Hong Yin II)
Thank you Master; thank you fellow practitioners.

Please kindly point out any of my deficiencies.

Chinese version: http://www.zhengjian.org/node/245178