(Minghui.org) Greetings, revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I get emotional when I recall my more than 20-year-long cultivation journey. Under Master’s protection we practitioners have overcome many ups and downs and tribulations. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of World Falun Dafa Day, I’d like to tell you how other practitioners and I have persisted in clearing the snow in our town for 20 years.
I live in a rural town in the northeast, and no one takes care of a long section of dirt road. It’s surrounded by rugged slopes, ridges, and hills. Some of the slopes are very steep, and some hilly areas are curved at 90 degree angles. This kind of road is dangerous for pedestrians and vehicles, and when it snowed there were many accidents. It’s not unusual for people to fall.
I discussed this issue with fellow practitioners in 2000. “We are Dafa practitioners and practice Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance,” I said. “Master taught us, ‘...whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature” in Essentials For Further Advancement) This road is very dangerous. Let’s us practitioners take care of it.”
The dirt is routinely washed away when it rains, so we bring in sand and soil to repair it; when it snows, we sweep away the snow, bring in ash and sand, and spread it on the ice where the road cannot be shoveled.
When we started doing this, we practitioners had various thoughts that tested our xinxing because the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) practitioners was at its height. My three brothers and many relatives practice Dafa and we all faced immense mental pressure. But after sharing our thoughts, we finally got rid of our fear mentality. Whenever it snowed, we just took care of the road.
In the first few years, our economic conditions were not good and we did not have a vehicle. So we basically shoveled the snow manually and swept it bit by bit with a bamboo broom. When the snow was heavy and had accumulated, the workload became heavy for us. In the coldest days of winter, even if we wore thin clothes, we sweated. But no one quit and we worked happily without any complaint.
Our finances eventually improved, and we bought a snow plow. We extended the snow plowing to six or seven steep ridges and slopes, and eventually to the neighboring villages. At first, our actions aroused discussion, doubts and confusion from people there. Some people said we were making money. When they found out that we practice Falun Dafa, and cleared the snow for free, public discussion boiled up. In small food stores, barbershops, and supermarkets, people talked and eagerly praised Falun Dafa. The news spread rapidly.
Gratitude for Falun Dafa
Car drivers, parents, and students are especially fond of us and look forward to us plowing the snow. One time we arrived late and saw a car parked on the slope because the road was slippery. When the driver saw us, he shouted, “Falun Dafa is here!” We swept the snow, and every person passing by gave us a thumbs up. They nodded, smiled, and praised us. The drivers honked their horns to express their gratitude. Some bus drivers even bought us food and water. The stories of Falun Dafa practitioners who voluntarily cleared snow spread.
We’ve been clearing the snow and repairing the road for more than 20 years. The sand, soil, and other materials for road paving are purchased by our practitioners with our own money. Even during holidays, we are concerned about people’s safety, and we maintain the road. If we can reduce or avoid even one traffic accident, we feel extremely gratified.
Our actions are validating Dafa, awakening people’s conscience and good thoughts, allowing people to see the high moral character of Dafa practitioners and realize that practitioners are all good people. Once when I went to a neighboring village to do business and met the deputy village chief at the village committee, he said, “On behalf of the people in my village, I thank you!”
Another village official said, “If everyone were as good as Falun Dafa practitioners, there would be no need for police.” The security director of my village said, “People in our village say that Falun Dafa is so good!” Some villagers said, “In today’s society, there are no people as good as Falun Dafa practitioners. Good people like you should be on the TV news!” The security director of my village even called us to ask for our opinion and wrote a report about us.
Several villagers took photos of us clearing snow on their mobile phones and posted them to their social media accounts, which received many likes. A woman came to our snow clearing site out of curiosity. After seeing the real situation, she said, “I wondered how there could be such good people these days and where I could find them. I see you here and it’s really true.” An elderly man in my village said emotionally, “It’s not difficult to do a good deed once. What’s difficult is doing good deeds every year.”
We practitioners have persisted in clearing the snow for more than 20 years, and word spread among the locals. Those who were misled by the CCP’s propaganda gradually realized that Falun Dafa practitioners are good people, and they now support Dafa and respect practitioners. Now, everyone in our town says, “Falun Dafa is good!”
Thank you, Master, for your compassionate salvation!
(Selected from submissions for World Falun Dafa Day celebration on Minghui.org)
Copyright © 2024 Minghui.org. All rights reserved.
