(Minghui.org) This school term, I was given three opportunities to speak about how Falun Dafa is being persecuted in communist China in my public speaking class
Teaching the Dafa Exercises in Class
The first presentation was a free choice of a topic. We could use any tools and the time limit was about five minutes. I chose to demonstrate part of the fifth Falun Dafa exercise.
I got everyone to sit in a circle on the floor. Then, I talked about the history and benefits of doing the sitting meditation. I then talked briefly about how my health changed after I began the practice.
I put on the music and encouraged everyone to sit in the lotus position. Some were surprised how I could put my two feet on top of each other. I said double-legged or single-legged position would be good, and sitting with two legs naturally put together would be fine, too. I noticed that one girl could sit in the full lotus position.
The atmosphere in the classroom was serene. Almost everyone was copying me. Some took the learning seriously. Two Chinese classmates watched me with great interest.
When the demonstration was over, a classmate from Beijing smiled and nodded. She came to give me a pat on the shoulder and said, “Good job!” A Westerner who I hadn’t spoken with also said, “That is awesome!” The teacher looked satisfied and smiled.
Although the whole process took only five minutes, I felt that the positive energy of Falun Dafa touched everyone. I believe that this demonstration laid a good foundation for Dafa truth clarification in the future.
CCP Defamation of Falun Dafa
My second presentation lasted 10 minutes. The topic was about the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) defamation of Falun Dafa. I used a projector to show an image of a practitioner holding a Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) banner on Tiananmen Square. The police were walking towards him.
I asked if anyone had seen the image before. A Chinese student raised his hand. I briefly gave some background information and told what Falun Dafa was. Then I talked about the persecution in China and how the communist regime deceived its people with the Tiananmen self-immolation incident, the fabricated 1,400 death cases, the April 25 incident, and so on.
Some classmates didn’t seem to be interested at first, but when I talked about the serious human rights situation faced by more than 100 million people, they became very attentive.
After the class, a classmate approached me and said that the first time she heard about Falun Dafa was in an article in the Washington Post. Today’s presentation helped her further understand the issue.
Another classmate said that she understood that Falun Dafa helps people see the value of belief and the goodness of returning to traditional culture. She clearly saw how bad the Party was. The Chinese student that raised his hand appeared to be sympathetic toward Falun Dafa. These comments helped me believe that the truth had made itself known.
Supporting Practitioners in China
My third presentation lasted for about seven minutes. The main topic was “Taking Action.” As I had already spoken about the persecution, I focused on how everyone could help stop the persecution. They could sign a petition, talk about Falun Dafa with people they meet, contact our government officials to express their concern, and so on. I briefly told everyone what I’ve been doing to help stop the persecution.
When I finished, everyone smiled and applauded. After the class, a Chinese student came to express her appreciation for the presentation. She said she grew up in a Christian family and her parents were ministers. She was aware of the importance of having a belief.
Another classmate asked if the meditative exercise in my first presentation was part of the Falun Dafa exercises. I said it was. He said I did a good job because the presentations helped everyone to further understand the entire issue. He said he appreciated it.
Others came to say that they were sorry to hear about what was going on in China. They could tell that I had prepared well, and they appreciated the effort that I put in.
I brought along a petition about organ harvesting for everyone to sign. When I finished the presentation, a classmate took it upon himself to have our classmates sign it. Many signed it, including those who had not spoken to me even once. One person commented that this was an important voice to be heard and encouraged me to continue with my effort.
Preparation Result
The preparation for these presentations for this school term not only helped me improve my speaking skills but also helped me see my cultivation process.
When I let go of the attachment of seeking fame, people paid attention to me and I could feel the positive energy in the room. A classmate noticed that I maintained eye contact as I spoke and that I appeared calm and confident. It made people want to listen.
I knew that Teacher Li (the founder) was by my side throughout the whole process. Some people saw compassion in my eyes. The professor said that the object of public speaking is to win over the audience and get them to pay attention to the central issue you are speaking about. If one goes a step further by taking action, the presentation is a success.
When the presentation is made for the first time, and an audience member repeats it, the repetition will help others understand the issue better and believe in the message being presented; thus, changes will occur. The presentation itself is like planting a seed in people’s minds, and it will change them as time goes by.
Our words and actions are the tools that help spread a message. Although sometimes we can’t see the immediate results, everything we say is to help people take a step forward. People may not take immediate action because they may not agree with everything we have said. But as long as we follow the natural course, our presentations can help shorten the process and bring about changes.
