(Minghui.org) The following are some of my cultivation experiences that I’d like to share with fellow practitioners.
Last summer, another practitioner and I worked as a team to clarify the truth.
In the morning, Mei and I distributed most of our materials to households, or left them on cars or bicycles, and then used what time was left to clarify the facts to people face to face.
On our way home, we always shared our understandings of Fa principles and searched for our attachments.
We cooperated very well with each other. When we had disagreements, we went along with whoever’s idea was more aligned with the Fa and more effective and safer.
Helping People See the Goodness of Dafa though Our Conduct
When we saw an older lady whose chain had come off her bicycle, we went over to help her, and told her about Falun Gong and the persecution. She was touched by our kindness and very grateful to Falun Gong.
Even though we were drenched in sweat, we felt very happy. Master said,
“Working hard is part of your cultivation. You need to think of ways to find the people that you are meant to save. All of these are things that Dafa disciples should do.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference XI)
Always Looking Inward
Sometimes I felt annoyed when Mei was a bit slow in putting up adhesive stickers. As soon as I felt that way, I looked within and saw my human notion: “I’m better at it. You’re clumsy!”
I eliminated such thoughts quickly. I know that in Master’s eyes, there is only her pure heart of saving people.
We encountered some interference in our local area around July 20th of last year. Due to our attachments to fear and anxiety, we had some close calls on a number of occasions when we went out to distribute materials.
After sharing, we came to the understanding that we were doing the most righteous thing, and that no one is worthy of interfering with us.
We looked within and found our attachments.
Mei saw her attachment to comfort, as she felt that she could not stand the heat. I also saw my human sentiments. The night before, when I saw my husband playing with his mobile phone while watching TV on his own, I felt sorry for him and went over to keep him company. The next day while handing out truth-clarification materials, someone chased me.
Through sharing, we also felt that we needed to do more to clarify the truth to people face to face, especially after someone said to us, “I often get such materials on my door, but I don’t really know what it’s all about.”
We have since then spent more time talking to people. Mei did very well. She always initiated conversations with people and the effect was very good.
I suddenly realized one day that we are out here to save everyone we talk to, and what we are doing is the embodiment of compassion.
Using Every Opportunity to Save People
In mid-August last year, my husband and I went to a 25th anniversary party for our former university classmates and teachers. The party was held out of town. We had arranged for my husband to drive us, so that I could take some truth-clarification materials and DVDs with me.
However, just before we left, my husband, who is usually rather sociable, suddenly said he didn’t want to go. Realizing that this was interference, I started to send righteous thoughts. A little while later, he changed his mind and decided to go.
I took every opportunity to talk to people at the party. I gave them DVDs and Falun emblems. I managed to talk to over 20 people, and nearly all of them quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. I was very grateful to Master for giving me such courage and wisdom.
I also make good use of all the opportunities to save people when I go to events with my husband. When it is not possible to clarify the facts thoroughly, I use those occasions to show people the goodness of Falun Dafa though my conduct, and tell them about my belief so that they realize that Falun Gong practitioners are good people. I always put saving people as a top priority.
I do encounter interference from time to time. For example, sometimes when I’m about to go out to clarify the facts, my family members start nitpicking to distract me. I know this is the evil in other dimensions trying to interfere with what I’m doing by using my attachment to human sentiment. On such occasions, I remain calm and never argue with them, because I know in my heart that I have lofty goals to achieve – to save more people. With this in mind, everything else seems trivial.
Looking Inward While Helping Fellow Practitioners
A practitioner who lives near me has experienced serious sickness karma lately. When I learned about it, I went to her place in the evenings to study the Fa and send righteous thoughts with her.
Once while sending righteous thoughts, a thought came to my mind: No one should persecute this Dafa disciple. Then I saw an image in my mind. On one side was part of Master’s gigantic body, and in a small corner was this practitioner. I knew that Master was encouraging us.
We always sent righteous thoughts before we studied the Fa. In the process, I realized that on the surface, I was there to help her, while in fact it was also an opportunity to improve myself and to become more selfless.
The weather was very hot at the time. In the morning I went out to clarify the facts to people, and then went to group Fa study in the afternoon. In the evening, I went to her place for more Fa study and sending righteous thoughts.
She didn’t like using the electric fan she had, so it was often switched off. It was so hot that I was sweating, but I didn’t let it affect me. After a while, the heat no longer bothered me, and my attachment to comfort was also diminishing.
Later, when my husband and child were on holiday, I went to her place less frequently.
Upon looking within, I found that my human sentiments were at work again. I was worried that my family might be unhappy if I always went out in the evenings.
One evening when I didn’t go to her place, I stayed home and studied Master’s Fa lectures, which I felt was very helpful.
The next evening, I again wanted to stay home. While sending righteous thoughts at 6:00 p.m, I realized that I was being selfish in trying to study more Fa lectures at home, and failed to see that going to her place was also assimilating to the Fa and letting go of selfishness by helping a fellow practitioner. I went to her place as soon as I finished dinner.
The local police harassed that practitioner twice around July 20. I still went to study the Fa with her. I could feel that Master was strengthening me when I looked at things with righteous thoughts.
I came to the understanding that the process of helping fellow practitioners was also a good opportunity for our own cultivation.
Letting Go of Human Attachments to Expose the Persecution
Over ten years ago, in order to avoid being arrested, I jumped off a building and injured my lumbar vertebra. Eventually my back became deformed and I often suffered from back pain.
Fellow practitioners said that I should report what happened, but there were a number of reasons I didn’t. First of all, I still had an attachment to fear. I was also concerned about “losing face” and was afraid that people might laugh at my deformed back. I was also hoping that my back would eventually return to normal and I would look better.
I started to eliminate these attachments, but it was hard to eliminate fear, as the memory of the authorities trying to arrest me often surfaced.
I intensified my Fa study and sending righteous thoughts, and I gradually understood that exposing the evil in and of itself was dissolving it, so that sentient beings would not be persecuted. It helps to save people and also helps the police get out from under its control. It denies the old forces’ arrangements.
Given that new understanding, I wrote a report about the persecution that I had suffered and sent it to the Minghui website.
I remembered something Master taught:
“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong done by one’s master.” (Zhuan Falun)
I knew that Master had helped me eliminate many bad things in other dimensions, especially the attachment of fear. My back pain lessened significantly.
Cherishing the Time and Studying the Fa More
I’m very busy with a 9-5 job, so I cherish every minute I have and try to squeeze in more time to study the Fa. I get up early in the morning and do the exercises before sending righteous thoughts at 6:00 a.m. I then make breakfast for the family, wash up, and get ready for work. I send righteous thoughts at 7:00 a.m. again before going to work.
I always get simple takeaway food for lunch so that I can send righteous thoughts at noon.
I call my husband every day to find out when he is coming home for dinner, so that I can make plans accordingly to give myself sufficient time for Fa study.
I have declined to do any tutoring in the evenings to ensure Fa study time.
During school holidays, I join a number of Fa study groups and find myself elevating rapidly as a result of intensive Fa study and focusing on doing well the three things.
Everything That Happens Around Us Is for Our Cultivation
During summer vacation, I took my son to yet another practitioner’s place for Fa study every afternoon. She is the veteran practitioner that I trust most in our local area.
She planned to go the countryside to show movies to people. They had two projectors, one for her to use and the other for her husband or her son to use.
I wanted my son to get involved so that he could learn a practical skill. She agreed.
But every time I asked her when they were going to go show the movies, she either said that her son didn’t want to go or her husband didn’t want their son to go since it was pretty hard work. I found this a bit strange.
I started looking within when I got home and realized that my son would only be a burden to them, because he had no experience showing movies. I was worrying too much about my son acquiring a practical skill because, in my eyes, he was clumsy, didn't know how to do anything, and I was worried about his future.
Then I remembered Master’s words:
“You are unable to interfere with the lives of others, and neither can you control others’ fates,” (Zhuan Falun)
“Do you want to change other people’s fate? Everyone has his or her own fate!” (Zhuan Falun)
“Therefore, what one does in life is not arranged based on one’s abilities. Buddhism believes in the principle of karmic retribution. One’s life is arranged according to one’s karma. No matter how capable you are, if you do not have de, perhaps you will have nothing in this life.” (Zhuan Falun)
Through Fa study, I gradually let go of my attachments with regards to my son.
However, I developed other human sentiments and began to complain about that practitioner in my heart, thinking that she was playing games with me, even though I showed no resentment on the surface.
I realized that I must look within, and that we should not have any gaps between practitioners. Otherwise the old forces could take advantage of our loopholes.
I remembered Master’s words in his poem “Climbing Mount Tai” in Hong Yin:
“Endure the pain, diligent, and cast off attachments;”
I looked within deeply and cultivated endurance. I know that eliminating karma is always painful.
A few days later, Master’s teaching appeared in front of my eyes,
“We will not run into that situation. Yet the humiliation and embarrassment that a practitioner endures among everyday people are not necessarily easier than that. I would say that friction among one another that tempers your xinxing is not any easier than that and can be even worse—it is also quite tough.” (Zhuan Falun)
I suddenly felt very calm and realized that the incident had served to expand the capacity of my heart.
With my xinxing improved, I was able to have an open-heart sharing with her. It turned out that she never even thought the way I assumed she did, and the discomfort I felt was all due to my misunderstanding based on attachments. Through this incident, we both increased our compassion.
I now feel that when we find it hard to overcome a test, we should share with fellow practitioners, no matter how awkward it might be to talk about it. As long as we keep looking within instead of just taking the matter at face value, and as long as we look at things with righteous thoughts based on the Fa, we will be able to see our human attachments that need to be eliminated.
As I was coming to the end of my sharing, I seemed to see a pond of water, clear and transparent, like the pure heart of a cultivator.
Category: Improving Oneself
