(Minghui.org) I started to practice Falun Dafa in 2017. In the past year or so, I have been blessed by Master’s grace. I would like to share my experience to help all of us improve together.
Twenty years ago I heard about Falun Dafa when I was in China. I believed the Chinese regime’s slander when the persecution of Falun Dafa started. A few years later, I went to America to study and heard other stories about the practice as well. Because I was a science major, I thought little of the idea of “cultivation.”
After I graduated, I did well in my career, but my relationship with my husband was in a downward spiral. We fought a lot. From the outside, other people saw me as someone with a successful career and a happy life. I, on the other hand, thought life was boring and pointless.
I ran into a practitioner in 2017 who told me the facts and helped me quit the CCP. Later, I decided to read about the practice and find out what it was. I found Zhuan Falun on the Falun Dafa website and was hooked as soon as I read “The First Talk: Truly Guiding People Up to High Levels.” I learned that the purpose of life was to return to my true self and that all of my misfortune in life was to pay back the karmic debt I previously owed. I realized that no matter how rich and successful I was, I would always be in the realm of delusion and suffering. I was also fond of the idea to save sentient beings. Thus, I decided that I wanted to become a practitioner that day.
In two months’ time, I finished reading of all Master Li’s lectures online. Besides eating, sleeping and some necessary chores, studying the Fa was all I did.
Once I realized the significance of Fa-rectification and that it was nearing an end, I regretted that I didn’t pick up the practice sooner and became rather stressed about how to catch up with the progress of Fa-rectification. In this process, I developed attachments to time and zealotry.
My husband couldn’t understand why I did nothing but read Falun Dafa books every day and said things that didn’t make sense. He was against my practicing. My relationship with my husband worsened, and I had second thoughts.
However in my mind, I knew that there was demonic interference and that only continuing the practice would help me. I studied the Fa and exercised behind my husband's back, afraid that he'd find out. Later I felt that this did not do justice to the grandest Fa in the universe and to the most magnificent thing in this world.
Master says, “we should go about our cultivation openly and with dignity,” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun).
Through this ordeal, I found my attachments to fear, comfort, and avoiding conflicts.
I decided to cultivate openly and with dignity. My husband tore up my books, quarreled with me, and even threatened me to divorce me and take away our child.
Master told us to “not hit back when attacked, not talk back when insulted” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun).
I did not give in to my husband’s demands and was thankful that he helped me pay back my karmic debt.
Whenever I failed to pass a test, I told myself that Master doesn’t acknowledge the old forces’ arrangements and neither do I. I only walk the path Master arranges for me and would only suffer if it was part of my path.
I stumbled on the path of cultivation. Several times, I escaped dangerous situations, thanks to Master's protection. This made me all the more adamant about doing better in the practice.
I often tell people how Falun Dafa has saved many practitioners from death and given them a second life. That is why true practitioners would never give up their faith, no matter how relentless the persecution is.
Master wrote,
“Having heard the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening.” (“Melt Into the Fa” in Essentials for Further Advancement)
“If the populace doesn’t fear death, what good will it do to threaten them with death?” (“Pacify the External by Cultivating the Internal” in Essentials for Further Advancement)
Practitioners’ righteous thoughts will dissolve all evil. What awaits us is the best, no matter what. Now I study and exercise openly and with dignity every day around my husband, and he agrees with Dafa and its principles.
When I first read the Fa I wasn’t sure about what Master said about the Third Eye:
“The Law Wheel that we see with our Third Eye won’t necessarily have these colors. The background color might change, although its design doesn’t. When the Law Wheel that I place in your lower abdomen turns, what you see in your Third Eye might be red, violet, green, or clear. It goes from red to orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—its background color changes constantly, so you might see other colors, but the colors and the pattern of the 卍 symbols and the Tai-ji inside the Law Wheel don’t change.” (The Fifth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I wondered why the colors of the 卍 symbols and the Tai-ji don’t change. Weren’t there different colors inside the Law Wheel? This bothered me for a while, and one day I realized that except for the background color, every Falun has the same color and pattern no matter what we saw.
I was picturing the Falun with my notions and believed that when Master said “inside the Law Wheel,” he meant inside the Tai-ji circles. I also understood that “inside” may indicate different realms. Master taught us the essence of things and to look at the universe with thoughts beyond those of ordinary people.
Various thoughts often popped into my head whenever I studied the Fa and exercised. The interference prevented me from truly obtaining the Fa and using my supernormal abilities effectively when I sent righteous thoughts.
Master said,
“During your Triple World-Law cultivation, when you cultivate above the middle levels, meaning, when you enter high-level Triple-World-Law cultivation, the Cultivated Infant starts to develop. The Cultivated Infant is different from what we know as Cherubs. Cherubs are small, playful, and mischievous. The Cultivated Infant doesn’t move, and unless the master soul controls him, he’ll sit still with his hands folded in the Jieyin position, legs crossed and on a lotus flower.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I understood that our real selves completely conform to the standards of the new universe, and their thoughts are pure. Real practitioners should be able to do what Master says.
Master said,
“as long as you can manage to cultivate, the path that I arrange for you will lead ultimately to Consummation.” (“First Fa Teaching Given in the United States” in Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. I)
Living in this ordinary society, our attachments prevent us from following Master’s Fa because our notions and thought karma don’t want to die. We should have faith that we can do what Master says and negate all thoughts that tell us otherwise.
Since then, whenever I study the Fa, no matter how tempting the thoughts are and how they can help solve my immediate problems, I negate them. Before the laws of the universe, I know that I don’t want to have these thoughts that seem like great ideas at the time.
When I memorize the Fa, I stay highly focused as well. Being able to completely focus on memorizing the Fa requires a strong will and the improvement of xinxing.
I put a lot of emphasis on exercising because it is also part of our xinxing improvement.
Master said,
“Looking at it this way, a complete system of both nature and longevity cultivation needs to have cultivation, and it needs to have exercises.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
“When you practice you should take virtue seriously. So while you're doing the exercises, if you don’t have good thoughts, at least you shouldn’t have bad thoughts, and the best is to have no thoughts at all.” (The Fifth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I wake up every day before 4 a.m. to exercise; it doesn’t get in the way of my other duties. It’s quiet in the morning, and I try not to have good or bad thoughts. Gradually, I am able to have a clear mind when I exercise.
Master said,
“The universe’s most fundamental nature, to be True, Good, and Endure, that’s the highest expression of Buddha Law, that’s the essence of Buddha Law. Buddha Law is expressed in different forms at different levels, and at different levels it acts as a guide in different ways, with its manifestations getting more diverse as the level gets lower. Air particles, stone, wood, soil, steel, the human body— all matter has this nature, to be True, Good, and Endure. In ancient times they believed that the Five Elements form all the myriad things of the universe. And they, too, have this nature—to be True, Good, and Endure.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Everything in this universe has this nature, so no matter how scary and hopeless a person may seem on the outside, he still possesses this nature. This nature is just concealed by his notions.
The people who persecute practitioners in China, those who unknowingly work with them, as well as homosexuals, drug addicts, and those who dress in degenerate ways–their knowing sides all want to be saved as well. Master arranged for us to come across these people in different occasions so that we can save them while we cultivate ourselves. We shouldn’t be selective when it comes to clarifying the truth and saving people.
“Shan is really powerful. It’s only that when a person in everyday people’s society tells someone about a good thing, he usually attaches his own notions, and even worries it might harm him in some way, and he wants to protect himself. Many things are mixed into what he says, so it doesn’t sound quite right and is impure, and often even has emotion in it. If what you say truly comes from your kindness and is without any personal agenda, your words will really touch others.” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore)
Every time I clarify the truth, I remind myself not to be confused by superficial appearances. I must find out where the person was misled and untangle the knot in their mind so that they can be in touch with the Fa's principles.
We also form notions about ourselves: a practitioner once mentioned that he was sometimes diligent and sometimes not and that he felt helpless. His notions about himself were interfering with him.
Master said,
“as long as you can manage to cultivate, the path that I arrange for you will lead ultimately to Consummation.” (“First Fa Teaching Given in the United States” in Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. I)
If we believe in Master unconditionally, then we should be confident that we can achieve what Master wants for us.
When I just moved to a new place, a local Western practitioner complained to me about a Chinese practitioner having the attachments to fear and comfort; the Chinese practitioner complained about the Western practitioner going to extremes when doing Dafa work. These were veteran practitioners who have been practicing for over a dozen years, and this situation lasted for about six months.
Master taught us,
“when problems come along, you look inside” (Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students)
There must have been an attachment for me to find if I happened to witness this situation.
I told myself that the practitioners’ knowing sides were good and that I must put aside my notions. All of their problems and negative thoughts must stop at me. I looked within and found my own attachments to fear, comfort and going to extremes.
After I eliminated my attachments, the practitioners were not the same anymore. They worked together fairly well in group activities, and the Western practitioner stopped complaining to me about the Chinese practitioner. She wanted to let go of her attachments to jealousy and fighting.
There aren’t examples for us to follow on the path of cultivation, only the guidance of the Fa. We must rectify our every thought based on the Fa. In the past year or so, I have made mistakes and tripped here and there. But I firmly believe in Master and the Fa. Each time I suffered and underwent a test, I looked back and thought that it was not a big deal.
Master has arranged everything for me, including how I picked up the practice at the end of Fa-rectification. I must do what I need to do well.
I was once the person who shied away from and refused to listen to Dafa practitioners. When I was deceived by the CCP’s lies, the practitioners approached me again and again. They passed on to me the truth so that I could break my misconception of Dafa and have a bright future. I am thankful for everyone’s efforts in the last 20 years of clarifying the truth.
Master said,
“Dafa disciples are the sole hope for people’s salvation” (“The Only Hope” in Hong Yin III)
Thank you, Master, for not giving up on me and sentient beings. I will progress diligently and do the three things well.