Cultivation Experiences in a New Environment

(Minghui.org) I learned Falun Dafa in my hometown in China in 1996. After reading Zhuan Falun, I was deeply moved by Master’s Fa and finally understood the meaning of life. I had never felt so relaxed and happy in my life. I feel fortunate to be a Dafa practitioner. Later, I emigrated to Australia.

Looking Inward and Improving My Character

My daughter moved to Australia before I did and had already adapted to living there. She tried her best to help me become familiar with the new environment and adapt to life outside China. I was attending school and also worked with my daughter on business matters.

We quarreled a lot because of our different opinions on work standards.

My daughter often corrected me in our daily life and work, which made me feel very uncomfortable. I took this to mean that she didn’t trust me, even though I considered myself to be reliable. We often quarreled fiercely about trivial matters, which really wasted our time and tired us out physically and mentally. My attachments of feeling wronged, saving face, and competitiveness made me think my daughter was not related to me. Because of these excuses, I didn’t look inward for my own shortcomings.

After many fierce arguments, I came to realize that this situation must be happening because of my strong attachments. I tried to restrain myself from disputing with her and found my attachments of not accepting criticism, being easily angered, impatience, wanting to save face, and others. After that, I tried my best to restrain those feelings when I had a conflict with my daughter.

Miraculously, those human attachments were gradually weakened and I could better control them over time. When I was not moved by attachments and was able to calm down, I could accept my daughter’s suggestions. I found that my daughter’s way was usually right as she thought things out and planned ahead. She was very efficient.

In the past, my attachments controlled me and so I couldn’t see my problems or understand her way of doing things. I felt that whatever I did was wrong in her eyes. When I changed my thinking, my daughter could understand me and was not that controlling. We get along well now. We agree that we should follow Master’s arrangements, learn from each other’s strengths in our work, and support each other in cultivation.

I remembered that I also had these attachments when I had conflicts with fellow practitioners back home. Looking inward further, I discovered my attachments of zealotry, showing off, and habitually covering up my flaws. These attachments were very strong and I couldn’t control them when conflicts occurred. Therefore, when these attachments manifested again, I knew that I needed to improve and take the initiative to restrain them. Gradually, I found my compassion increased and I no longer focused on other practitioners’ shortcomings, but on their virtues and their roles in Fa validation instead.

I realized that cultivation is about making choices. For example, when we first learn about Dafa and choose to cultivate ourselves, Master installs a myriad of cultivation mechanisms and a Falun in us, and cleanses our bodies. The Falun protects us. When encountering various conflicts in cultivation, or feeling wronged and experiencing injustice, as long as we think of ourselves as Dafa cultivators, don’t treat the issue like ordinary people would, and choose to restrain our attachments, then we are improving and Master will transform our karma for us.

If someone contradicts us, and instead of looking for our own problems, we argue with the person, then our level will drop and we will miss the opportunity to improve. This is another example of making a choice. Master gave every practitioner the opportunity to improve, and that is how we make choices when we encounter conflicts in cultivation. The various tribulations we encounter are precious opportunities for us to improve, and they are arranged by Master.

Through looking inward and cultivating myself, I have felt the pain of eliminating various attachments. Under the blessings of Master and the Fa principles, I feel reborn, extraordinary, and beautiful whenever I remove a layer of human attachments.

Clarifying the Truth and Saving Sentient Beings

Master said:

“Master affirms what Dafa disciples have done. As long as you are doing things out of a wish to validate the Fa and save sentient beings, I will affirm all that you do. And when you go do those things, there will be my Law Bodies or gods there to amplify it and make what you do yet more magnificent and extraordinary, and they will assist you.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference”)

When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Dafa in July, 1999, I went to Beijing to appeal three times to be worthy of Master’s grace. I also often distributed Falun Dafa materials in residential buildings. At that time, I felt great pressure from the evil, which was everywhere. Whenever I felt it was difficult, one of Master’s poems would appear in my mind:

“A Great Enlightened One fears no hardshipHaving forged an adamantine willFree of attachment to living or dyingHe walks the path of Fa-rectificationconfident and poised”(“Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions,” Hong Yin II, Translation A)

Under Master’s protection, I felt more and more comfortable and walked firmly on the path of Fa validation and saving sentient beings.

Unlike mainland China’s cultivation environment, there is no brutal persecution abroad, and we can freely talk about Falun Dafa. However, we should balance life and cultivation with righteous thoughts and follow the path of cultivation during the Fa rectification.

When I first arrived in Australia, I found there were many projects that were helping people learn the facts about Falun Dafa and the persecution, but I couldn’t find time to participate in any. I was busy with housework, my job, talking with people, Fa study, and doing the exercises every day. Sometimes, I couldn’t do the three things well. I felt anxious because I knew that there is limited time. How could I find the time to do the three things that Dafa practitioners must do?

I thought that I might have more time if I ran a small business that could not only make money, but also provide the opportunity to talk with people about Falun Dafa. I knew that Dafa adherents have a great responsibility to save sentient beings. As Master’s disciples, we are blessed, and in the meantime, should not be trapped by daily life, which would affect our ability to validate the Fa.

Having this thought, I started to browse Chinese websites in other countries. I found a suitable business on the first page of the classified ads. I immediately contacted the company and made an appointment for a meeting. A few days later, I signed the contract and fulfilled my wish. It was only six months since I left China and it only took me a week to own a business. Hence, I would be able to spend a large amount of time to do the three things well. I knew this didn’t happen by chance. It was Master’s arrangement.

There is one thing that impressed me a lot. At the end of 2020, my daughter and I planned to obtain local driver’s licenses. I lacked confidence and usually felt nervous when I had to take an exam, as I was often criticized by teachers and parents for poor grades when I was young. I hired a coach to help me practice driving, although I had driven a lot in China. However, the coach made me very nervous and I couldn’t concentrate. I was behaving like a novice driver.

After the driving lesson, I asked the coach if I would pass the road test. He said with a little hesitation that I could pass it if I was lucky, which made me even more nervous. On the day of the driving test, I was still very nervous and sent righteous thoughts quietly while waiting. At that time, my home was quite far from the test site. If I didn’t pass the test the first time, I would have to do it again, which would take a lot of time and effort.

I asked Master to bless me to pass the test. I was not nervous at all during the road test. I drove very smoothly and better than I usually did. After the drive, the girl who was sitting in the exam car as an interpreter told me that I drove very well and she rarely saw candidates with such a steady drive.

I passed the road test with a score of ninety-eight. My daughter was surprised at this good score. We all understood that Master helped me.

Improving Xinxing in the Fa Validation Project

The first time I collected signatures for petitions, like stopping the persecution or ending the CCP, in the city center square, I was disappointed as I didn’t get one person to sign, while other practitioners collected many signatures.

At home, I started to look inward and found my attachments of saving face and impatience. I realized these attachments were selfish. When I went to collect signatures again, I put my heart on the people passing by and had no distracting thoughts. I looked into people’s eyes and smiled at them. When I sincerely hoped they would understand the meaning of signing the petition, the results gradually became better. Later, when I didn’t do so well again, I found that I had developed the attachments of zealotry and competitiveness. I worked on restraining these attachments. On the path of cultivation, I constantly follow Master’s Fa to look inward and correct myself.

Once, on a very windy and rainy day, I was holding a banner alone in front of the Chinese Consulate. The other end of the banner was tied to a large tree. It was being buffeted by the wind, which made it hard for me to stand firm. After a while, the rope suddenly snapped because of the strong wind. There was still an hour to go, and I wondered if I should continue under such heavy wind and rain or pack up and go home.

The Chinese Consulate is a dark den of evil. Dafa practitioners are eliminating and deterring the evil as long as they are there. So I decided to stay. I retied the banner to the tree, held the free end of the banner, and continued sending righteous thoughts. Many passing vehicles honked to show their support. At the end, when I was folding the banner, I heard Master’s voice say, “Your mighty virtue spreads throughout the universe!” Master’s loud and clear voice echoed in my mind for a long time. I was really encouraged as I was only doing the small things I was supposed to do.

Living abroad, I sometimes missed my comfortable retirement life in China. But I knew my responsibilities and that I must do them wherever I was. In China, I validated the Fa alone to maintain safety. The cultivation environment outside China is different, and many of my attachments were exposed.

I realized that when I encounter anything, if I can’t achieve peace and stability, there must be some human attachments that I need to get rid of and improve my character. Dafa’s power will manifest only when doing projects with a pure mind. What we do will then go smoothly and be sacred.

I have experienced joy, shed tears, and and felt regret during my twenty-plus years of Dafa cultivation.

Thank you, Master.

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