(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am 21 years old. I am from Malaysia and currently a junior at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I am lucky to be able to attend this cultivation experience-sharing conference in Taiwan for the third time. Many thanks to Master, the founder of Falun Dafa, for the arrangement.
When I was little, my parents were busy between their work and caring for my elder brother and sister. They had me go live with my grandmother and aunt, both of them Falun Dafa practitioners. My aunt always said that I was predestined to obtain the Fa even before I was born. She said that my illiterate grandmother wanted to learn Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, before I was born, so she got my mother to read the book to her.
Later, my uncle, also a practitioner, moved back to live with my grandma. The four of us studied the Fa and practiced the exercises together. I did not understand what cultivation meant, but I knew that Falun Dafa was good. I followed the principles to be a good person. I endured when I was bullied by my classmates because I remembered that “one should not fight back when being punched or insulted...” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
I lived in the school dormitory my first year of middle school. Because there was no cultivation environment, I gradually stopped practicing Dafa. I didn’t get along well with my classmates and teachers, and my grades were not good. I was in the doldrums and always felt very sad.
One day, I couldn’t take it anymore and called my aunt to complain how badly I was being treated. My aunt reminded me what Master taught us,
“[During a conflict, if you can remember:]“He’s right,and I’m wrong,”What’s to dispute?”(“Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong,” Hong Yin III)
I was awakened and decided to read Zhuan Falun carefully. After I finished, I realized that I always defended myself and blamed others when I made mistakes or had conflicts with my classmates. I understood what cultivation was and started to practice again.
My classmates and teachers noticed my changes and we got along well. My grades improved and my class standing improved from 30 to the top ten. Everyone was very surprised. My improvement was attributable to my cultivation and Master’s encouragement. Thank you, Master!
In my third year of high school, I yearned for the good cultivation environment in Taiwan and decided to apply to the universities there. I also had to prepare for the national college entrance exam at the same time. I became so stressed worrying about getting good scores on the big exam and getting into a good college that I cried to my aunt.
“Just do your best on the exam and leave the rest to Master,” she said.
To balance my cultivation and studies, I worked out a schedule and put practicing Dafa as the top priority. I studied the Fa with my family every Tuesday and Thursday night, whether I had an exam the next day or not. The rest of my time was for schoolwork.
My exam results were excellent and I was on the school’s honor roll. I was also accepted by a university in Taiwan.
Master said, “getting things naturally without trying to get them.” (Lecture Given at the Conference in Sydney) I fully understood this principle.
I took a lot of courses my sophomore year in college. So that it would look good on my resume, I participated in many college-sponsored extracurricular activities. Also, to pay my expenses, I applied to work on campus. I felt resentful when they didn’t accept my application. I later found a job off campus and ended up being very busy.
I failed three mid-term exams in required courses. I was frustrated and very depressed. When I talked with fellow practitioners at the group Fa study, one of them advised me to consider that maybe Master was giving me a hint that I hadn’t done the three things well.
I was suddenly awakened. I had neglected to study the Fa and do the exercises during this time because I was so busy with my studies, work, and social activities. I really did not meet the standard of a practitioner. I only practiced Dafa because of my family cultivation environment. I did not take the initiative to do it myself.
After looking inwards, I decided to do at least one of the exercises and study the Fa for more than half an hour every day, no matter how busy I was. I also quit my off-campus job. I made it a requirement to not only cultivate every day, but also to live simply. I got rid of my attachments to certain beverages and sweets, procrastinating, and sleeping.
My life was very fulfilling this summer. During the two months of summer vacation, I participated in the Minghui Summer Camp and the Youth Camp. I also helped deliver Epoch Times newspapers.
Participating in Minghui Summer Camp
At the Minghui Summer Camp, I helped set up the screen and lighting for presentations. I didn’t take this assignment seriously at first because I did not feel my work was important or significant. I was even a little disappointed because I didn’t have the chance to be on stage like other team assistants. I did not feel that anyone even knew about my contribution.
One practitioner shared her experiences. She said, “It is very precious for us to validate the Fa together here. Everyone is indispensable, no matter what group you are in.”
Only then did I realize the importance of my job. It was not by accident that everyone was assigned a different position. If one job was not done well, the loss would be to the whole team, indicating that we failed to work together.
There were many opportunities to cultivate, especially when dealing with the children. Some kids were well-behaved, but some were mischievous. Some kids wanted to be very close to certain assistants. This became a xinxing test for the team assistants, making it a popularity contest. From the children, I saw many of my shortcomings. The camp activities indeed gave me a lot of opportunities to improve my xinxing.
I got up early to do the exercises, study the Fa, and share experiences with young students every day. We learned from each other and improved together. We spent a fulfilling and happy summer together.
Distributing the Epoch Times Newspaper
I thought my summer activities had come to an end after the Minghui Camp. However, the Epoch Times lacked manpower to distribute newspapers, and a fellow practitioner asked me if I could help. Tired from the Minghui Camp activities, I was reluctant at first, as the job requires me to get up very early. But thinking of their desperate need for help, I did not dare to refuse. So I agreed to help.
For two weeks, I got up at 3:30 a.m. and started to deliver the newspaper at 4 a.m. There was a group exercises site near the last stop on my route. Fellow practitioners were doing the exercises by the time I finished my deliveries at 5:30 a.m.
I always debated with myself if I should go join the group. The first two days, I went back to sleep. On the third day, I forced myself to do the exercises with the group. My physical strength improved after doing all five exercises, even though I only got three or four hours of sleep a night. I realized that persistence is important and that cultivation is very rewarding. I made it a point to join the group every day and overcame the pursuit of comfort. Gradually, I became as diligent in cultivation as before.
When I first started to deliver the newspaper, a practitioner shared with me that this job was like fighting in a battle between good and evil and that sending forth righteous thoughts would help. I did not think it would be so difficult. I then realized what the practitioner meant when I delivered the newspaper alone.
On my first delivery, I went back and forth twice on the same street, but couldn’t locate the customer’s mailbox. I asked Master for help. When I turned around, I saw it.
On another trip, I parked my motorcycle to drop off the newspaper. I thought the kickstand was properly supporting the motorcycle as I walked away, but the motorcycle fell over. The brake clutch was damaged, but not totally broken. It seemed to me that a battle between good and evil was ongoing in another dimension. I sent forth righteous thoughts once I got on the motorcycle. I also talked to my motorcycle, “You must stay with me to help Master rectify the Fa and save sentient beings.” In the end, all the newspapers were without a problem.
One day, when I was about to distribute my last newspaper, I found two extra ones in the bag. This meant that I’d missed two places. I knew one place and delivered it right away. But I couldn’t remember the other one, no matter how hard I tried to remember which one it was. I ran the whole route again, but still no luck. The newspaper had to be delivered before 7 a.m. I started to panic. It was about 5:55 a.m., the time to send righteous thoughts. After sending righteous thoughts, I suddenly thought of one place that I should check on. That was exactly the place I had missed! I was so excited.
Master said,
“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
In delivering the newspaper, there were problems, such as taking the wrong road, getting lost, and crashing, when one thought was not in line with the Fa. From my experiences, I realized the importance of sending righteous thoughts.
I have been in Taiwan for two years and miss my family very much, especially that first year. During the pandemic in 2021, I could not go anywhere. I stayed in the dormitory all the time, making me even more homesick. I studied the Fa with my family online for at least three hours every day. With ample Fa study, my homesickness gradually faded away.
My family is not with me, but I am not alone because Master is always by my side to take care of me. Compared to young fellow practitioners in China, who have been brutally persecuted and lost their parents, I am already very lucky. What else is there to be attached to?
I seldom participated in Dafa activities and projects in Malaysia due to the lack of a group exercise site near my house. It would take at least 40 minutes to get to a site by car. I am very happy to be able to share my cultivation experiences with fellow practitioners frequently at the sites in Taiwan. The cultivation environment in Taiwan is very good. We must cherish it!
I welcome fellow practitioners point out to me anything improper.