(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings, revered Teacher! Greetings, dear fellow practitioners!
I feel very honored to share some of my cultivation experiences in this forum. I am an elderly Falun Dafa practitioner and live in the countryside. I started to cultivate Dafa on September 9, 1997. I have learned from things that I have done well and not so well during my ten years of cultivation. I cannot express my gratitude for Teacher's great mercy enough.
Having been arrested and penalized financially by the local government and 610 Office, as well as being misunderstood by family and friends, I would not have been able to come this far without a firm belief in Master and the Fa. We can only do things well when we study the Fa well. Dafa is the basis for everything, and everything came from the Fa. Only by studying the Fa well can we eliminate our selfishness and distracting thoughts. With the Fa, we can see our attachments and eliminate them. The Fa will lead us and help us to overcome all barriers.
Validating the Beauty of Dafa during Cultivation
No matter where I am, I remind myself that I am a Dafa disciple during the period of Fa-Rectification. When I am shopping or on a bus, I know it is an opportunity that Master has arranged for me to save people and tell them the facts of the persecution. Many of my relatives, neighbors, friends, and acquaintances have said that Dafa is good because they have witnessed the changes I have undergone. They know that my health was very poor before I started to practice Falun Dafa. I had heart disease, brain arteriosclerosis, and a gastric disease. I even fainted once while riding a bike and suffered multiple injuries from the fall. After I started to practice Falun Dafa, all of my illnesses disappeared without any medication.
My brother is a well-known doctor of Chinese medicine, and sometimes he tells his patients to practice Falun Dafa. He says, "My sister had many diseases, which I couldn't treat, yet she was healed by practicing Falun Dafa. You may be able to do the same." After the CCP's persecution started, some of my family members were scared and started to have doubts about my cultivation, but they supported me in the end. I am truly grateful for Teacher's compassion. Sometimes when I was very busy with Dafa work, my husband would cook. My children, grandchildren, sister, and nephew have all helped me to distribute truth-clarification materials or put up banners and posters.
During January and February 2007, we had heavy snowfall. The roads were closed, so many bus routes were canceled and schools were closed. Local practitioners decided to clear the road. I joined them and helped to clear away the snow for six of the seven days. More than 100 practitioners cleared more than 25 kilometers of road. Pedestrians and drivers alike praised us and Dafa. Many of them consequently withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
A person came up to me and said, "Do you remember me? Last year I came by your home with a group of people and asked for some water, and you told us about Falun Gong. I followed what you taught me and recited 'Falun Dafa is good, Zhen-Shan-Ren is good' everyday. Now all of my illnesses are gone. I'm so grateful to Dafa and the Master who saved me. Dafa practitioners are indeed good people. I have told my friends and relatives that Falun Dafa is good, that Falun Dafa is righteous."
Cultivating While Clarifying the Facts
It's our duty to do the three things well, and it is a chance for us practitioners to fulfill our pledges that we had made long ago in history. Once I went to a village to paint Dafa slogans on trees and light poles. After I was finished and headed back on the same road, a police car came towards me. I was not afraid at all. I asked Teacher to give me strength and send the police car away, as the paint was not even dry yet. As soon as I had this thought, the car turned around and sped away.
One evening I was at my daughter's home and told her that I was going out to put up some more materials. It was about to rain, and they asked me not to go out. I told them that I would go myself if they didn't want to accompany me, and that it would not rain until I was finished. They didn't want me to go alone, so they drove me. We painted slogans in two villages and then returned. As soon as we stepped out of the car, heavy rain started to come down. My son-in-law said, "Dafa's Master is amazing. There was thunder and lightning all along the way, but no rain fell. Amazing."
There are many such amazing examples. As Master said, "Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master." (Zhuan Falun, Lecture One, "Why Doesn't Your Gong Increase with Your Practice?")
Looking Inward Is a Part of True Cultivation
In April 2007, a practitioner from outside of town put a banner that said "Falun Dafa is Good" on his truck. He was arrested by police officers when he arrived in our town. Right away, I looked inward and tried to see what I had not done well. The practitioner was arrested here, so we must have some loopholes as one body. I discussed it with other practitioners. I told them that I would go to the police station to ask for his release and tell the facts to the police. I asked all of the other practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts.
The next day, I went to the police station. After some initial difficulties, I met with the new police chief. I told him frankly why I was there and asked him to release the practitioner. I also clarified the facts about Falun Gong to him. His attitude changed for the better as a result of the meeting.
After I returned, one practitioner was unhappy with me. She said to me, "If you wanted us to go to the police station with you, why didn't you say so yesterday during the group meeting?" I did not mind, as I knew the old forces were trying to separate us. I remembered the Fa, and I remembered that when conflicts arise, we should first look inward. I must have had some loopholes. Although I understood it that way, my human notions were still stirred up. When I returned home, I wanted to say to her, "I took a risk when I went there, yet you blame me for things I did not even say." I was upset but immediately realized that this was not me. Teacher told us:
"Whatever you experience during your cultivation--whether good or bad--is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating." ("To the Chicago Fa Conference," June 2006)
Wasn't this a chance for me to improve?
I looked inward and finally found my attachment. At the group meeting the previous evening, that practitioner had said that her daughter could go to the police station as well. At that time, I didn't want her daughter to go since she had just gotten married, she was busy with her work and didn't study the Fa a lot, plus we were unsure of how the new police chief would react. I disagreed with that practitioner but on the surface I said, "Sure, one more person means more strength for the group."
Although my concern might have been valid, I should have told them my concerns and discussed it with other practitioners so that we could have improved together. I didn't share my thoughts frankly, and this was a gap. I felt more at ease after I found the problem. Now I cooperate very well with that practitioner, and we are doing well as a group.
Through this incident, I have discovered the importance of looking inward. During cultivation, we need to get rid of all of our bad thoughts and negative elements, and we should treat everyone with righteous thoughts and compassion. When something does not fit our idea, we should not blame or criticize each other. Doing so could produce gaps among us. If we all try to cooperate harmoniously and become one solid body, we can disintegrate all evil and bring compassion, harmony, and wisdom to all beings. The Fa has given all of these things to us, and our field will then be like "The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities." (Zhuan Falun)
Please point out anything inappropriate based on the Fa.
