(Clearwisdom.net) I'd like to quote this poem from Master's Hong Yin II as the beginning of my experience sharing: "The paths of cultivation are varied. But none is outside the Great Law." ("Unimpeded")
Before I began cultivating, I was a well-known gangster in my area. I often participated in harmful activities, including theft and gang fights. In the spring of 1999, both my wife and I began practicing Falun Dafa. When I saw Master's picture, I felt that he looked very familiar, but I could not remember where or when I had seen him before. The profound principles taught by Master in Zhuan Falun moved me and opened up my mind, making me understand where we came from and where we should go, and explained the mystery of how to go back to one's true nature. The joy that I felt was beyond description. I told everyone I met that I had obtained the Fa. I wanted to cultivate and be a good person who lived by "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." Although at that time I did not practice well, I told myself that this was the standard that I must follow.
That same year, the evil persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began. After being confused for a period of time, I gradually understood the truth, which made my belief in Dafa even more firm. Once I made breakthroughs in my path of cultivation, I encountered a huge difficulty. June 1, 2007, was a most unforgettable day for me. I was taken to a detention center. At that time, I felt that my world was collapsing. Faced with this sudden hardship, I felt lost. How could I deal with this? Was this an arrangement by the old forces, or was it karma that I had to pay back? What should I do? I could not read Master's articles, nor could I participate in any experience sharing among fellow practitioners. There were probably very few cases like mine, and I would have to enlighten by myself. With these complicated feelings, I chose to carry out a hunger strike for one month. I told myself, "If this is what I owe, then I will pay for it. As a practitioner, I am not afraid of death." However, I vaguely felt that the old forces were saying, "We will not let you reach Consummation. We will ruin you." My thoughts would then fall under their sway. I took some time to adjust and then decided to face this issue. I was a practitioner who had already obtained the Fa; I was a cultivator. Since I was in this place, I would do the best I could. I would not let the old forces laugh at me. I would let the light of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" shine through the darkest and most evil detention center. With the guidance of Master and the Fa, there was no test that I could not pass.
"It's hard to endure, but you can endure it. It's hard to do, but you can do it." (Zhuan Falun) When I arrived at the detention center, I felt pressure more intense than I had ever experienced before. First, I had to face the other inmates daily. They were murderers, robbers, thieves, and swindlers. Each of them had different ways of thinking. Their thoughts were often filled with wickedness. These thoughts filled my awareness, and I could not bear them. I felt as if they were infecting and corrupting me constantly. If I were not a cultivator, I would have become just like them. However, I was not an ordinary person, because I was a practitioner. Ordinary people could never change a cultivator.
"Only in the most complicated crowd of people, or in the most complicated environment, can you cultivate to high levels."(Zhuan Falun) Master's Fa enlightened me again. I suddenly realized, "Why not use this complicated environment to cultivate and improve myself and get rid of all my attachments?" Some experiences may seem to be terrible, but they are not necessarily bad things. One cannot predict how the future will unfold, and I was a practitioner with a great deal of karma. Before I was detained, I had many bad habits, including impatience, laziness, attachments to fame and money, a fighting mentality, and selfishness, among others. Perhaps this complicated environment was meant for me to eliminate my karma.
There were many cells in the detention center. Each cell held at least 10 people, some more than 20. Each cell had one or two "cell leaders." Every activity in a cell was determined by the cell leader. There was no reasoning with them, only absolute obedience. Beatings and humiliation were the norm. Under these circumstances, I used my every word and action to treat others compassionately. I did not beat or curse at others. Instead, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate all of the evil things behind them. Gradually, the environment changed. After learning the truth, many people expressed their desire to quit the evil CCP's organizations that they had previously joined. I was very happy about this and felt the mighty power of Dafa and righteous thoughts. I also encouraged myself to do the exercises and send forth righteous thoughts more often. I wanted to cultivate better so that I could clarify the truth to more people. The pressure, confusion, and difficulties that I experienced previously disappeared. This reminded me of Master's Fa from Zhuan Falun: "It's hard to endure, but you can endure it. It's hard to do, but you can do it." We create our own environments. As long as we have righteous thoughts and actions, everything will change.
In the detention center, the cell leaders were often the most vicious and had a good relationship with the guards. After becoming a cell leader, the person did not need to work or spend his own money. He was first among the inmates to get food and drink. After I spent several months in the cell, I saw several cell leaders come and go. At that time, my reputation in the cell was quite good, and people respected me. In time, I became a cell leader. I thought to myself, "Cell leaders do not need to be bad people; why can't practitioners be cell leaders?" I compared the cell to a sword: If it meets a compassionate person, it will become more compassionate. If it meets an evil person, it will become more evil. Of course, I was not attached to the authority and privileges associated with being a cell leader, and I did not want to fight for food or drink. I wanted there to be more compassion and less evil to the cell, so that it would become a more harmonious and righteous field for me to do the exercises, spread the Fa, and clarify the truth. These were my intentions.
Violent and bad activities still occurred in the cell. I wondered why I should care about these things happening among ordinary people, as long as I could cultivate myself well. However, every time bad people beat others, it seemed like they were showing me this for a purpose. Perhaps they were thinking, "Don't you cultivate compassion? Then why don't you care?" Every time someone beat others, I felt terrible about it, as if I was the one being beaten. Therefore, I patiently explained that beating or cursing at others would only create karma for the one one doing the beating and cursing. If they treated others well, they would be rewarded, that they were brought here because they did bad things and were receiving karmic retribution. Everyone makes mistakes, and the best thing in the world for people to do is to correct themselves. Some people understood what I said and beat others less often. Some people continued to do bad deeds, so there was nothing that I could do but let them pay for the karma they created for themselves.
Before I knew it, I had spent more than 300 days in this unique environment among this special group of people. During those 300 days, I eliminated many attachments, human notions, and karma. At the same time, this made me more determined to cultivate. I often thought to myself that the moment I walked out of the detention center be the moment I threw away my old self completely and became a brand new person. Even if it was the arrangement of old forces, this event was controlled by Master. Master uses these environments to refine his practitioners and to help us become Buddhas, gods, and Daos in the future universe. The feelings of confusion and loss I experienced when I first arrived at the detention center had disappeared, and I could better understand the expectations and intentions of Master for practitioners.
The environment outside the detention center has become much easier than before because of the progress of Fa-rectification. Many practitioners are busy with an ordinary person's life and forget their duties. Practitioners, we are here to help Master with Fa-rectification! Our time is limited, and we cannot let our attachments among ordinary people affect the progress of Fa-rectification. If Master decided to end the Fa-rectification today, have we done well enough? On the path of cultivation, how many practitioners' human notions are still blocking Master's Fa-rectification? Master is not willing to leave any practitioner behind, but he cannot take any unqualified practitioners with him. Master is forging Buddhas, gods, and Daos for the future universe. As Fa-rectification reaches the end, let's be diligent together and use our righteous thoughts and actions to do well the three things that Master has asked us to do. Let's live up to our title of Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples!