(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Honorable Master! Greetings Fellow Practitioners!
I obtained the Fa in August 2008. During my cultivation in the past year, I have gone through the arduous transformation from an everyday person into a cultivator.
Obtaining the Fa
I met a Falun Gong practitioner over the Internet. He clarified the truth to me and thus I learned that the self-immolation was not real and was actually a show staged by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in order to instigate hatred. Gradually I learned more and more facts and I felt very angry that I had been deceived by the CCP for so many years. I later read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and Disintegrate the CCP Culture. The books touched me beyond description. After withdrawing from the evil organizations affiliated with the CCP, my body actually became light. The feeling of being oppressed disappeared and my life regained hope.
From then on, I started to learn Falun Gong, mostly by reading the electronic books. At that time, I did not have the book Zhuan Falun. I very much wanted to get the book. It is likely related to the fact, that about ten years ago, in 1999, my husband brought home several books, and Zhuan Falun was among them. The persecution started before we had time to read the book. My husband was very scared and hid the book. I didn't know where he hid the book, but I was sure that it was still somewhere in the house. Therefore, I searched every corner looking for it, and eventually I found it! It's hard to describe how happy I was, to the depths of my heart. Seeing the picture of Master, I felt so close to him. Master looks so gentle and it seems that he is smiling at us.
The Whole Family Has Benefited
It is truly the case that as one person practices Falun Gong, the whole family benefits. My father is a good example of such a case. He is already 76 years old, and he had chronic tracheitis. He coughed often and also had high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis, and other illnesses typically seen among older people. In addition, he once had a stroke, ten years ago. From then on, he had never stopped taking medicine.
During the Chinese new year in 2009, his condition worsened. He was sent to a hospital for treatment but things did not improve. The whole family was very anxious. At that time, I said to him, "Please say these two sentences, 'Falun Dafa is good' and 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.' It is good for your health." My father indeed seriously repeated those sentences again and again with his heart and he indeed began coughing less often. My father agreed to join me in reading Zhuan Falun every day and doing the sitting meditation every morning (He had not learned all the five exercises yet at that time). He also found that he could no longer take medicine. Once he took it, he felt uncomfortable, and in addition he could not eat anything. Once he stopped taking the medicine, he felt much better. Through studying the Fa, my father was enlightened that he should treat himself as a cultivator and let go of his attachments to his illnesses. As a result, he no longer took the medicine. His blood pressure did not go up and he now rarely coughs. His face became rosy and his eyesight improved as well. His condition has become very good. Six months has passed, and he has not taken a single pill. He is in great health, climbs to the fifth floor every day, and can do grocery shopping and cook. From this case, my family has even stronger faith in the magnificence of Dafa. Dozens of our family members have now withdrawn from the evil CCP and its affiliated organizations, and have chosen a great future for themselves.
Being a Genuine Cultivator
My path of cultivation has not always been smooth. The biggest test I encountered was the test of sentimentality and desire. It tempers my heart every now and then, and the bad desires emerge quite often. This makes me feel uneasy and unsettled. Especially after I fall asleep at night, the demon of sentimentality always comes into my dreams and interferes. Initially, because my power of concentration was not strong enough, and I had trouble treating myself as a cultivator, and I could not remember what Master talked about and couldn't pass the test very effectively. I know that was the first test a cultivator would encounter and it is a test that everyone should pass. If you can't pass it, it is harder for you to pass future tests. Realizing this, I became more clear-minded. If similar situations occurred, I knew I should be able to become alert immediately, remind myself that I am a Dafa disciple and completely deny it. If I felt that I wouldn't be able to overcome it, I would sit up, meditate and send forth righteous thoughts until the desire completely disappeared. I am now basically able to pass this test. After I eliminated this attachment, the interference also disappeared. If I had not obtained the Fa, had not disciplined myself with moral values, and my character had not been upgraded, it would be very easy for me to fall down and treat myself as an everyday person. If that was the case, it would be very hard for me to pass this test.
The second test I encountered involved having frequent conflicts with my daughter. Especially during the initially stage of my cultivation, when it was the time to do the exercises, my daughter was not willing to exercise because she was afraid of bearing hardships, as her legs would hurt. However, she had to do the exercises because I was forcing her to do so. Consequently, she could not stay quiet and she talked and fidgeted. Seeing her like that, I became very angry.
My daughter's attitude subsequently worsened. If things did not go her way, she threatened me, saying she would not study the Fa or do the exercises. After I realized that the problem was getting serious, I started to reflect on my thoughts, "Why is my daughter not listening to me even though what I say is right?" I looked inward and found that I was being bad-tempered, impetuous, and lacking patience in educating my child. I was also attached to my daughter's academic achievement and putting too much pressure on her. I failed to discipline myself with the Fa and guide her based on the principles of the Fa, and I knew it was the time for me to upgrade my character. I then became more strict with myself and tried harder to do better.
As a matter of fact, during the process of cultivation, I sometimes feel exhausted, when it seems too hard, and I sometimes become depressed. I occasionally wonder why I have to cultivate, and why my cultivation seems so hard. However, don't I cultivate for the purpose of returning to my original, true self? This is the very purpose of being human. Can I proceed without the guidance of Dafa during my process of cultivation? Can I do things not according to the requirements of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? How can I improve without going through hardship? I also realized the reason why we feel that cultivation is hard. We have too many mentalities of everyday people and too many attachments. We feel it is hard because we can't let go of the pursuit of fame, personal interests and sentimentality. We have fallen so deeply into this delusion that we have forgotten our true homes. After thinking about that, I don't feel lost and puzzled any more.
As my level is limited, I hope that fellow practitioners will point out areas in which I may improve my understanding of the Fa.
Thank you, Master!
Thank you, Fellow Practitioners!
Written on November 9