(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings esteemed Teacher! Greetings fellow practitioners worldwide!
I wish to thank Teacher for his arrangement and fellow practitioners for their encouragement in my taking part in this Internet experience sharing conference!
I obtained the Fa in late 2005. Although I am a rather new practitioner, I've never thought of myself as such. I am determined to do the three things well, to not disappoint Teacher, and to remain steadfast in my cultivation.
Beginning to Cultivate
I had a dream before I obtained the Fa. I dreamed there was a statue of Buddha Maitreya. The statue was transparent and its golden beams flashed before my eyes. I didn't think much about it after I woke up. Toward the end of that year I obtained the Fa and only after studying the Fa did I gradually come to understand this dream. Teacher once said,
“The Buddha School believes in predestined relationship. Everyone comes here because of a predestined relationship. If you obtain it, perhaps you are supposed to have it. You should therefore treasure it and not be attached to any pursuit.” (Zhuan Falun)
In the course of samsara in human society, Teacher has made the necessary arrangements for practitioners' cultivation path. The first time I read Zhuan Falun, I felt less and less drowsy and more and more energetic. I read the entire book without stopping that first time. On the surface, it appeared to be a good book, teaching us to be good people. It very much resonated with my personal principles.
Fellow practitioners later provided me with electronic versions of all of Teacher's lectures, which I eagerly read. When I learned about so many mysteries of the universe, unknown to mankind, I excitedly read Teacher's lectures to my husband. I felt that certain teachings addressed things personal to me.
Before I began reading Teacher's new lectures, I felt that I began practicing Falun Dafa too late. I discovered that Falun Dafa is what I had been looking for all my life. I learned the five sets of exercises by exercising in front of a mirror and watching the exercise video. I walked the path of Falun Dafa cultivation, and was no longer troubled by everyday trifles.
I experienced being physically and psychologically healthy. I thought of earlier times, when I was still struggling in the midst of personal fame, interest, and affection. I was drenched in so much karma and unable to find a way out of the maze. It was really pitiful. Our great benevolent Teacher did not give up on me and had fellow practitioners awaken me from my slumber to guide me along the path home.
A Quietly Blooming Flower
I shed tears in my heart when seeing so many practitioners being victimized inhumanly by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Within a year after obtaining the Fa, I thought of contributing to the Fa rectification. Under Teacher's guidance and with the help of fellow practitioners, I set up a truth clarification materials production site at home. Before this, I had never touched a computer mouse. In the beginning I encountered many difficulties, but these problems were all subsequently resolved.
From that time, I unknowingly walked the path of a Fa rectification period Dafa disciple. None of this would have been possible without Teacher's great benevolence and care. Thank you Teacher for what you've given me! Thank you fellow practitioners for being there to encourage me!
The printer was very intelligent. When I was less diligent in my cultivation, the printed text slanted towards one side. When I became aware of this and corrected myself, the printing was fine. I bought a used three to four year-old monitor. After two years, it no longer displayed colors. I asked a practitioner who said, “Your monitor has past its life cycle.” I told him, “I wouldn't think about it that way. The money that we practitioners have is for saving sentient beings. We can't always buy new monitors. We need the money for other things at this critical time in the Fa rectification.” Teacher taught us, “...good or evil comes from a person’s spontaneous thought...” (Zhuan Falun) After this one thought the monitor displayed color again.
A computer can easily malfunction. When my computer was powered up, I was switching the plug of a problematic DVD reader/writer while my thoughts were filled with pride and no longer righteous. My computer suddenly powered off. I said to a fellow practitioner, "I won't accept that this thing is broken. The practitioner immediately pointed out my incorrect thought. I noticed too that my thoughts were not upright, so I immediately tried to rectify them. I told him, “Let's not think about it. Let's just study the Fa.” Although I didn't fully let go of my attachments, I studied the Fa. After we read one lecture in Zhuan Falun, the other practitioner said to me, “Turn on your computer and see if it works again.” I hesitated for a moment and then turned on the computer. Everything was back to normal. It's as though the computer returned from the dead. From this incident, I understood that a cultivator's righteous thoughts are indeed crucial. As Master said,
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughts
Master has the power to turn back the tide”
("The Master-Disciple Bond" from Hong Yin Volume II)
Producing truth clarification materials was also a part of my personal cultivation. It was less than four years after I began practicing Falun Dafa. I've been involved in truth clarification materials for three years and have experienced hardships. My materials production site was next door to the Government Protection Military Unit and the Police Station. Whether it was safe or unsafe, I had no time to worry about such things. I knew that I was doing a most righteous thing, and no evil being could interfere. Every time I saw practitioners who received Teacher's new lectures in a timely manner and every time I saw sentient beings who accepted the truth clarification materials, I no longer felt any kind of hardship.
At this time, I would like to remind fellow practitioners who are responsible for materials production sites to maintain a harmonious family life. Don't ever seal yourselves off from others. Try to exchange your experiences often with other practitioners, help establish additional materials sites, walk your path well, abide strictly with Dafa standards, take up your historical mission, and remember that the safest way is to cultivate diligently. Teacher once said,
“And in the course of all this, just by being problem-free you have dealt the evil its greatest blow.” ("Fa Teaching Given at the Fa Conference Marking the Tenth Anniversary of the Minghui Website’s Founding")
The Entire Family Benefits
Home is our primary cultivation environment. This is especially true for those practitioners who use their homes as truth clarification materials production sites. If family harmony is not preserved, all else will be very difficult. I have a family of three. My husband is a truck driver. At first he couldn't understand it when I clarified the truth to our guests, but now he does the same. He searches www.dongtaiwang.com at home and is rather interested in Sound of Hope and other Falun Dafa websites. He is very supportive and has been a great help to us when we were short of materials or needed transportation. He often said, “You just cultivate, I will support you. Although I'm not cultivating the Tao, I am a follower of it.” He never once was unsupportive.
One time at a gas station, my husband discovered that he had three counterfeit 100-yuan bills. He tore up the counterfeit bills. When he told me about it, I supported him, as these counterfeit bills shouldn't be allowed to circulate and cause harm to anyone else.
Not long ago, my husband was unloading materials for constructing concrete utility poles. A 12-foot iron pipe weighing well over one hundred pounds hit the side of his head and threw him over six feet. Those who witnessed the accident were in shock and wanted to take him to a hospital, but he said he was fine. I noticed his injuries when he got home. He said he was struck very hard, yet his injury felt no worse than a thorn in his hand. If Teacher were not there to protect him, if he took a different attitude toward Dafa, the result would have been unthinkable. I told him, "Teacher has given you your life. You must validate the Fa." During lunch when his co-workers asked him about the incident, "There must be something protecting you isn't there?" He replied, "It was Falun Dafa that protected me."
Teacher taught us,
“We teach salvation of both ourselves and others, as well as of all beings. Thus, Falun can save oneself by turning inward and save others by turning outward. While turning outward, it gives off energy and can benefit others. This way, within your energy-covering field others will benefit, and they may feel very comfortable. Whether you are on the street walking, in the workplace, or at home, you can have this effect on others.”
“Only the energy field from cultivation practice in a righteous way can produce this effect.” (Zhuan Falun)
All things are living beings. Within this field they're all assimilating to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Experience From Group Study
In the first two years of my cultivation, I studied the Fa by myself. My cultivation was just improving myself in my home environment and making truth clarification materials. Seeing it now, being in such a closed environment, improvement in cultivation was slow. After coming into contact with another practitioner, he encouraged me to join group study. At the time I was hindered by the responsibilities of making truth clarification materials. But later there were three of us who formed our own small study group. When in contact with fellow practitioners, there was so much friction because of our attachments. There are times I refused to listen to what fellow practitioners had to say. But through cultivating and searching inward, I discovered many deeply-rooted attachments that I hadn't let go. When I reached my capacity to bear it, Teacher indicated to me in a dream that I should increase my capacity to bear. A cup was already full, and the water was overflowing.
In our area, we have relatively more senior practitioners. During group study sessions when the young practitioners choose to act, the older practitioners usually cooperate very well. They like being among the younger practitioners. When I discovered this, I too became unafraid to cooperate, no matter the difficulty.
Group study and practice is the way of cultivation given to us by Teacher. In such an environment we can help each other study and cultivate and promptly search inward to resolve our problems and collectively improve. I recommend that all practitioners who are involved in truth clarification materials production sites join a study group. Don't let yourselves become trapped in being busy and motivating other practitioners to set up more truth clarification materials production sites.
His/Her Issues Are My Issues
Teacher has taught us to be selfless and to put others before ourselves. When a fellow practitioner is facing adversity, we must help with righteous thoughts. Teacher does not want to leave behind even one practitioner.
When I heard that a practitioner I knew decided to leave his home due to family friction, I felt very sorry for him. At the same time I searched inward myself. Were I not always “busy” making truth clarification materials and neglecting fellow practitioners we could have studied Fa together earlier and perhaps all this would not have happened to him. I understood that I also shared responsibility in this matter.
In my dream Teacher presented me with a garden of persimmons. All the fruits in the garden were red and ripe, but none of the plants had green leaves and all of them were withering. At the time I couldn't fully understand the dream, but as I exchanged experiences with other practitioners the message of the dream became more and more clear. I understood what Teacher wanted to tell me. Everyday people have a saying, “Red flowers need green leaves." We practitioners are one body who assist Teacher in this world. But without the help of our fellow practitioners how could any of this be possible? Teacher taught us,
“Do not try to ascertain where the responsibility lies when a problem crops up. Pay attention to your conduct.” ("Correction" from Essentials for Further Advancement)
Fellow practitioners and I cooperated and sent forth righteous thoughts, calling out to that practitioner to come back to us. Another even took a train to find the practitioner. I just can't express in words what I felt during that time.
It took a lot of effort, but he finally returned. From such an event, I experienced that our collective force is something that should never be overlooked. If every practitioner treats the problems of fellow practitioners as their own, our entire body of practitioners will improve, and the evil will no longer have any foothold. Wouldn't the persecution then be over?
Collective Cooperation in Saving Sentient Beings
Teacher said,
“The world’s people are waiting for you to save them. You should open your hearts and not exclude your fellow cultivators. If you fail to do so, you are obstructing and stopping yourselves.” ("Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting")
I keep this section of Teacher's Fa in my heart. I will always follow it with my actions and words to walk steady and upright on my path going forward.
When it comes to coordinating truth clarification materials, I've also faced many xinxing opportunities. The practitioners asking for materials were sometimes sarcastic and harsh. At the time it felt very unpleasant, even though I didn't express it. When I got home, all kinds of thoughts ran through my mind, "They have been working with me for over two years, so why can't they figure it out themselves? In two years they should have learned it all, etc." I realized that these thoughts didn't originate from the real me so I denied them all. When I calmed myself to search inward, I discovered all sorts of attachments -- attachments to competition, accusation, refusal, pride, and much more. Then I thought that I'm taking on too much and hindering other practitioners from walking their own paths. What the other practitioners said was right, "There are many capable people among practitioners. Why can't I trust others to do their things?"
Among everyday people I have become accustomed to pursuing perfection. Teacher taught us, “When anything is made absolute, it becomes incorrect.” (Zhuan Falun) The work of other practitioners never met my expectations. I always had to do everything myself. Why couldn't I just find the patience and help fellow practitioners set up their own truth clarification materials production sites and walk their own paths? Isn't what I'm doing just being selfish? Didn't I also learn from not knowing anything at first? I felt ashamed having found this attachment. I no longer felt that their words were sarcastic and harsh, and instead thanked them for this reminder!
We are the gods and kings of our own worlds. It was for the salvation of sentient beings of our worlds that we came as humans to this world. When I felt reluctant, I thought about the core of my world in my hands, and about the mission I am shouldering. There is no reason for not wanting to do something. Sentient beings all look up to us, hoping to be saved!
I think I will close now, as I have shared quite a bit about my cultivation path. I can't say that I'm good at writing articles. I think I should listen to Teacher and just do what I need to do. Do the three things well, do all that I can to fulfill the responsibilities as a Dafa particle during the Fa rectification, and not disgrace the supreme title -- Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples -- that Teacher has granted us.
Let all overseas and mainland China practitioners coordinate with each other and use our utmost benevolent thoughts to fulfill Teacher's grand wish of saving all sentient beings!
This is the first time I have participated in an Internet experience sharing conference. My understanding may be limited and I hope to improve. I ask fellow practitioners to please point out any of my shortcomings.
Thank you Teacher! Thank you fellow practitioners!