(Clearwisdom.net) I started cultivating in Falun Dafa in 1997. When I look back on my cultivation path, I deeply feel Master's enormous benevolence. Even when I lost my direction and walked on the opposite side, Master still did not give up on me. By taking part in this cultivation experience sharing conference, I want to meet Master's requirements, review my cultivation path and share my experiences with fellow practitioners.
1. Correcting Myself Based on the Fa
Because I had taken a detour on my cultivation path, my thought karma was quite heavy, which made it very difficult to calm the mind to study the Fa. In order to focus and study the Fa well, I switched from reading the Fa to transcribing the Fa and memorizing the Fa. When I first began memorizing the Fa, I encountered heavy interference; I felt a big, heavy load weighing down my head, and my tears and nasal mucus kept running down. After a long period of time, I could not even memorize a small paragraph. But I persisted. When I had decided that I wanted to memorize the Fa, to encourage me, Master caused each character in Zhuan Falun to become very large and each of the characters emitted a golden light. Master also arranged for my child to help me memorize the Fa.
As I kept on memorizing the Fa, I found many attachments, which I hadn't previously been aware of. As a result, I was able to upgrade my xinxing level. For instance, at the company I worked for, many departments routinely didn't process customers' requests if the customer did not give them gifts or money. After I started practicing Falun Gong, I understood that as a practitioner, one should not take anything from others, so I stopped doing this.
Then I came to a new realization as I was memorizing this paragraph:
"One practitioner works in a textile factory in X city of Shandong Province. After studying Falun Dafa, he taught other coworkers to practice. As a result, the factory has taken on a new look. He used to take home pieces of towels from the textile factory, and so did the rest of the employees. After practicing Dafa, instead of taking things home he brought back to the factory what he took home before." (Zhuan Falun)
I thought that although I had stopped taking gifts from others, I did not return the things that I had taken before. I discussed my understanding with my mother and took out 30,000 yuan, which was left from selling our house, and the jewelry I had received from a customer and returned it to him. The man was moved to tears. I told him that I would not be able to do this if I did not practice Falun Gong. I also explained the truth about the persecution and gave him some truth-clarification CDs.
Before I became a practitioner, I had a strong competitive mentality, jealousy, and resentment, and I enjoyed indulging myself. Since my childhood, I had a stressful relationship with my family. After I started practicing Falun Gong, my temper improved and I dealt with my family members and the people around me with compassion. Along with the improvement of my xinxing level, my family members also experienced significant changes. At the beginning, my husband would become angry as soon as I explained the truth to him. Later, he saw how the Communist regime is lying to the Chinese people and was happy to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. My mother, who is in her 80s, started with reciting "Falun Dafa is good!" and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!" every day, and now she listens to Master's Fa teaching for two hours every day. My daughter, no matter how busy she is, studies the Fa before going to bed and she happily helps with Dafa work. She easily passed the entrance examination and got into college without any difficulty. After graduation, she got a job that she likes. My whole family is bathing in the grace of Dafa.
2. Send Forth Righteous Thoughts Well and the Environment Will Improve
I live in Beijing and our area has been subjected to serious persecution since July 20, 1999. The wicked Party used the Olympic Games as an excuse to persecute many practitioners; some of them were even tortured to death. I was also harassed many times. Under the pressure, I developed a lot of fear. But I firmly believed that as a Dafa practitioner I should base my thoughts and actions on the Fa and I must do as Master asks. I listened to Master's Fa lectures, studied the Fa and sent forth righteous thoughts every day. Besides taking part in the global and local group times set for sending forth righteous thoughts, I also sent forth righteous thoughts almost every hour on the hour. Gradually my fear became weaker and weaker and my righteous thoughts got stronger and stronger.
For several years, I have also persistently sent forth righteous thoughts at a set time every day to eliminate the evil factors manipulating local officials, the 610 Office, and other CCP departments in the area.
Once, I found that some posters slandering Dafa appeared in several communities. I immediately sent forth righteous thoughts nearby. I asked Master and the righteous gods in the cosmos to help me. Suddenly a strong wind blew up the sand and rocks. The once noisy and crowded garden suddenly became empty. Those posters in one place disappeared on the second day and the posters in other places were removed with other fellow practitioners' cooperation.
Another time, I heard that a fellow practitioner was illegally arrested by officers from a nearby police station. I immediately sent forth righteous thoughts. As soon as I put my hand up, a wicked-looking policeman demanded of me: "What are you doing?" With strong righteous thoughts I told him in my mind, "I am following my Master's teaching. Our practitioners are a whole integrated unit." As soon as I finished thinking this, he left. Later I heard that the fellow practitioner returned home soon thereafter.
At a different time, I went with a fellow practitioner to my relative's wedding. We sent forth righteous thoughts on the way there, as well as at the wedding. Because the wedding celebrations lasted for several days, we stayed there. On the first day, we left the scene and found an empty room to send forth righteous thoughts right before lunch, which was scheduled at noon. On the second day, the lunch time was changed from noon to 11 a.m., so we ate lunch and then participated in the 12 p.m. global time for sending forth righteous thoughts. I came to understand that as long as we do what practitioners are supposed to do, Master will help us and everything will clear the way for Dafa. The fellow practitioner and I cooperated with each other and we helped many people at the wedding know the truth about Falun Gong and helped them to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
3. Everything Is Arranged for Saving More Sentient Beings
The most important thing for Dafa practitioners right now is to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. I go out almost every day to clarify the facts nowadays. I changed from biking to walking, so I can have more opportunities to talk to people. I also bring money bills with truth information written on them, as well as paper and a pen when I go out. I collect the phone numbers of the 610 offices and police stations so that they can be used later if they carry out the persecution.
One time I read on the Internet that a local fellow practitioner was arrested. We went to the residential area where the practitioner lived. After sending forth righteous thoughts, we collected the phone numbers of the local police station and the local residential committee, and sent these numbers to Minghui (the Chinese version of Clearwisdom).
The process of clarifying the truth face-to-face has also been a process of cultivating myself and upgrading my xinxing. For instance, one time I started chatting with a person, and he told me that he was from the police department. At that moment I became afraid. I sent forth righteous thoughts immediately to eliminate the attachment of fear. The human notion told me that I should not clarify the truth to him, so I asked Master to strengthen me in my mind. My righteous thoughts finally overcame the ordinary person's mindset and I told the officer: "I need to ask you something. Do you know about Falun Gong?" I then told him why Jiang Zemin started to persecute Falun Gong, and how Falun Gong is practiced in over 100 countries worldwide and is honored by overseas governments. He then told me that he had protected Falun Gong practitioners in his workplace several years ago. Taking the opportunity, I said: "You are a good person. There is another thing I need to ask you. Have you withdrawn from the CCP and its affiliated organizations? Heaven will eliminate the CCP. It does not matter what job you do. The withdrawal will erase the oath you made to the CCP and ensure your safety." He listened to me and said, "I accept what you say and I want to withdraw."
Another time I met a person, and as soon as I started telling him the facts, he quietly said: "My relative practices Falun Gong. He went everywhere to distribute flyers and was unlawfully arrested. It was as though the whole family was being subjected to the persecution and we suffered with him; we have to take care of his child." We then chatted about something else and I learned that he believed in Buddhism. I told him: "Your relative is a responsible practitioner. For example, if someone wants to break your Buddha statue or wants to burn your scriptures, wouldn't you want to protect the statue and the scriptures that you believe in? Wouldn't you tell them that what they are doing is wrong and that they will receive karmic retribution?" I then told him about withdrawing from the CCP, and he agreed to withdraw immediately.
Dafa practitioners are an integrated whole body. In the process of my clarifying the truth, I met many people who had read the truth-clarification materials distributed by fellow practitioners in China and overseas.
From now on I will do my best to be more diligent, do better and not let our compassionate Master down.
