(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings respected Master! Greetings fellow practitioners! I am a Dafa disciple from Taipei. Today, I would like to share my cultivation experience with you.
I. When I First Obtained the Fa.
It was November 17, 1997, and Master had a Fa lecture at the San-Hsing Elementary School, Taiwan. I went only to accompany my mother, but beyond my expectations, it completely changed my life. I remember when Master's car passed right by me, suddenly a powerful stream of energy went through me. I stood still and thought, "Wow! This Master is almighty." After attending the Fa lecture, although I had diarrhea for three days, I felt energetic, which made me realize that I should be more diligent in studying the Fa and doing the exercises.
In Lecture One of Zhuan Falun, Master said,
"I think that those who can listen to my lectures in person, I would say, honestly... you will realize in the future that this period of time is extremely precious."
When I read this part, I felt both thankful and shameful at the same time. During the early days when I first obtained the Fa, I had foot cramps every morning for many days. It would not stop unless I got up, and it forced me to go to the park to do the exercises. In 1998, I attended the Singapore Fa Conference. At the hotel lobby, I stepped back as Master took a look at me. Master's words suddenly came to me, "When I looked at him I was emitting certain things;" (Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles, February 25, 2006) Ever since then, I would have a headache when I was angry or had a bad temper. I could not help but to uphold and maintain my xinxing. During the past 12 years, I felt Master's Fashen beside me all the time. I also gradually realized the valuable solemnity of cultivation.
More than one year after I obtained the Fa, seemingly accidentally, I realized that it was actually an arranged opportunity. I had bought a big house and a store that had an attic. Naturally, we began to hold and watch the 9-day lecture videos, perform group exercises and study the Fa at home. We have our Fa study in the attic of the first floor clinic. During the past ten years, we have been keeping the nine-day video watching classes at the beginning of each month except during the Chinese New Year. During the entire time, my family and I are the ones who have benefited the most. In order to help people learn the exercises better, we watched the videos of Master's exercise teachings over and over. I also urged myself to study the Fa well so that I could exchange cultivation experiences with new fellow practitioners.
II. Participating in the Coordination Work at Our Local Practice Site.
In the lecture of Teaching the Fa at the Assistants' Fa Conference in Changchun, Master said,
"Your most important task is to create for our students a stable cultivation environment that's free of disturbances. This is your greatest responsibility."
We realized the importance of a stable cultivation environment. Therefore, I worked with the other coordinator and set up a monthly Fa-study group, an assistants meeting, and a Fa-studying event in Jian Tan. Moreover, working with the Dafa Association, we organized the torture and photo exhibitions, the parades to appeal for withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party, and the "May 13" and "July 20" events, etc. With the progress of Fa rectification, more and more Dafa work needs our coordination and participation. How to guarantee Fa study and exercise each day became my biggest test. I encouraged myself to go to the group exercise site and group Fa study on a regular basis. In addition, when I work on many Dafa projects, I kept reminding myself to eliminate the attachment of only doing the work. I reminded myself not to have the attachment of complacency when I successfully accomplished a task. When I communicated with other fellow practitioners, I kept reminding myself not to put myself above other fellow practitioners. All these tests helped me to look inward. As a coordinator, I have to be cautious as my deeds are being observed to the maximum at all times. Sometimes I had thought to retreat. However, when fatigue and negative notions came to me, I urged myself to better coordinate with everyone so as to build up the one body and to improve from the standpoint of the Fa.
III. Shen Yun Performing Arts Astonished and Purified Me
During the past three years, the Shen Yun Performing Arts group came to Taiwan. It's spectacular backdrops, coupled with the marvelous and unique performance, astonished and touched every audience. An ordinary performance is esteemed successful with tickets all sold out. However, the Shen Yun Performing Arts came to save sentient beings. Each seat was arranged for a predestined sentient being. Taiwan has a population of more than 23 million people. However less than 200,000 people had the opportunity to watch the performance. With plenty of disciples in Taiwan, selling tickets should not be a problem. However, if our first thought is not righteous or if we lack righteous understanding, we tend to do things with human notions. Thus no matter how many discounts we offered it cannot reach the goal of saving sentient beings.
This year's Shen Yun Performing Arts show had a new discount proposal. As the ticket-selling coordinator, I could see the minds change of many practitioners, including myself. Was it OK to set group sales at a higher threshold? Did we have to buy ourselves the early bird ticket within the discount period? Would one get a discount only when buying a ticket exceeding certain price? In the ticket promotion process, there were so many human notions involved. We placed so much emphasis on buying tickets earlier in order to have a discount that we forgot to tell predestined sentient beings about the beauty and the meaning of Shen Yun. All we thought about was how to make it cheaper and how to save more money. We almost forgot what our purpose was for doing these things in the first place. It is such a divine and holy task, how could we lose our righteous thoughts over a discount? For three years, the overwhelming purification of Shen Yun made me truly value Shen Yun's show. I ask myself whether I am having a pure cultivation heart. Have I been genuinely practicing cultivation? Am I qualified to sit here? All that divine wonder on the stage is enormous compassion from respected Master. We have to try our best to achieve what Master requires of us. There is no reason and no excuse not to. What we need is to unconditionally cooperate and harmonize.
IV. The Attachment of Emotion
In recent years, several veteran practitioners passed away one after another. I admit that I had some fluctuation in my cultivation. I even asked, "Why do they have to suffer such hardship and torture after having done so many things?" My rational side told me that the human society is the inversion of the cosmos. It must have a certain destiny or reason. However, when seeing fellow practitioners suffering from the aches and pains, with their bodies getting slimmer and distorted, I couldn't help them to get out of such torment with my righteous thoughts. Facing the death of fellow practitioners, I could hardly bear it. I deeply looked inward and was in remorse. What exactly should I eliminate? How could I improve? Why did I not treat it seriously while being blocked by illusion? I understood that as long as our righteous thoughts get stronger, no matter whether it's the test of a tormenting illness or the disturbance of the old forces, none of these could have stopped us. However, my attachment to the pursuit of protection from the Master, and self-deceiving righteous thoughts, combined with fear, emotion and selfishness. It is a terrible attachment and a huge loophole in another dimension. I couldn't bear to see the torment, even fearing that fellow practitioners would lose their human bodies. I was even afraid that one day I might face the same severe tests. Every single thought and wonder is a human notion. It seemed that studying the Fa, doing the exercises and sending forth righteous thoughts all became a kind of pursuit. However, such a mindset was hidden. It was actually an attachment to the material world, personal gains and of being afraid. I even wanted to make use of Dafa to protect me, to hide my attachments that I would not let go.
When those fellow practitioners encountered illness karma, I worried and was so concerned for them, but how about those who I am not acquainted with? Furthermore, how about those who were tortured to death in the Chinese forced labor camps? All these worries are in fact selfishness. Due to this selfishness, my thoughts were in-line with the characteristic of old universe and that's why I couldn't let go of myself to fully harmonize Dafa.
When one is attached to emotion, one will do things and judge things with human notions and not from the perspective of the Fa. And then, how could one overcome the delicate arrangement of the old forces? When some fellow practitioners passed away due to illness karma, we couldn't understand the complex predestined connection and reasons behind the surface. However, nothing happens accidentally. Everything has factors relating to our cultivation for us to become enlightened to. We should always look inward and cultivate ourselves, eliminate the fluctuating attachments and human notions, and then firmly walk on the path toward divinity.
V. Participating in Projects for New Tang Dynasty Television
In April 2009, as some key coordinators of the Taiwan branch of New Tang Dynasty Television successively left the coordination work, all at once, I had to face the organizational re-structuring of the staff and manpower. As the coordinator, no matter how much pressure there is, no matter how many disputes there are, I should have faced it all with my courage and bravely taken on the responsibility. However, I intentionally or unintentionally tried to escape or reject such responsibilities until the incident of the satellite signal breakthrough occurred, which was like a heavy blow that really woke me up. Over the past six months, I superficially tried my best, but I knew I didn't really put in all of my effort. On many occasions, I was not fully engaged in many things. Fellow practitioners also told me, "It must be for a reason that you are arranged to be in such a position. It must be achievable. Even if it's not now, it will be." My co-worker, who is also a fellow practitioner, often reminded me, but I did not understand that heartfelt kindness. No matter whether it is in a respectful manner or an unreasonable manner, in cultivation, why couldn't I pass such a xinxing test? We are all working in New Tang Dynasty Television, we all contribute to save sentient beings, but I couldn't feel their kindness. Aren't these issues in my cultivation? Many xinxing tests were in fact a result of my own attachments.
In Teaching the Fa at the Conference in New Zealand (May 8, 1999), Master said,
"You feel that you are being treated unfairly, and you think that this person shouldn't treat you like this, and instead he should treat you better. Yet from a practitioner's perspective, if everyone treated you so well, how would you cultivate? How would your attachments be exposed? How would you improve? How would you eliminate karma? Isn't that the question?"
During our cultivation experience sharing, fellow practitioners also said, "We should not look outward to determine whether others compassionately treat us. The most important thing is that one won't lose the compassion towards others even when others are not compassionate. Because compassion has no conditions." I knew that conflicts have their predestined connection. If it could be peacefully resolved, and our xinxing could be elevated from it, that's rare. Gradually I could appreciate the efforts and kindness of fellow practitioners. After the event of the satellite signal breakthrough, an emergency team was immediately established. It touched me when I saw everyone's selfless coordination, cooperation, and hard work. I was touched by the improvement from the standpoint of the Fa. To be a Dafa disciple and to have the opportunity to work at New Tang Dynasty Television, is an honor as well as our mission. For the sake of Dafa, we all work together. For the sake of saving sentient beings, we must speed up. The conflict and struggle among us is nothing but a speck of dust [in the grand scheme of things]. How could it leave any trace?
Ever since the incident of Eutelsat's interruption of NTDTV broadcast signals to Asia, the Taiwan branch of New Tang Dynasty Television took on the mission to clarify the truth to sentient beings in China. Almost 4/5 of the Chinese audience can receive signals from New Tang Dynasty Television. It's a severe situation that our signal was broken. We organized a press conference. Many legislators submitted the resolution to request the NCC and Ministry of Transport and Communication to investigate the reason for the satellite signal breakage. However, it's seldom reported in ordinary media, even if it as reported, they were soon removed from the web page. We deeply realized that only Dafa disciples could clarify the truth and save sentient beings. We couldn't rely on ordinary media. We have to be strong by ourselves on order to fully cover the broadcasting channel so as to effectively save more sentient beings.
When we were planning and arranging Dafa activities at the local practice site, once a decision was made, everyone would cooperate to participate without much dispute or argument. However, in the Taiwan branch of New Tang Dynasty Television, I worked on more projects only when I was in a good mood for cultivation. But when my mood for cultivation was not good, I would not do anything. Things couldn't work out well this way. However, the TV station broadcasts 24 hours a day, non stop. No omission should be allowed to interfere. Therefore, it's critical for us to elevate to the understanding from the perspective of the Fa, to make the business run well, to enrich the program and TV content and to reinforce the professional training.
As with the event of the satellite signal breakage, I saw many of my shortcomings. We should not have any thoughts of complaint. We should not just tell fellow practitioners what to do, we need to listen to everyone's voice and exchange experiences more from the Fa's standpoint. As long as fellow practitioners understand it, they will naturally know what to do. I also realized that everyone's cultivation status is different. We should not expect of others to be at the same level of our understanding. Maybe it's a good opportunity for all Taiwan practitioners to upgrade as a whole, to let more sentient beings know about New Tang Dynasty Television, to know the truth, but are we truly ready for it? Are we fully engaged? Are we tolerant enough? Do we accept different opinions and ideas? New Tang Dynasty Television needs a lot of manpower, a lot of funding and a lot of professionals. Everyone knows of the importance of TV media in truth-clarification. However, for quite some time, many fellow practitioners only paid more attention but were less involved. Take myself as an example, I was not fully engaged. I even had negative thoughts. How could I mobilize more fellow practitioners to participate like this? Cultivation is to cultivate oneself, not to look upon others, or make requests on others. Isn't it an attachment if we keep thinking it should be this way, it should be that way? Our old mindset is also an obstacle.
Days ago, I had a meeting with a businessman. I told him, "Through New Tang Dynasty Television, you can watch what other TV stations do not have. You can learn a lot of truth, and there are some excellent programs such as Dance Competitions and other competitions, etc." He said excitedly, "That's great!" We need to do well on marketing. We need to have more rich and exciting programs. We need to improve our professional skills. We need more attention and participation from fellow practitioners. But I believe we will be doing better and better. The path will open up wider and wider. In the end, we will be the purest, the best and the biggest television station in the world.
My dear fellow practitioners, how fortunate we are to be Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification period! How lucky we are that Master is guiding us. No matter what vow we made, whoever can follow Master through till the end will be an enlightened being. Whoever can follow Master until the end will be the most glorious being! In the final stage on our cultivation path, let's wake everyone up around us, let's encourage each other hand in hand and follow Master to achieve consummation and return to where we came from.
Thank you Master! Thank you everyone!
