(Clearwisdom.net) I've been practicing Falun Dafa since May 1996. I would like to share my understanding in order to tell people that practicing Falun Dafa is a golden, shining path for humans to become divine beings.
A Bad Person Became a Good Person
I was in my 30's when I obtained the Fa. At that time, I had quite a lot of personal feelings and desires. In the morally corrupted society ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I was like a duckweed drifting along with the current, but compassionate Master brought Dafa to me. Due to this, my life came to a transition and I stepped onto the path of cultivation. Master said,
“As a human being, you are a good person only if you can follow this universe’s characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren. A person who deviates from this characteristic is truly a bad person. In the workplace or in society, some people may say that you are bad, yet you may not necessarily be bad. Some people may say that you are good, but you may not really be good. As a practitioner, if you assimilate yourself to this characteristic you are one that has attained the Tao—it’s just such a simple principle.” (Zhuan Falun)
My cultivation should begin with following the universe's characteristic of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and becoming a good person.
Once, when I was riding a bicycle on the street, a car passed beside me. Somehow, at that moment, a watch fell from the car. I picked up the watch and shouted towards the car, but it had already gone, so I chased after the car. Perhaps the people in the car knew that their watch fell, so the car slowed down. I finally caught up to the car after about 200 meters, and returned the watch to them. If I had encountered such a thing before I started cultivation, I definitely would have kept the watch. When I thought about this later, I felt that Dafa truly can turn a bad person into a good person. It is amazing.
There was another time when I was waiting for someone at the entrance of a shopping mall, a middle-aged lady came towards me. She was staring at me and yelling dirty words towards me, but I didn't say anything to her. Later, I felt pretty satisfied with myself, and thought that my xinxing level had elevated, as I had tolerated this well. However, this still stirred my heart for a long time. Actually, I hadn't cultivated my heart, but instead I had just tolerated it on the surface. Now, when I recall the time after I obtained the Fa, I find that although I did the exercises and studied the Fa every morning and evening, I didn't cultivate my xinxing much. It seemed that, for a long time, I just stayed at the level of being a good person among everyday people.
A Good Person Became a Cultivator
As I keep studying the Fa, doing exercises, and sharing experiences with fellow practitioners, Master utilizes many things that happen around me to give me hints. One day, I suddenly realized that Zhuan Falun is indeed a book that teaches people how to cultivate. From then on, I truly stepped into the path of cultivation and started to cultivate my heart. Master said,
“Cultivating gong has a path
mind is the way.” (“Falun Dafa” from Hong Yin)
I keep Master's teachings in my mind, and put cultivation of my heart in the most important place. As soon as I began to pay attention to cultivating my heart, I found that cultivation is everywhere during all times in everyday life. Because I grew up in everyday people's society, there have been lots of human thoughts and attachments within me. I have been able to recognize them when something happens in my life. After some time cultivating myself, I have gotten rid of some attachments. But many things happen as I cultivate among everyday people, and I often unconsciously get stuck amidst those things. I try to put my thinking outside of these situations and try to objectively perceive them. As expected, I found that in my past cultivation, my thinking was circulating around specific things and many of my attachments weren't easily discovered. Being attached to things on the surface has been a barrier to my improvement. I enlightened to the fact that if I am attached to things themselves, the old forces could easily exploit my gaps to drag me down and to prevent me from upgrading my level.
Human Notions Removed
In true cultivation, I gradually enlightened that the Fa's principles guide practitioners at different levels. As our level is upgraded, higher principles of the Fa will continuously reveal themselves. There was a period when my cultivation didn't improve much. I looked inward, but failed to find the problem because I was a little lost. Cultivators should study the Fa when we can't resolve our problems. Master told us,
“Without knowing the Fa at high levels, one cannot practice cultivation. Without cultivating one’s inner self and one’s xinxing, one cannot increase gong.” (Zhuan Falun)
I've been practicing cultivation for such a long time, but I'd never truly looked inward. The human notions I gained in everyday society were blocking me. I often unconsciously fell into everyday people's logic and thinking, which has provided fuel to attachments and caused loopholes for the evil to exploit.
For example, when the persecution was launched and Dafa and Master were framed, I didn't truly understand going against the persecution and had a feeling that we were getting involved in politics. That notion was strong. Through studying the Fa, I realized that discussing the facts about Falun Dafa is in accord with “Truthfulness.” Unprincipled avoidance and drifting along with the current is really not “compassion.” After I got rid of my human notions of getting involved in politics, I was able to do the three things very well.
There are so many notions that have been formed through our lives. We have to recognized each of them and remove them all.
Rectification
After the communist regime started the persecution, I was longing for Master's new lectures and this attachment was being exploited by the evil. The regime made booklets that disrupted the Fa, which had been spread among some of our local practitioners. I, too, read it and mistakenly thought that it was Master's lecture. I was cultivating in a locked state, but at that time, my celestial eye could occasionally see other dimensions. This strengthened my crooked understandings and trapped me. Later, I carefully studied Master's teachings about this issue, and I suddenly saw my crooked understandings. Master said,
“If you, as a student [of Dafa], do not follow Master's requirements, it is definitely no simple thing. The old forces have arranged for all Dafa disciples a set of their things, so if a Dafa disciple doesn't follow Master's requirements, he must be following the old forces' arrangements. The old forces are in essence gigantic trials and tribulations that accompany you at all times, focused on whether in Fa-rectification Dafa disciples are able to step forward.
If after going through this ordeal some students are still not clearheaded, then they will miss [the opportunities presented in] all of this. Only when you follow Master's requirements are you validating the Fa and cultivating yourself as a Dafa disciple, and only then are you a true Dafa disciple.” (“Be Clearheaded”)
After I came to understand all this, I began to look within myself for attachments and human notions. The path of returning is completely reflected in our xinxing. The old forces are blocking us layer by layer. Three months later, I finally freed myself from the old forces' arrangement. It was indeed “gigantic trials.” Seeing the terrible outcome, I actively shared my experience with those practitioners who read the false book. Some stopped reading it, while some still continued to read. I felt very sad for my mistake and failure to help other practitioners out of those crooked understandings. I really appreciated Master's compassion. Not following Master's requirements and being away from Dafa, no one can cultivate successfully no matter which level one came from, how good one's inborn quality is, or how good one thinks his or her enlightenment is.
Assimilation
The evil is undermining Dafa, persecuting Dafa disciples, and setting up layers of obstacles for Fa-rectification and gigantic trials for every Dafa disciple. They want to destroy Dafa disciples. Every genuine practitioner is assimilating to the Fa and progressing towards Consummation through breaking out of the evils' grasp, clarifying the truth, and saving people.
Fellow practitioners, please point out with compassion if I, due to my limited level, have any understandings that doesn't comply with the Fa.
