(Clearwisdom.net) I was fortunate to learn Dafa in 1997. Recalling my experience still brings tears to my eyes. I remember when I first learned Dafa, every sentence of the Fa moved me. Listening to Teacher’s lectures made me feel that he was right next to me. I finally found the truth of life, and knew how a person should behave. I deeply understood only Dafa could save me and return me to my true original self. Teacher eliminated my karma in a very short period of my cultivation, and I felt young and healthy. My health has remained good, and I am energetic. I asked my son to also cultivate, and he did. His chronic myocardial inflammation was healed.
When Jiang Zemin began to persecute Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, I could not sit still after seeing Teacher and Dafa smeared, and I went to Tiananmen Square in Beijing twice to tell people the facts. Even though I was arrested and tortured, I steadfastly believed in Teacher and Dafa, refusing to write anything against Dafa. All nine of us who went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa were very brave in jail. We recited Dafa and exercised while the police cuffed and shackled us. We asked Teacher to help, and the handcuffs and shackles came loose by themselves. This miracle shocked the police and demonstrated the wonder of Dafa. Indeed it was as Teacher said:
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughts
Master has the power to turn back the tide”(“The Master-Disciple Bond”,Hong Yin)
Studying the Fa and Having Righteous Thoughts and Actions
When I first learned Dafa, because I didn’t have much education, I bought a dictionary and asked my husband and son to help. Pretty soon I was able to read the entire book, Zhuan Falun. I strictly followed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Seeing my positive improvements, my husband supported me. When the evil party began to persecute Falun Gong, he was deceived by their lies. Fearing that CCP agents would persecute me again, he restricted my activities. But when they actually came, he protected me, criticized them harshly and prevented them from searching our home. I urged my husband to read Zhuan Falun. After reading it, he knew that Dafa was good, but he still did not join us in cultivation. I felt it might be because of a deficiency of mine somewhere, so I looked inward. I found that I had lots of attachments: showing off, competing, fighting, and being arrogant.
Through looking inward, I found that I had not cultivated my compassion, and thus my husband didn't feel the goodness of Dafa. I only focused on my cultivation and did not treat him as someone to be saved or help him understand Dafa. After understanding my shortcomings, I pay attention to my every action at home. My kind behavior and righteous thoughts have had a positive affect on him.
With Teacher’s inspiration, my husband finally joined Dafa in 2009, and we formed a Fa-study group at home with three other practitioners. Through our studies, all of us greatly improved our xinxing. We helped each other by pointing out deficiencies and becoming diligent in doing the three things. I felt I had a better appreciation of Teacher’s words in “The Fa rectifies the cosmos” in Hong Yin:
“Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in spring
Righteous thoughts can save the people in this world”
Telling the Facts to People
Teacher said:
“Validate the Fa with rationality, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and save people with mercy” (in “Rationality” in Essentials for further advancement II)
In telling people the facts about Dafa, I strictly followed Teacher’s instructions and tried my best to do the three things well, help Teacher rectify the Fa and save sentient beings. I persisted in going out to tell people the facts and distribute informational materials. I never stopped doing what I needed to do, be it rain or shine, even when the authorities intensified their persecution. I went to the countryside, traveling dozens of miles each time. I knew that telling people the facts about Dafa was my mission and my honor. I did not feel overjoyed when a dozen people quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations, and I was not disappointed if only one or two quit.
Telling people the facts helps me remove my attachment to fear. If one is afraid to clarify the facts, one will not do it or will not do it well. In the early days, because of my fear, I would not tell people the facts for fear of getting into trouble. After many years of struggle, I enlightened to three things which ensured my success. The first is that we must have righteous thoughts and believe in Teacher and Dafa. We are saving people. So, with Teacher’s Fashen protecting us, the evil does not dare do anything to us. The second is that we need to use our wisdom and rationality to tell people the facts. The third is to use benevolence. Now I mostly tell people the facts face-to-face about Falun Gong and the truth about the CCP-staged Tiananmen Square self-immolation. I tell them that Falun Gong is being practiced all over the world, while the communist regime deprives people of their freedom of belief, which leads to moral degradation. Heaven will not overlook this situation, and people must quit the CCP and its associated organizations. I try to adapt my presentation to suit their own situation, considering their age, profession, education level, and stay with things that they can accept. I avoid talking about things beyond their comprehension. For the elderly, I mainly talk about the decaying of moral standards in society and children’s lack of filial piety (respect and responsibility for one's parents and relatives). To farmers I mainly talk about the hardship of farming and their tough lives; to people who were laid off, I talk mostly about government corruption. My goal is to talk about things specifically suited to each person so that they will be receptive.
I deeply feel that as long as we truly make the effort, Teacher will bring those predestined people to us. While riding my electric tricycle home, I sometimes met these people. Once I passed a youngster who asked me to tow his broken motorcycle. I thought it might be a predestined person, so I did it right away. Soon we met another middle-aged person who wanted to have a ride too. I thought that he might be also a predestined person and happily took him. On the way I told them the facts about Dafa, and easily got them both to quit the CCP and its associated organizations. Another day, another elderly person wanted to ride with me. Seeing that he was dressed like a beggar in rags, I felt some contempt for him, but suddenly I thought he might also be a predestined person, and I happily invited him on board. I told him the facts all along the way and he was very happy.
I feel that ordinary people are all candidates for me to save. Once I met an old man on the street. He probably had a stroke and could not walk well, could not speak and could only nod his head. I felt sorry for him, so I held his hand. I told him the facts about Falun Gong very slowly, just one sentence at a time and asked him to quit the CCP. He happily agreed. I told him to recite “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” so his illness could be healed. A month later, I met him and his wife again. His wife happily told me, “We truly need to thank you. Now he can talk, and he is getting better. He recites 'Falun Dafa is good' everyday. It is truly wonderful.” I told him he should thank Mr. Li.
Most of my friends and relatives have quit the CCP. My brother is a 70-year-old farmer. He is a quiet and trustworthy person. I felt that he might be a person of high inborn quality and might be here for Dafa. He developed many illnesses when he was in his 40s, particularly gastritis, which made him repeatedly throw up blood. His condition was too advanced for treatment and he could only suffer. He could not do hard work and was in constant, extreme pain. When I met him during my visit to my family home, I told him to recite “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” and told him the facts about Dafa. He believed me and followed it. Teacher then helped him purify his body, and his illnesses went away. He told everyone he met that Falun Dafa is wonderful.
I regard doing the three things as the most important matter and make sure I do them every day. I study the Fa every day and send forth righteous thoughts often. I make sure that I go out to tell people the facts and do the exercises every day. I emphasize elevating my xinxing and removing my attachments. I don’t get elated when things go smoothly in telling people facts, and I don't feel disappointed when things go badly.
Now all three members of our family cultivate. We feel we are most fortunate. This spring we discovered Udumbara flowers on windows at three places in our house. My husband counted them excitedly, and found there were over 70 flowers. I know it was Teacher who was encouraging us. Fellow practitioners came to look and said that we had done very well. But I did not want to show off and was not conceited. I felt that I still have much to improve, and I am far inferior to some practitioners and am not meeting Teacher’s expectations. I will work harder in the future to help Teacher rectify the Fa, and accomplish my mission.
This is my first time to write an article for the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. As it is an opportunity for me to elevate, please point out my deficiencies.