(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings revered Master, greetings fellow practitioners.
Last year just before the Mid-Autumn Festival, I set up a materials production site at my home. This year, again before the Mid-Autumn Festival, I want to report my progress to Teacher over the past six years thanks to his grace.
Studying the Fa well is the key to passing tests
I often felt as though others regarded me as a new practitioner. I saw myself as being one of the later batches of practitioners and did not progress diligently. I was constantly being distracted by everyday work and commitments.
I did an outstanding job at work and always got along well with co-workers. This gave me many opportunities to clarify the facts of the persecution. I often did this without mentioning directly that I practiced Falun Gong. On one occasion, some co-workers quit the Chinese Communist Party after I talked to them, and I heard some other co-workers say behind me that I was a Falun Gong practitioner. I didn't pay much attention to this at the time. In retrospect, I probably should have been trying to send forth righteous thoughts in order to negate the old forces's influence. After a year of practicing Falun Gong, my supervisor wanted to make me a full-time employee because of my good performance. My company was run by the CCP, and becoming full-time meant that my salary would be quadrupled and I would be eligible for a promotion, a house, and my children would also be employed.
This just happened naturally, and I never tried to pursue this or bribe anyone to get it. My co-workers encouraged me to thank my supervisor for such a great opportunity. My human notions were strong, and I wasn't really considering that this opportunity might have been arranged due to me being a Falun Dafa practitioner. I went to my supervisor's office to express my gratitude. He was looking down, and asked me, “Someone made an anonymous call saying that you practice Falun Gong. Is this true?” The question came so suddenly that I wasn't able to prepare an effective response. I told him that the Tiananmen self-immolation incident was staged in order to damage practitioners' reputations, and that Falun Dafa was an upright practice that was being slandered and treated unjustly. I left his office quickly. As I was walking away, I felt regret that I had not studied the Fa more and had actually failed this test.
I told my husband, who is not a practitioner, about what happened when I got home. He was furious and insisted that I give up the practice. I didn't know what to do and felt very sad. I wanted to talk to a fellow practitioner for advice. I cried out to Teacher in my heart to help me. I suddenly understood, as if Teacher had directly put the Fa in my mind:
“We therefore believe in following the course of nature. Sometimes, you think that something should be yours, and others also tell you that it is yours. Actually, it is not. You may believe that it is yours, but in the end it is not yours. Through this, it can be seen whether you can give it up. If you cannot let it go, it is an attachment. This method must be used to get rid of your attachment to self-interest. This is the issue.” (Zhuan Falun)
“It's not a big deal if you haven't done well. Just do things well next time and try to find out where the problem was.” (Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
I understood everything in that one moment, and told Teacher in my mind, “Teacher, I don't need anything as long as I have Falun Dafa.”
My supervisor called me that same night and said, “Everything will be fine if you just say that you'll stop practicing. If not, that's going to be a problem. There used to be two Falun Gong practitioners in our department. One of them did not go to the hospital for his diabetes and died, and the other went psychotic and tried to cut me with a knife. Why do you practice?” I replied, “I do not know the two people you mentioned, but I think it could have been partially caused by the CCP's persecution and them no longer feeling like they had any other options. But if they had truly followed the principles of Falun Dafa, they would not have had any problems. Had I not known how wonderful Falun Dafa is, I would have just agreed and taken the promotion. But now I can never turn my back on Falun Dafa.”
I decided to quit the very next day. I packed up my personal belongings and got ready to leave for good. The human resources person told me, “You are being silly. Just say you quit the practice and then you will be full-time. No one will know if you practice secretly at home.” I told her, “I practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and I cannot lie. The practice is indeed wonderful.” She replied, “Then I can't help you. Your supervisor wanted me to tell you not to quit. Why don't we just pretend like nothing happened.” I thought of what Teacher said, “So as for the Dafa disciples in any region, you are basically the hope for the beings in that region to be saved-- their only hope, in fact.”
I knew that the people at my workplace were for me to save, so I stayed. I strictly followed the Fa's principles in my everyday life. I cherished the time to study the Fa and do the exercises, as well as clarifying the facts and helping people quit the CCP. Now, almost all of my co-workers (over 100 people) have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. They've all been blessed. On one occasion there was a severe car accident involving three of my co-workers, and no one was even slightly injured. A dozen of them later received promotions.
Clarifying the facts to save people; Teacher protects us every moment
In 2010, I joined a Fa study group and was able to get to know more practitioners. I was impressed with how dedicated everyone was in their cultivation, and with their guidance I started making steady progress in my own cultivation. I think Fa study is important, and definitely something every practitioner should take seriously. This is the way that Teacher encourages us to share and continually make new breakthroughs.
On one particular day, I was waiting for a bus to take me to work. While I was waiting, I walked around posting flyers on nearby buildings. I spotted a bulletin board with a police car parked nearby. I didn't see anyone in the car, so I decided to put up the flyer. I checked around one more time, then just as I was posting the flyer, I heard a man say to me, “What is that you're posting? Let me see.” I went into shock and my mind blanked. It had been raining, and I tried to block his vision with my umbrella but he pushed it out of the way and I was forced to step back. I said, “Go ahead and read, it's for saving people.” The man approached the flyer and I suddenly remembered to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the rotten demons that would try to influence him. He looked at me and asked, “Are you a Falun Gong practitioner?” I didn't answer. He asked, “How long have you been practicing?” I felt nervous, but then I remembered what Teacher said in Hong Yin II, “What's to Fear?”:
“Should you have fear,
it will seize upon you
If thoughts are righteous,
evil will collapse”.
I calmed down and said, “I started practicing after the CCP launched its persecution, and kept practicing because what I experienced was so wonderful.” He advised me, “You are young, don't do something that will hurt your future.” I told him, “That is impossible. Please do not believe the CCP's lies. The Tiananmen self-immolation was staged to slander those who practice Falun Gong. Falun Gong is an advanced practice of self-cultivation similar to Buddhism. It forbids killing. Committing suicide is an even greater crime.” As I talked, I saw a police car drive by. I sent forth righteous thoughts and moved out of the way. I then saw four soldiers getting into a black car, right next to the police car. I felt that the evil was gathering, and gave my thanks to Teacher for protecting me. I told the man, “Sir, time is running short, why don't you quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations and save yourself.” He said that he was a member of the Youth League and a Buddhist, and he didn't think it was necessary to quit. I told him that he should withdraw from any atheist organization in order to truly have Buddha's blessing and protection. He finally agreed. At that exact moment, my bus arrived.
I got on the bus, thanking Teacher for protecting me in what could have been a very dangerous situation. I also looked inward, and saw that I had the attachment of fighting with the man I met at the billboard. I had not studied the Fa well enough, and the evil had exploited my gaps. I promised myself that I would study one lecture every day. I held to this promise, and even regularly copied Zhuan Falun into a small notebook so that I could memorize the Fa. This has made my cultivation more solidly grounded in the Fa, and I am able to look within when things happen, and base my actions on the Fa.
Teacher delivers what I need
Shortly before last year's Mid-Autumn Festival, I talked to my husband about buying a printer. He realized that I intended to use it to print materials to help clarify the facts of the persecution, and refused. Several days later, a practitioner came to my house and asked me whether she could bring her printer to my house. I agreed, and thanked Teacher for giving me what I needed. When the printer arrived, I thought about what to tell my husband. I decided not to say anything. When my husband came home, he asked with a grumpy face, “Who's printer is this? Get it out of here.” I tried to eliminate the evil that was affecting his thoughts, and said, “Its a friend's and it is broken. Can you help fix it?” He replied, “No, do it yourself.” He never asked about the printer again after that.
When my husband wasn't home, I printed Minghui Weekly as well as other materials. Not long after, I saw four Udumbara flowers on the fruits at my home. I knew Teacher was encouraging me.
Practitioners came to my house to see the flowers. One of them had the flu. When we studied the Fa together in the afternoon, I began to experience dizziness and a sore throat. I knew something about my mindset was lacking and immediately looked inward. When people came over to see the flowers, I realized that my attachment to showing-off had emerged. When I sent forth righteous thoughts later on, I had only one thought, “Negate the old forces' arrangements and walk only the path that Teacher has arranged. My attachments will be rectified in the Fa. I will not allow the old forces to use this as an excuse to persecute me.” That evening, my symptoms disappeared.
On another night, my teeth were aching very badly. I remembered what Teacher said in Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference, “Except for newer students, from July 20 of 1999 on, Master hasn't created any personal cultivation tests for you, and that's because overall your personal cultivation has changed in every respect so that it's in the direction of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa.” I sat with my legs double-crossed and pondered where my thoughts had deviated from the Fa, and where my attachment lay. I sent forth righteous thoughts. Fifteen minutes later, my tooth stopped hurting.
Clarifying the truth of Falun Dafa by phone and seizing every moment to save sentient beings
Last year, a practitioner taught me how to use a cell phone that can play recorded messages, and loaned one to me. On my way to Fa study, I made my first calls. Most people hung up after only a few words. Just as I was starting to lose my confidence, I called a man who listened to the entire four-minute recording. This was also the first time I listened to the entire recording. I was so moved that I cried. I asked advice from other practitioners during Fa study, since so many people had just hung up. They told me that even if a person only listens to a single word, that word still eliminates evil behind him and prepares him to listen to other practitioners in the future.
I later bought the same kind of phone. Another practitioner taught me some of the more advanced features like how to change the IMEI number, how to add background music, and how to key in new numbers. I listened very attentively because I was thinking of all the older practitioners I could help, since they use these phones to clarify the truth and are often not very familiar with computers. Because I couldn't use the phone at home, I carried my laptop with me and changed the IMEI number while riding the bus at night. Later, a practitioner taught me how to change the IMEI number through a cell phone, which made my work a lot easier.
I tried to keep my attitude pure and righteous when I made calls to clarify the truth. I sent forth righteous thoughts as I made the calls. At first, few people listened. But gradually, more and more people stayed on and listened to the entire recording. I introduced other practitioners to the recordings that were most effective. They also used the recordings, and our overall success increased.
I logged-on to the Minghui website frequently to download new recordings and pass them on to other practitioners' cell phones. To allow sentient beings the chance to hear the truth all in one message, I merged 7 minutes worth of recordings into a single message, and gave it to everyone. The recording had a compassionate and peaceful tone. It comprehensively addressed everything from the self-immolation to how Falun Gong had been popularized throughout the world, and gave several reasons to quit the CCP. Many people finished listening to the entire recording, and the results were very good. We recorded the phone numbers of those who had listened to everything so that we could call these people later and help them quit the CCP.
The more people we called, the more confident we became. The project coordinator continued to bring in other practitioners to the project. We patiently taught them how to do everything step by step. We made them aware of safety issues such as keeping the calls short, and to send forth righteous thoughts while making the call.
During the New Years holidays in 2011, many people stayed at home, so the chances of people picking up the phone and listening to the recording increased. I was so happy for these awakened sentient beings. I knew it was my responsibility to allow them the chance for a good future. I called one of the people who had just finished listening to the 7-minute recording. I didn't know what to say as the phone rang, and my heart was beating fast. He picked up and said “Hello”, and I quickly responded by wishing him a happy new year, while trying to curb my nervousness. I started the conversation by telling him about the recent natural and man-made disasters, and how one could avoid them. I then told him about the Tiananmen self-immolation, and the beauty of Falun Dafa as well as its popularity around the world. I also told him about the ruthlessness of the Chinese regime, and why he should quit the CCP and its affiliates. He agreed to quit in a few minutes. I was very inspired. I called another person. I was still feeling nervous, and this second person did not quit the CCP. After the call was over, I thought, “I am doing the most righteous thing in the world, and no one is qualified to interfere. I have Teacher and the Fa, and there's no need for me to be afraid.” I looked within, and realized that I was being over-zealous, and attached to the outcome after having success with the first call. I was speaking too fast, and this naturally made the other person nervous. A practitioner told me, “The sentient beings are poisoned by the evil regime and are worried that quitting the CCP could bring them trouble. To ease their concerns, we should tell them that the process is very safe and won't affect their jobs and lives. From then on, I was sure to mention this and the outcome was very good. One time, I was talking to a person about the CCP's corruption, how it persecutes people, and how we can already see the signs of it coming to an end. The person agreed with me but did not quit. I looked within and found that I hadn't mentioned the beauty of Falun Dafa, or clarified the truth. Without the power of the Fa, I was unable to save this person. From then on, I always made sure to mention Falun Dafa. If someone refused to quit, I told them to always remember, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” They always agreed to that.
I talked to officials, blue collar workers, peasants, students, and policemen. I didn't discriminate and put my mind on saving them. I continued to learn from my experiences. I knew how to find out what was stopping people from quitting the CCP within a few minutes, and how to break the hold. Sometimes I was able to help someone quit in just a few minutes. But sometimes even after 40 minutes the person still would not quit. The practitioners next to me would help by sending forth righteous thoughts. Most of the time, the person would agree to quit since we worked as one body.
I once read that everyone has a unique voice and fingerprints. Nowadays, voice recognition systems are everywhere, and practitioners in China should not clarify the facts by calling people directly. Once someone's voice is recorded, it is very easy to find the person who made the call. After finding out about this, I only started using recorded messages. A practitioner told me, “We should indeed pay attention to our own safety. In China, saving people is never completely risk free. We need to act only according to the Fa, and have righteous thoughts. We should be responsible and take precautions against the evil, and only then can we be safe because we are saving people and doing the most righteous thing in the universe.” Teacher said in Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston, “The old forces don't dare to oppose our clarifying the truth or saving sentient beings. What's key is to not let them take advantage of the gaps in your state of mind when you do things.”
One day in August, I made five calls, and four of the people finished listening to the entire 7 minute recording. I felt that sentient beings are truly waiting to be saved. Teacher said: “For a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple, personal liberation is not the goal of cultivation: when you came, saving sentient beings was your great aspiration, and that is the responsibility and mission that history has bestowed upon you in Fa-rectification.” (Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People) Also, “There has been a great deal of groundwork done in advance. All that’s missing is your carrying things out with righteous thoughts. Yet you haven’t had the righteous thoughts that it takes.” (Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference).
I knew that Teacher was arranging everything, and it was my job to just put myself out there and talk to people. One time I called a woman, and as we were speaking a man took over the phone. I talked about the frequent calamities in China, and how the CCP has killed many Chinese people under its reign. I then talked about the self-immolation and the beauty of Dafa. When I was telling him about the corruption of the CCP, I asked him to quit so that he could live a safe and happy life. He agreed. I asked him to hand the phone back to his wife if he wished the rest of his family to be safe too. He did, and I talked to his wife and helped her quit the CCP as well. I felt happy because I was able to break through the old forces' interference, and take a big step on the path of saving people.
My commute between work and home is long. I always carry Dafa materials with me, and when I get the chance I distribute them. Sometimes customers come in and are a little lost, looking for directions. I knew Teacher had arranged this. I smile, let them in, help them with their questions and send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil behind them. With Teacher's help, I direct the conversation into clarifying the facts of the persecution, and offer to help them quit the CCP. Most of the time, they agree. I have also clarified the facts to people waiting for the bus with me, or people who ask me for directions, or taxi drivers, and they usually all agree to quit the CCP.
I still lag behind when compared to practitioners who are very diligent in their cultivation. I do not always do well helping young practitioners and eliminating my attachments to comfort. However, the miracles that I have experienced continue to encourage me to be more steadfast and to have faith in Teacher and the Fa. I will continue to look within and find my gaps. I will continue to eliminate my attachments and improve my xinxing. I will more diligently help Teacher to rectify the Fa and carry out my mission to save sentient beings. Let us cherish this unprecedented opportunity and progress diligently on the path of cultivation. Let us fulfill out prehistoric oaths and return home with Teacher.
Please kindly point any inaccuracies.
