(Clearwisdom.net)
On August 31, 1998, my husband, who began practicing Falun Gong just a few months earlier, suggested that I read the book Zhuan Falun. That evening, I learned from him how to do the first exercise. A miracle happened. The next day, my stomach illness, which had plagued me for eight years, was suddenly cured. My stomach stopped hurting, burning and causing me to vomit. I had never felt so good. I was surprised and delighted, and soon I became a Falun Dafa practitioner.
One day, when I was telling a few coworkers about Zhuan Falun, my body suddenly felt a shock. The stories were all true, weren't they? I did not believe in the presence of gods and deities before because I grew up under the control of atheism. However, since that day, I felt that my world view had changed. I began pondering if I should continue to cultivate. After careful examination, I decided that I needed to cultivate, and cultivate well.
Since then, all of my illnesses, such as chronic stomach inflammation, chronic rhinitis, pharyngitis, and neurosis, all disappeared. I truly tasted what it felt like to be without illness. As I studied the Fa and cultivated more, I realized that Dafa is the heavenly ladder through which I could return to my true nature. That feeling of happiness and excitement brought me to tears. I was often moved to tears when I studied the Fa. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I would ask myself if this was all real. Who am I? How can I be so fortunate? My world view was rapidly changing. My body was quickly assimilating to Dafa on a microscopic level. From my body to my thoughts, everything of mine was changing on a fundamental level.
Eliminating attachments; righteous thoughts and righteous actions
Between 2001 and 2003, when the persecution was the most severe, I almost quit practicing because of my attachment to fear. However, our merciful Master did not want to leave behind any practitioner. Fellow practitioners brought me copies of “Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference” and “Touring North America to Teach the Fa”. I read them three times in a row, and gained new understandings every time. Every time I read it, it was like I was reading it for the first time. I had a completely new understanding about Dafa and this persecution. I became a true practitioner again.
As I studied the Fa and cultivated more, we began to take on some projects. My husband and I were responsible for a small material center for our area. The process of making informational materials was directly related to our xinxing. When we first began making materials, since I had just returned to Dafa, my xinxing was low. I had many attachments, such as fear and vanity. My family environment was also not harmonious; there were many fights. As a result, a new laser printer would produce dark prints after only a short period of time. All we could do was replace it. As I studied the Fa more and cultivated more, my mind became more stable. I became more mature in my cultivation and work. The materials I produce now are clear, clean, and beautiful.
I have encountered some miracles when making materials. I was not computer savvy. Once I had a computer question, but my husband was not around. He had taught me how to do it before, but I had forgotten. What should I do? I needed to produce the materials in time. Suddenly, I remembered to ask for Master's help. I sat down and sent forth righteous thoughts. I asked Master to strengthen my abilities. When I picked up the mouse, the cursor was pointing at the toolbox option. I realized that this was exactly the button I needed to press. The problem was solved.
Sometimes the Communist government's censorship was very tight and I could not obtain the materials. In these situations, I would send forth righteous thoughts and ask for Master's help. Sometimes I would tell every cell in my body to say “Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is great! Falun Dafa is great! Falun Dafa is upright!” As long as my mind is firm, I usually can successfully access the information. Sometimes, when my xinxing is not good, the printer also suffers from interference. It will malfunction. Fixing it using ordinary people's methods would be very complicated, difficult, and expensive. As my understanding and xinxing improve, when the printer malfunctions, I tell my husband, “We are divine beings, not human beings. Master has bestowed upon us boundless power. Why are we always fixing problems using ordinary people's means?” We would let go of complicated technical approaches and send forth righteous thoughts with a calm mind. We ask Master to strengthen our abilities; we calm our minds and adjust our mentalities; we study the Fa and look within. When our xinxing improves, the printer also joyfully returns to work.
Over the last few years, through working at the material center, I realized that when our xinxing is good and our minds are calm, we are able to get online and print successfully, and the printing quality is good. Otherwise the prints are dark or the colors are not right. Between making materials or cultivating, I have found that the environment is a direct reflection of my xinxing. Master has said, “the appearance stems from the mind.” I have experienced this more and more and have gained a lot of understanding. My mind is even firmer: As long as I have faith in Master and the Fa, and as long as I am using righteous thoughts and righteous actions, there is no test I cannot pass and no problem I cannot solve. I need to treat everything around me with righteous thoughts at every moment.
People are waiting to be saved
In “Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference,” Master said,
“And mankind’s state is changing as well. People’s perception of Dafa is changing too, almost as if people’s minds are gradually clearing up. The change is like ice thawing. In the near future, people will really come to see Falun Gong and Dafa disciples in a whole new light, and the truth of affairs will be laid out right before man’s eyes. At that point people will realize that Dafa disciples are their sole hope of salvation. So, Dafa disciples simply must do well. You truly shoulder a mission, and you really do bear such a great historic responsibility. And that is why I say you must do well.”
From this passage, I understood that as the Fa-rectification progresses, during the last period of Fa-rectification, ordinary people are awakening, too. Their knowing side knows that the chance of their salvation is dwindling, and they are eagerly waiting to be saved. One day, a coworker who had just joined my office asked how my stomach illness was healed. This coworker suffered from poor health. I realized that her question was actually her seeking to learn the truth. I explained to her the miracles I experienced when I first became a practitioner. I also clarified the facts about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation, as well as Dafa's spread around the world. I told her that the persecution itself was in violation of the law. It should be legal to practice Falun Dafa in China.
On the same day, I went to the market to buy meat. The vendor asked me if I still practiced Falun Gong. A few years ago, when I bought meat from him, he gave me more change than he should have, and I returned the money to him. He was very touched and thanked me. I told him I was a Falun Gong practitioner, and I would not keep any extra money. He remembered even a few years later! I told him I was still practicing, and that it was a great practice. I also told him that Falun Gong is now practiced by people in over 100 countries. He was surprised. I urged him not to believe in the lies spread by Chinese government-run TV. Another woman working with him said, “If you feel good practicing, you should practice. Isn't it a great idea to get rid of illness and return to health?”
A few days ago, I ran into a former student of mine in the street. She said, “Teacher, how come you still look so young? You've hardly changed at all over the years!” It had been 16 or 17 years since I last taught her. I told her that I had been practicing Falun Gong for over a decade. My health is good and I am happy, so of course I looked young. I saw that she looked very skinny. She said that she was ill and was suffering a lot. Her medication was very expensive. She asked me to give her my cell phone number so that she could learn the practice from me in the future.
The knowing sides of ordinary people are actively seeking out the truth. They are eager to be saved. What attachments do we still hold that prevent us from clarifying the facts and saving people? Dafa disciples are people's only hope of salvation.
Taking care in raising young practitioners
When my husband and I first became practitioners, our son studied the Fa and cultivated with us. Because he was young, he did not do the exercises. He often listened to Master's lecture in Jinan and studied the new lectures with us. As he grew older, he was more influenced by society and ordinary people. After he started middle school, he studied the Fa less and less, and indulged himself in computer games and sports. He only listened to the Fa when he wasn't feeling well. In the last couple of years, he has been attending a university in a different city. He rarely studied the Fa and his understanding of cultivation had become extremely weak. He had almost stopped practicing. His grades were also poor. My husband and I were very worried. We talked with him many times, but did not accomplish much. In “Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference,” a disciple asked, “At present, the children of many Dafa disciples are caught up in ordinary things. What are we to do?”
Master said,
“Indeed, human society is one big dye vat. Society is contesting with Dafa disciples for people. And this even applies to Dafa disciples’ kids, who live in this setting too: bad things are trying to drag them down. If the child does not cultivate, or doesn’t have a good environment, then he really won’t be able to ward those things off. Yet a Dafa disciple’s responsibilities are enormous, and so we must not only save the world’s people but also those close to us.”
After reading this passage, I gained a clearer idea about my responsibilities. My son's current state, be it an arrangement by the old forces or for another reason, was something we must not accept. We must walk the path arranged by Master. We must help him with cultivation so that he could return home. During the summer vacation, we studied “Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference” with him, especially the passage above. My son began thinking. I told him to think thoroughly. One day, he called me from school and said, “Today I thought of the song 'Be Saved' during class. I cried.” That day, he excelled in his exam and was the third best in his class. He said he also wanted to study the Fa and cultivate, but he could not control himself when it comes to computer games. He has rhinitis and pharyngitis. Usually he doesn't have a runny nose or cough unless he has a cold. However, whenever he played video games, his nose would start running. When he stopped, it would stop, too. I told him, “Someone is looking after you and trying to stop you from generating more karma.” He said it was not fair that others could play without any problem, but he would feel sick when he played.
Sometime ago, he was playing the game again, and began coughing incessantly to the point where he was throwing up. He seemed to be really suffering. I reminded him again to quit. This time, he made up his mind and deleted the game from his computer. He said he would never play it again. A miracle happened. He stopped vomiting as soon as the game was deleted. I knew very well that Master was looking after him and did not want to leave him behind.
He finally began to take the initiative in studying the Fa. He learned the five exercises quickly. When we were teaching him, his hands felt warm and were sweating. He has relatively good understanding and was able to pass several major tests. His grades also greatly improved. Now he is truly growing and basking in the light of the Fa.
