(Minghui.org) The elderly lady practitioner suddenly found out that her family had inherited diabetes. My first thought was that she had fear of attachment of this problem and then she actually got diabetes herself. I reminded her to remove her fear and turn the bad thing into a good thing. But since that time her condition was not good…
When I returned home, I was thinking that maybe I was attached to her attachments. But all that I said and did was in line with the Fa. Suddenly, a new thought popped in my mind: Maybe I had only met the Fa's requirements on the surface, but was subconsciously treating her as a patient with a problem in need of urgent help. Why didn’t I look within? Didn’t Master tell us that looking inward is a valued tool? My mind was suddenly lighter and I felt that I had made a breakthrough…
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Greetings Honorable Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
Participating in the China Fahui on Minghui has become part of my cultivation. In recent years, whenever this time approaches, I can not help thinking about it. When I met with xinxing tribulations, I thought about writing them down for my experience sharing article for the Fahui. In recent years, my attachment of seeking a comfortable life has been stronger. I did the Falun Gong exercises regularly for several years, but later stopped doing them each morning, and was not able to start up again. Also, my feelings about saving people and my sense of urgency and responsibility lessened. However when I read the requirements for articles provided by Minghui, I felt that no matter how many shortcomings I still had, I should write down my experiences of saving sentient beings with Dafa’s guidance, about how I cultivated my xinxing, how I eliminated attachments, and how I raised myself up to a higher level. I still need to share the good parts of my cultivation to validate Dafa’s greatness and to show my appreciation to Master.
My deepest feeling during this year of cultivation was that when encountering hardship, if we first have righteous thoughts, then we will take the correct action. The righteous thoughts come from Dafa. One has to meet different requirements at different levels of the Fa. The following examples are about how my fellow practitioners and I used Dafa’s guidance to change our human notions to overcome difficulties and interference, and remain on the path to save sentient beings.
Cooperating with a Fellow Practitioner to Build a Small Material Production Site
For a long time I had contact with only one elderly practitioner. All my truth clarification materials came from her, but the supply was not reliable. I could not read Master’s new articles or factual materials as they were published. I later created a small materials site in my home. About seven or eight elderly practitioners who previously contacted the lady practitioner mentioned above now rely on me to supply them with Master’s new articles, the Minghui Weekly articles and newspapers, as well as posters, DVDs, and computer uploads of the lists for people who quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and telephone numbers to call people to tell people the facts. My husband does not cultivate, so I downloaded and printed the materials without letting him know, after I came home from work. Our source for materials was resolved, but the timeliness of distributing the Minghui Weekly was too slow. We could not regularly read it and discuss it, so we lost the chance to improve together.
This year I learned about MP5 devices and that they are simple to operate. I thought that if everyone could use an MP5 device to read the electronic version of the Minghui Weekly, then not only would paper and time to print the materials be saved, but we could also read them as they became available. I talked to my fellow practitioner about the idea and she was pleased. She agreed to use her family’s computer to copy the electronic books for everyone. Because we had the same wishes and were in line with Fa, our fellow practitioners were very supportive. We purchased one MP5 device, and I started to teach that elderly practitioner how to use it. I read the instructions provided in the Minghui Weekly and other practitioners' experiences. I told her to write down the instructions in a notebook and then commit them to memory. She humbly learned to follow the instructions.
Many human notions interfered during this process. The local practitioner thought she knew how to do the steps when she watched me do them, but when she tried to use the computer mouse, she was very nervous and didn’t know what to do. I became impatient, and spoke too quickly. By then she was even more nervous and it seemed like I was forcing her. Fortunately, I had already formed the good habit of looking within. I realized that this was an anxiety emotion and immediately removed it. I kept talking to her patiently, and now and then encouraged her calmly. She still felt pressured however. She had never used the computer application before and thought it was very hard to learn. Both of us adjusted our minds by thinking that we were doing this for other peoples’ benefit, and that it was in line with Dafa, therefore we should not acknowledge the fear of difficulty. We should believe that Master will help us all the time. So we controlled our minds, and didn't think about anything else. We just quietly learned and memorized the steps.
The lady called me to her house on another day to help her fix some problems. I was afraid that my co-workers who lived near her would see me. I also was not happy that she only relied on me to fix problems. I rushed over, and ran into some people who knew me. So the next time she asked me to go to her house again, I used that excuse to decline, and asked her to try to fix the problem by herself. She was in a hurry, so she found a non-practitioner to help, and her computer’s hard drive became infected with a virus. As a result, both of our computers were infected by that virus. She very seriously talked to me and pointed out that I should pay attention to this accident. I realized that it was caused by human notions. Dafa work should be done in a dignified manner and should not result in any fears or worries. Later when she called me, I always went to her house to help her. In the meantime, I taught myself to download virus protection software, and for older computers which could not be protected by such software, I learned the skills needed to delete viruses hiding in the computer.
Within a month, she could handle the application by herself. Other elder practitioners also overcame the fear of using electronics and soon learned to use the MP5 device. They all finish reading the Minghui Weekly at one time and all saw the improvement. I also added the audio files used for sending forth righteous thoughts to their MP5 devices for their convenience.
Looking back I realize that everything was arranged by Master. One practitioner brought her MP5 to me and asked me to download the Shen Yun performance for her. I told her that watching Shen Yun that way was not appropriate. Instead I added truth clarifying materials, including the Minghui comments, some parts of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and several truth clarifying DVDs. While doing that for her, I thought that other practitioners in my area should also read the Minghui Weekly and other materials using the MP5 device. When I then realized that my computer was affected by a virus, I immediately adjusted my mindset. Just by coincidence, at about the same time, my employer put in a request to install new virus protection software on our company website. The new software had very detailed instructions. I used this opportunity to ask questions that applied to my computer and it got fixed successfully. I felt that Master was pushing us forward. As long as we have the desire to do well for Dafa, Master helps us. Master already explained this in Zhuan Falun and is waiting for us to follow and do it.
Helping Fellow Practitioners Overcome Sickness Tribulations
The elderly lady practitioner suddenly found out that there was inherited diabetes in her family. My first thought was that she had the attachment of fear of this problem, and then she actually got diabetes herself. I reminded her to remove her fear and turn the bad thing into a good thing. But her situation at that time was not good. Her daughter kept forcing her to take medicine and reminded her to check her blood sugar before and after meals. She also brought her expensive health supplements. The practitioner could not stand the pressure any longer and she talked to me. She admitted that she had fear because her elder sister got diabetes and it was quite severe. She was worried about it, and now she actually had it. She was afraid of making Falun Gong look bad. I analyzed this for her, “First, you acknowledged the sickness condition, so you actually got the sickness. Cultivators should improve their xinxing and should not acknowledge the sickness. Master said Dafa disciples have no sicknesses. Therefore, this is interference that should be eliminated. Second, you should send righteous thoughts for your family members and not let them help the evil. If you took their advice to see the doctor and took medicine, you were destroying them, as they were pulling down a Dafa disciple ,which is a huge crime.” I told her that I would send righteous thoughts for her family members and her. Since we are one whole body, her business is my business. Persecuting her is persecuting me, which definitely should not be acknowledged. We should only follow the path arranged by Master. Any other paths should not be acknowledged.
After a while, she said that her daughter was still pushing her and reminding her about the dangers of diabetes. She was now afraid of her daughter talking about the disease, and whenever it was mentioned, she felt very nervous. It seemed that when she sent righteous thoughts, it did not work. She became depressed and so she had to suffer. Her daughter also asked me to convince her mother to take medication. Her daughter blamed her mother for only thinking about Dafa. She had a bad temper and was very easy angered. She would not let anyone to talk about her disease. Once it was mentioned, she behaved irrationally, as if a nerve had been touched.
I tried to give her some examples, and I told her how I eliminated my own sickness tribulations. I told her that during such times I had to find my own problem and to improve myself. When I identify that I have some bad attachments and then remove them, I improve immediately.
When I returned home, I was thinking that maybe I was attached to her attachments. But all that I said and did was in line with the Fa. Suddenly, a new thought popped in my mind: Maybe I had only met the Fa's requirements on the surface, but was subconsciously treating her as a patient with a problem in need of urgent help. Why didn’t I look within? Didn’t Master tell us that looking inward is a valuable tool? My mind was suddenly lighter and I felt that I had made a breakthrough.
I was bothered by symptoms of a perceived illness for about two years, which consisted of an irregular menstrual cycle. I tried to find my attachment and thought it was because I was interfered with by lust before I practiced Falun Gong. One owes debts that have to be paid back, so this sickness was meant to repay the lust debt. At that time I also thought this illness should not be acknowledged, so I sent righteous thoughts to remove it. Unfortunately there was no improvement and a little anemia developed along with it. Because that did not affect me very much, I was not concerned about it. This year my annual medical checkup revealed that I had a significantly higher potential for getting cancer. The fear attachment appeared again. I was however able to recognize the truth and eliminate it by sending righteous thoughts. Falun Gong practitioners are walking on the path to godhood and are being looked after by Master. The good aspects of Dafa disciples that have been cultivated well are already protected by Master. Any negative symptoms experienced by Dafa disciples that are not in line with Dafa should be adjusted. No one is allowed to use any excuse to persecute Dafa disciples. Whoever does will be found guilty and should be eliminated. Master said that Dafa disciples should not have any sickness and should validate Dafa and its beauty with healthy bodies and save sentient beings! I immediately felt that the symptoms that had afflicted me were being pulled away from my body, and I felt very light and comfortable. That same month my regular menstrual cycle was restored.
I shared my story with the elderly lady practitioner, and it encouraged her very much. After her period of trouble, she calmed down and was no longer concerned about her blood sugar index. She focused on improving her xinxing and taking her daughter’s criticism as a means to improve herself. She realized that even doing things for Dafa should not be an excuse to lose one's temper, and that she should get rid of her anxiety. She cared more about her relatives. She listened to her daughter’s advice to a certain degree. When her daughter asked her to take medicines, she clarified the truth and explained how she had benefited from Dafa. She willingly helped take care of her grandchildren, and was no longer concerned with money or physical possessions. Her family had a better quality of life because of how she changed. When she traveled with her sister, she took very good care of her. After they returned, her sister told everyone that she was a warmhearted person with a healthy body. Every day she dressed nicely to give people a positive and good impression. She changed her routine and always sent righteous thoughts at the designated times.
Seeing her change, I felt that she already cast off her nervous and helpless feelings she had previously. It seemed like she had regained her confidence and found righteous thoughts. I reminded her not to see herself as a patient. I firmly believe that Dafa disciples cultivate and achieve good health. So I believe that this fellow practitioner could overcome that tribulation by looking inward, by validating Dafa, and by elevating her realm. Meanwhile, I kept sending righteous thoughts for her to eliminate all the evil elements that persecuted her body with fake diabetes symptoms. My righteous thoughts eliminate all of the bad things and leave out nothing.
When I realized that helping fellow practitioners is helping myself, my thoughts became more righteous.
Cultivating Compassion While Saving People
My husband had a very bad temper. After we married I could not endure him any longer. If not for Dafa, I would have divorced him a long time ago. Dafa saved our family, and he was well aware of that. After I began practicing Falun Gong in 1996, I no longer got upset with him. I willingly did the household chores and got along well with him. I treated his family members warmly. We had a child, and he was happy beyond description.
When the evil started to persecute Falun Gong, my husband said that because of this, he would not learn Falun Gong. As the persecution intensified and he heard more lies, he realized the severity of the situation. He worked in the central government of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), so he knew just how cruel the Party could be. He threatened to divorce me if I did not give up cultivation. But I kept studying the Fa and doing the exercises to show him my firm belief. He quit pestering me but began to have nasty attitude. He easily lost his temper and would often abuse me, even when our child was present. I could not maintain my xinxing. I sometimes directed my angry right back at him. My anger grew stronger and stronger. The more I looked at him, the more disgusting he looked to me. I also talked to him with a nasty tone. It seemed like I was behaving just like I did before I began my cultivation.
I read each of Master’s lecture articles and better understood our mission to save sentient beings, and where human beings come from. Since my husband married a Dafa disciple in this life, that meant that he had a deep predestined relationship. He trusted me and came to this world, so I had to save him. One time while I was chatting with him, I mentioned very quietly that I would use the pseudonym “Pingan” to help him quit the CCP, and afterward he would be safe. He continued reading the newspaper without responding. I thought that this meant he agreed, so I did that for him on the Internet. Unfortunately, later he did not acknowledge it. So I reminded him that I had already helped him quit. He became very angry. He told me very clearly that he would not admit that. My heart sank and I felt deeply sorry for him. I knew it was my compassion for him that showed up. For a long time I kept reciting Master’s poem:
“Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in spring
Righteous thoughts can save the people in this world”
(“The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos” from Hong Yin Vol. II)
Master’s poem encouraged me to have compassion and kindness to save him. Facing this setback, however, I had to admit that I still felt some anger. If I did not solidly cultivate myself, how could I have compassion?
I looked within and identified my hatred, jealousy, emotion of dislike for him, that I badmouthed him when he was not present, etc. Judging by Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I met none of the Dafa requirements. I knew I had to change completely. After carefully considering why I had such bad thoughts, I found that it was because I wanted him to meet my requirements. I wanted him to make me happy. After I cultivated Dafa, I used Dafa’s requirements to measure him and that resulted in all these unhappy thoughts. Isn’t this looking outward and seeking outward? If everyone had to make me happy, why would I need to cultivate? The treasured tool for cultivating Dafa is looking within and cultivating one’s mind. Master mentioned “Upgrading Xinxing” several times in his book Zhuan Falun. I realized that Master is requiring us to cultivate in human society, and the conflicts between people are all opportunities to upgrade our xinxing and pay back the karma. With regard to my husband, I was not only not cultivating myself, but also generating all kinds of thought karma about him.
Master said the following in “Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference,”
“When your righteous thoughts are firm and when you can repel those things, I remove them for you bit by bit; however much you can do, that’s how much I remove for you and diminish for you. But since you’re a cultivator, you have to truly hold yourself to the requirements for a cultivator. Even though sometimes you still can’t quite get there yet, you’ve got to at least have those righteous thoughts, and you’ve got to cultivate yourselves.”
So I used Dafa to justify each of my individual thoughts. When I came home from work tired, my husband lay on the couch comfortably watching TV and screamed at me that he was hungry. I repressed my jealousy and rushed to the kitchen to cook dinner. I calmed him down and said, “Your wife is a very good cook, so you will not starve.” When he irrationally bought many collectable art items and filled up our entire small apartment, I could not help complaining, but eventually I stopped complaining and respected his decision. I kept everything in the house tidy and clean. When he lost his temper and screamed at me, I looked inward and thought that maybe I was unhappy with him again.
Master said, “...the appearance stems from the mind...” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting”)
When my husband complained that I did something incorrectly and did not do it his way, I didn't argue with him. Instead I responded calmly. When I saw him brag about himself in front of other people, I reminded myself that I should not feel disgust toward him. I should tolerate him but not behave like him. When we discussed purchasing a house, I listened to his opinions more than my own opinions. When he met with hardships or accidents, I used Dafa’s principles to calm him down, to give my opinion, and to reduce his stress. When he showed his silly devotion to the CCP, I sent righteous thoughts for him.
Gradually he began to smile more and he also cared about me more. When he saw me studying the Fa, practicing the exercises, and sending righteous thoughts, he did not get angry or slam the door as he did before. He behaved like I was doing everyday things. I saw Dafa’s mighty power displayed in us. On one occasion, he complained to my mother that I spent too much time and effort on nonsensical things. I thought that he may be referring to my telling him to quit the CCP. My mother told him that my health had improved after I started cultivating, and he quieted down and did not say anything.
I controlled myself when I had conflicts with my husband, the same as when I dealt with other non-practitioners. I put myself in a correct state of mind, thinking, “Dafa disciples cultivate in human society. We should not argue and fight with people. During conflicts we should remove all kinds of attachments. This is what differentiates us from everyday people. We cultivate compassion in order to save people. Human society is not heaven, so all kinds of lower behaviors manifest. Along with corrupt moral standards, these behaviors are becoming worse and worse with time. This is the Darma-ending period. Fortunately, today's everyday people all came to be saved by Dafa, however the old forces and the Communist Party’s evil elements have manipulated them to commit crimes against Dafa and practitioners. Their crimes also prevent them from being saved. Dafa disciples are saving everyday people, so when I only think about saving people and cast off the attachments of competitiveness, showing off, jealousy, seeking fame, and profit, etc., I keep sending righteous thoughts and my heart is filled with sincerity, kindness, and forbearance. Cultivators indeed do not have any enemies.” Later, when I explained the facts, people listened and agreed. I hope that I can maintain this state and truly save people.
When I was writing this article, I felt it was a process of calmly recalling my cultivation path. I am now more reasonable than before I learned Dafa. At that time my emotions were very strong and I was excited and happy. Whenever some of my attachments were identified, they were removed immediately. But my understanding of Dafa was not very clear. My cultivation atmosphere is now much more complicated, however I keep seriously studying the Fa and keep reading Minghui Weekly. I communicate with fellow practitioners, so my understanding of Fa is deeper. When encountering issues, I am better able to handle them wisely. So my cultivation has been quite smooth. But my ability to control myself is actually reduced. My comfortable life and easy environment all affected me. I seemed to have cast off some attachments early in my cultivation, but when facing tribulations and due to my weak ability to control myself, they kept recurring. This also showed that I did not cultivate solidly in some respects. I need to break through these attachments. Perhaps they are at the root of my selfishness. Attachments should be pulled out by the roots completely.
Recalling my cultivation experience, I truly felt that Master was beside me. He gave me hints and helped me now and then. When I was writing this article, I felt Master put many thoughts into my mind to help me complete the article with a solid and steady mind. Previously, I always was eager to show myself off and show my excitement. I feel that I Master has protected me again and again. How lucky Dafa disciples are by being part of the Fa. Honorable Master has done so many invisible and unimaginable things for us. We practitioners only cultivate vigorously to show our appreciation.
This is my limited experience. If something is not right, please point it out.
Heshi!