(Minghui.org) On my path of more than a decade of cultivation, I have experienced many hardships and have fallen many times. There are too many "I cannot understand why” moments when facing a lot of criticism and misunderstanding. Whenever a tribulation comes, I will think of Master, think of Falun Dafa, think about my mission in coming to this world to save sentient beings, and think of how I must continue. Whenever I think this way, many hardships are slowly removed from me. Finally, I have only one thought left: Save sentient beings to complete my mission.
Greeting, Master! Greeting, fellow practitioners!
I come from Hunan Province and am 62 years old. I began to practice Falun Dafa on April 12, 1999. Here I will report to Master and fellow practitioners my cultivation experience. Please point out anything inappropriate.
We were told a great god was in our home
Before practicing Falun Gong I suffered from lumbar disc herniation, cholecystitis, etc. Sometimes I could not get up in the morning due to back pain, and my husband had to help me get up and dressed. My husband often takes part in local folk activities. One time he brought back a Bodhisattva statue used in the dragon dance and worshipped it. Another time he went to a temple to get his fortune told. The person in the temple said, “There is a large python spirit in your home." My whole family was scared to hear that and started to search for a solution. My husband told a local Falun Gong practitioner about it. The practitioner said, “Learn Falun Gong. It's not a big deal.”
On April 12, 1999, I went to the practice site for the first time. Later I got a copy of Zhuan Falun. A week later I followed the instruction given in Zhuan Falun, doing a Big Lotus hand sign and asking Master to consecrate the Bodhisattva statue. Soon after that my husband went to the temple again. The person in the temple said, "A great god is in your home, and the large python spirit has disappeared." My husband was puzzled and asked me, "The person in the temple said a great god was in our home. Who is it? “I said, “He is our master. It is the Falun Gong master.” My two-year-old grandson had seen the low level spirit before. On one occasion, my children asked him what the low level spirit in our home looked like, showing him a book about animals. He immediately pointed to the image of the dragon and said, "It looks like this." My children asked again, "Where is it now?" While showing the Falun Gong third exercise, he said, "Grandmother did this and drove it out!”(As a practitioner we understand that cultivators are protected by Master, and Master got rid of the low level spirit.)
I only went to school for a year and a half when I was a child. I obtained the Fa when I was nearly 50 years old. I barely knew any words in Zhuan Falun. At the practice site, I asked the young practitioners to teach me word by word. They were very patient. At home, I asked my niece to teach me. When I first obtained the Fa, I studied one page every day. I work during the day and study the Fa in the evening even to this day. Now I can read all the Falun Dafa books. I study at least one chapter of Zhuan Falun every day. All my illnesses have long gone.
"Do not worry, Master will help us to find a way"
After July 20, 1999, the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began the persecution of Falun Dafa. Seeing evil lies spreading everywhere and people being deceived, I was deeply sad and very anxious. So I talked with fellow practitioners about making truth clarification materials.
In the beginning we printed "Falun Dafa is good" in black and white at a copy shop. It was very simple. Each time we made about 200 copies. A local practitioner later brought back large materials from another area. We found a print shop to print it large. We took the printed materials out of the print shop at night and distributed them to fellow practitioners in bags. Then they would coordinate and distribute the materials among a small number of practitioners. At that time we distributed the materials everywhere, such as in corridors, on window sills, on car windshields, in bicycle baskets, in the crack between a door and its frame. Sometimes we put the materials inside supermarket goods. People would see it after they unwrapped the goods. On New Year's Eve we distributed the materials wrapped in red paper to people's doorsteps. On New Year's Day people would see it when they opened the door. Since it was wrapped in red paper, people were happy to get it.
Since I began to practice Falun Gong, I have had only one thought: “Believe in Master and Dafa all the time.”
One time a fellow practitioner and I went 10 kilometers away to the countryside to distribute truth clarification materials. The motorcycle was out of gas when we were done. There was a small private gas station nearby, but no one was there. We waited for a long time, but still nobody showed up. The other practitioner was very worried. I said, "Don't worry, Master will help us to find a way." After a while, a car showed up. The driver needed to pump gas, too. The driver knew the person who owned the gas station very well and went to find him. He was off playing cards. After we filled up, the driver joked, "Without me, how would you have been able to get home?"
In fact, my fellow practitioner and I knew that Master had directed him to help us. With gratitude to Master, we quickly returned home.
With one watch in each cell we could send righteous thoughts on time.
In the first half of 2004, I was caught by the National Security Team when I was distributing Falun Gong materials. I was sent to a labor camp for two years.
The police pressured me to write the three statements in the labor camp. I strongly resisted. They ordered me to sit on a small bench to torture me. I did not comply. They could not do anything about me. Sometimes the practitioners from outside passed us Master's articles. Fellow practitioners made several copies and gave them to practitioners in the same cell. I do not know how to write, so I would help pass them to other practitioners. Later practitioners’ righteous thoughts were stronger, and we planned to send forth righteous thoughts together. Since we did not have a watch, we could not do it on time. Seeing this, I asked my relatives to buy us watches. They brought seven watches when they came to visit the next time. I gave one watch to each cell, so that we could send out forth righteous thoughts on time.
By the second half of 2004, I had been detained nearly a year. Under Master's protection and with the help of my family, I left the labor camp with righteous thoughts and returned home.
Small business owners use currency imprinted with truth clarification information
Soon after I came back from the labor camp, I contacted a local practitioner. A young practitioner suggested that I buy a printer and set up a small truth clarification material site. I said, "I've only read three books in my whole life. It's impossible for me to do it." The practitioner encouraged me, "A 70-year-old practitioner in another area was able to learn how to do it. As a Falun Dafa practitioner you should have confidence in yourself. I can teach you step-by-step.”
With the other practitioner's encouragement, I bought a computer, a black-and-white printer, and supplies. The practitioner helped me to install the system and the encryption disk. I first learned how to turn the computer on and off. The practitioner wrote down each step on a piece of paper. I followed the instructions. After I was familiar with turning the computer off and on, the practitioner taught me how to get online to get on the Minghui website. He again wrote down each step. After I learned the above two steps, I started to learn to print. The practitioner downloaded the data on the encrypted disk and unpacked it. Then he wrote down the steps, and I learned to do it.
Printing was not as easy as the first two steps. I encountered all kinds of problems. Sometimes I couldn't open the encrypted disk; sometimes I could not find the file; sometimes I clicked the wrong button; sometimes the paper jammed in the printer. Every small problem would make me very anxious. I did not dare to do much with the computer or the printer. I had to ask the practitioner to come to my home again to fix it. But one by one, the problems were solved. The printer worked normally. Later I bought a color printer. The problems were more complex. Sometimes the other practitioner lost his patience.
Later I learned from an article on the Minghui website that, if there was a problem with the printer, I needed to look inwards and send forth righteous thoughts. Later when this would happen, I would search for my attachments. I found my attachments like showing off, competitiveness, complaining, looking for fame, self-interest etc. Then I rejected those bad attachments and suppressed them. Indeed, I put down a lot of attachments. With Master's blessing and fellow practitioners' help, I have been through countless troubles. I am finally able to get online, download, and print.
The print material is all downloaded from the Minghui website. Then I mix it with different articles based on people's taste. Then I put them in ziplock bags for distribution.
After reading the article on Minghui about currency with truth clarification information printed on it, I also began to print messages mainly on one-yuan, five-yuan, ten-yuan, and twenty-yuan bills. And sometimes even on 50 and 100-yuan bills. First, I used the money myself, and then I motivated other practitioners to use it. Many local practitioners spent the currency with truth clarification information in their daily lives. Many people like to use the currency with that information, especially people who run small businesses. The more of those bills they used, the more prosperous their business. I would try to exchange the bills with messages with them so that other people could spend them.
I know a lot of small business owners, and they all understand the truth about Falun Dafa. They need a lot of small change. I exchange 10 or 20 bills with them, and they are very happy. After using that currency, their businesses do well. Falun Dafa brings them good fortune. Every day went I go to the market, they want me to exchange currency with truth clarification information on it with them. Every day I can exchange about 2,000 yuan.
In 2011, I exchanged about 150 thousand yuan worth of currency with truth clarification information. It will reach 300,000 yuan or more by the end of this year.
"You do need to feed your family, but you cannot arrest good people!"
Because my family witnessed the miracle of Falun Dafa helping to get rid of the low level spirit, my family always supported me in learning Falun Dafa. After the persecution began, my children at first did not understand me. But they understand now after I have clarified the truth to them for a long time.
My husband has always been supportive of me. After the persecution began, I began making truth clarification materials and distributing them and persuading people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. My husband knows all of this and has never objected. Sometimes when I encourage people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations, he helps, too. When people see my husband who does not practice Falun Gong helping, they easily accept what I have to say and often agree to withdraw from the CCP. In the past few years, my husband has not only supported me in clarifying the truth but also in being the against persecution.
In 2005 just after I had just come home from the labor camp, five or six policeman from National Security Team came to my home to harass me. My husband was at home at the time. When he saw that they were going to do something bad again, he seized the collar of one of them and said, "You bunch of hooligans. What you want to do?! Our family has suffered a lot because of you. You guys do not bother with bad people, but only arrest good people. Which Falun Gong practitioner is not a good person? If you give them one yuan extra, they would not take it. Which of you do that?” The five or six officers were in awe. One whose family name is Tsai was so scared that his face turned green. Another said, "We all know that Falun Gong practitioners are good people, but our superior ordered us to do this. We have no choice. We need to feed our families." Hearing this, my husband continued, "You do need to feed your family, but you cannot arrest good people! Get out of here!” They turned tail and left. Since then, no one comes to our home to harass us anymore.
In 2010 Practitioner W was arrested in another area. The CCP wanted to send him to prison. The local practitioners and the practitioners in the provincial capital tried to hire a lawyer to defend him. I told my husband, and he agreed to loan Practitioner W's family 9,000 yuan to rescue him.
In 2011 several local practitioners were arrested and taken to a rural police branch. The local practitioners coordinated to rescue them. My husband found the father of the director of the police station (my husband knows him, because he is a retired police officer) and clarified the truth of Falun Gong to him and asked him to tell his son not to trouble Falun Gong practitioners. That director's father understood and persuaded his son not to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. He also went to the police department, found the deputy director, and told them not to trouble Falun Gong practitioners. Finally, with every one's efforts, the practitioners were rescued. The director's father also withdrew from the CCP and says "Falun Dafa is good" every day. He also advised his son to read Zhuan Falun.
"We treat him as a beginning practitioner."
Some local practitioners are not diligent in doing the three things. Some have been persecuted by the old forces using the form of illness for a long time. Other practitioners and I often help and encourge them. Ying, an elderly female practitioner who is very firm against the persecution, has a certain impact on the local practitioners. In 2007, Ying suddenly fell over during meditation. She was taken to the hospital, and the doctor said she had had a stroke and was partially paralyzed. People started to talk about this and the practitioners also became anxious. During that time, fellow practitioners often discussed this. Most of them believed that the problem was caused by Ying not really giving up her previous practice. Especially since she even used that practice to cure others, including her husband and neighbors. Practitioners often went to her home to share with her, help her, send forth righteous thoughts with her. But Ying's situation did not change, and she passed away in October 2010.
Practitioner Ping usually had more contact with me. A few years ago, she was interfered with by illness karma. I often shared with her and pointed out her problems in cultivation. But she eventually passed away in 2011.
Their deaths caused a shock among practitioners. We often asked ourselves, "What is going on? What should we do?" One time, I shared with Practitioner X about this. Practitioner X said, "The Minghui website has reported many successful examples of how to help fellow practitioners to eliminate the interference of sickness karma. We are all practitioners. Why can't other practitioners do well? Our local practitioners spent a lot of time and effort to help. But why were the results not good? The difference is that we did not do it with pure hearts, we did not see it as our own problem. We did not do it with patience and compassion. Actually, I feel cultivation is a process for ourselves when helping others. Seeing the shortcomings of the practitioner, we should not blame her or irritate him, but be patient and encourage her. If we have the compassion, which can melt steel, and we form this field, will the evil dare to stay?"
Listening to the Practitioner X's words, I suddenly realized that I had loopholes in my cultivation. The result was not good when I enthusiastically pointed out others' shortcomings. The others did not listen to me. The reason was that I was not calm and compassionate—I had resentment when I was helping others, and that often irritated them. All this was because of my own issues.
Understanding my shortcomings, I told Practitioner X, "I must change. Practitioner C is being persecuted by illness karma now. What should we do?" Practitioner X said, "Ping must be the last practitioner to die from illness karma. We will not allow this to happen to another practitioner. All local practitioners must be firm on this thought. Once a practitioner experience illness karma, all local practitioners will treat this as their own problem."
Practitioner X made several suggestions regarding Practitioner C's situation: “First, notify all practitioners about Practitioner C's situation. Everyone should know about it. If you can visit, then come to visit Practitioner C. If you cannot, you can send forth righteous thoughts at home to strengthen Practitioner C. We should treat Practitioner C's problem as our own problem; Second, if you can visit Practitioner C, you should set up a Fa study group at Practitioner C's home, and study the Fa regularly. We do not ask Practitioner C to do anything, just treat him as a new practitioner. He can improve as much as he can. Each of us must do it right. We do not set up a goal blindly, and we do not irritate him. We should be patient with him and create a compassionate, peaceful environment. Let Practitioner C establish his righteous thoughts in this environment, and thus get out of the trouble.”
After we decided on this, we notified the local practitioners separately. At the same time, I also contacted several practitioners to set up a Fa study group in Practitioner C's home. We now study the Fa there every Friday. First we send forth righteous thoughts for 15 minutes, then study the Fa. We take turns to read. When Practitioner C read the Fa, he often made mistakes. He pronounced words wrong, missed words, and added words. When this happens, practitioners pointed out the mistake. This helped Practitioner C to pay attention. After some time, Practitioner C's situation has changed a lot. Before his body had a bad smell. He does not have that smell anymore. His color looks better. He can read the Fa very fluently now. According to Practitioner C's situation, we plan to help him to improve in the area of clarifying the truth of Falun Gong to others as the next step
On the path of my more-than-a-decade of cultivation, I have experienced many hardships and fallen many times. There are too many "I cannot understand why” moments when facing a lot of criticism and misunderstandings. Whenever a tribulation comes, I will think of Master, think of the Fa, think about my mission of coming to this world to save sentient beings, think how I must continue. Whenever I think this way, many hardships are slowly removed from me. Finally, I have only a thought left: Save sentient beings to complete my mission.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners.