(Clearwisdom.net) I started to practice Falun Dafa in 1996 when I was six. I felt that I should share my cultivation experiences with fellow practitioners after reading the article, “Young Practitioners, Let Us Catch Up With the Progress of Fa-Rectification” (http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2012/1/26/130966.html). I hope that more young Dafa practitioners can share their cultivation experiences so that other young practitioners can return to Dafa. At the same time, I hope that veteran practitioners will encourage their children who were once young practitioners because it was difficult for them to obtain the Fa.
Along with other young practitioners, I was fortunate to obtain the Fa after my parents began practicing. When I was young, I did not know what cultivation was, but just listened to my parents studying the Fa aloud and followed them to do the exercises. After July 20, 1999, my family encountered many tribulations and I paused momentarily in my cultivation in Dafa. However, Master was still taking care of me. In such a society where morality is declining rapidly, I did not follow the current. Instead, I treat myself as a Dafa practitioner and I am aware of what I should and should not do.
When I was in the eighth grade, I joined the Youth League upon my teacher's request. A few months later, my father told me, “Many people have decided to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated youth organizations. It is not good for you to join the Youth League. Let's quit it!” I agreed. Then my father played several truth-clarification DVDs for me. I was shocked when I saw that the CCP harvested organs from living Dafa practitioners. I cried after I learned about how hard practitioners from overseas are working to help practitioners in Mainland China. I decided that I should not wander around the edge of cultivation but truly return to Dafa. In order to help me catch up with the process of Fa-rectification, my father bought me an mp3 player which contained Master's Fa lectures. I listened to Master's lectures whenever I had free time. I did not even want to turn it off when I was sleeping at night. When Master was talking about something that I had not learned before or did not quite understand, I was always awakened by compassionate Master. I did not feel sleepy until I finished listening to the Fa and understood it at my level.
Sometimes, Master also gave me a hint in my dreams. One night, I saw the big round moon in a dream. A heavenly fairy descended from it and said, “I've come to take you home. However, you must abandon all your human attachments.” Then she disappeared. I understood that Master was giving me a hint that I had to eliminate all my attachments before I could return home. Master wrote:
“Severing (in Yuan verse)
Cultivation is not hard,
It’s attachments that are hard to part with.
When will you sever those many attachments?
All know the sea of hardship has no shore.
If your will is not firm,
The hurdles are like mountains.
How will you transcend this mortal life?” (Hong Yin Vol. II, Translation version A).
By studying the Fa more, I realized the importance of doing the three things. I sent forth righteous thoughts with my parents in the morning, at noon and in the evening. When I had time, I went out to distribute truth-clarification materials with my parents and tried to tell people about the facts of Dafa.
When I was admitted to high school, my personal documents had to be transferred. I told myself that I am a Dafa practitioner and I should walk on a righteous path. Therefore, I told my teacher that I was not a member of the Youth League. Although some students knew that I had joined the Youth League before, they did not argue with me. I thought that Master was protecting me and encouraging me for having done the right thing. One day, my teacher was trying to force me to join the Youth League. I said no and kept sending forth righteous thoughts. I was determined and said, “I do not want to be a member of it.” With Master's protection, she let it go. However, afterwards I was isolated by my classmates. Nevertheless I persisted in conducting myself according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Although my classmates were not nice to me, I should be nice to them. Moreover, I took the opportunity to tell them about quitting the CCP and that Dafa practitioners are good people.
When I was in the tenth grade, I managed to break through the CCP's Internet firewall and help other fellow practitioners download truth-clarification materials to tell people about the facts of Dafa. My mom said that I should cherish the wisdom that Master gave me. Our home became a truth-clarification materials production station as our skills were improving. I chose a university near my home and returned home every Friday. I went back to school on Sunday evenings. During the weekend, I studied the Fa with my parents and helped them to make truth-clarification materials. Sometimes, they were confused about how to use the computer so I always helped them.
When I was in high school, I was liked by many people. They praised my kindness. No matter how lost they were in ordinary society, their knowing sides knew that compassion is good and Dafa is good. When one eliminates the attachment to sentimentality, one has compassion. When I truly understood this, I became aware of how I should treat them. I should be nice to my classmates not out of sentimentality, but compassion.
Young practitioners, please return to Dafa. We all know that there are many attractions and comforts in everyday society, but Dafa is deeply rooted in your heart. You can never really leave Dafa, can you? We were very fortunate that while we were still so very young, we obtained Dafa so that we would not be deeply polluted by ordinary human society.
I remembered that there was a saying in an article that it is hard to obtain a human body, hard to born in the Middle-Kingdom, hard to obtain the righteous Fa. Young practitioners, you are so fortunate but you may not fully cherish this opportunity. When you read Master's poem, “The abundant debts formed huge ordeals; His hair turned grey and His body was harmed” (from “To The Original State,” Hong Yin III), aren't you touched? When you watch the Shen Yun performers fulfilling their vows, don't you admire them?
Master has never abandoned even one practitioner. Your families are waiting for you to return home in the heavens. We sincerely hope that you can return to Dafa!
This is the first time I've written an experience-sharing paper. Please point out anything inappropriate.