(Minghui.org) Looking back at our cultivation journey through the years, we stumbled and fell on the path time and again. Fortunately through the Minghui website, we were able to study Master's new lectures and learn from the experiences shared by other practitioners. This prevented us from being left behind in the progress of Fa-rectification.
Starting to Practice
My husband learned about Dafa in 1996 through his school classmate. Both of them read the Fa and did the exercises at home by themselves from 1996 to 1999. They did not get in touch with other practitioners often, and therefore when the persecution started in July 1999, they were at a loss and did not know what they should do.
My husband's classmate went to Tiananmen Square to appeal alone. He was illegally arrested and tortured. After his release, he studied the Fa and did the exercises at home to avoid further persecution.
Afterward, my husband was closely watched by his family. They secretly burned his Dafa books. He never thought of giving up his practice, but he did not know what he should do.
I only knew about Falun Gong when the state-controlled media began to slander the practice in July 1999. I did not believe the propaganda. When I saw scenes of Dafa books being destroyed on TV, I exclaimed anxiously, “Don't destroy all those books. Leave me a copy to read!” I truly felt regretful and thought I would never have a chance to read the teachings again.
My wish was finally fulfilled in 2004 when my husband and I got together, and he told me he was a practitioner. Through Master's arrangement, a classmate, whom my husband had not contacted for a long time, sent us a copy of Zhuan Falun and I began practicing.
When I first started to practice, I dreamed that I was a child and Master asked if I wanted to follow Him home. I gladly consented. Soon after, the stomach pains, gastritis and severe mouth ulcers that had been plaguing me for some time disappeared.
My husband's classmate got in touch with us at the end of 2004 and told us about the Minghui website. At last we were able to break away from confusion and knew what we should do as Dafa disciples.
Starting a Material Production Site
We knew about sending righteous thoughts globally through the Minghui website. We immersed into the one body of practitioners and became clear about the direction we should take in cultivation.
A materials site was set up in my house in 2005. I gained some computer skills through browsing on the Internet.
We took on the role of technical support assisting fellow practitioners in repairing their machinery, producing materials, and buying equipment. Our earnings from our work increased and enabled us to help more practitioners. We knew this was Master's arrangement.
We are getting rid of our attachments while producing materials and repairing the equipment. We understood what Master meant when He said:
“No matter what it is you have encountered as you've gone about validating the Fa, it is all, I will tell you, a good thing......for those things have come about specifically because you do cultivation.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference”)
Once, a practitioner's laptop screen stopped lighting up. My husband fiddled with it for half a day and could not resolve the problem. We planned to take it to a repair shop the next day. The practitioner commented that he had taken the laptop to the Communist Party school and used it over there. After that the laptop malfunctioned. I immediately thought this was caused by interference from the evil.
I sent righteous thoughts at the computer. After a while I had a feeling that it was working normally again. I pushed the start button and the laptop operated normally! My husband and the practitioner were elated. After this incident, my husband became very watchful for interference from other dimensions whenever he had to repair any equipment. We also ran into situations where the printer was not working properly and when we looked within ourselves, things were alright again. Through these incidents, we understood that we are not everyday people fixing broken computers. We are Dafa disciples cultivating ourselves, eliminating evil and saving people.
I would also like to share some understandings that I gained during the course of producing truth clarification materials:
In the beginning, I thought it was good enough to simply come up with something other practitioners could use, and I did not pay attention to details.
As I studied the Fa more, I slowly set higher requirements for myself. Interestingly, practitioners would shower compliments on me when I first started to produce the materials. However although what I do now was much better than before, the feedback I got was mostly criticisms and doubts.
For instance, I recently put in a lot of effort into creating a new design for coins with truth clarifying messages. Yet practitioners suggested that I should improve on this and that aspect. Although I did not say anything, I was very upset by their comments.
I did several booklets at night and in return my husband said, “You should come up with information that is suitable for everyone to read rather than waste your time producing these brochures that are tailored to a specific group of people!”
I could not contain my anger any longer and said, “If you think the materials I produce are no good, why don't you do it yourself!” My husband retorted, “Look at you jumping up at criticisms. You examine yourself for your shortcomings.”
I was even more distressed by his words. The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I was and I started to cry. Suddenly Master's teachings appeared in my head:
“Because karma was there, she was helping him remove it. But he would not accept it and started a fight with her. The karma thus could not be eliminated.” (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)
In an instant, I realized where I had gone wrong and laughed. My husband looked at me and laughed too.
Having a Child
I had a child and the hospital put me in a ward where a huge air-conditioner was installed in the ceiling, directly above me. Everyday I was hit by the cold draft and my head was icy cold. However I did not ask to change to another bed or turn off the air-conditioning. I did not want others to feel uncomfortable and decided to endure the cold.
I stayed in the hospital for three days after surgery, during which my husband had to work as well as attend to our household matters. At night he came to the hospital and took care of our child. He also had to take care of others. In his spare time he told people the facts about the persecution.
With a baby at home, our lives were thrown into chaos and we could not even eat or sleep normally. Both of us became slack in doing the three things and seldom read articles from the Minghui website. Gradually my husband got hooked onto Internet games and whenever I criticized his bad habit, he would complain that he was under a lot of stress and needed something to relax him. On top of that, our baby kept having abnormal symptoms. I became very anxious and annoyed.
My daughter suddenly had a high fever one night when she was two months old. I had no choice but to ask Master for help: “Dear Master, this child was born into the house of Dafa disciples. Therefore she should have a predestined relationship with Dafa. Please protect her.” I found a Falun Dafa symbol and placed it under the baby's pillow. I recited Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good again and again. The next morning the baby recovered.
Since then, I began to read Master's teachings to the child. I also found time to do the three things. My husband saw the changes in me and became more diligent in cultivation.
Work and Cultivation
Master arranged tests for me spaced closely after I started cultivation in the hope that I could catch up quickly. During that time, as soon as I read the Fa in the morning, I would run into a corresponding test later in the day. However my xinxing was poor and sometimes I treated these tests with human notions.
I started a new job when my daughter was one year old. My boss was bad tempered and during the first year of employment, I was badly treated at work. I realized that as a practitioner I cannot run away from such tribulations.
Master said: “... if it does not irritate a person psychologically, it does not count or is useless....” (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)
However I was disheartened for a period of time. I did study the Fa and could instantly recall how a practitioner should conduct himself when caught in a difficult situation, but I could not let go of the attachment.
Feeling despondent, I thought of the Minghui website. I began to read other practitioners' sharing published on the website everyday during lunch break. I saw my gaps and inadequacies.
I saved Master's instructions on handling arguments on my computer and upon clicking on the document, I could see it. I wrote down practitioners' experiences on pieces of paper and taped it on my desk. Whenever I was full of resentment towards somebody, I would see the notes and they reminded me to behave like a practitioner. When I felt wronged, I read Master's lectures and realized this was an opportunity to raise my xinxing!
I worked overtime everyday during my first year on the job. Consequently I spent less time doing the three things. My boss gave me an “average” rating on my year-end work assessment report. In the second year, my work load became normal and I was able to leave punctually, allowing me time to do the three things. I often had free time at work to recite the Fa too. I was given an “excellent” in my annual work review at the end of the year.
My husband had a much better attitude towards his career and let things take their natural course. He was asked to be a sales person when the company was performing poorly and he simply followed orders without a single complaint. As a salesman, his pay fluctuated but he got to meet many predestined people to clarify the truth to. My husband was very dedicated to his job and the customers were very happy to deal with him. They even introduced him to many more predestined people.
I could not practice the sitting meditation in the full lotus position for many years after I obtained the Fa. It was only last year that I could sit in this posture.
My husband can sit in the lotus position for more than two hours. He once fell from his motorcycle, and his ankle swelled up to be as big as his knee. He was crippled for two weeks. Blessed by Master, he recovered without any medical treatment. On another occasion, he was riding his motorcycle when suddenly a car parked by the side of the road opened the door and he crashed into it. He flew out and landed several meters away. His clothes were torn and the bike was broken, but he was alright. We'd just had the baby then and were much less disciplined in doing the three things. After the accident, he could only sit for at most one hour. Later on he saw the progress that I made in the sitting meditation and was motivated to work on it. Recently he has reverted to sitting for an hour and a half again.
After my breakthrough in the sitting exercise, I felt that I should catch up with the standing exercises as well. There are many articles on the Minghui website about practitioners waking up at 3:50 a.m. to do the exercises. I wanted to accomplish that too. It was difficult for me to get up in the morning as I had the habit of sleeping late since I was young. I never imagined that I could get up at 3:30 in the morning! My whole being felt awakened the moment I stretched my body in the first set of exercises. Nowadays, I can get up at 3:50 a.m. most of the time to do the exercises.
Several wonderful experiences happened to me after I was diligent in doing the exercises. When I was able to sit in the full lotus position for over 20 minutes, once I felt a strong energy spiraling upwards through my body. I also frequently felt a sensation of my body being lifted up. I once coveted supernormal capabilities when I had just started the practice. I don't have those pursuits anymore, and instead I can just experience those magical moments.
Indeed Master had taught in the Fa: “However, for things beyond ordinary people, only by giving it up, can you attain it. What is it called? It is called, 'natural attainment without pursuit.'” (Lecture in Sydney)
In my dreams, I saw a series of magnificent divine mountains where I could sit in full lotus for half an hour. I walked up to the mountain and saw a bottomless cliff. I was too scared to fly across the mountain. The dream was telling me I still had many human notions to get rid of.
Memorizing the Fa
In the past I did not pay enough attention to studying the Fa. I knew I should catch up in this aspect of my cultivation.
I began to ponder over this after Master brought up the issue of memorizing Zhuan Falun several times in his recent lectures. Should I learn the Fa by heart too? I set a goal for myself to memorize at least a paragraph a day. I am currently up to the third lecture and already I have tasted the fruits of my labor. When I encountered a tribulation, even before the attachment emerged, I would be reminded of the corresponding Fa.
Getting Rid of Lust
My lust used to be very strong. I resolved to get rid of it after having a child. It was not possible to remove this attachment all at once, but I stopped myself from looking at or thinking about things that would arouse it. After persisting for some time, my compulsions were greatly reduced. There was a time when bad substances in other dimensions kept transforming scenes inciting lust in my mind. I did not go along with it and resisted it with my willpower. Master saw that I was truly determined to remove this attachment and compassionately assisted me in dealing with it.
I saw a hideous fetus taken out of my body in another dimension one day after I finished the exercises. The fetus had no limbs, it had three hands on its chest, and there were numerous genitals growing on its body. Thank you Master for your compassion! My sexual desires were considerably weaker after that.
Seizing the Time to Save People
I also explained the facts of the persecution to people and urged them to quit the Communist Party after I obtained the Fa. However I only succeeded in getting less than 10 people to renounce their membership after doing this for several years.
I watched Shen Yun Performing Arts' last program in the spring of 2012 portraying Dafa disciples' return to heaven. I asked myself, “When Dafa disciples reach consummation, will I be considered up to par?” I started to change.
I was once again deeply moved after reading Master's lecture “20 th Anniversary Fa Teaching” in May. I must seize the time to save people.
I curbed my fear as well as the attachment to saving face and stepped forward. I pasted messages that tell the facts about Dafa in public areas, encouraged people to renounce the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations, and gave out Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs and software to break through the Internet censorship. As I became more focused during Fa study and with Master's protection, I became more steady and adept at clarifying the truth. Most predestined people gladly accepted the truth.
Many times taxi drivers who understood that Falun Dafa was wonderful refused to let me pay for my ride, but I always firmly turned down their offer. The majority of my colleagues at work renounced the party and its affiliated organizations. One relative withdrew his membership and sincerely recited Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. Consequently he recovered from a heart attack. I was touched every time someone was saved.
Righteous Thoughts Led to Miracles
Two incidents left a lasting impression on me. I put a self-adhesive label on a large billboard in a busy area one night. From past experience, I predicted that the label would be removed by cleaners that day. However because many people passed through this place, I thought it was still worth a try.
I passed by the area several days later and the blue label was still on the large white background. It was very striking. I was astonished and kept thanking Master in my heart. This incident changed my notion. When we do things with strong righteous thoughts, miracles happen. Don't handle cultivation matters with human thoughts.
Another miracle happened while I was on the bus. I gave up my seat to an elderly man and he kept thanking me. It was very crowded in the bus and I was going to reach my destination soon, so I decided not to clarify the truth to him. A while later, the seat next to him was empty and he beckoned me over. Still I did not want to open my mouth. I looked at the person standing next to me and thought to myself that if he leaves I will speak up. The person walked away at once. I knew in a flash this was arranged. I struck up a conversation with the elderly man, gave him a Shen Yun DVD, which he was delighted to accept.
The elderly man was a retiree and he was due for an annual health examination that day. His work place gave him two hospitals to choose from. One was a third rate hospital outside his house, while the other one was an ordinary hospital a long distance away. Yet for reasons he could not explain, he wanted to go to the one that was further away. It was 40 degrees that day and he took a crowded bus, jostling with other people to get to the hospital. I knew that Master had planned for him to be saved.
Master said: “That really is the case. 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”)
If I had not opened my mouth that day, this man would indeed have lost this opportunity. As a result of this encounter, I paid special attention not to miss anyone who's predestined to hear the truth. Such opportunities are hard to come by and these people should not be held up due to my hesitation.
I work long hours during the day, and at night I have to take care of our child. How can I find the time to save more people? I thought of writing letters. Nonetheless I wasn't sure how effective that would be.
I thought about this over and over again for several days. Suddenly one day a phrase came to mind, “Doing, but without pursuit” (“Abiding in the Dao” in Hong Yin). I realized that I was pursuing results. I should do whatever I can to save people. The method is not important. What's crucial is saving as many people as I can.
I usually pass by a commercial building on my way to work. I saw a giant screen airing communist propaganda on top of the building authorized by a certain government department. I sent forth righteous thoughts directed at it to eliminate the Party's evil elements in other dimensions. I did this for several days and I saw that the LED screen was broken one day. I thought I had disintegrated the evil and was rather happy.
I went to the building the second day and the screen was fixed. There were two more large screens on the roof of other buildings nearby and altogether three screens were broadcasting the same message. Instantly I recalled the Fa principle of “doing without pursuit,” and I transformed my notion. This is a good thing! It is waiting for me to eliminate it. I did not hesitate anymore. Everyday I sent righteous thoughts to destroy the evil Communist specter. Six months went by. I passed through the area one day and noticed that the propaganda material was still there but the Communist Party was no longer mentioned in it. The evil had backed off!
Eliminating CCP Propaganda Display With Righteous Thoughts
I chanced upon a display on Communist propaganda at the entrance to a residential committee of a small district. Before I would simply send righteous thoughts for a while and then walk away. When I returned home, I saw a practitioner's sharing on the Minghui website about eliminating such displays with righteous thoughts. Perhaps I should also return to the residential committee and eliminate the evil factors there.
I was very fearful of being arrested at that time and did not have the courage to do it. Yet I could not get this out of my mind. I thought about it again one morning while doing the exercises. Out of the blue, I heard Master's voice on the exercises “glide along with the energy mechanisms.”
I should just “glide with the energy mechanisms!” A few days later, I happened to work overtime. I told my husband to send righteous thoughts and after work, I went to the residential committee. I recited the phrase:
“Should you have fear, it will seize upon you If thoughts are righteous, evil will collapse” (“What's There to Fear” in Hong Yin Vol. II)
I walked up to the display and because it was one whole sheet of paper, I could not rip it off at one go. Someone was walking towards me not far away. I quickly took out a self-adhesive with the message “The Communist Party is a cult” and stuck it on top of the poster. Then I turned around and walked away leisurely.
I went back to check things out a few days later. The entire display board was transformed. However the theme did not change. I put a letter and truth clarification printouts in the mailbox hoping that the officials in the committee would stop helping the Communist regime spread poisonous lies. My husband subsequently sent righteous thoughts twice to eliminate the display board and the officials stopped replacing the display. This matter came to an end.
I passed by the area on the eve of the 18 th National Congress and the evil propaganda was on display again. I was a little disappointed and wanted to let it go.
I had two dreams consecutively that night. One was a tour of hell where party members were being tortured. It was a terrifying sight. In the second dream, I was in a dark place and the air smelled of decaying matter. Infinite corpses laid beneath my feet. One person struggled to stand up and I could see that he was in deep agony. He wanted to be saved but had lost his chance.
The terrible scene was still in my mind when I woke up. I wept for those beings. I don't resent them anymore, but I must try to save them while there is still hope. I cannot wait until they cannot be saved and feel heartbroken.
I wrote a letter exposing the lies spread by the CCP and prepared information booklets. I went to the police station one night to give out these materials. The light was still on at the police station and several officials were enjoying the cool breeze. I put the materials into the residential committee's letter box. The police station did not have a letter box so I placed the materials on the window sill. The light sensors turned on after I retreated. It turned out that sensors were installed in the police station but they were not triggered when I dropped off the brochures, so no one saw me. I knew Master was protecting me.
When my husband went to see the display board later, the poster was removed.
My Daughter – a Young Practitioner
During my pregnancy, I dreamed that a little girl wearing a red bib ran towards me happily. Sure enough, I had a daughter. She was a very sensible child and did not cry like other babies. She was very easy to look after and all my relatives were amazed.
After I paid more attention to Fa study and doing the exercises, the child remained very healthy. Often she had accidents due to mischief, but she always came out fine. I once watched her fall from the bed and her head crashed to the ground. However, she stood up and was perfectly fine. Another time I heard her recite to herself, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” I asked her what happened and she replied that her finger was caught in the door. It hurt a little and therefore she recited the phrase. I looked at her finger and it was okay.
My husband and I taught her the principles of the Fa from a young age. When she was one and two years old, she could recite many poems in Hong Yin . At three, she could recite “Lunyu.” At three and a half, she could sit in the full lotus position. She would sit for more than half an hour at night on her own. Before her fourth birthday, my daughter could already sit for seventy minutes.
I am usually busy preparing truth clarification materials after I get home from work. My daughter always wanted to help. She is now able to do small things. When the printer malfunctioned, she would run over and gently touch it. She recited, “Falun Dafa is good” to it. She gave every equipment a name and often talked to them, praising them for doing a good job and working hard. Before she goes to bed at night, she would remind me to send righteous thoughts to clear up any interference in the district.
My daughter has grown up and is nearly at the age where she should be studying the Fa. We divide the work between us. One person does Fa validation work at night while the other is responsible for teaching our daughter to read the Fa. She is a very eager student.
I have so many experiences to write about. Words cannot describe the gratitude I have towards Master. There is no way I can repay Master's saving grace except be diligent and do the three things well. I only hope that Master will be proud of me!
Heshi!