(Minghui.org) Greetings Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
This is my first time writing an experience sharing article. Since I began cultivating, I have had so much I wanted to say to Master but I have not been able to fulfill this wish due to my human attachments. With the encouragement of fellow practitioners, I am finally able to do so this time.
I found the truth that I've been searching for my whole life, Falun Dafa, in May 1998. I will briefly describe the process of how the boundless Buddha Fa has transformed me from a competitive and arrogant person to a compassionate Dafa disciple dedicated to saving sentient beings.
Finding Dafa after a Lifelong Search
I am 67 years old. My father and grandfather were victims of communist campaigns. This caused irreparable damage to my psyche. As a result, I have been aggressive and competitive ever since I was little. I could not tolerate anyone bullying me.
I became even more so when I grew older. I had to be better than everyone else at whatever I did, and I was very stubborn and confrontational. I led a very painful life. This, in addition to daily toil, deteriorated my health. I suffered from all sorts of illnesses such as cervical osteoarthritis, frozen shoulder, and Meniere's syndrome. I lost hope in society and life in general.
Luckily, in May 1998, the education department director at my office encouraged me to learn Falun Gong, and my colleague also gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun . After reading it through, I immediately felt happiness in my heart for I had found the truth that I had been searching for my whole life! From then on, I attended group practice every morning and after work. Within three months, all of my illnesses miraculously disappeared. I could walk swiftly without effort. I am so thankful that Master saved my life.
After cultivating for one year, the persecution began. Our boss gave us a lot of pressure so we approached him saying: We can't comply with your orders. The improvement in our health is proof of how good Falun Dafa is, how can you ask us not to say anything about it? The boss replied: “You will do whatever the leadership tells you to do. If they tell you to go East, don't go West. If they tell you to stand then don't sit. You are a cadre, you should be even more careful.”
I was not unsatisfied with this so after discussing with fellow practitioners, we decided to write a letter to the high level leadership telling them that Falun Dafa is good and that the persecution is unjust. The second time we mailed out the letters, my fellow practitioner--the education department director I mentioned previously--was arrested. My brother in law was also arrested for practicing and clarifying the truth. My home was ransacked. The situation became very tense. My whereabouts were tracked by the neighborhood committee and my colleagues were denigrating me behind my back. I felt a lot of pressure. I thought: Master! What is happening? Can we continue to cultivate? I really want to leave this place and go to a better environment where I can continue my cultivation path.
Coincidentally, in 2003, by a stroke of good luck I was able to come to Taiwan. It was only then that I realized that people can have rights, they can breathe the air of freedom, and live with dignity. I remember the first time I attended the Taiwan Fahui, I cried when I saw Master's portrait hanging right at the center of the stage as soon as I entered the conference hall. I continued crying until the end of the conference. No words can describe my gratitude to Master. I thought: Master! No matter how difficult the path of cultivation is, your disciple will follow you steadfastly!
Lesson Learned in Cultivation: Endless Conflicts as a Result of Not Truly Cultivating While Busy with Projects
At the end of 2004, The Nine Commentaries on Communist Party was released. After reading it I truly understood that the evil Communist party is not from China. We are the offspring of the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor, not Marx and Lennon. Our 5000 years of culture was inspired by the divine, and our ancestors upheld the principles of benevolence, righteousness, reason, wisdom and trust, whereas the evil party promoted atheism and destroyed the Chinese people's compassion.
My fellow practitioners and I began handing out the Nine Commentaries in large numbers to the public. We went to universities, communities, military community centers, and major gas stations, because buses filled with mainland Chinese tourists often stopped there for gas. We also held the Nine Commentaries discussion meetings. That period of time was very laborious, traveling to many places, but I didn't feel tired at all.
Other than clarifying the truth locally in Taiwan, we also sent mail to mainland China. We sent text messages. We used QQ as a platform to clarify the truth. More and more projects were added. This was in addition to other Dafa activities, so our days were very busy. I thought: I will do as much as I can, no matter how difficult or tiring it is. Later on, my region set up a call group so I also joined in the effort to clarify the truth via phone calls to mainland China. When we sent forth righteous thoughts, I would be sleepy and fall out of position. Practitioners pointed it out to me saying: You always fall out of position during righteous thoughts. This is not good, as you might allow the old forces to exploit a loophole. I did not accept this advice and rebutted them by saying: “I am sending forth righteous thoughts intently, why aren't you doing so? Why are you looking at others during righteous thoughts?”
When they pointed out other problems to me I also denied it. Using human thinking, I thought: I do so much truth clarification work, and you're still criticizing me? I always argued for my own case and my attitude hurt many practitioners. Conflicts with other practitioners kept on occurring.
One time, the coordinator from our region came to me and said: “I know you do a lot of things to save sentient beings and I know you work very hard. Sometimes the way we speak is not appropriate, and we all need to look inside. Let us look inside together.”
We studied the Fa together, and upon reading “Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles,” Master said:
“When Dafa disciples make mistakes, they do not like to be criticized. No one can criticize them, and when someone does, it sets them off. When they are right, they don't like others bringing up things they could improve on; when they are wrong, they don't want to be criticized. They get upset as soon as others criticize. The problem is becoming pretty bad.”
This section of the Fa put me in perspective and I felt very ashamed. I had not studied the Fa well. Master talked about this for many years and yet it's like I didn't even notice it.
In “In Fa-Rectification Your Thoughts Have to be Righteous, Not Human,” Master taught us:
“When you're compared with those Dafa disciples who have strong righteous thoughts and have done well, [I have to ask,] can you really not raise your ultimate understanding of Dafa beyond this human plane? What are you really cultivating for, then?”
I looked inside and realized that I often zone out when I study the Fa, I'm often sleepy during righteous thoughts. I've been using human thinking while doing Dafa work, which is very dangerous. I didn't truly cultivate, just keeping busy every day. My attachment to the work became bigger and I could not accept anything other people said. In addition, I also realized that my competitiveness, aggression, jealousy, show off mentality, and attachment to saving face have become a obstacle to my becoming more diligent. I was determined to correct myself, but my performance fluctuated, and I could never fully get rid of those attachments.
Clarifying the Truth on the RTC Platform
Around 2011, a practitioner introduced me to the global RTC platform. Even though I've started making calls to mainland China earlier on, I've never been able to achieve a good effect because I was always working on other projects and could not continuously dedicate myself to it. I wanted to see how other practitioners made their calls. The practitioners on the platform spoke with a kind and peaceful tone and clarified the truth with wisdom. I immediately recognized my shortcomings and I was shocked. My arrogant, conceited state of mind vanished immediately, I didn't dare to open my mouth again. I used to think that since I'm from mainland China, I could clarify the truth better than the rest.
I told the practitioner who introduced me to the platform: I'll listen in some more before I begin calling. She said: “You need to break through this, you must make a call or else you won't ever open your mouth. This is an attachment to fear, and you can only get rid of it when you make a call. We must elevate in levels!” I asked her, “Will you also call?” She said yes, so I gathered all my courage and said: “Alright, let's do it.”
The first time I dialed in, my hands were shaking. It was so strange because this is the first time that this has happened to me in my many years of calling. I thought: “How can this be? Am I really that scared?” I was happy, however that I finally passed this test and began to speak. From then on, the fear gradually went away. I told myself to set my priorities straight, what should I fear in saving sentient beings? This is the vow I took!
My competitiveness, stubbornness, and other deeply rooted attachments were reduced while I worked on the platform. My heart grew bigger and my tone of voice grew calmer. In the past, when I was met with cursing from the other side of the phone, though I wouldn't reciprocate, I would take on a harsh tone of voice and bombard the person with defensive words. This never was an effective approach, of course.
Now, when I am met with verbal abuse, I will calmly tell the other person: “Who taught you this? It is the communist party that taught you. It is not leading people to be good. How can a good person speak like this? You've been speaking to me for a while now and I have't said one unpleasant word to you. I'm only telling you the truth, telling you that Falun Dafa practitioners are being persecuted and they are victims of live organ harvesting, telling you that you can only find peace and safety by distancing yourself from evil. Everyone has a sense of justice and a conscience, right?”
Not long after joining the RTC platform, the coordinator asked me to be a host. I declined, saying: “It's good enough for me to be able to make my calls smoothly, I don't have the ability to be a host.” The coordinator encouraged me, telling me: “Don't feel pressured, but you shouldn't be satisfied with just making calls. We need to improve and think about serving other people. Engaging more practitioners is a form of improvement.” I agreed--our cultivation shouldn't stay in one place, it should keep moving forward. So I consented. The coordinator put me and several other practitioners from the same location into one group. Since we were familiar with each other, it was easier to cooperate with one another.
Clarifying the Truth at Tourist Sites
In 2011, when I first started visiting the tourist attractions, there weren't that many practitioners there clarifying the truth, only 2-3 every day. Now more and more people are getting involved. In the beginning, I didn't know how to approach tourists or what to say to Chinese tourists. I just went to hang around and send forth righteous thoughts, then I left. Fellow practitioners said: “You are from mainland China, the tourists can understand your accent. We speak Taiwanese, the tourist can't understand us, so it's best if you do it. I tried to make excuses by saying, “Your Mandarin is quite good, you guys go ahead, I still have things to do so I will leave first.” I even reassured myself by thinking that at least I went to the site.
Later, I applied the truth clarification methods and content I learned on the RTC platform to the tourist attractions. I wasn't afraid anymore. I was not only able to speak calmly, I was comfortable doing so with while holding a microphone. I would begin speaking as soon as the tourists stepped off the bus and continue until they entered the site. After they came back out, I would continue to say: Did you understand what I just told you? Many would reply, “Yes.” Then I'd say: “Just understanding is not enough, you must quit the three communist organizations. Some of them would reply that they never joined in the first place. I would say: “You're afraid, right? If you don't quit it doesn't matter if you know the truth.When the heaven comes for the CCP and you are counted as a member, wouldn't you be swept away along with it? Everyday people like us don't get involved in politics nor do bad deeds. It's just for security and peace of mind--that way your whole family can prosper! When they hear me say this, some tourists will say: “Ok, I'll quit.”
Sometimes, the tourists include officials. I just tell them: “It is your blessing to be able to become an official, but it doesn't matter how big your title is or how much money you have. When the heaven decides to come after the corrupt ruling party, you've vowed to be a part of it. Heaven is fair to everyone. You joined their organization, you didn't make a clean break from it, then it means you took part in all its bad deeds. When heaven holds the party accountable, your life will be at risk.
When they hear me say this, some of them will accept the materials and newspapers. I tell them: “The materials have a URL to help you breakthrough the firewall. You can go online to quit the Chinese Communist Party, the Communist Youth League, and the Young Pioneers. What I told you is only the tip of the iceberg. For more information, you should read this newspaper. Because officials are more cautious and not as forthright as regular tourists, who immediately decide to quit, some of them tell me: “Let me think about it.”
As my heart's capacity increased, I no longer treated saving sentient beings as a job, but instead told them the truth with compassion. Regardless of their attitude, I can basically keep a calm and peaceful mentality and not be moved by it. One time, a female tourist said some very nasty words to me, but I was not moved by it. I told her: “I don't blame you for saying this, because you can't get any information in mainland China. What you hear is all lies. So when you come to a place with freedom and human rights and hear the truth, you don't dare to believe it or accept it. I tell you this to protect your well-being and your life, not to make you do something bad. If you can't accept it now, please think about it when you go back. If you meet another person who tells you to quit the three communist organizations, do it quickly. This is very serious. As I spoke, the woman dropped her head and stopped cursing.”
Today, the environment at our tourist attractions have improved along with everyone's xinxing and has become much less tense. Our relationship with the attraction site management is much more harmonious. Sometimes we would even joke around a bit. When it rains, I use the microphone to help the management beckon tourists to the attraction site.
Over the years, there would often be tourists who wave or give us thumbs up when they drive away. Some warmly bid us good-bye. When I see that they have understood the truth, I am truly happy for them from the bottom of my heart.
Encouraging Fellow Practitioners
In order to help more practitioners learn how to clarify the truth via phone, I would often share what I learned on the RTC platform with practitioners around me. I would also speak at Taiwan's annual calling China group experience sharing. I used to have hesitations because I was afraid that practitioners would not want to listen or they wouldn't understand, but I later thought, “I should still tell them, as saving people is important. Those practitioners who have not stepped forward to clarify the truth need encouragement, they need a helping hand to pull them through. When fellow practitioners don't do the three things and fall behind, I also bear responsibility.” After I thought it through, I initiated IT practitioners to help them install calling software, creating the best conditions for them to join the platform.
After joining the platform, many practitioners liked listening to truth clarifying phone calls and the half-hour experience-sharing sessions. After a while, the majority of them recognize their cultivation gap and become more diligent. Some of these practitioners have made calls before, but stopped. Now they picked it up again to save people. Some had been involved with helping at tourist attractions, where they only held posters, but were too afraid to say anything. Now they can explain the facts in detail to people.
Among them are a few practitioners who frequently asked questions as soon as they joined the platform and made breakthroughs very rapidly. They quickly formed the backbone of the platform. They helped engage other practitioners. They took the initiative to help others install the software and purchase points for calls. They also drove practitioners to tourist attractions, including some sites outside of town. These practitioners knowingly encourage practitioners who do not come out often.
When I see my fellow practitioners improve, I feel happy for them. In the beginning I wanted to drive practitioners to become more diligent, but now it feels like they are pushing me ahead. These practitioners will often call me and say: “You must come to the tourist site today! Sometimes I didn't want to go, but when they call I can only say, “Yes, yes, I will definitely go!”
Now more and more practitioners are joining the platform. Once every week, the practitioners in our region organizes everyone to call together on the RTC platform. Everyone agrees that it is easy to be lazy, slow, and too comfortable when calling on their own. On the platform they become more formal, therefore their righteous thoughts are stronger. Everyone strives to study and cultivate better. Everyone encourages each other, so attachments are shed quicker. It's like a big family.
The above is a bit of my cultivation experience. If there are any shortcomings on my part, please kindly point them out.
(Presented at 2014 New York Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)
