(Minghui.org) After I read Master’s new lecture, “Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day”, Master’s words “Cultivate with the heart you once had, and consummation is certain” (unofficial translation) left an indelible mark on my memory.
I obtained the Fa in 1997 when I was in the 6th grade, but had dropped out of cultivation practice for a decade. It was only this year that I started practicing Falun Gong once again. Looking back on the past 10 years, it feels like a mere moment. I am no longer a young student, but a grown man, 30 years of age.
In my family, grandma was the first one to obtain the Fa. After she started practicing, her chronic and incurable illnesses all disappeared. Mother, father, and I soon became practitioners, too. Father’s eye disease also went away.
At that time, Falun Gong was spreading like wildfire all over China. It was very hard to get hold of the main text Zhuan Falun and the music tape for the exercises because they were in such high demand. And so, at the beginning, mother and I had to rely on counting to get through the exercises.
I remember the first time when the exercise music finally played in our recorder, a scene appeared in front of my mind’s eye: I was standing below flights and flights of steps. At the top was a temple, majestic and sacred. The steps were neat and countless. Thinking about the scene now still stirs up in me a feeling of excitement.
There was another time, I was on my way home and ran into thick fog. Visibility was only a few meters. I kept walking on. All of a sudden, I vaguely noticed a well-dressed man riding a bicycle toward me. I took another look and thought, “Isn’t that Master?” It only happened for a few seconds. Master was smiling at me and then passing by me, practically brushing my shoulder. After that, Master gave me hints many times in dreams. This was how Master brought me back. I can never thank Master enough for His magnificent benevolence.
July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its persecution of Falun Gong. The day before, mother went with several fellow practitioners to petition to the municipal government and returned home safely the following day. We were swept up by the tremendous force of the CCP-engineered lies and slander that, although we did not stop our cultivation practice, we slacked off gradually. When I started middle school, I stopped practicing altogether. I did come back for a bit at university, but after I graduated and entered the work world, I dropped out again, this time for 10 years.
When I finally returned to Dafa, I read Master’s lecture on “Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference”. As I read on, I couldn’t help but burst out in tears. I felt as if I were an orphan just returned to his mother’s embrace. I realized what I gave up was not simply 10 years of practice, but a most precious time when Dafa was moving forward. I regretted the fact that countless people lost their chance of learning the truth because I dropped out of Dafa practice. I had missed out on our once-in-a-lifetime predestined relationship encounter. I couldn’t find them now even if I wanted to. While I was reproaching myself, I made a solemn promise that I would catch up with Dafa’s progress.
Because I was unable to contact local practitioners, on my own I set up a home-based site for making and distributing Dafa materials. One evening, I was out distributing truth clarification CDs when I ran into a couple who appeared lost. I approached them voluntarily to offer help. Before they turned to leave, I said to them, “I want to give you this CD.” The lady accepted the CD happily and put it carefully inside her jacket. I knew Master was giving me encouragement and sending predestined people my way.
When I saw how Shen Yun was sweeping the world, when I saw the video depicting how diligently Shen Yun performers were preparing themselves to get the annual show ready to go on the road, I was truly touched. These practitioners worked so hard, sweating profusely, all for the sake of putting on the best performances to share with audiences all over the world. I have no earthly reason not to distribute the wonderful Shen Yun DVDs to every living soul within my reach. So I burned the DVDs myself and pass them out on the street so that people could all watch and enjoy and be saved.
There was a time when I was doing nothing much else except burning Shen Yun DVDs. Later, I realized that single-mindedness was an attachment. I should also be burning other DVDs such as Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and Braving All Stormy Weather. Nowadays, many people can’t see the CCP clearly for what it is or understand its evil nature. The Nine Commentaries DVD exposes the CCP’s lies and the Braving All Stormy Weather DVD clarifies the truth about the persecution. They are both good instruments to open people’s eyes
In the process of these effort, I gradually became attached to “doing things” and failed to approach it all from my understanding of the Fa. The more I did, the more tired I felt. One morning, I was riding my motorcycle and almost had an accident. Right away, I realized I must look inward. I realized my working for the sake of working and my eagerness to clarify the truth were also attachments to be gotten rid of. When I memorized the verse “Inaction” in Hong Yin where Master says, “Exclusively doing good deeds is still action, Attachments discarded is true inaction.” I realized I must go about my work seriously and with attention rather than in a perfunctory manner or with anxiety.
Because I did not have a group Fa study environment, sometimes I would slack off and sometimes my pace of cultivation practice became bogged down by thought karma or the interference of desire and lust. Afterwards, when I came back to my senses, I would quickly correct myself and send forth righteous thought in the nick of time and not allow the old forces to arrange any so called tests to lead me to ruination. Once I adjusted my mindset, I was able to continue to study the Fa and do the exercises. I had already lost 10 years of cultivation time. Master is merciful and allowed me a second chance. I can’t let myself stumble by repeating the same old mistakes.
Sometimes when I am doing the exercises my eyes fill with tears. Master has given me so much. If it were not for Dafa, I would have drifted in a downward spiral and dropped to the abyss of no return. Only Dafa can right any wrong!
Today, Master’s new lecture once again reminds us to “Cultivate with the heart you once had”. No matter how much longer Fa-rectification will last, I will do well the three things Master expects us to do. I can’t let myself slack off or relax because of loneliness. I have to truly understand Dafa by being within Dafa.
