(Minghui.org)Greetings to revered Master!Greetings to fellow practitioners!
I have been cultivating Falun Dafa for 19 years. Looking back over the years, I realize that every step I took was under Master compassionate care and protection. I would like to share my experiences of serving as a coordinator in my area.
I was born in a small town in Northeast China in 1943. I have suffered under Communist Party rule since I was young. The Party labeled my family as one of the Five Black Categories (landlords, rich farmers, anti-revolutionists, bad-influencers and rightists), so I was discriminated against in school, at work, and in every corner of my life.
My health deteriorated under such pressure and poor living conditions. As early as the age of 40, I had pyelonephritis, cervical spondylosis, cardiac neurosis, liver cirrhosis, gastric ulcer, gastroptosis and insomnia. Years of medical treatment hadn't helped me. My doctor even implied that I had to live one day at a time. I looked like a bag of bones. At a class reunion, one of my former classmates couldn't hold back his tears when he saw me. He said that I looked like a ghost.
Fortunately I started cultivating Falun Dafa in 1996. As I studied the Fa and did the exercises my health improved every day. I could sleep better. I became energetic. My stomach didn't hurt any more when I ate. In a short time all my diseases were gone. I have remained in great health for 19 years without needing any medicine. I'm 73, but my back is straight, I walk fast, I have few wrinkles on my face, and I have gained about 40 pounds. I can walk 8 miles without feeling tired when we distribute flyers in the countryside. Some young people can't keep with me. No one believes I'm 73.
In 2007 I ran into the former classmate who had said I looked like a ghost. He was even more surprised at my appearance than the last time he saw me, because I didn't die but was instead reborn. After hearing how Falun Dafa saved my life, he said from the bottom of his heart, “Falun Dafa is a true miracle. It gave you a new life. I will certainly tell all my friends about what happened to you.”
A new practitioner, practitioner A, moved to our area. She had started practicing Falun Gong because of her poor health. All of her diseases, except rheumatoid arthritis, had disappeared after she started practicing Falun Gong. Seeing how difficult it was for her to move around, I decided we should go to her home to study the Fa.
After studying with her for a while, we found that practitioner A always made mistakes with the characters while reading the Fa. We had to keep correcting her. It would take more than 2 hours to finish reading a lecture. She once complained to me in tears, “Master has taken out all my other diseases, why not my rheumatoid arthritis?” I told her my experience of recovery through cultivation, and encouraged her to strengthen her righteous thoughts.
Other practitioners hesitated about studying the Fa with her. I looked inward, and found my lack of compassion toward her. I corrected my unrighteous thoughts immediately, and talked to my fellow practitioners one by one. I said, “There must be a reason for her to move to our area. Master must have made this arrangement for us to have bigger hearts. There is something for us to improve. It's not right for us to dislike her. At least we need to cultivate our heart to be compassionate.” My fellow practitioners also found their own shortcomings. We continued to study the Fa in her home, cultivate our own hearts, and encouraged her righteous thoughts. As we improved practitioner A's cultivation state and health also improved.
Another practitioner, practitioner B, moved to her daughter's home in our area. She is elderly and had a cerebral hemorrhage in the past. Her daughter isn't a Falun Gong practitioner, and worshiped something with animal possession. Her home wasn't a good place for our group Fa-study. So I went to visit practitioner B once or twice a week to study the Fa with her. She made quick progress. She wasn't able to pronounce words clearly when I first met her. Not long after we studied together, she was able to read the Fa pretty well. When other practitioners and I went to distribute flyers about Falun Gong, practitioner B would send forth righteous thoughts for us at home, sometimes for hours. She could enter a great tranquil state to send powerful righteous thoughts. Her appearance gradually changed too. Her gray hair turned dark. She even grew six new teeth.
Master has told us,
“When I saw students who came out of China, I urged them to tell the students who haven’t stepped forward to quickly do so—to have them quickly find those lost students and spell the facts out for them, for what they otherwise face is a most tragic of ends.” (20th Anniversary Fa Teaching)
Master's teaching reminded me of a former fellow practitioner, practitioner C. I hadn't seen him since the persecution was launched in 1999. I wanted to find him, but didn't know his phone number or the exact location of his home. So when I found some time, I would walk around his neighborhood. To my surprise, one day I heard someone behind me call my name. Thanks to Master's arrangement, it was practitioner C.
Practitioner C told me his wife was against him practicing Dafa after the persecution started. Because of his wife's strict monitoring, he hadn't been able to get in contact with any other practitioners. I got him in contact with a study group. He resumed cultivation, and made quick progress. He started sending forth righteous thoughts and distributing truth-clarification materials with us this spring. His family became more understanding too.
A couple of other former fellow practitioners had slacked off on cultivation because of the persecution. I found them and encouraged them to resume cultivation. When I got rid of my human notions and presumptions about them, they gained better understandings of the Fa.
My fellow practitioners and I often distribute truth-clarification materials in the countryside. Before our trips we discuss the details and prepare the materials after studying the Fa together. I then go to tell each practitioner who didn't attend the Fa study session that if they can't make the trip, they can help by sending forth righteous thoughts.
Even though it took me a couple of hours to walk and inform fellow practitioners one by one, it was worth the effort. The first time I told practitioner B about it, she was so excited to hear that she could help our truth-clarification by sending forth righteous thoughts that tears came to her eyes. She told me later she entered a very tranquil state almost every time she sent forth righteous thoughts for our trips.
Coordinating these activities was a process that allowed me to improve in my own cultivation. Last winter we had planned to meet at a farmers' market at 8:30am to distribute truth-clarification calendars. When I got there, a fellow practitioner had been waiting for half an hour. She complained and asked why I was late. I realized that we had met at 8am previously, but it was changed to 8:30am this time. I probably failed to stress to her the time change. I admitted that it was my fault with a smile.
As soon as we started distributing calendars many people competed to get one. But the fellow practitioner who had complained couldn't get anyone to accept any calendars. She started looking inward, and corrected her negative thoughts. She was able to distribute all her calendars eventually. When we were wrapping up, a fellow practitioner noticed a police officer. One of the calendar vendors reported us to the police, but the police officer only watched us from a distance, and didn't stop us.
We collectively looked inward after we went back. The fellow practitioner who had complained admitted that her poor cultivation state had brought the interference. All of us realized we had to unite as one body to disintegrate the evil forces. It's the only way to offer salvation to more sentient beings.
All my experiences showed me that every step I take is Master's work. As far as we improve our heart nature to a good level, all problems will be resolved. I'm determined to advance diligently together with my fellow practitioners, and do the three things well. Thank you Master for your compassionate salvation! I would like to dedicate the following poem to our great Master!
I'm a little piece of grass,growing between rocks
In the dark days,In the chilly winters,Life seems to be ending,Spring seems to leaving
It's the Buddha light of Falun Dafathat disperses cold and darkness!It's the brilliance of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerancethat brings spring for all lives!
Wish I was a stringthat connects pearls into a necklace,and dedicate it to Master,because it's my vow,because it's my anticipation!