(Minghui.org) Greetings Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
I’m 15 years old and I was born in China into a family of practitioners. I have been studying the Fa and doing the exercises with Mom and Grandma since I was very young. When I was two years old, I started helping Grandma mail letters to tell people about the persecution and posting up signs to stop the persecution.
I moved to Sydney, Australia in 2011. Here I can freely hold banners and talk to people about the persecution. I can give informational materials to those who are yearning to learn about Dafa. The free environment in Australia is a stark contrast to the oppression and persecution in China. I have never been so happy. This is a precious opportunity given to me by Master, so I must do my best to save people.
I participate in group Fa study every week. Every time I go to a parade, I’m amazed by the Divine Land Marching Band’s magnificent and awe-inspiring music. I dreamed that one day I could become one of them, playing Dafa music to vanquish evil and help Master with Fa rectification.
Master saw my wish, and soon I had the chance to start playing the trombone with the help of a fellow practitioner. As I had no music foundation, I had to start from the beginning and it was not easy. While learning, whenever I wanted to slack off, I could not help but remember the wish I sent to Master. I felt very ashamed, and continued practicing.
With Master’s blessing and the fellow practitioner’s help, in six months I fulfilled my wish and became a member of the Divine Land Marching Band. I will use my Fa weapon – my trombone to help Fa rectification and save sentient beings.
It’s now 2015, and two years since I joined the band. For the last two years, practitioners from the band participated in the annual July 1st march for freedom in Hong Kong. When they came back they shared their experiences. I was moved and wanted to participate in Hong Kong’s July 1st march, going to the frontline to eradicate the evil.
I know Hong Kong is far and the airline tickets are expensive. I decided that I should earn my own money to pay for the tickets. During Christmas last year I played the trombone in front of department stores or at the beach. Apart from playing with the band, this was my first time playing in public, and I was very nervous and sweaty. But when I thought that I would be able to earn my own money to travel to Hong Kong, I was also very excited. During the summer holidays I worked in a bakery. This way, bit by bit, I earned enough for the tickets to Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong march was very challenging for me. Without Master’s help, to walk for four hours in Hong Kong’s extreme heat would have been almost impossible.
On the day of the march, I assembled with fellow practitioners at 9 a.m. to send forth righteous thoughts. There were many practitioners from different countries. It was already hot. My clothes were soaked with sweat when I did the exercises. Fellow practitioners were all hot and sweating, but we were all energetic and stood up straight. It was a big encouragement. I kept saying to myself, I need to overcome all distractions, and ask for Master’s blessing. Soon, I did not feel as hot. After doing the exercises and sending forth righteous thoughts, we read Lunyu. I felt surrounded by a very tranquil and powerful field.
By 1 p.m., the temperature began to climb. The conductor asked us to take out our instruments and get in line. When I took out my trombone, it was blistering hot from being in the sun. Even the first 30 minutes of the band practicing long notes attracted several people. When the conductor led everyone through “The Sacred Song,” the audience immediately took out their phones and cameras to take photos and videos.
At 2 p.m., we were led by the drums to the starting point of the march. I was feeling unwell in the sun. The conductor told us to put down our instruments and take a bathroom break. I used that time to rest in the shade. After 15 minutes I returned to the band. To my surprise many fellow practitioners did not take a break, but were doing the exercises under the searing sun. Their expressions were so merciful and tranquil. I gained the deepest respect for them and saw the gap in my own cultivation.
I did not leave the band again. Under the blazing sun we waited until 3 p.m. before the band set out. Walking with the band, I had never felt so proud and honored. But the sweltering weather was a huge tribulation for me. I did not walk far before I started to feel tired and weak. My steps became heavier and heavier, my stride longer and longer. Beside me was a Taiwanese practitioner, who walked with a sprightly stride as he played with full concentration, without any hint of weariness. I felt very ashamed at my gap compared to him.
A practitioner beside me smiled and encouraged me, “Keep going, we haven’t reached halfway yet.” I gathered my energy, but as I walked things flashed black before my eyes and my body began to sway. I realized that this was interference from the old forces, and I would not acknowledge it! I immediately sent forth powerful righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil, and asked for Master to help me. I sent forth a determined thought that I must persist until the end of the march!
Suddenly, a group of ordinary people next to the band waved a flag and shouted repeatedly, “Falun Dafa is good! Keep going Falun Dafa!” The voice shook me to the core, and my eyes immediately cleared and my body stopped swaying. At that moment I deeply felt Dafa’s power.
Master said,
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughtsMaster has the power to turn back the tide”(“The Master-Disciple Bond”, from Hong Yin Vol. II.)
My tears could not stop flowing. Thank you, Master!
Under Master’s merciful protection, I persisted through the march. In the last half hour of playing, I felt my body being surrounded by a powerful energy field, and I was very comfortable. I successfully played all the songs.
The July 1st Hong Kong march showed me my shortcomings and my cultivation gaps compared to other practitioners. I value this memorable experience. I hope that I can participate in every July 1st Hong Kong march.
As I was writing this article, one morning I had a very clear dream. In my dream, I was hit and thrown into the air by a speeding train, and just as I was about to land, a big round Falun lightly lifted me and placed me on the ground. I was well aware that this is another time that Master eliminated my karmic debt and gave me a new life. I am very grateful to Master. I have no words to describe this but that I will make every effort to cultivate and do the three things to thank merciful, great Master.
I still have a lot of shortcomings and am far from reaching what Master requires of us. For example, I like sleeping in, and I can’t always ensure that I study the Fa and do exercises every day. And I have only been able to sit half-lotus position.
While I wrote this paper for the conference I hesitated a lot. First, I didn’t think there was much to write, and second, I was worried I could not write well and what if it did not get accepted? This exposed my fear, vanity and pridefulness. Thank you fellow practitioners for encouraging and supporting my first article submission.
Finally I would like to share Master’s poem,
“Study the Fa and gain the Fa,Focus on how you study and cultivate,Let each and every thingbe measured against the Fa.Only then, with that,is it actually cultivation.”(“Solid Cultivation” from Hong Yin)
The above is my cultivation experience. Please correct me if there is anything inappropriate.
Thank you everyone! Thank you Master!
(Presented at the 2015 Australia Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)