(Minghui.org) I obtained the Fa in the beginning of 1999 because of its great health benefits. But at the time, I didn’t study the Fa well as I only paid attention to doing the exercises and didn’t focus on cultivating my mind. I didn’t recognize the importance of Fa study. Therefore, I made many detours in my cultivation. In five years, I was persecuted twice by the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP). My cultivation suffered as well as my efforts to save sentient beings. The persecution also affected friends and relatives around me in a negative way.
Nevertheless, the heart of wanting to follow Master was always there, deeply rooted. Looking back on the path I’ve walked, I saw many human mentalities and attachments, such as showing off, holding grudges, competitive mindsets, emphasizing personal interests, and so on; there were many of them. What am I to do? I knew that I wasn’t studying the Fa enough or well enough. The moment I put down Dafa books, I was just an ordinary person.
Today I would like to share with fellow practitioners my persistent efforts in memorizing the Fa since March 2018.
1. Memorizing the Fa by Heart Helps to Strengthen My Belief in Master
After being persecuted and released for the second time in 2017, I no longer had a cultivation environment with my family. I also found that my father stopped practicing. The family members who supported me in the past were now against Dafa. But the desire of wanting to continue my cultivation still persisted. I knew the situation changed for the worse because I didn’t cultivate solidly; I had too many human notions and there was no Fa in my heart. The old forces found gaps in my cultivation to take advantage of.
Therefore, I began studying the Fa. But I didn’t take the Fa into my heart. I found that it was hard to get rid of my human mindset, especially the attachments of competitiveness, complaining, and other personal interests. The attachments were difficult to remove. When I heard something that was not pleasing to the ear, I always fought with others to see who was right and who was wrong. I couldn’t forbear and lacked kindness. I asked myself, “Are you a cultivator? How can you return to your true home with Master like this?”
I used to think that memorizing the Fa was a slow process, and with the same amount of time, I could study the Fa more. But I didn’t study the Fa using my heart; studying was just a formality.
In March 2018, I started to memorize the Fa. It took me eleven months to complete one round of memorizing Zhuan Falun. Now I am doing my second round. I don’t pursue the speed. I just focus on memorizing one sentence at a time and one paragraph after another. I record myself so that I can listen to what I recite to ensure that no words are missing. Then I continue with the next paragraph. Through persistent efforts, I recognize the importance of memorizing the Fa which helps to build my confidence in cultivation and firm belief in Master.
2. Beginning to Cultivate Genuinely After I Started to Memorize the Fa
The memorization has helped to instill the Fa in my heart, which reminds me that I am a cultivator. Whenever I am faced with conflicts, I know I need to look inside. During the day, I look after my two grandchildren at my daughter’s house. As there were quite a lot of chores, I used to complain about them; my lack of forbearance led to lots of arguments. Now, when the attachment of complaining emerges, I tell it, “I won’t be trapped by you now and will remove you instead.”
If I was about to lose control, I would think of Master’s teachings:
“What is a heart of great forbearance? As a practitioner, the first thing you should be able to do is to not fight back when you are beaten or sworn at—you must be tolerant. Otherwise, what kind of practitioner will you be? Someone says, “It’s really hard to be tolerant, and I’ve got a bad temper.” If your temper is not good, you should change, for a practitioner must be tolerant. Some people will lose their temper in disciplining children and yell at them, making quite a scene. You should not be that way in disciplining children, and neither should you, yourselves get really upset. You should educate children with reason so that you can really teach them well. If you cannot even get over a trifle and lose your temper easily, how can you expect to increase your gong?” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
When I was writing this sharing, I picked up Zhuan Falun and casually flipped through it, and this exact paragraph happened to be right in front of me. I enlightened that this was a hint from Master. I will listen to Master: practitioners must have forbearance.
I’ve memorized the Fa for more than one year now. Throughout this period of time, I enlightened that only the Fa has the mighty power to change me. My daughter also noticed the changes in me. She said, “Mom, you’ve changed.” My family acknowledged Dafa and supported my practice. My ninety-year-old father also returned to practicing cultivation. Especially my two little grandchildren, when they have the time, they do the exercises and study the Fa with me. They can recite Hong Yin. Master planted Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance in their young hearts. When they saw Master’s picture, they clasped their hands together and said, “I want to be your little disciple. Thank you, Master.” Indeed, it was just like how Master said,
“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
3. Memorizing the Fa Is the Guarantee of Doing the Three Things
Every day through the practice of memorizing the Fa, I steadily do the three things that Dafa disciples ought to do. Because I have the Fa in my heart, doing truth clarification isn’t difficult. Every day I go out to clarify the truth, and it feels like Master is by my side. All I do is mobilize my feet and move my mouth.
Once I saw an elderly woman sitting alone in a park. So I went over and chatted with her. I said, “Hello. At first glance, you are blessed and are a very kind person.” She was happy to hear that. I helped her to withdraw from the Young Pioneers, an affiliated organization of the Chinese Communist Party, and told her to remember that Falun Dafa is good, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. I also clarified the facts about the self-immolation incident on Tiananmen Square, and explained why Dafa disciples clarify the truth to people they meet. She said she understood.
When we finished, a young man came by. Then I found out that he was her son-in-law. I wanted to save him. We chatted for a while, then I helped him quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
The young man said his mother-in-law was a Communist Party member and wanted me to help her quit. By then I realized that the woman didn’t tell me the truth. She was embarrassed and agreed to quit. Then she asked her daughter to quit, too. Apparently, the whole family came from the north and they would return home the next day. I was happy that the woman listened to the truth clarification and and her whole family got saved.
Whenever my daughter’s friends come to our house, she always worked with me to clarify the truth and got them to quit the Party.
There were many amazing stories. There was a relative whom we hadn’t seen for years. One day she suddenly said she wanted to come to see my father. I was delighted because both our relatives were high-ranking officials’ children. She came and we had several good conversations.
She asked me what my hobbies were. I said I didn’t have any particular hobbies other than doing meditation exercises. She asked if it was Falun Dafa. So I had a chance to clarify the truth thoroughly and she listened attentively. Then she crossed her legs and clasped her hands together and said, “Master Li Hongzhi, I want to learn Falun Dafa!” Her sincerity really touched me. I gave her a copy of Zhuan Falun and she happily accepted it.
Several days later, my father went to see them and clarified the truth further because we haven’t helped them quit the Party yet as the other relative was an atheist and was deeply influenced by the CCP.
As soon as we met, the relative that I gave Zhuan Falun to embraced me and said happily, “Falun Dafa is so amazing! I didn’t tell you the other day that my son suffered from lymphoma. He has been unable to walk for more than six months. He is thirty-six-years-old now, but we still have to bathe him. The third day after we visited you and came home, he began walking. Then he was able to take care of himself one week later.” I knew it was due to her kind thought of Falun Dafa, so her son’s health underwent changes.
As they witnessed the power of Dafa, I clarified the truth to them again. They happily quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations.
There were many other incredible stories which I won’t recount here. Indeed, countless sentient beings are all waiting for us, the Dafa disciples, to save them!
4. Memorizing the Fa Helped to Break Out of the Police Station with Righteous Thoughts
On July 9this year around 4 p.m., a practitioner and I were going home together after a small group Fa study. Suddenly, eight plainclothes police officers surrounded us. They grabbed the practitioner’s bag and searched it. Then they grabbed mine. Facing this abrupt abduction attempt, Master’s teachings came to my mind.
“No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates.” (Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I began to recite the Fa:
“If anyone could harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
So I spoke to them loudly, “Why did you search my bag?” The plainclothes officers forcibly took me and the practitioner to the police station.
When we got to the police station, we were separated. I was guarded by three or four people, and they wanted to search my bag. In my mind, I asked Master for help and clarified the truth to them. When they interrogated me, I didn't cooperate — no confession, no signatures and no name was given. I recited the Fa. Teacher said,
“With Master and the Way by my side, what is there to fear?” (Lecture in Sydney, Translated in 2018)
I said to them, “I was walking on the street and you abducted me. You have no right to search my bag. You know the law and you violated it.” One of them said we were evil. I asked them to explain what they meant. They were silent.
I said, “Falun Dafa saved my life. I was very sick before and nothing could cure me. Falun Dafa not only helped me regain my health, but also teaches me how to be a good person.” They asked, “But the practice doesn't permit you to take medicine.” I said, “Practicing Falun Dafa can help you gain good health but its main purpose is to teach you how to be a good person. When you are healthy, why would you take medicine? I've practiced Falun Dafa for more than twenty years and haven't taken any pills because I am not sick.”
This time I didn't treat them with a combative mentality; I talked to them with compassion. I said, “Actually, I feel bad for you because you are innocent. You are just doing what your boss tells you to do. But please don't be deceived by Jiang Zemin, take things out of context and persecute Falun Dafa!”
At night, they wanted to take me to a small Fa study site to identify practitioners for persecution. But I refused. Then they ransacked my house later that night. Fortunately, under Master's protection, they found nothing.
But they wouldn't stop. Then they attempted to search my bag again, but I didn’t give it to them. Later, I found out that it was through social media that they recognized me and got my home address. They wanted me to sign a paper to give up cultivating, but I refused. I said to them, “You know the law and you violated it!”
I only had Zhuan Falun in my bag which they were disappointed about. They asked where I got the book. I said, “I've practiced Falun Dafa for more than twenty years and the book has been with me long before the persecution started. I recite the book every day and try to be a good person.” They said, “Now we're going to take you to the Public Security Bureau. Then you can go home.”
In the past, because I lacked righteous thoughts, there were two times when I was deceived and was persecuted for five years. I thought I wouldn't be deceived again this time. I must be persistent in my belief of Master! In my mind, I asked Master for help. At the same time, all the good sharing about the firm belief in Master and the Fa flashed in my mind. They saw that I wouldn't move. One of them said, “Let's lift her up!” Immediately, I shouted, “Master, please help!”
All of a sudden, lightning and thunder struck, and heavy rain poured down. The man who wanted me carried away earlier said, “You can go home now.” Tears welled up and I just couldn't help crying out loud. Master's Fa was validated! Indeed, it was like Master said,
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughtsMaster has the power to turn back the tide” (Hong Yin Vol. II, Translation Version A)
I clasped my hands to say thank you to Master. I told the men to remember that Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance is good.
By the time I arrived home, it was already three o'clock in the morning.
The fact that I was able to walk out of the police station righteously helped my whole family appreciate Master and Dafa's mighty power. Everyone was deeply moved!
I wish I would’ve started memorizing the Fa much earlier so I could’ve avoided so many detours and mistakes. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage myself as well as fellow practitioners to really devote ourselves to learn the Fa by heart and better cultivate ourselves.
I made many mistakes before, but Master didn't give up on me. I am thankful for being able to continue the practice in a good cultivation environment. Memorizing the Fa helps to keep the Fa in my heart at all times and remind me that I am a Dafa disciple. I will strive forward diligently.
Please point out anything in my understanding that is not in accordance with the Fa.
Category: Improving Oneself
