I obtained Fa in November 1997. This Thanksgiving marks my five-year anniversary of rebirth.
In past five years, I have been so fortunate to listen to Teacher's lectures in person, and learned so many heavenly secrets that were never revealed to mankind since time began. I enlightened to the truth of humanity and the universal principle. I, from an ignorant faithless atheist wandering around a secular world, gradually became a true Dafa practitioner returning my real home.
1. Giving up human sentimentality, nourishing family with cultivator's benevolence
Master Li pointed out in Zhuan Falun:
" In our cultivation way, those who practice cultivation among ordinary people are required to do it just in the ordinary human society and to maintain maximally as close to ordinary people as possible..." " A practitioner among ordinary people does not take such a path, and he is required to take them lightly just in this ordinary human environment. Of course, this will be very difficulty. It is also the most crucial aspect of our cultivation way."
As a practitioner among ordinary people, how can he/she live in a environment that is so badly contaminated and still succeed in cultivation to become selfless, virtuous and a righteous great enlightened being. This is one Fa principle that I have been always practicing to understand completely. During this special era of Fa-rectification, I am fully aware that the relationship between cultivators and ordinary people, as well as that among cultivators themselves are a such vitally important key issue.
I remember the time when I just obtained Fa but had a lack of rational understanding of the Fa. I made many wrong turns that deviated from the right course. My wife and I have two children. In my family, one practices Falun Dafa and three do not people. When I began to practice cultivation, I had nothing in mind but personal cultivation. My family was so neglected that I had gradually distanced myself from family. My wife often complained to me that I cared only about going to heaven by myself, leaving others to live and die. I retorted, "I am the one who practices cultivation, from that you and many should benefit." My wife did not see any benefit at all and she did not buy my excuse. This lead to that whenever I came back home from Dafa activities, she would explode. And I would just take it passively as pain of karma elimination hoping that the karma would eventually go away. Gradually, my wife turned her objection from me to Dafa, even had a negative view about Dafa. At that time I still did not realize to look within for these problems but instead I was painfully disappointed. Human beings are submerged in sentimentality from birth to death. Family is the place where sentimentality is at its highest. What should a cultivator of Dafa do to give up sentimentality while not hurting others? I have been pondering this for a long time yet did not have any idea. Whenever I saw a family where every member was a Dafa cultivator, I mistakenly regarded them as being fortunate to have such predestined relationship.
Our Teacher said,
" If you are free from such sentimentality, nobody will be able to affect you... What takes over in place will be benevolence which is something of a higher order."
I have read this Fa principle so many times in the past, but it took until now when writing my experience to enlighten to it. As long as we still cultivate ourselves among the human world, it is not possible for one to completely isolate oneself from sentimentality that is inherently selfish. If a cultivator aims to give up sentimentality thoroughly, he/she should replace it with benevolence that is inherently selfless. Without much gracious benevolence, one will not be free from sentimentality. Without giving up sentimentality, human beings will not succeed in cultivation. Perhaps my understanding of benevolence is still skin deep, but I realize that the selfless benevolence belongs to higher realms of Buddha, Tao and God. Our way of cultivation is one where sentimentality is gradually and eventually replaced by benevolence.
Looking back into myself, I self-centered my cultivation over and above family at expense of neglecting others. I did not fulfill my duties and responsibilities as a husband, father, son/son in law. On the surface, I am getting rid of sentimentality; in reality I did not free myself from selfish sentimentality or show benevolence.
As Teacher pointed to my lack of understanding, with the help of fellow practitioners and through five years of cultivation, I have finally come to understand more about cultivation inside of one's family. It made me really embarrassed to remind myself what I did in the past. Although my progress is still in process, I began to realize that the members of my family are people who have special bonds with myself. It is not coincidental that we became a family. We meet in this lifetime for returning our karmic debts owed to each other from previous lives. Our family members share a relationship with us that is most private, most sentimental and at the last defense line of inner selfishness offer us endless opportunities to cultivate xinxing, to help in eliminating karma and enhancing gong, how could a real cultivator refuse the offering with any excuse?
Gradually I began considering others more often, and looked into myself whenever there was a conflict. When anticipating Dafa activities, I would make pre-arrangements at best so that family matters would not be ignored. In daily life, I started to take care of many of house chores, boring and heavy chores. I also became more caring and concerned for my wife's needs, children's education, parents' living etc. I am constantly aware that my every deeds and words are best example of Fa principles. Whenever I forgot that, I would be reminded by family members instantly. They love to throw back at me what I said to them and I happily accept their reminders without feeling shamed. After five years of cultivation, I have changed greatly, my once very tense family has become harmonious, I have turned my family from a explosive frontier into a cultivating backyard. My wife still did not decide to practice Falun Dafa, but she is not against my participation in Dafa activities. Often she drives me to places herself. She has also participated some peripheral activities relating to Falun Dafa. It made me very happy for her that she expressed several times that she will start to practice Falun Dafa after she is retired and has more time. I believe if I continue to guard my xinxing with high standards, the day she starts to cultivate will come sooner.
At times when we are clarifying the truth to the public, I have had many discussions about the reality of persecution in China with my family. Sometimes, the discussion became very intense. I know in my heart that if I did not treat my family right, showing benevolence to sentient beings in my family, perhaps my family would not even listen to me. If that occurred then I am guilty because it would be my fault for pushing them away toward the old forces, in the end, their future would be jeopardized.
My wife and I have two upright and diligent children, I introduced Falun Dafa to them as soon as I started to learn. They read the book, and practiced for a while then somehow did not continue practicing. I felt very sorry for for them at times, Dafa passed them by. Later I thought to myself perhaps their time to cultivate has not come yet. I began teaching them through living the Fa's principles in daily life. Often I will discuss their problems from the heart showing my caring for them in every way. Gradually Dafa became formed deeply in their heart.
Nowadays, my children's moral standards and studies both are excellent. They also understand Dafa principles and the truth of the persecution to some extent. My daughter, through my encouragement often writes reports and essays about Falun Dafa. Recently she was going to write a midterm report for her "science and religion" course. I recommended to her an excellent science research paper written by Dr. Lili Feng. She wrote a report that could be well understood by the public. She used her father's extraordinary health as an example, discussing mind, body, and spiritual coherence, as well as Falun Dafa cultivation and holistic health. Her professor Dr. Morrison gave her an A and wote a comment on her paper saying, "I heard in the news about Falun Gong in China, and I enjoyed learning more about it!"
Before my son went to China for this past summer, I watched together with him the self immolation deception VCD to prepare him for the propaganda he might see in when he arrived in China. He did not believe anything the Chinese Government forced people to accept. On the contrary, he took the opportunity to tell relatives about the truth of the persecution. His pure words from being a child moved some adults more than his father could.
For a true cultivator, his/her family should be a real cultivation environment,
and for non practitioners in a cultivator's family, their family should be a truly benefiting environment. A cultivator who gives up sentimentality and nourishes family with benevolence can then cultivate self, family, neighbor, country and world.
2. Abandoning desire for fame and personal interest, doing own work with dedication
Before starting cultivation, I was the type of person that our Teacher describes in Zhuan Falun: "He can not eat well or sleep well, and he is afraid of losing this interest even in his dreams." What tiresome life I lived. After starting cultivation, guided by a high moral standard, I am slowly and surely abandoning a heart for fame and personal interest, doing good work without attaching to the results. I have many successes in my work with ease and joy. No matter how difficult and busy the work becomes, I am doing my job without any stress, keeping focused and with very high efficiency.
I work as scientist for a pharmaceutical company. After starting cultivation, I introduced Falun Dafa to many colleagues, discussed the facts of the persecution with them. Most people who know me know that I am Dafa cultivator. My each deed and word is noticeable to ordinary people's eyes. If I neglect something in my cultivation that is reflected in my deeds and words, people around me will be negatively affected. In the past five years, I have become very considerate to my coworker's feelings and interest, with Zhen San Ren in mind and actions, I am not afraid of hardship, tedium, sacrifice of my personal interest. I regard my work place as precious cultivation opportunities.
Recently, my division hired a temporary new college graduate. He was inexperienced and lacked a good work ethic. Other groups did not want him.When my boss asked me for my opinion, I knew if I did not want him he would be fired. So I suggested that my boss let him try out in my group. After he came to my group, I had a very sincere discussion with him, I pointed out the places where he needed to improve, and taught him personally with great patience. Gradually he was welcomed in my group as a good assistant. A few weeks ago, I recommended him for obtaining a full time position in another division of the company. This demonstrated a Dafa cultivator's heart not only to him but to all co-workers in my division.
Because I treat people around me with compassion, not burdened by personal fame and gain, my colleagues enjoy working with me and they are also more receptive to the true story of Falun Dafa helping them be saved.
In past five years, I have received a very good evaluation every year, twice received an Excellency Award and have been promoted twice. These accomplishments are of course not pursuits of a cultivator, but comes naturally and is the result of good cultivation in daily life. The facts prove again that it is Falun Dafa that gives people wisdom and strength to do well in their jobs with dedication. In the coming days, there will be more people who practice Falun Dafa cultivation, then our society will become prosperous and abundant in a new era of spiritual civilization.
3. With righteous thoughts and deeds validating " Falun Dafa is great" to all sentient beings.
Master Li told us at the Florida Fa conference:
"So in other words, when we clarify the truth to save them, we need to tailor it to the mindsets modern people have. This is because the extent to which today's people believe in Gods is very limited, the minimal level of morality acceptable to them is also very low..."
My understanding of the Fa principle is if you are saving people, first let them accept you and become friends with them. I have volunteered for many years in a Scientific Association in which majority of members are from Mainland China. After starting my cultivation, I once had the idea of giving up the volunteer work for the association in fear that too much time would be taken away from my cultivation. As the Fa-rectification progressed, I gradually realized that the 500 strong membership in the association, chapters around the country, and close relationships with scholars from China provide us with abundant opportunities to clarify the truth. So I treated this volunteer work with the same care as my own job, winning support from many members for my dedication and diligence. Every year I was re-elected as director of the executive committee, and I established some kind of network and good foundation among members for clarifying the truth.
Every August, the association organizes an annual conference that brings participation from 300 to 500 Chinese specialists. On August 7th, 1999, two weeks after Jiang launched the persecution against Falun Dafa, the 7th annual conference was held on a university campus, I brought lot of truth clarifying materials for people to take home to the conference. There were about four hundred of people in the conference including delegations from China, media and a Chinese consular official who had an opportunity to get know the true story of Falun Gong.
Since 1999, every year at the annual conference, I tried many different methods to bring Dafa materials to the people. During breaks and meal times I was telling people about the persecution in China and introducing them to the practice. I regarded the August of each year as a small test checking how well my cultivation was. Before the conference, I spent plenty of time to preparing the materials, purging my impure thoughts and various interference. I tried to keep myself at an optimum cultivation level. With righteous thoughts and deeds, wisdom and courage and without any attachment to results, I offered many people an opportunity to learn the truth.
This August annual conference, I was responsible again for registration. The night before the conference, I came back from a week long business trip. My plane landed at Newark airport at midnight. I went from the airport straight back to the company to pick up any advanced registration forms that arrived during the week and after I came home, I entered all registrations into the computer. It was already 2 am when I put all registrations together with Dafa materials I prepared earlier. I slept for only about 3 hours, and got up to practice in the morning. Then I drove to the conference, arrived there an hour earlier. I spread all Dafa materials and VCDs in the most noticeable areas of the recess lobby, and I was wearing a pin on my suit that radiates a voice from my heart " Falun Dafa is great!" With that, I received the almost four hundred participants. They were scholars and specialists from different parts of this country, from China, as well as people from the media and the Chinese consulate. Although only a minority of participants could speak directly with me, everyone noted my pin " Falun Dafa is great!" as soon as they walked into the gate, the first person to greet them was a Falun Dafa practitioner eager to tell them " Falun Dafa is great!" Some participants felt confused, some surprised, some shocked, some admiring, some avoiding, some shook my hand. I was busy helping them to register registration while communicating with them silently, my heart filled with benevolence and righteous thoughts, I could sense the enormous energy field that shocked one's soul. That night at the banquet, the Executive committee presented me with an Excellency Service Award for my selfless contribution to the organization over the past five years. With big applause from audience, I held the Award plaque above my head, verifying once again to sentient beings " Falun Dafa is great!"
