(Clearwisdom.net) It has been seven years since I learned Falun Dafa in October 1998. After I obtained the Fa, I read through the book Zhuan Falun again and again and studied all the lectures that Master taught. All the diseases I had, major or minor, disappeared without notice. On April 25, 2000 my whole family was especially touched when the gas tank at my home leaked from 9:00 p.m in the evening until 9:00 a.m. the next morning. We were all safe. It was a miracle.
In June 2000, I was arrested along with other fellow practitioners because we practiced the exercises in the public park. We were sent to a brainwashing class for more than a month. My Dafa books were taken away. Money was extorted from me, my salary was reduced, and so on. For almost three years, I just kept practicing the exercises and didn't know about the three things, therefore I didn't catch up with the Fa-rectification progress. Our benevolent Master doesn't want to leave any disciples behind. One day in October 2003, a fellow practitioner found me and gave me a new book, Essentials for Further Advancement II. He told me that he had been saving the book specifically for me and said, "Read the book carefully. You will understand!" After reading the book, I was very worried. I had been behind for so long. I immediately found Zhuan Falun and other Dafa books and learned how to send forth righteous thoughts. Thus I started to cultivate again.
Here I want to report and share my experiences regarding the three things to Master and fellow practitioners.
1. Study the Fa and Practice the Exercises
With the help of the fellow practitioners, I was able to get all the Dafa books. I study the Fa every day. Zhuan Falun is the main book that I read every day just like one must eat every day. I study Master's other lectures when I have time. I thought I must read more of the lectures that Master gave before July 20, 1999, since I was behind and must catch up on the teachings given during the personal cultivation period in order to follow the progress of Fa-rectification step by step under the guidance of Master.
In order to study the Fa, I tried to squeeze time from my sleeping time. I have an energy saving light in my room. The light is on all night. Whenever I wake up, I study and recite the Fa. Minghui Weekly always has many experience-sharing articles and many moving stories. One of them introduced an older lady who was over 60 years old. She was illiterate and had problems with her eyes. She had to take care of her husband who had cerebral thrombosis. The old lady would stand under the light to learn the words and study the Fa. In one year, she could recite Zhuan Falun.
I began to recite the Fa. I used my time in the morning and at lunchtime to recite the Fa. I recited several paragraphs in the morning before going to work, and then repeated them again and again on the way to work. I could recite them several times in 20 minutes. At work, I would find time to write them down from memory to strengthen them and to find anything missing. I also recited the new articles. I kept reciting them even if I did forget them later. Again and again, eventually I would remember them naturally. Master said, "A person is like a container, and he is whatever he contains." ("Melt Into the Fa" from Essentials For Further Advancement) When I melt myself in reciting the Fa, my mind and body feel so pure and wonderful and I feel like I am in another heaven and earth. Through reciting the Fa, I began to understand many issues that I didn't notice before. When I study the Fa, I read aloud in order to let all beings in my dimension hear as well. It can purify the dimension this way and I avoid getting sleepy during study.
Through studying the Fa, I realize how benevolent Master is, and how profound and broad the Buddha's Fa is. No matter how shallow or profound the questions one has, one will find the answers through studying the Fa. In "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Houston," a practitioner asked Master a question, "My husband passed away. I really miss him. How can I put down such a thought?" Because I had the same issue, I wrote down Master's answer for this question in a notebook. Whenever I started to have such thoughts, I would read the paragraph with the answer. Gradually I became calm and light hearted.
What does the new universe look like? Master said,
"There's Zhuan Falun at every level, the truths at each level are different, and the words inside appear different, and they're all the truth of the new cosmos at different levels. A lot of beings are reading it and assimilating themselves to it. The reason is, this is something that's never happened before even since extremely remote times, since the beginning of time in the cosmos, and it's something sentient beings never dared to think about, that is, being able to span such a large gap in history, since that history doesn't belong to any of the beings in the present cosmos. Everything in this history, and all beings in the cosmos that are living in this environment, and this history that provides for beings' existence in this environment, [will] truly enter the future that doesn't belong to this history, and it actually has nothing to do with them." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003")
Through studying the Fa, I realized why Master kept telling us to study the Fa more and to read the books more, and to encourage us to recite the Fa. The Fa principles are encompassed. When we study the Fa more, every speech, action or thought is in the Fa. Little by little we would be assimilated with Dafa and would enter the new cosmos naturally.
Through studying the Fa, many of my attachments have been eliminated. Distracting thoughts became less and less, and my mind became more stable. My older sister has been arrested many times for practicing Falun Gong. She had been detained, sent to forced labor camp and fined. At the beginning, my mind could not calm down and felt anxious and scared. Through further Fa study, I became more and more stable. Master said,
"Amidst your critical self-interests, are you moved? Amidst interpersonal mindgames, are you moved? When your friends or family suffer, are you moved? How do you weigh them? This is how difficult it is to be a practitioner!" (Zhuan Falun from the 2000 translation version)
We are the disciples of Master. We think of all the sentient beings in our hearts. We just do what we should do and allow no delay in doing the three things.
Master has suggested all along that we have group study and practice. We also set up a study group. Because everyone has different jobs and different working hours, we gather together irregularly to study the Fa, practice exercises, share experiences and exchange truth-clarifying materials. Gradually, we could understand from the Fa the issues occurring during cultivation. According to the conditions of my own cultivation and the local area, I wrote several articles that were all published on the Minghui website. Some were used for truth clarifying and some were published in Minghui Weekly. I know it is the support and encouragement for me from Master and fellow practitioners.
2. Correct Words
After Master's article, "Modification," was published, according to the requirement to correct the words [in Chinese], I made all the corrections to my Dafa books and also helped those practitioners who have no time or who are too old to do so. I feel it is an honor to do such holy work. It is part of the Master's Fa-rectification. Through correcting the words, I learned more of Master's Fa and gained a lot.
3. Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts
Sending forth righteous thoughts is to eliminate the evil in our own dimension as well as in the related dimensions. The more one studies the Fa, the less distracting thoughts one has, the purer one's mind, and therefore the more efficiently one can eliminate the evils in other dimensions. After studying the Fa, I indeed feel strength in sending forth righteous thoughts and I feel the energy around is very strong. When studying less and contacting ordinary people more, there will be more distracting thoughts when sending forth righteous thoughts, and some scenes in dealing with ordinary people will be replayed. However, as a Dafa disciple, we have to clarify the truth and validate Dafa. It is impossible not to deal with ordinary people because we cultivate in this way. To restrain the distractions, we must study the Fa and control all with our righteous thoughts. Besides, the intensity and time in sending forth righteous thoughts should be long and it should not be limited to just four times per day globally and four times in the evening locally. We should send forth righteous thoughts wherever we are and whenever we have time. If there isn't time, we should just repeat the two Fa-rectification verses. We should keep strong righteous thoughts at all times. Besides clarifying the truth, we should keep reciting the Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts, so the brain has no time to think of other things.
4. Clarify the Truth
Clarifying the truth is the golden key to saving sentient beings. I remember the first time I distributed truth-clarifying materials alone. Another fellow practitioner was supposed to go with me. I waited for her until dark but she didn't come. It gets dark earlier in the winter and it was already completely dark by 7:00 p.m. I thought I had to follow my own cultivation path, one way for one person.
After sending forth righteous thoughts at 7:00 p.m., I carried the truth-clarifying materials and started to head toward a nearby village. Although it was not far from my home, there was a river, a ditch, a wild land and a few graveyards along the way. If I didn't practice Dafa, no matter how, I would not dare to go alone. When I held my bicycle and walked on a small road, it was already completely dark in front of me and I couldn't see anything behind me, I could see the small village where I lived was so bright with all the lights. I put down my thoughts and determined, no matter what, that I would go by myself and I must take the first step. I asked Master to help me on my way there. Finally I arrived at the village and distributed the truth-clarifying materials. On my way back, I walked along a small quiet county road. The road was so bright stretching out in front of me. I knew it was Master encouraging me and lighting up the road for me to go back home. I was really moved.
At present, the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party is a sharp sword to dissolve the CCP. Heaven wants it eliminated. We should follow the cosmic climate to promote the Nine Commentaries to people. First we should read it and try to remember and understand it so we can use the contents to clarify the truth. I often watch the CD of the Nine Commentaries and never watch the CCP's TV programs. Promoting the Nine Commentaries is to eliminate the evil and let more people know the truth about Dafa as soon as possible, therefore it's to save them. I try to talk about the Nine Commentaries to different people and have mailed it to different people. Sometimes I talk more. If there isn't much time, I may just recite its subtitles. To the number of people who "Quit the CCP and Its Related Organizations" published on the internet, I personally feel it is not enough and far from what Master requires. Although we are not seeking results and we just do it out of our compassion and kindness, if people truly understand the truth, they will quit, quit sooner, and more will quit. We haven't done well. Our task is still very heavy and difficult. If we can save one person, many sentient beings will be saved through him. No matter how, we should continue to study the Fa more. Master's Fa rectifies everything. As Master's disciples, if we are not sluggish and downhearted, and if every thought is on the Fa, our righteous thoughts and energy will be able to eliminate all unrighteous factors during clarifying the truth. The right side and the understanding side of people will play a role, and therefore people will understand the truth of Dafa and say goodbye to the evil party. They will be saved.
No matter what we say, we must remember Master's words,
"While saving sentient beings, don't forget to cultivate yourselves. (Applause) You need to do all of the three things." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference")
In order to cultivate oneself, well, one must study the Fa and every thought should be on the Fa. It is essential to do well on the three things.
Recalling the past seven years of my cultivation, I had been lost and left behind, and suffered different setbacks. It is our benevolent Master who did not give up on me and pulled me along step by step. I am very grateful to Master. As a disciple, I can't return such mighty benevolence. I will do well on each step of the cultivation path, walking on the righteous path, not be downhearted, and become more diligent. I will treasure this most magnificent chance in trillions of years and assist Master in Fa-rectification to fulfill the grand vows we made before history.
My understanding is very shallow. I haven't done enough on the three things. Please point out anything improper.
February 2, 2006
