(Clearwisdom.net) Although I have not done anything spectacular or very touching, as other practitioners are said to have done, I have walked my cultivation with determination. I had stumbled at times and am ashamed about many shortcomings I have harbored.
Despite not being a perfect practitioner, I wish to share how I have walked my cultivation path with righteous thoughts and actions, alongside fellow practitioners. I want to share the shortcomings that were exposed, how I improved my understanding, and how I have kept up with the Fa-rectification progress. I am giving my best effort, so I do not disappoint Teacher and the expectations from sentient beings.
I am Fortunate to have Obtained the Fa
In 1998, I had a very difficult time. I had become aware of the rapid decline in moral standards, and found that concern for others and trust among people had disappeared. My husband was having an extramarital affair. My once happy family fell apart in an instant. My spirit hit an all time low and I was on the verge of total collapse. The pressures of my broken family, the children's schooling, and the mental burden concerning the public's opinion put a great burden on me. I was fortunate to obtain Dafa at this critical time. Teacher and Dafa rescued me from death's door. I am grateful to Teacher and Dafa.
Dafa answered many of my questions, addressed my doubts and helped me understand life's mysteries. Although I had seen all the filthy things in society, I still tirelessly pursued and yearned for answers to my questions. I probed and struggled, and finally I became seriously ill. Now I understand that I was not in control, and that everything has a predestined relationship. I often wondered when looking up to heaven why there was no standard or boundary in human society. When we observe human society, we see people's pursuits based on self-interest and see that they frequently do bad things. Moral standards have disappeared.
Teacher had said that we came to this human world for Dafa and had suffered countless hardships during all of our reincarnations. The more I read Zhuan Falun the less I want to put it down. I weep with joy when I read it and I feel that I cannot part with it. I read it day and night. I forget to eat and sleep, and it is as if I have found a rare treasure. I knelt and bowed to Zhuan Falun and said, Teacher, I have just realized that there is a pure land for me to stand on and there is a standard for mankind. This is the law of heaven I have been looking and waiting for. This characteristic of the universe, "Truthfulness- Compassion-Forbearance," is the sole criterion to determine whether a person is good or bad. I seem to understand everything, and I have become a different person.
After I began my Dafa cultivation, I lived by the standard "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." These principles guided me in my practice. I was strict with myself and diligently cultivated xinxing. I searched within when a problem arose and thought of others first. I tried to be kind to all people. My mind calmed down and I changed my own perceptions, so I could purify my mind and body. I became a better person. My husband and I resolved our differences and we again had a peaceful life. My surrounding environment and my body changed greatly. All of my illnesses disappeared. It was Teacher who gave me a second life. The miraculous power of Dafa brought happiness to my family and harmony to the society that surrounded us. My entire family believed that Dafa was good and Teacher was good.
Dafa Brings Harmony to All Sentient Beings
Teacher said,
"I often say that if all a person wants is the well-being of others and if this is without the slightest personal motivation or personal understanding, what he says will move the listener to tears." ("Clearheadedness" in Essentials for Further Advancement)
I unceasingly improved my understanding of the Fa and thus became more and more selfless. I treated my husband as a sentient being. I maintained my xinxing and controlled my every single thought. Before I began cultivating, I constantly criticized him. After reading the fourth lecture of Zhuan Falun, my xinxing level increased and my mentality improved greatly. I held righteous thoughts and benevolently clarified the truth to him. I told him of the miraculous and magnificence of Dafa. I told him that Teacher had said that everyone had been born for the glory of Dafa and that it was not easy to be born as a human. I explained that teacher ignores all the mistakes everyone has made, and that one is a good person if he or she assimilates into Dafa. Teacher saves sentient beings with compassion. I asked my husband that if I didn't cultivate Dafa, would we have reconciled our differences? Teacher told us to treat every sentient being with kindness. My husband was so touched that he couldn't help but shed tears. He deeply regretted his conduct and admitted his mistake. He expressed his wish to learn Dafa. After reading Zhuan Falun several times, he understood the wrongness of what he had done and admitted that his main consciousness was weak. He said Zhuan Falun was very good and it taught people to be good. With my urging, he faced Teacher's picture and admitted his mistake. His entire body shook and he was in tears. He also helped me clarify the truth and urge people to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
I had clarified the truth to my husband's family and urged people to renounce the evil Chinese Communist Party and its associated organizations. I always took gifts when visiting my husband's family. When my husband found out about it, he was very moved. When his family maligned me behind my back, he said, "I will not have you talk bad about her. She is a good person. Everything that happened was my fault. Even though I compensated her twice, I still hold great guilt in my mind for my actions." He always told people that Falun Dafa was good and he recited "Falun Dafa is good" every day. Gradually, he became a better person. The changes in my husband made his family respect me more. They knew what he had done, and yet I still treated him with kindness. They understood that if I didn't practice Falun Gong I couldn't have treated the situation with such compassion and tolerance. They all said Falun Gong was really good.
Because of this situation, I understood about Teacher's compassion even more and that the Buddha Fa is boundless. The magic power of Dafa had shown itself to my family. Falun Dafa can perfectly harmonize everything. All sentient beings will live in harmony because of Dafa.
Persuading People to Renounce the CCP and its Associated Organizations Must Begin with Our Own Understanding
Dafa practitioners of the Fa-rectification period hold significant responsibility in carrying out their historical mission. Since the publication of "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World," and the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, I understood the significance and urgency of our responsibilities much better.
I began with clarifying the truth to my relatives, friends and people I had associated with. However the result was disappointing. Nothing seemed to go smoothly. Wherever I turned there was an obstacle. One of my former co-workers, whom I hadn't seen in years, told me that she didn't believe anything I told her. When I called or went to see another co-worker, she said that she didn't have time. She didn't even open the door. She pretended she was sleeping, and had a blanket over her head. Her family happened to return home and invited me into their home. I patiently tried to find out why she was not willing to listen to me. I found out that she held great fear. I clarified the truth to her, told her about the prophecies, and about the heaven giving warning through disasters. I told her that it was ordained by heaven that when one dynasty ended another one would replace it. I told her that the CCP had done so many evil things that heaven would destroy it, and that Heaven's law couldn't be disobeyed. I pointed to the many natural and man-made calamities reported on TV. Quitting the CCP would ensure her safety, that bad things wouldn't happen to her, and that she would not be eliminated. It was to her benefit and she needed to make her choice. I told her everything. She knew Falun Dafa was good and she wasn't against it. I told her she had nothing to be afraid of. People all said that the Communist Party was their mother. If it was his or her mother, why then was everyone so scared of it? Why would any mother frighten her children? Isn't that evil? The CCP perpetrated fearful events to frighten kind citizens and to hide the truth. They took away the right to know the truth. Isn't this worse? I asked her to think about it carefully and if it wasn't a good thing that I told her all of this? I told her also that whether or not to withdraw was her choice.
She said, "I know what you said is right. The CCP is no good. Who is not cursing it? Falun Gong is good, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people practicing it. But somehow I am just afraid. We are good friends. You leave now and try to be careful." We can see that the CCP has poisoned people's minds to such a degree.
People don't know right from wrong. I felt miserable. I went to talk to a fellow practitioner. She was nearly 60 years old and had slipped on an icy road and severely hurt herself. When I saw what had happened, I was awakened by what Teacher said,
"Rest momentarily for self-reflection, add righteous thoughts. Analyze shortcomings explicitly, advance again whole-heartedly." (from "Be Rational, Awaken," in Hong Yin II, provisional translation subject to improvement)
Both of us realized that something was not right. How else could she slip and be hurt? We recognized that we had omissions. Therefore, we looked within to find our shortcomings.
I also calmed down and looked within for my shortcomings concerning truth clarification. I found that my inadequacy came from my eagerness to do things. I didn't study the Fa calmly and seriously. I didn't improve my understanding of the Fa, and only put emphasis on sending forth righteous thoughts. I was eager to ask people to withdraw from the CCP before I finished reading the Nine Commentaries. I carried the notion of "finishing a task" and didn't do things based on the Fa, so my words didn't carry the power of the Fa. Teacher has hinted many times, yet we still did not enlighten to it. When we don't emphasize studying the Fa, this kind of situation will happen. We had too many human notions and didn't consider ourselves cultivators, and didn't have righteous thoughts. After reading the Nine Commentaries repeatedly, we discovered that we were
not strict with ourselves or were not guided in our cultivation based on Dafa, therefore our understanding of the Fa was hindered. When we filtered our every thought, our minds became clear and we held strong righteous thoughts.
We need to eliminate the exposed human notions, attachments and ideas that we hold tightly to ourselves. These aren't part of us. We need to eliminate all poisonous thoughts embedded in our minds and bodies by the evil party and completely deny and eliminate the old forces' evil arrangements. We need to always remain clearheaded and not deviate from the principles of Dafa. We need to understand the Fa based on the Fa principles to hold righteous thoughts and righteous actions. Then we'll be able to walk well on the path arranged by Teacher, do the three things well and not disappoint sentient beings, and save more beings.
After improving my understanding, I distributed the truth clarifying materials to each family, and chose the information based on their backgrounds. I strictly took the Fa as teacher and was strict with myself. I held righteous thoughts and righteous actions. I sent forth righteous thoughts to clear my own space and other dimensions. I eradicated all evil elements existing in the space of the people who had received the truth clarifying materials. I asked for Teacher's help and distributed the truth clarifying material calmly, wisely, and safely.
After some time, I went out to urge people to quit the CCP and its associated organizations. The result was very satisfactory. They expressed their desire to withdraw from the party. One of them was a policeman. I suggested that he tell his family, relatives and friends. I told him that he would be rewarded with good fortune in the future and that he shouldn't neglect his family. He said repeatedly that he would take my advice. He was convinced. He told me that he had told his wife that what Falun Gong people said was reasonable and the CCP should have been eradicated long ago. He said, "The CCP was involved in all the corrupt and illegal things, because they hold the power." He also told me that they had meetings during the last two days to "preserve the advanced nature of party members." Once, they were told to answer questions as to whether they or any of their family members were practicing Falun Gong. He said angrily, "What is the matter? The CCP is about to be eradicated. They no longer have the right to speak about Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong practitioners are in a dire situation. Many people are without jobs. Inequality between the wealthy and poor grows more and more pronounced. Things are in chaos. People do not have money to see a doctor when they are sick. They are not allowed to practice Falun Gong to stay healthy. I know Falun Gong practitioners are good people. I had contact with them while they were in prison and knew they could speak well and they were of excellent character. When we tried to "reform" them, they were reforming us instead. I said we don't do the bad things any more to avoid retribution. Falun Gong will be rehabilitated sooner or later. There will have to be an explanation for everything in the future. If we look at all the political movements in China, was there any one which was not bad?"
I told him that since his child wasn't home, he had to talk to him when he returned home. It was terrible if he missed the chance to save him. I had realized that many parents were faced with a mental block when they heard that even children needed to quit the CCP and associated organizations. I told them that they needed to change their understandings. If they wanted to have good things and be saved, they also had to help their children. He said he'd do it.
Though in the beginning we didn't expect ordinary people to help us, they can now help us spread the truth, as Teacher had mentioned before. Every time when I finished clarifying the truth, I would tell them not to forget to quit the CCP, and to tell their families about quitting the CCP. I asked them to let everyone know how such an action would benefit them. When the natural and man-made calamities strike, they wouldn't be harmed. After a few days, I went to visit the child-care center and found the policeman's child. I first sent forth righteous thoughts. As I just began to talk, the child said happily, "No problem. I will quite the CCP." Now, all three had quit the CCP and its associated organizations.
Now I thoroughly understand what Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago,"
"The only thing you have a role in is saving people."
When our minds are in the Fa and hold righteous thoughts and righteous action, things will work out all right,
"After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!" (Zhuan Falun)
The importance of studying the Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts can be seen if we are diligently studying the Fa. Our every thought needs to be guided by the Fa. We need to recognize things based on the Fa every moment, be strict with ourselves, and eliminate human attachments. Teacher told us,
"Examine each and every deed; accomplishing is cultivating." ("Solid Cultivation" from Hong Yin)
When we immerse ourselves in the Fa, our power is as powerful as our righteous thoughts.
I found my shortcomings. I improved my understanding and let go of human attachments. I negated the interference forced upon me by the old forces. I wanted to be diligent in my cultivation and eliminate all shortcomings. Because of diligently studying the Fa, I realized the responsibility and importance of saving sentient beings. It needed a solid foundation. We all create our own environments. After I improved my understanding, I felt more relaxed. I constantly maintained righteous thoughts and righteous actions. I hold the thought that I won't leave anyone behind who has a predestined relationship.
When I buy groceries at the market, I clarify the truth to people. I first send forth righteous thoughts and regard myself as a cultivator. Sometimes I am able to persuade several people at the market. I don't miss anyone. Teacher told us that we could do things selectively, in a good and upright way. Whenever possible, two of us work together. One sends forth righteous thoughts while the other clarifies the truth. Depending on people's situation, we use the wisdom given to us by Dafa to clarify the truth. The result is often very good. Sometimes we consult with each other. One asks a question, while the other gives the answer. We improve in our ability to clarify the truth and thus our success rate is very high.
While in public places, such as the bus, because talking isn't possible, we do not try to clarify the truth. We just send forth righteous thoughts to eradicate the evil elements, and we ask Teacher to strengthen us in order to save them. When we raised our understanding on the Fa, we were able to persuade people to withdraw more easily. We need to study the Fa with calm minds and be guided by the Fa in our cultivation, so we will be able to save sentient beings at the critical juncture and do well in the three things. It is the essential ingredient for raising our levels.
Looking back over the Fa-rectification process of the last six years, I realized that Dafa cultivation is a very serious matter and it has broad and profound implications. It has given us the mission of saving sentient beings, and given us great responsibility. Under Teacher's benevolent protection, we are able to walk the path to where we are today. There is still much we could write about, but we only have limited space.
I'm certain that I will keep up with the Fa rectification process and strictly take the Fa as teacher. I will remain clearheaded and take the Fa as my constant guide. We need to elevate ourselves as a group, as we have limited time. We have to assimilate completely to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We shall not wait for or depend on others. Let us work together and reach what Lao Zi said, "When a wise person hears the Tao, this person will practice it diligently." (Zhuan Falun) I will cultivate with dignity and save more sentient beings that were poisoned by the lies. Let us accomplish our grand vows made before history as one body, "The closer to the end, the more diligent we should be."
