(Clearwidom.net) Before I obtained the Fa, I was clueless as to the meaning of life. I thought to live was to eat, drink and have fun. In 1996, I came down with a severe illness all of sudden. I had a high fever that wouldn't go away. One day I was in the middle of a sleep when a voice came to me and said, "Why wait and not start to practice cultivation today?" When I woke up, I thought, "What does it mean to practice cultivation?" While I was dumbfounded about the strange dream, my grandmother, who is a Falun Gong practitioner, came to visit me. She told me to hurry up and practice qigong. When I asked her what kind of qigong, she replied, "Falun Gong." It was as though something stroked my mind. I burst out in reply, "I shall do it!" I soon obtained Falun Gong books, and a Falun Gong exercise music tape and learned to practice the Falun Gong exercises.
Although I encountered some interference with my practice in the beginning, I was determined to do it. I believed then, as I do now, that Teacher will guide and help me as long as I am determined to be a genuine disciple. Next, I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences with fellow practitioners so that we may enhance our cultivation practice together.
1. Eliminate My Attachment to Sentimentality to Pass Xinxing Tests in the Family
Teacher said,
"The issue of cultivation practice is not child’s play" (Lecture Two of Zhuan Falun)
In my humble opinion, I must be a person of great predestined relationship to be able to practice Falun Gong. With that in mind, I must cherish this predestined opportunity more by eliminating human attachments formed during the past thousands of years of reincarnations and become a righteous cultivator.
When I first obtained the Fa, my husband was spiteful. He often fought with me and even attempted to tear up my collection of Falun Gong books. Fortunately I did my best in protecting the books. I am a Falun Gong cultivator that is supposed to conduct herself with Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance and to treat everyone with kindness. My husband's vicious behavior provided me with an excellent opportunity to cultivate these qualities. Besides, he is also a sentient being who deserves to be saved. I must treat him with compassion so as to awaken his conscience. I explained how Falun Gong had brought me physical and moral transformations, and the Fa principle that "with one person practicing, the whole family benefits."
Things made a 180-degree turn when I eliminated my attachment to sentimentality. My family atmosphere became harmonious and my cultivation environment improved. When I was studying the Fa or practicing Falun Gong exercises, my husband would cook or do the laundry in my stead. I would like to thank Falun Gong for harmonizing my family.
2. Being Released from the Detention Center on Account of My Righteous Thoughts and Actions
On the path of validating the Fa, I created loopholes, which the evil exploited. In the summer of 2006, I planned to go out with a fellow practitioner to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. My grandmother reminded me to send forth righteous thoughts before I took off, but I didn't want to keep the fellow practitioner waiting, so I hurried out without sending forth righteous thoughts. Once I arrived at the meeting location, I saw an out-of-town car. I walked closer to look at the license plate and identified the car to be from Changchun City, Jilin Province. I thought, "This man came from Teacher's hometown. I should clarify the truth to him." I approached him and started clarifying the truth without checking the surroundings first. The evil exploited my loophole. Soon the police arrived at the scene. I thought, "It's too late to regret. Now I must not have any fear."
As the police were pulling me to the car by my hair, I shouted, "Falun Gong is good! Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance is good! Falun Gong practitioners are kindhearted people. I am trying to save your life by clarifying the truth to you. I am your family. You must not use violence on me."
At the detention center, I refused to cooperate with the police because I had not committed any crime. Instead, I clarified the truth to them, told them about how wonderful Falun Gong is and explained the truth about the staged hate propaganda of the self-immolation act at Tiananmen Square. They ordered me to memorize the rules for inmates and to do slave labor, but I refused to comply. "I did not commit any crime. It is against the law for you to arrest me," I said. When they threatened to handcuff me, I sent forth righteous thoughts at heart and thought they must not find any handcuffs. I heard the policeman who threatened to handcuff me saying, "We cannot find any handcuffs." An inmate next to me praised me for emitting righteousness. I said, "I have no fear. My Teacher watches over me, so no one shall touch me."
I thought, "Since I have come here, I must clarify the truth about Falun Gong. I shall also go on a hunger strike to protest the illegal arrest and imprisonment." For 12 days in the detention center, I clarified the truth to the prison guards, on-site medical doctors, and prison inmates that watched me. All of them were all ears and nodded repeatedly when I clarified the truth to them. Even the head prison guard was interested in learning the truth. He would say, "Nameless person, come out and clarify the truth to me." (Because I refused to sign any document, no one knew my name.) I obliged and clarified the truth to him calmly. I explained to him the hoax of the self-immolation at Tiananmen Square. I advised him not to side with the evil any longer for he must think of his own future and he must prevent any karmic retribution upon his family. I asked him to watch and read the truth-clarification materials such as the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party when he goes home because all the truth lies in these materials. Because of the Fa's mighty power, the head prison guard never caused trouble again.
Because I had very powerful righteous thoughts every day, they were powerless over me. Finally, they decided to drive me home. They said, "We will now drive you home. Where do you live?" I replied, "You don't have to drive me home. Drive me to the market nearby and we will part our ways." During the ride, a policeman said, "Let's not arrest Falun Gong practitioners any longer. We did not make any money out of it. Instead, we have to pay for the expenses." The on-site medical doctor told me to pay attention to my personal safety when I spread the truth about Falun Gong. I am truly happy for these people for they have accepted the truth about Falun Gong.
Through this experience, I finally understood what Teacher means by "Dafa disciples' righteous thoughts are powerful." I was arrested because the evil exploited my scant righteous thoughts. It is because of Teacher's compassionate protection that I was released. Every time I think about this experience, I say to Teacher's photograph, "Only by validating the Fa well and continuously saving sentient beings will I be able to repay Teacher for my salvation."
3. Letting Go of Human Attachments and Saving Sentient Beings is My Mission
Teacher said,
"Another point is that everything Dafa disciples are doing right now is validating the Fa, because your understandings and improvement all come from the Fa." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference")
It is because of my human attachments that I sometimes failed to attain positive results when I did truth-clarification work. Teacher said,
"A cultivator cannot achieve Consummation when laden with human thoughts, laden with karmic debts, or laden with attachments." ("To the Chicago Fa Conference")
I must eliminate all of my human attachments and do well the three things that Teacher requires of us.
The people in China have been poisoned by the Chinese Communist Party's atheistic teachings. In order to break them out of their shells, I decided it would be more effective to say things that people can relate to. Once I clarified the truth to an elderly person and offered him a Falun Gong amulet as a gift. He refused the gift and told me that he was an atheist. I told him, "Think it over. Divine beings are besides us at all times. Divine beings watch over us from our childhood to our last years. You must believe in the existence of divine beings and they will protect you." Finally he smiled and accepted the amulet. He bid me farewell when we parted.
Once I clarified the truth to a man I believed to be a Chinese Communist Party official. I advised him to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party and its Youth League and Young Pioneer's League. He refuted, "Do you realize which age we are in right now? I cannot believe you are talking superstition." I explained, "It is perfect timing for the subject, because Heaven is about to annihilate the Chinese Communist Party for its numerous crimes. If you don't sever ties with the Chinese Communist Party, you are still part of it and will also face annihilation." He lowered his head, contemplating. Then he said, "Please help me withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party." At the time I had very powerful righteous thoughts, so I had the power to suppress his warped thoughts. In hindsight, the experience was the embodiment of Teacher's Fa: "The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities" (Lecture Three of Zhuan Falun)
For the past few years of validating the Fa, I feel deeply that we are not far from home as long as we believe in Teacher and the Fa at all times, have righteous thoughts and actions, and establish our mighty virtue.
