(Clearwisdom.net) I'm a young practitioner who works and lives alone in Beijing. I learned Falun Gong about six months ago. My mother is also a practitioner, but because we do not live in the same city, we have limited opportunities to share experiences.
I have not met any practitioners in Beijing, but through visiting the Clearwisdom.net website, I understand that practitioners worldwide have been cultivating together as one body. Although my level of understanding is very limited, I wish to share my recent experiences with fellow practitioners. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
First, I'd like to share my recent experience of Fa study in early April.
I often listen to Teacher's lectures on my way to work. One morning, I might have pushed the wrong button on my MP3 player, as it skipped to the chapter of "Loss and Gain." At that moment I thought that since they were all Teacher's lectures, I might as well listen to it, so I continued listening to that lecture with a pure heart. The same evening on my way home I came across a big xinxing test. My ex-boyfriend, whom I split up with at the beginning of last year, saw me at the subway station. He followed me onto the train and spoke harshly to me until the next stop, using filthy and mean words. At that time my heart was not moved and I did not say a word to him. I kept looking into his eyes with tranquility and calmness, hoping he would calm down and not lose his temper. I was also worried about him, thinking that if he exploded like this when he saw me, then he must not be in the right frame of mind on a regular basis. After one stop, he was pulled off the train by his friend.
Several days after this incident, I realized that a practitioner must guard his or her xinxing, and behave according to Teacher's requirements.
Looking back at my cultivation path over the last six months, I noticed that, in a short period of time, I have encountered many tribulations, both large and small. I realized there was a common factor -- whenever I pass the tests with ease, it is because I studied the Fa diligently; and whenever I commit mistakes or knowingly failed the test, it is because I became idle in Fa study.
In reality, Teacher pulled me up and gave me a nudge to overcome that particular tribulation. Through this one incident, Teacher taught me the importance of studying the Fa well. I now understand that only through studying the Fa well, remembering the Fa in my heart every single moment, treating myself as a practitioner, and constantly asking myself to assimilate to the Fa's principles, am I able to do the things that are required of me as a cultivator. In "Genuine Cultivation" from "Hong Ying", Version B, Teacher says, "The heart harbors Zhen-Shan-Ren, Falun Dafa forms; Constantly cultivate xinxing, Consummation - wonderful without limits."
In addition, I'd like to talk about the time for Fa study. I used to study the Fa after work, before I go to bed, but the result was not very good. Now that there is a set time for nationwide group practice, I feel calm and clearheaded in between the period after sending forth righteous thoughts at around 6:30 a.m. and before work at around 8:00 a.m. The results of Fa study are better this way. For those who work on a daily basis, they may face interference in regards to Fa study time. But as long as one can plan it carefully, one can find a suitable time for Fa study.
Second, I'd like to share my thoughts on "sending forth righteous thoughts." From my own experience, although I've never seen scenes in other dimensions, while sending forth righteous thoughts (SFRT), I notice very clearly that as long as I SFRT at the global set times, my environment is better than when I don't SFRT properly. There is less interference with my Fa study, I'm able to get up early to practice the exercises, and I have more opportunities to clarify the truth. These experiences constantly remind me that it is very important to do the things Teacher requires of us.
I would also like to share the following with practitioners in Beijing. Teacher said in, "Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference,"
"It's not that Beijing Dafa disciples are not doing a good job. As you know, the largest amount of evil forces is concentrated in Beijing, so in terms of the effectiveness of clarifying the facts and the state of the practitioners, things there definitely lag behind other places. It's not because the practitioners are lacking, but rather, that the evil forces are greater there and are more concentrated there. With the comprehensive destruction of more and more of the evil, the Dafa disciples in Beijing will not fall behind or be lacking compared to disciples in other places. That's for sure."
My understanding is that we have not done well, and Teacher is compassionately hoping that we can be more diligent. In the same lecture, Teacher also mentioned,
"It's not about having different karma or different requirements, and it is definitely not about different predestined connections. It has to do with the different vows you made at the beginning. Dafa disciples are one body, and it is the same wherever you are--the progress of Fa-rectification is synchronized." ("Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference")
After reading articles by practitioners from other areas expressing their wish to help Beijing practitioners while sending forth righteous thoughts, I felt grateful and yet ashamed. If Beijing is the place we chose when we made our vows to assist Teacher with Fa-rectification, and because there are more evil beings here, then we should collectively eliminate them. That is our mission and it is something we must do. If we feel there is too much pressure or are afraid and do not dare to do too much truth-clarification work, at least we should constantly maintain "strong righteous thoughts" to thoroughly eliminate the evil beings in the Beijing area.
Teacher said in Zhuan Falun, "When you hear me say that it takes time, you might say that Teacher has told us to take time, and so you will take time in doing so. That will not be permitted!" (Zhuan Falun, 2000 Version) Every day at 12:00 noon is the company-designated lunch break. I used to go to lunch with my co-workers at 12:00 noon, because I did not want my co-workers to notice that I'm different. But each person needs to walk their own path, so now I go to lunch at 12:30 p.m. or a bit later, and utilize the time to concentrate my mind to send forth righteous thoughts.
Third, I'd like to discuss clarifying the truth.
I have not done well in this respect, and am often very confused. I used to think that the difficulty that I ran into was because of the mentality of the people that I came in contact with. These people are well educated and earn high salaries; they are deeply poisoned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and have benefited greatly from it. Most people are indifferent when I clarify the truth to them. Even if they know that it is true, they still have this, "So what! What does it have to do with me," kind of attitude. When I talk about the "three withdrawals," (withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party, the Youth League and the Young Pioneers) they disagree with me even more. These people are atheist, and some consider themselves to be assertive and clearheaded, and do not like that I clarify the truth to them with an "I know it all" attitude.
Then I read the Clearwisdom Editor's article entitled, "One Should Search Within Oneself When Swayed"
(http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/5/16/85690.html). It says that, in order to find sentient being's problems, one has to clarify the truth with a focus. I suddenly remembered the Fa principle of "looking inward," and realized my complaints in the past were incorrect. I blamed the sentient beings for my inability to save them, because I did not examine the shortcomings in my xinxing and the remaining poisonous elements in my thoughts. Their inability to accept the truth reflects problems within myself, such as the attachments of showing off and competitiveness. I've always been aggressive and ambitious, and I often want to show off my intelligence, knowledge, and unique way of thinking. If I don't get rid of these attachments, how can I clarify the truth well?
Another attachment is the pursuit of an easy and comfortable life; actually, this is the root of my attachments. It is the cause of my problems and the main reason that is blocking my inability to clarify the truth face-to-face.
I never thought that such a horrible attachment existed - the pursuit of an easy and comfortable life - until yesterday, when I read Teacher's lecture, "Towards Consummation."
"Studying the Fa with attachments is not true cultivation. Yet during the course of cultivation a person may gradually become aware of his fundamental attachments, rid himself of them, and thus meet the standard for a cultivator." (Essentials for Further Advancement II)
The words at the beginning of this lecture directly pointed out my problems. I felt ashamed and mortified when I dug out the root of my attachment.
If it were not for my impure heart, which barely met the standard of a cultivator, the coworkers whom I clarified the truth to would not have had indifferent attitudes. Their attitudes were the reflection of the indifference that was deep in my heart.
Now I often and diligently get rid of xinxing problems as they manifest. Only when we cultivate well can we save sentient beings.
Recently, when I clarified the truth to someone, I reminded myself not to behave the way I used to and to keep a righteous mind, so that the sentient being could be saved. Because, if I thought that I could not persuade the person, then I would be helping the evil. First, I found a suitable opportunity to segue naturally to the topic and opened up the discussion, then I figured out what the other person thought, and finally I discussed with him information that I had obtained through different channels and what my conclusions were based on this information. This made it easy for the other person to accept. Although I did not talk about the "three withdrawals," I'm certain that I can naturally mention it next time. By including some truth-clarification materials, and guarding my xinxing, I believe sentient beings will choose what is good and wonderful.
Although I have not done enough, I have gathered some experience talking to people who earn a high income. This type of person has complicated thoughts. Therefore we need to be patient. We should discuss the topics and exchange ideas with them, and find out what their core concerns are. Then we can use many examples to open up the discussion accordingly. Such people also tend to be profit oriented, so we should treat them righteously and compassionately, and let them know that the ability to tell right from wrong is related to each individual's moral character and dignity. Thus, one should not be indifferent to all things in life. Since the essence of life is good, they will naturally make the correct choice. In order to solve any problem, first we need to study the Fa well. Dafa is the basis of all things, and when we cultivate our hearts we should be diligent all the time, not just when we clarify the truth. We should also read all kinds of material, especially the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and the Disintegration of the Communist Party's Culture. Only when we read it repeatedly can we cleanse ourselves and remember large amounts of information, and clarify the truth skillfully. We should not just hand them the above-mentioned material and have them read it at home. The truth is that people seldom read it after they take it home. It's best that we untie the knots in their heart when we talk to them, and allow their true nature to be revealed. Then they will take the initiative to read the truth-clarification materials.
According to my experience, clarifying the truth in person is a very important way of saving sentient beings, it is also an essential cultivation method for ourselves. For the moment, this is the only method that I use to clarify the truth, as there are still many predestined sentient beings around me that are waiting for me to talk to them. I will try my best to do it. I also plan to use other truth-clarification methods, such as writing truth-clarification messages on paper money.
Above is my experience sharing. It was not easy to write a sharing article, and I had to rewrite it several times. I understand the importance of writing an experience sharing article. It helps us recognize many of our attachments. From now on, I will diligently follow Teacher's instructions and cultivate with fellow practitioners, and become a true Fa-rectification Dafa practitioner.
Since I've only been practicing for a short period of time, my level of understanding is very limited. Please kindly point out any inappropriateness, and let's elevate ourselves and advance together.
