(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, Master!
Greetings, Fellow Practitioners!
I am a practitioner from Oakland, and I obtained Falun Dafa in Mainland China in 1997. Under the protection and guidance of revered Master, I have gone through thirteen extraordinary years in cultivation, gradually stepping out of humanness. I have learned so much, and I would like to share with you some of my experiences. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
How I Obtained the Fa
I still remember the day when I received the most precious book Zhuan Falun. It was in July 1997. The first time I came across this book, I experienced a powerful current in my body which felt unspeakably comfortable. Ever since then, I have had a predestined relationship with Dafa
When I encountered the book, I could hardly put it down. Reading it tirelessly, I felt great changes inside my body. While reading I could hear a rumbling sound in my body once in awhile, and felt relaxed and comfortable afterwards. It was like that for twelve consecutive days. Each day I also did the exercises. After I finished the book both my mind and body completely changed. I became a new person, healthy and refreshed.
In the past I had many illnesses, including gallbladder inflammation, stomach trouble, hepatitis, etc. Due to my illnesses I was weak, in a lot of pain, and I almost lost hope for life. The inflammation in my gallbladder was especially torturous. For more than forty years I took all kinds of medication and was hospitalized numerous times, bringing great trouble to my wife and family. After about ten days, while reading Zhuan Falun, and without access to any pills and injections, all my illnesses disappeared. How amazing and wonderful! I was moved to tears and thank Master in my heart for his great salvation!
At the beginning of Zhuan Falun, Master tells us in Lunyu,
"'The Buddha Fa' is most profound; among all the theories in the world, it is the most intricate and extraordinary science."
This experience of mine has validated the truth of the above statement. Dafa is indeed both wonderful and profound, and is the real science that I have been looking for all my life!
I'll tell a few more amazing stories of my cultivation in Falun Dafa.
I No Longer Need Eyeglasses
We all know how important our eyesight is and that we should protect such a precious thing. In my fifties I had gained rich work experience and was shouldering great responsibilities, yet my eyesight decreased drastically. I had a 360 degree presbyopia, and without eyeglasses I could not read books or work. How troublesome it was! To make life easier, I purchased several pairs of eyeglasses and put them at home, in the office, and many other places. Despite all this, I sometimes had difficulty finding them, which hindered my normal work and study.
One day after I began practicing Falun Dafa I was about to study the Fa, but couldn't find my glasses! I was very anxious initially and then I realized that I am a practitioner and that I should calm down so as to find a solution. I thus pacified my mind and thoughts for a while. A place popped up in my mind where my eyeglasses might be, and I went directly there but still did not find them. I was lost in thought and didn't know what to do. I suddenly enlightened that Master has given me a hint that I no longer needed eyeglasses! I was quite sure of this understanding, so I started to recite Lunyu. After I finished, I calmly opened Zhuan Falun and the words in the first chapter were clearly visible:
"Genuinely Guiding People Toward High Levels"
Wow! I could see the golden Fa and I no longer needed eyeglasses! I was very excited and couldn't help but thank Master again and again. For the first time, I was able to read the whole chapter without glasses. After that I no longer needed the glasses at all, and as time passed my eyesight improved. Gradually I could read even the fine print of Chinese and English characters.
There were, however, relapses during the process. Sometimes I would become too happy, doubtful, or not too sure, and then I would run into problems and could not see again. For example, one day I went to a practitioner's home for group study. As soon as I stepped in, a thought flashed in my mind that it was too dark. Because of this thought, I had a hard time thereafter. Wasn't the thought itself implying that my eyesight was not good enough? As a result, I could hardly see a character that night while studying the Fa. I understood that it was because of my suspicion that I encountered this tribulation. After this incident, I had a deeper understanding of Master's profound teaching in Chapter One of Zhuan Falun, "One's gong level is as high as one's xinxing level."
Studying the Fa without eyeglasses, how convenient it is! Thank you, Master! Thank you for compassionately saving me!
Cultivation Depends on One's Own Efforts, While the Transformation of Gong is Done by One's Master
I will share a story about making posters to clarify the truth of Falun Dafa.
A poster is a very good tool to tell people about the real situation of Falun Dafa, since the message it sends out is direct, simple, and easy to understand. Ever since the second half of 2000, we have bought equipment to make truth-clarification posters. We have made several thousand posters so far.
To make a poster, one needs a large drafting machine, a laminator, a computer, paper and ink, etc. Because this work can clarify the truth and save people, I am happy to devote a lot of time to do it. I used to do theoretical work and was not good at manual labor, but with Master's help, I was able to start designing and making a poster in a short time. Since we still have human notions and attachments, various kinds of interference are bound to appear. Thus the process of making a poster is also a process of cultivation and helps upgrade xinxing. When I didn't have strong righteous thoughts, interference from other dimensions tended to take place. With strong righteous thoughts, however, interference can be eliminated.
The Falun Dafa General Assistance Center once decided to hold a large event in Portsmouth Square in San Francisco Chinatown. It was an urgent decision and I had only one and a half days to make the posters. Despite the tight schedule, I was glad to take on the task and was determined to do it well.
After a whole busy day of selecting materials and editing words in both Chinese and English, I was ready to print the poster and felt quite happy. However, when I checked the ink box, I was shocked. Three out of the four ink boxes were almost empty, and there were no extra ones at home. I couldn't drive, and even if I could, there was no time to buy more. What should I do? I was under great pressure, and I realized that any self-criticism would not help at the moment. I should calm down to find a solution. In Essentials for Further Advancement II Master told us in "Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s),"
"...just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations."
So, I calmed down and started to recite Lunyu, "'The Buddha Fa' is most profound..." After I finished reciting it, my heart became open and bright. I immediately decided to do two things, which were to ask Master for help and to strengthen sending forth righteous thoughts. It was 5:00 p.m. Already, and we needed the posters by noon the next day.
I knelt down in front of Master's photo and pleaded, "Dear Master, we have seven posters to print for tomorrow's large truth-clarification event, and there is not enough ink at the moment. Please help me out. Thank you!"
Then I talked to the drafting machine and said, "Hi, please help and do not be disturbed by other factors. Please print out all seven posters, as you're helping save sentient beings, too. Please cherish this opportunity to do such a good deed. Thank you!" Then I set up the machine and sat down to send forth righteous thoughts for thirty minutes. I felt so tranquil at that moment--I had never experienced such purity and righteousness before in my mind. I then confidently pressed the "print" button, and ten minutes later, posters started to come out one by one. After 35 minutes, I had all seven posters with clear images. I couldn't help shedding tears. How amazing it was! It must be due to help from the gods. Thank you, Master! Thank you, printer and computer! Thank you very much!
My wife and I then laminated the posters and cut, pasted, and framed them. We finished the whole process by 1:00 a.m. We provided the truth-clarification posters in time for the event.
This was a relatively outstanding experience. In fact, similar situations happened quite often, too. So each time before making a poster, I would clear up my mind to keep righteous thoughts and treat the task as one of the three things Master told us to do. It is for saving sentient beings, so we cannot be careless. Each time I made a poster I said hello to my computer, drafting machine, and so on, and thanked them after job was done.
Of course, I know in my heart that all is done by our great Master. "Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master." Thank you, Master!
The Story of My Leg
In assisting Master in Fa rectification, I have had amazing experiences with my leg. Because of my legs, I was able to attend almost all the big Fa-rectification activities in the Bay Area. In the past few years my wife and I have traveled almost non-stop in the US, from the west coast to the east coast, from the north to the south.
Whenever I was walking, however, I would feel pain in my right calf. It was so painful that I could hardly bear it, but when I stayed home it was okay. Sometimes I thought that maybe my previous life was one of the eight deities, Tieguai Li (a cripple with the last name Li)! Although Tieguai Li was crippled, his leg didn't hurt, right?
I once participated in an "April 25" parade in New York. Half way through my right calf was too painful to bear, and it felt numb as well. I had no other choice but to drag it along, and I almost quit in the middle of the parade. I then remembered Master's words,
"When it's difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it's impossible to do, you can do it." (Zhuan Falun, Chapter 9)
Immediately my calf felt a lot better. I then sent forth righteous thoughts, "I am a Dafa disciple assisting Master in Fa rectification. Rotten demons, no matter where you are from, I will not allow you to interfere and persecute me! You want me to suffer, but I will return it to you and make you suffer even more." I walked firmly, raising my head up, and the pain was then gone. I finished the whole route to the end.
Another time I participated in an SOS walk to rescue Charles Li in the Bay Area. We started from downtown San Jose, and I walked all the way to Santa Clara. We started at 1:00 p.m. in the baking sun. My right calf felt numb, and I again felt unbearable pain. I sent forth righteous thought to eliminate the interference and then finished the whole route.
I usually went out with my wife to clarify the truth, pass out fliers, and attend other activities, and I encountered similar situations. As soon as I had strong righteous thoughts, the symptoms disappeared. In addition to sending forth righteous thoughts, I often took big steps and walked at a quick pace, as walking fast seemed to help me forget about the pain.
As the result, I formed a habit of walking fast. Some practitioners said, "Uncle Zeng, you walk too fast!" I would reply "Sure, we have to move fast to save people." So through sending forth righteous thoughts, this heavy leg of mine gradually became normal and no longer dragged during efforts to assist Master in Fa-rectification.
Looking Inside to Find One's True Self
As a Falun Dafa practitioner, looking inside is the most basic requirement. In chapter one of Zhuan Falun, Master tells us,
"This characteristic, Zhen-Shan-Ren, is the criterion for measuring good and bad in the universe."
"If you want to return to the original, true self and move up in cultivation practice, you must conduct yourself according to this criterion."
"You must cultivate your inner self and not pursue things externally."
Especially on the issue of conflicts between practitioners, Master has repeatedly reminded us to look inside. In the "Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference," Master said, "For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool." I gradually realized that only by looking within can we finish our cultivation path successfully, can we overcome tribulations and elevate step by step.
Once around July 20, a Fa conference was held in Washington, DC. Many practitioners came from all over the world. The main conference room was not big enough to accommodate everyone, so several side conference rooms were set up. Many practitioners who came from far away places wished to be in the main conference room. Of course it was understandable. My wife and I wanted to be there, too, since there might an opportunity to listen to Master in person. How wonderful that would be! However, we thought it would be better to give the spaces to new practitioners and practitioners from abroad. Thus, we chose to go to the side conference room and were glad to watch Master's teaching on the screen.
After the Fa conference, we returned to the Bay Area. One day a practitioner told me, "So and so said, 'Uncle Zeng and his family got many main conference room tickets through internal channels. They couldn't use them up and gave them away.'" The practitioner told them to stop saying such things immediately and said, "Don't say such nonsense, as I was with Uncle Zeng and his wife in one of the side conference rooms. You should stop spreading that rumor." After hearing the practitioner's words I felt awful. Why do they make things up?
On second thought I realized that I am a Falun Dafa practitioner, and I should not treat it the same as they do. In Chapter 4 of Zhuan Falun, Master teaches us,
"Upon running into this conflict, we should, first of all, keep a cool head, and we should not behave the same as that person. Of course, we can explain the matter kindly, and it is not a problem if we clarify the issue. But you should not become too attached to it."
After considering this situation that I faced, I realized it was nothing at all, and they might be helping me to upgrade my xinxing. I suddenly felt relieved and relaxed.
In the past year, I found that I often became impatient. It was easy for me to become restless and misunderstood by fellow practitioners. Sometimes others didn't understand me, making me rather uncomfortable. Because I always looked outside and said unkind words to others, I had hurt their feelings. One practitioner didn't want to talk to me for several months, and of course I felt sad. What's behind this attachment? I don't know yet, but I realized that I haven't been kind and compassionate toward others, so I must be diligent in my cultivation and become more kind and compassionate.
Several months ago a practitioner swore at me behind my back. Upon learning about it, although I kept calm and let it go with a smile, in my heart I was somewhat angry, thinking, "This person is ridiculous, making trouble without any reason." I felt furious, but afterwards I thought about it and realized that I still hadn't looked within. I thus immediately looked where I fell short and was suddenly relieved.
My younger son once told me "Dad, you have always been respected by others and now you can't take even a small criticism. Why don't you get rid of it?" He was right as that is the vanity that is buried deep in my mind, and I should abandon it right away.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
