(Clearwisdom.net)
My Path to Cultivation
I am a schoolteacher. The summer of 1998 was torturous for me. At that time, my husband and I were living in separate cities. Because I couldn't relocate to his city due to my job, I was very unhappy. I also suffered from chronic stomachaches that turned into acute pains. I thought since relocation was not possible, I should at least take care of myself. Starting on July 15, I went to see a doctor and got medicine and shots. However, the pain only grew worse. I also tried Chinese herbal medicine. It caused my stomach to bloat and I suffered from diarrhea. Some days I had to go to the bathroom more than a dozen times. I also dropped from 108 pounds to just 100 pounds. At the end of August, I had to return to work. My body was still not healed, and I felt a great amount of pain, both physically and mentally. I questioned why we lived on this earth.
Just as I was feeling confused and lost, a coworker said to me, "Since you've tried both Chinese and Western medicine and they were no use, why don't you try Falun Gong?" So every day I went to a group practice site near the school to read the Fa, do the exercises, and share our understandings. The principles of the Fa were like magnets that drew me in. My heart was like a field seeing the first rain after a long drought. Fellow practitioners were all very peaceful and friendly. Every day, I felt time went by quickly. I was basking in the Buddha light, and felt that I was the most fortunate person in the world.
As my body and mind were being purified, all of the physical illnesses were gone. In two months, I became pregnant. For a long time, because of my poor health and living apart from my husband, I was afraid of having a child. Later, I came to realize that my daughter also came here for the Fa. I had the responsibility to take good care of her and guide her.
Guiding a Young Disciple
When my daughter first attended kindergarten, it was flu season. She had all kinds of illness symptoms, such as fever, ear infection, and pneumonia. She was in and out of the hospital for about a month and did not get any better. Everyone in my family was exhausted. At that time, I thought my daughter was still young, and didn't realize that she had an enlightened side as well. As such, I agreed with my husband in his decision to take her to the hospital. However, whenever she saw a needle, she cried and resisted. Having no other solution, I called my mother and asked her to take my daughter with her to the countryside to recover. My mother found some herbal formula that cured my daughter.
The next year, the same thing happened. My daughter's fever reached 102 degrees. My husband panicked, but I remained calm. I thought this time I should let my daughter listen to the Fa. I sat besides my daughter and said gently, "Dafa saved me. I believe in Dafa. Do you want to listen to the Fa?" My daughter nodded. I suddenly felt that my daughter had been waiting to hear the Fa for a long time; it was my notions that blocked her. I began reciting Lunyu to her. My mind was very righteous and calm. I continued to recite it over and over again. My husband was very worried and said, "Is it working?" I told him to be my assistant and boil some water for her to drink. My field was completely filled with energy. My daughter's face was not as red as before, and her forehead was not as hot. She began sweating and looked better. After she fell asleep, my husband and I fell asleep too. The next morning, as soon as my husband woke up, he said, "Let's go to the hospital." I said, "Let's wait. If she can play and eat, then everything is fine." Indeed, she woke up and looked great. After eating breakfast, she started playing, as though nothing had happened the night before.
This incident taught me the difference one thought makes. Since then, I have encouraged my daughter to read or listen to the Fa, even for just 15 minutes a day. The key was to be consistent, and to do it with a calm mind. Sometimes we also did the exercises and sent forth righteous thoughts together.
Sometimes I also asked my daughter to read truth-clarification materials, Minghui Weekly, Hong Yin, and other lectures besides Zhuan Falun. I found that I could only be a good guide if I cultivated well myself. Sometimes I would yell at her when she didn't behave well. She would be quiet, and when I finished, she would say, "Are you being a cultivator?" I asked myself the same question. The environment around us is a reflection of our cultivation state. I should look inward first. Sometimes I didn't do well in this regard, and was attached to my daughter. When I became anxious or angry, I was not acting with forbearance or compassion. Master said,
"Some people blow up even when they're disciplining their kids, they'll yell and make a big scene. You don't have to be like that when you're disciplining your kids. You shouldn't really get angry. You should teach your kids with reason and good sense, and that's the only way you can really teach them well. If you can't even get over little things, and you lose your temper, then forget about gong."(Zhuan Falun, The Ninth Talk)
As I thought of Master's compassion and my lack of improvement, I knew I was wrong. I immediately corrected my behavior, wasting no time.
Tests in My Family
My husband is a policeman. When I first began practicing, he said, "There are all kinds of crooks in society. Don't get duped!" I told him that the instruction was free and the book only cost 12 yuan. There was nothing to gain for any crooks. He saw that I was determined, and didn't object except to warn me to be careful. After practicing for just a few days, I stopped taking medicine. He said, "Don't joke around with your own body." I explained to him, "I didn't stop taking medicine out of some blind faith. After reading the book and doing the exercises, I felt so good that I chose to stop taking medicine." He was convinced after seeing the changes in me.
After the persecution started in 1999, he and his family wanted me to quit practicing. His niece said, "Don't break up your own family because of the practice." At that time, the peaceful cultivation environment was completely destroyed, and the evil was rampant. I was also concerned with the safety of my young child. I became less diligent. For over a year, I almost stopped reading the book and doing the exercises. In such a state, I felt at a loss every day. My heart was empty. I wanted to read the book, but did not have enough willpower to become diligent. Again I fell into a state of confusion. I asked myself why. I didn't want to live like that. I wanted to return to the earlier days when I first began practicing.
Shortly after, a fellow practitioner came to me and shared here experiences with me. Through our sharing, I realized that I had fallen behind. I felt more motivated and told myself, "I need to be diligent and cultivate myself." I knew Master was watching me every minute and had arranged the practitioner to help me improve. I knew I needed to be more diligent so that Master did not have to worry about me.
However, as soon as I came to this understanding, interference began. The most obvious change was in my husband. He was yelling at me out of worry for my safety. He said, "Are you not concerned at all about others' feelings? Do you still want this family?" When I did the exercises, he slapped my hands to stop me. I locked the bedroom door to do the exercises inside, and he kicked the door down to curse at me.
At that time, I didn't know to use righteous thoughts to eliminate all evil beings and factors in other dimensions, the evil Communist specter, and the rotten demons and dark minions. I just endured it. After he calmed down, I clarified the facts to him. I explained to him how Dafa saved people and taught people to follow Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Whenever I had the opportunity, I told him about the wonders and beauty of Dafa, and the evil nature of the CCP and its persecution. Pretty soon, I passed this test. My husband quit the CCP and occasionally read truth-clarification materials. When he had any illness, he would chant, "Falun Dafa is great. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great." He would recover very quickly. Now his two sisters are also reading Falun Dafa books and learning the exercises.
Validating the Fa, Clarifying the Facts, and Saving Sentient Beings
As a schoolteacher, I am in constant contact with students. I often used the opportunity to tell them about the principles and wonders of Falun Dafa. I also explained to them that the self-immolations were staged, and why they needed to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
The school district asked students to write essays on various topics, including articles against Falun Gong. I knew this was an opportunity Master arranged for me to clarify the facts. I had strong righteous thoughts and did not hesitate at all. I knew I had to save my students. Otherwise they would commit sins against Dafa beyond redemption.
Since the assignment came to me from the Political Director in my school, I went to him and said it was wrong to slander Falun Dafa. I told him that everyone who had visited Hong Kong knew that Falun Gong was legal there. Why was the same practice considered a [Chinese government's derogatory term] in Mainland China? He said, "You are right. I didn't want to do this either. Just do it half-heartedly." When I entered the classroom, with strong righteous thoughts, I told the students the benefits and salvation of Falun Dafa. Mostly I talked about its health benefits. The students listened attentively.
Through reading the Fa principles, I came to the understanding that Dafa disciples are the only hope of salvation for sentient beings in their regions. We need to be serious about the historic mission that we shoulder. We should follow Master's teachings, starting with studying the Fa with a calm mind. Only then can we do well the three things and save more sentient beings. When we encounter a conflict, we should look inward. When we find an attachment, we should immediately send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it. As the evil factors are gradually annihilated, how can the persecution last?
