(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings revered Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
I was introduced to Dafa in Brisbane, Queensland in October 2000. From the initial steps to gradually understanding what cultivation is all about; from a heart-breaking detour to joining the great momentum of Fa-rectification; and together with fellow practitioners, assisting Master in Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings, with each test and tribulation that came my way I realized I overcame them only bit by bit because of Master's great compassion and thus I was able to make it this far. Words cannot express my gratitude toward Master.
I have found many shortcomings since I began cultivation, discovered areas where I need to be more diligent, and where I continuously need to raise my level in the Fa. I am honored to have this opportunity to share a few cultivation incidents with other practitioners. If there is anything inappropriate, please kindly point it out.
Letting go of self, and cooperating from deep within the heart
In the past, while discussing Fa-validation projects, I was always enthusiastic to express and contribute my thoughts and ideas. For example, while working in presenting our local Shen Yun events, when different opinions arose I would often resort to debate and argument and insist on my points of view. I would even use my standards to casually criticize others for "not being on the Fa." Due to this immense ego, when I tried to point out other people's shortcomings I lacked compassion, which often resulted in intensified conflicts and achieved the opposite results.
Fa study led me to gradually comprehend to insist on my ideas in the past was just what Master had mentioned over and over in his Fa teachings. On the surface it seemed as though it was all for Dafa and offering sentient beings salvation, but it was merely to insist on the "self." I was validating "myself." Digging deeper, I realized the ultimate source of all of this was the factor that led to the demise of the old universe, the manifestation of selfishness. To completely break free from factors of the old universe and to catch up with the Fa-rectification process, it was essential to solidly get to the roots of selfishness and completely get rid of them.
As I understand it, we Dafa disciples are more effective in the things we do in offering sentient beings salvation not by our flawless methods, but actually by practitioners' ability to let go of self, which leads to unconditional cooperation. So, if I chose not to insist on my line of thinking, but instead to cooperate with others and adhere to the Dafa cultivation requirements - no matter how a method looks on the surface - the effects of offering sentient beings salvation would turn out to be greater.
Although I would still share my views, once I realized the meaning of this, in ensuing Dafa projects I was better able to understand others with a compassionate mindset. When I truly manage to subdue my ego and have a pure state of mind when offering sentient beings salvation I feel from the bottom of my heart that there is really not much to insist on.
Memorizing the Fa
I had gradually forgotten the foundation of cultivation and had for a number of years gradually sunk into a state of "working" on the projects, though I actively participated. Fa study became a formality, and the time I spent practicing the exercises was far from satisfactory.
I am thankful for the precious opportunities Master arranged, which prompted me to start again in memorizing the Fa in July 2009. With precious fellow practitioners, we pushed and encouraged each other along.
I came to realize, we Dafa disciples should try to fill our thoughts with Dafa, and in my opinion, this is also the key to our consummation. My understanding about the aim of "memorizing the Fa" is not only to become familiar with reciting the Fa, but in doing so with a tranquil mind one truly melts into the Fa, and raises one's level through the process. When memorizing Fa I try my best to be rid of impure thoughts. It is difficult to memorize the Fa with even a small impurity; if that happens, progress will be slow. I would correct mistakes conscientiously. With every correction I could feel a deeper understanding of Master's words.
When I think of memorizing the Fa every cell in my body seems to be joyously excited. It also feels as though the cosmic system that correlates with the body is changing through my ascent. When my heart is calm, the field around me becomes tranquil. Every word, every sentence from the Fa, allows me to experience deeply an inexplicable power that clearly imprints each word and sentence into the mind. The field of time-space around me is also cleansed and purified again and again throughout the process, a boundlessly wonderful experience. I know many practitioners who are also memorizing the Fa, and hope that more of us can "compare in studying, compare in cultivating" together through reciting the Fa.
Only what Master says counts
We finally obtained the finest venue for this year's presentation of Shen Yun in Queensland, due to continuous increase of righteous thoughts from the entire body of practitioners. The process raised everyone's level, although there were arguments, disagreements, and times of conflicts. But we made it through! I also realized that it is Master who decides whether or not our endeavors during Fa-rectification are successful, not common people. Thus, no matter how things seem on the surface, if we can continue to correct ourselves and increase our righteous thoughts, everything will proceed as Master has arranged.
Practitioners on the front lines had for a long time continued to liaise with the venue, but we could not book a suitable date. The venue abruptly refused the "likely proposal" which we tried hard to come up with. Sharing our opinions led us to understand the need to solidify our righteous thoughts, and to deny the false perceptions from "surface" developments. My understanding is this: in Fa validation projects, the effects of what we do to offer sentient beings salvation do not depend on whether or not one or two people can succeed, but rather rely on the strength of the whole body; only with sufficient righteous thoughts can miracles manifest. As a particle of the body I came to realize, no matter how things develop, I should not have a mindset of criticism and blame toward the practitioners on the front lines, but instead use everything that happens in the process as a mirror to cultivate myself and find my own shortcomings.
I also had a solid belief from the outset, no matter what seemed to manifest on the surface, we will definitely be able to "obtain the best venue" because this is what Master wants.
In "Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting," Master also taught us the Fa principles of how, "the appearance stems from the mind;"
"The bigger you perceive the challenges to be, the harder things will be to carry out, since "the appearance stems from the mind." And so the task will become increasingly burdensome. When I say "the appearance stems from the mind," by that I also mean that the difficulty stems from your overstating the importance of the matter itself and seeing yourself in a lesser light. Don't take any such things to be a big deal, for with something as significant as saving sentient beings you should just do what you are supposed to do, going about it in a composed manner. When you encounter things that don't sound so good or that aren't what you hoped for, don't take it to heart, and just nobly and confidently do what you are supposed to. If you don't let the evil's interference sway you, bad factors won't arise from you, the evil will become trivial, you will become towering and massive, and your righteous thoughts will be ample. That's truly the case."
The practitioners on the front lines again made an appointment with the venue managers; that day Master allowed me to see a special scene: On the day of the meeting, practitioners as one body were concerned about the matter. We reminded each other to send righteous thoughts. I also arrived at the venue around lunch-time to send righteous thoughts. Once practitioners entered the venue for the meeting I stayed outside and continued to send righteous thoughts. Approximately half an hour later in front of my closed eyes appeared under a blanket of a yellow-colored energy field a large number of people kneeling, with their heads in the kowtow position. They said in one voice, "Thank you!" When I opened my eyes, I knew we must have good news. This scene also gave me a deeper realization of the great responsibilities of Dafa disciples. Sentient beings are awaiting us!
"Looking within is a magical tool"
In "Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference," Master told us, "For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool."
A few days before the "Wealth and Virtue" lunch gathering in Brisbane, a local assistant called me and said the manager of the restaurant needed us to provide information about people who had bought tickets, and that this was an urgent matter to be dealt with. At the time I was out for work and busy with a university exam to be held in two days time. Nevertheless, knowing the urgency, I immediately called the practitioner in charge of the receipts and hoped to retrieve the information from her home right away. To my surprise, this practitioner said some unexpected things and refused to cooperate, one way or another. After we hung up I was also moved by anger and felt such an urgent task could not be accomplished. (Fortunately, the information was handed to another practitioner afterwards and was not delayed.) Within the next few days I continued to hear rumors - that so and so suspected I was a "spy" and that people should be careful of me for such and such reasons. My mind was troubled, I felt astonishment and grievance.
On the surface it seemed I had come across conflict, what everyday people would consider unjust treatment. Yet I knew there must be attachments that I should get rid of for these events to have come about. I remembered related Fa teaching in "Fa Teaching Given to the Australian Practitioners" in 2007.
I looked within and found a heavy attachment to validating myself. Due to attachments to reputation, and validating self I also looked down on others. I did not realize the extent of these attachments in the past, but they were completely exposed in my day-to-day words and actions. It was thus not strange that other practitioners had opinions. Also, I further learned that mistrust between practitioners over a long period of time would form a substance. The distances and gaps that result from this are detrimental to our goal to offer sentient beings salvation. I too had mistrust and a certain level of suspicion toward others, which I failed to get rid of over time. Once realizing these shortcomings, I endeavored to adjust and correct myself and continued to eliminate these attachments. Gradually I could no longer hear these rumors, and the "signs" of mistrust from fellow practitioners also vanished.
I have experienced deeply that nothing that happens around us during cultivation is coincidental; yet, from a certain angle, is false. Master arranges everything in the life of a being from the very first step onto the cultivation path. All events one comes across are closely tied in with his/her own ascent and pinpointed toward attachments. I have profoundly learned that when conflicts arise with practitioners, or when the situation becomes what everyday people would consider a "difficult tribulation," no matter how intense or adverse things may seem, as long as one studies the Fa with a calm state of mind, finds shortcomings and eliminates attachments, the conflict would vanish like smoke and clouds, and one would see an immediate turning point. Without pursuit, one would gain naturally.
Thank you, Master!
I hope fellow practitioners we will walk well together on the final path!
