Falun Dafa Minghui.org www.minghui.org PRINT

Stories from My Cultivation Practice

October 29, 2010 |   Written by Ming Lan (a pen name)

(Clearwisdom.net) I started practicing Falun Gong prior to July 20, 1999, and I have benefited so much from the practice.

Removing Sentimentality

I had been making truth-clarification materials for seven years, and my family had been supportive of me. However, my children suddenly changed their attitude during the past few years. They not only turned against my doing the three things, but they also constantly criticized me as if I had no merits, and they blamed my practice for all the tribulations that occurred around the family. I explained to them: "If I have done something wrong, I will correct myself and do better, but please never blame Falun Gong." In my understanding, I had done nothing wrong by practicing Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, but I have to look within when conflicts arise. I looked within and realized I had not truly let go of sentimentality, and my prior truth-clarification to my family was not sufficient. Because I always thought they had already understood the truth, I did not clarify the facts to them as much as I did with others.

I told them that my life had been miserable before I practiced Falun Gong and that I had been working very hard for good performance results at work, but then I ended up having lots of illnesses. I told them that a few days after I started practicing Falun Gong, I threw out all my medicine, and that my mind constantly improved. I told them that my temperament had improved and that I became a person who always likes to help others. I told them that I would have died a long time ago if I hadn't practiced Falun Gong. I also told them that I am now the happiest person in the world.

Look at the Good Side of Fellow Practitioners

I was very aggressive and tended to look down on people who were more imperfect than I. Even though I tried to get rid of this during cultivation practice, it sometimes surfaces again. For example, my fellow practitioner A was often late for appointments; when I was about to get upset at him for being late, I reminded myself of his merits. I also thought of all the wonderful things I had done with him together, such as talking to people and clarifying the facts, traveling to the countryside to distribute truth-clarification materials, hanging banners, etc. in rain or shine.

As another example, practitioner B told me to spend more time on Fa-study and less time on doing things, and not to develop the attachment to doing things. I was a little upset. However, a few days later I realized my mentality was wrong, that practitioner B said those things with good intentions and out of concern for me.

Practitioner C was in charge of the funds we used to make materials, and he was very tight with every penny. I did not like that. But Master said in "Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference (Questions & Answers - Part 2 of 2)":

"Indeed. There are many students who are incapable of earning money, but who have no problem at all spending it. (Audience laughs) However much it may be, they won't hesitate to spend it, and they burn through it quickly with no thought about the results this will have, about where it came from, or what our situation will be later on [after the money has been spent]. They have no sense of responsibility. The gods are all watching angrily those who act this way. Wasting Dafa disciples' resources is equivalent to interfering with and damaging Dafa. You have wasted the limited resources that we have, leaving nothing for when it comes time to really save people."

I understand practitioner C now.

Minding Minor Details

Master said:

"He is on a Providential mission in this world as well as in heaven above. He has bountiful virtue and also maintains a benevolent heart; he is full of great aspirations while minding minor details. With broad knowledge of the laws and principles, he is able to unravel uncertainties. Offering salvation to the world and its people, he builds up his merit naturally." ("Sage" in Essentials for Further Advancement)

I have been keeping this Fa in my heart and trying to live up to it. Here are some examples.

I remember Master's words in the exercise formula: "Keep your body upright." So I always keep my legs in either full lotus or half lotus position in Fa-study and keep my body upright.

I always remind myself not to use bad language because I am a Dafa disciple on my path to godhood. And as soon as I hear other practitioners using bad language, I remind them that they should act like a divine being.

When I go out for truth-clarification and to persuade people to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations, I always remind myself to behave like a Dafa disciple and at least keep my attire neat.

I do not watch TV at all, because I know that the Party culture is pervasive throughout the TV programs, and that it would poison us as soon as we watch it without our knowing it.

Remove the Attachment to Fear

I have gradually removed my attachment to fear during the course of cultivation practice. In the beginning, when I was distributing my self-made truth-clarification materials, my heart would beat very fast. Later, we got a copy machine, and I often went with fellow practitioners and travelled a few miles at night to distribute truth-clarification materials, put up truth-clarification stickers, and hang up banners.

At one point, the material sites in our area were sabotaged one after another. Some practitioners were sent to brainwashing centers, and some were sentenced to prison. My attachment to fear would emerge from time to time. Thereby I would send righteous thoughts before my weekly trip to distribute truth-clarification materials. I also recited the Fa, such as "Benevolent Might" (Hong Yin) and "What's to Fear?" (Hong Yin II) and my mentality of fear was consequently reduced gradually.

This concludes my understanding at my limited level. Please kindly point out anything improper.