(Clearwisdom.net) I started to cultivate Dafa in 1996. During the past 15 years, rain or shine, I have cultivated diligently with Master's compassionate protection and have done Dafa related work with full focus. My illnesses disappeared and my body became full of strength. I am very grateful to Master. I feel very fortunate for myself and cherish the great opportunity of cultivation even more. I want to report my cultivation to Master and share it with fellow practitioners.
1. Studying the Fa Well Is Fundamental in Cultivation
I am a retired worker from the commercial field. I am 68 years old and I did not have a chance to go to school. I had many tribulations in my childhood. At age 10, I had a dream that I met a Daoist. I asked him to let me become a Daoist too, but he refused. I cried and woke up. Since then, I always had the thoughts of becoming a monk or Daoist. I thought I had a hard life and the people around me also had hard lives. My thought of becoming a monk or Daoist got even stronger. Especially after I got married and had six children, my life was tough and I was tired of the mundane life.
In May 1996, a practitioner introduced Dafa to me. In the beginning, the practitioner often went to the practice site with me. Since I was illiterate, on the day of getting the Dafa books, I thought, “What should I do with Dafa book since I am illiterate?” But because of the fear of losing face, I brought the book back home. At night, I opened the book to see if there were any pictures in it, but I only saw Master's photo. I did not know he was Master. I put the book near the window and went to sleep. In my dream, I saw Master walking from west to east, looking at me. I realized I saw Master's photo in the book. The next day after I finished breakfast, I opened the book again three times and closed it three times. When I opened “Lunyu”, I heard someone say to me in my ear, “This is cultivation.” I was surprised as well as happy, and my tears came down. I needed to go to the practice site. This is the cultivation I dreamed of every day. I finally found the way.
That night, I did not need the practitioner to look for me. I went to the practice site by myself. When others read the Fa, I looked at the book and followed them to learn the words one by one. But I could not remember a word at all. I did not want to go again. When I was about to sleep, I suddenly heard Master said, “If you don't go to the practice site, do you still have enough time for cultivation?” I was scared. Is it the end of my life now or did Teacher not plan to teach me anymore? I must go to the practice site.
Master said
“Born into a sphere of suffering
Man struggles just to survive
One day, behold, the Great Law gained
Cease not your steps on the path of return” (“On Reading Weathering the Storm”)
After that I went to the practice site every day to study the Fa and practice the exercise. I made up my mind to cultivate myself all the way to the end. The fellow practitioners helped me to study the Fa and taught me word by word. At night when I went back home, I repeated what I learned word by word. If I did not know a word, I asked my son. Even after midnight, I asked my son to help me to learn the words. Sometimes when I read the Dafa book, if at first I was not sure how to pronounce a word, I tried to remember it and then confirmed with a practitioner that I got it right. Sometimes when I had some words I did not know, I did not need to ask a practitioner and the pronunciation just appeared in my mind. I knew Master was teaching me to read the Fa.
After the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, one day I read Zhuan Falun from the morning until night for a whole day and my body felt very light. I could read Zhuan Falun through completely. Master gave me the wisdom. Master said,
“When the highest type of men hear the Dao, with diligence they will practice it. When the highest men hear the Dao, they think, 'I’ve finally obtained a true teaching, so if I don’t cultivate now, when would I?'” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
It was really not easy for me to acquire the Fa. Right now I am able to read not only Zhuan Falun, but also all of Master's Fa. I can even read and understand Minghui Weekly.
After the persecution began, the environment for cultivation completely changed, but the environment of group Fa-study which Master left to us could not be changed. So I established a Fa-study group at my home. Our Fa-study group had at least four to five, and up to a dozen practitioners. On average, seven to eight practitioners attended the Fa-study. Sometime we studied the Fa in the morning, sometime in the afternoon or at night. Some practitioners lived nearby. Some came from five miles away. Some came from other towns. Some were practitioners who became homeless and destitute. Some were only over 20 years old and some were over 80 years old. They all liked to come to my home for Fa-study. We studied the Fa from Monday to Friday. We studied one lecture of Zhuan Falun every day. Sometimes we studied Master's new articles or watched Master's Fa-lecture videos. Sometimes we also studied the Fa on Sunday. If we still had time after Fa-study, we shared our experience about doing the three things. We kept doing this until now.
2. Cultivating With Righteous Thoughts and Actions, Dafa Shows Boundless Power
With the progress of my Fa-study, I understand the Fa principles more and more clearly. I know as a Falun Dafa practitioner during the Fa-Rectification period, our responsibility is helping Master rectify the Fa. Master asked us to do the three things well. I always follow Master's requirements in my heart to do the three things well. I deeply know that during our cultivation, as long as we believe in Teacher and the Fa, Dafa will show boundless mighty power.
I started to participate in cooperating as a whole to save sentient beings. We produced and passed out materials about Falun Dafa in the city and countryside. In the beginning, the practitioners who could participate were relatively few. If we passed out truth-clarifying materials in the city, it only took about two to three hours. But when we passed them out in the countryside, especially in a town fifty kilometers away from the city, we needed at least four to five people and we usually came back home after midnight, or even 6 a.m. in the morning. Although I am over 60 years old, I actively participated in passing out the truth-clarifying materials in the countryside once or twice every week. I also often participated in distributing truth-clarifying materials in the city. I always told the coordinator to not leave me out whenever they distributed material. My granddaughter lives with me. I started to distribute materials when she was three. Every time before I went out, I had the thought that I did not have any fear while I was with Master. I came to Master's photo and said, “Master, I am going.” Sometimes my granddaughter did not sleep. I asked for Master's help, “Master, please let my granddaughter go to sleep, so that I can save the sentient beings.” After I came back home, my granddaughter was still sleeping. I always had righteous thoughts and actions like this for past few years.
Once we went to a faraway town to distribute materials. When it was past 2 a.m., practitioner A and I put the truth-clarifying materials in front of a family. Practitioner A suddenly fell down into the road. I pulled on practitioner A and said, “Get up. Get up.” But A had already fainted. I realized the severity of the situation. I held up practitioner A and sent forth righteous thoughts. I also shouted loudly, “We are doing the most divine thing. Nobody is worthy to persecute us.” After practitioner A woke up, I asked her to recite the Fa-rectification verse and told her, “We are doing the most righteous and divine thing. No one is worthy to persecute us.” The practitioner's shoes were lost and the left side of her face was swollen badly. She also could not walk. After a while, though, she recovered and we continued to pass out materials, undaunted.
Once the local police came to my house and wanted to take away Master's photo. I told the police very seriously, “Master's photo is worth more than my life. I dare you to touch it.” They put Master's photo down and walked away quietly.
During the tribulations, I always encouraged myself to not relax. I clearly remembered Master's word,
“Dafa disciples are magnificent because you are here at the same time as the period of Master’s Fa-rectification and are able to safeguard and uphold Dafa.” (“Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples”, Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Master asked us to save as many sentient beings as we could and as fast as we could. I shared the greatness of Dafa with my family members, relatives and friends. My children and their family members, nearly 30 people, all believe in Dafa and support Dafa. When Dafa was slandered, my children all supported me to safeguard Dafa and even helped me to do the things to save sentient beings. When some practitioners became homeless and destitute and stayed at my home, I took them to the streets to distribute informational materials, persuaded people to withdraw from the CCP and helped them get rid of the attachment of fear.
When I first started to clarify the truth, sometimes I became anxious and argued with others. Once I clarified the truth to a person who did not listen to me and said, “You earn money from the CCP. Yet you are also against the CCP.” I told her, “Your salary is from the people, not the CCP.” She did not listen to me, and grabbed my arm to push me away. She pushed me three times and could not move me. Then she ran away. I realized that I did it wrong. I had the competitive mentality. I not only did not save her, but also let her create new karma.
Recently I have improved a lot. Rain or shine, I have walked on the street each day to clarify the truth, and I almost never miss a day. I clarified the truth with the compassion that I have cultivated. On the best day, I could persuade a dozen people to withdraw from the CCP. At least I could persuade three to four persons to withdraw. Right now I can find topics to talk about withdrawing from CCP and its related organizations very naturally. People usually thank me after they hear the truth. Every time I am happy about the sentient beings who have been saved. I also constantly looked inward and gradually let go of my human notions. It is just as Master taught us, that everything will be arranged as long as we have the wish to save people.
3. Cultivating to Become a Selfless, Altruistic and Righteous Enlightened Being
Besides the four times every day for global sending forth righteous thoughts, we also sent forth righteous thoughts at every hour during group Fa-study and we send forth righteous thoughts together during special situations. We have at most over 20 practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts together. Once the practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts continuously for three days and nights at my home. I felt it is my great honor that so many future gods were in my home, and it was a great opportunity for me to compare in studying and compare in cultivating.
For the past few years, some practitioners from the local area or outside area who have became homeless and destitute came to my home. Some were persecuted to the point of becoming disabled. For a long time, I not only led them to do the three things well, but also took good care of them. All the practitioners who came to my home felt it was like their home. I understood that I could not let it go when I saw that practitioners became homeless and destitute due to the persecution. I needed to treat them with kindness, caring and tolerance. When I cleaned the room, I often thought that I needed to clean it better. All the practitioners who came to my home were arranged by Master. They are the future Buddhas, Daos and gods. I need to cherish the predestined divine relationship since I am a Dafa disciple. It is just like Master said,
“We’re all what we are because of karmic relationship.” (The Second Talk, Zhuan Falun)
“Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in spring.” (“The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos”, Hong Yin Vol. II)
“So as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature”, Essentials For Further Advancement)
The process of writing for experience sharing is also a process of cultivating myself. It has exposed some of my attachments such as showing off, validating myself and others. When I gradually realized the unrighteous human attachments and got rid of them, I improved myself within the Fa.
Master taught us,
“Cultivation and Fa-rectification are serious. Whether you are able to treasure this period of time is, in fact, a matter of whether you can be responsible to yourselves. This period of time will not last long, but it can forge the mighty virtue of magnificent Enlightened Beings, Buddhas, Daos, and Gods of different levels, and even Lords of different levels. It can also destroy overnight a cultivator who has reached a really high level but who has become less strict with himself. Disciples, be diligent! Everything that’s the most magnificent and the most wonderful is developed in the process of your validating Dafa. Your vows will become testaments of your future.” (“Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples”, Essentials for Further Advancement II)
