(Minghui.org) I would like to report my cultivation experience over the past few years to Master and fellow disciples.
Surveying the Overall Situation and Compensating for Shortfalls
In the past I placed emphasis on spending my time efficiently, but in my haste to do as much as possible, I neglected cultivating my mind. As such, I felt a great sense of sadness after my release from prison. My unlawful imprisonment for more than five years wasted valuable time and was a great loss. After my release, my wife and fellow disciples would not let me participate in any Dafa projects, and instead asked me to repeatedly study the Fa. After nearly a year of intense Fa-study and looking inward, I finally recognized my attachment to impatience. I was always in a hurry to make up for lost time and quickly finish up any job. I also had a mentality of validating myself. With this realization I gradually calmed down and my xinxing stabilized. In the first half of 2008 our local coordinator was persecuted, cutting off our source of truth clarification materials. It was then that I thought of producing more colored versions of materials for distribution in our region.
In the beginning, I was afraid that producing such materials would lead to being persecuted. Despite my fears, I bought a color printer. Later, through Fa study and by reading articles on the Minghui website, I gradually came to understand from the perspective of the Fa that producing materials does not lead to persecution. Rather, it is a sacred job. Many fellow practitioners have been persecuted in the course of producing materials because they had lingering attachments that they had not eliminated. After I understood this Fa principle, I knew I was doing the most righteous thing.
The demand for truth clarification materials later became so great that I was unable to study the Fa or do the exercises. I became exhausted. Later two other practitioners also established materials production sites in their homes, fulfilling the need for materials in the area while ensuring all practitioners involved had enough time for Fa study and exercise. This prevented excessive pressure from being placed on any one practitioner.
I soon realized that our truth clarification materials were lacking, and we needed to expose the wicked local authorities who persecuted Falun Dafa disciples. I wished to edit our local materials so that more people would learn the truth behind the persecution, and the evil people would be deterred. I had never done editing before, but through trial and error, I learned the skills in a very short period of time. I was able to produce materials that exposed in detail the evil perpetrators in different forced labor camps and prisons, covering this gap in our truth clarification materials.
Resuming Fa Study, Elevating As a Whole
Our local group Fa-study stopped meeting after our coordinator was arrested and persecuted. By reading the Minghui website, I saw that fellow practitioners in other areas had resumed their group Fa study, and I thought we should also do this, and I discussed it with several fellow practitioners. However, due to difficulty finding a location as well as different levels of understanding among practitioners, we were unable to begin studying the Fa as a group again.
With no good location for group Fa study, I thought about renting a room for the sole purpose of studying the Fa. It would then be up to practitioners to decide if they wished to come or not. While we were looking for an apartment, three practitioners agreed to volunteer their homes for Fa study. In the end we decided to rotate Fa study among a few families, and our group Fa study was finally restored. Everyone was able to share their experiences face to face, eliminating a lot of awkwardness and misunderstandings caused by lack of personal interaction. We have solidly conducted group Fa study for a year now, and this has dispelled the concerns of many practitioners.
Correcting Faults, Purifying Our Environment
One of our fellow practitioners, A, was responsible for managing the funding and delivery of truth clarification materials. However, we gradually realized that the money we put in far exceeded the actual cost of materials produced. Through conversations, we discovered that A had mixed his personal money in with funds given by practitioners and used it indiscriminately. Moreover, he did not keep any records. After we discussed this situation, we decided to hand over the management of funds to Practitioner B. Practitioner B is very strict in managing the funds, and keeps clear records of every amount deposited or spent.
In the process of resolving this situation, almost everyone was affected emotionally. Some got angry, some were anxious, and others were upset. Every practitioner had to look inward and overcome their personal difficulties, as this situation exposed everyone’s attachments. Finally, from the point view of being responsible to Dafa and fellow practitioners, we were able to see our own inadequacies and increase our level of understanding. As a result our cultivation environment was purified.
Spreading Widely the Sound of Hope
Over these many years, distribution of truth clarification materials was mostly done within the city. Very few practitioners ventured into the rural areas beyond. With fewer local practitioners in our area, we had only two practitioners distributing materials to rural villages. With more than a dozen rural towns and up to a hundred villages, it was difficult to cover the entire area even within a year. I decided to compensate for this shortcoming and try to do as much as I could.
In the process of doing this, I found it less difficult than expected, though this also exposed many of my shortcomings, including my attachment to fear, the fear of undergoing hardships, my attachment to impatience, and so on. Every time I went out and saw the number of villages to cover, I became anxious, wondering if I could finish covering all these places. Back at home I would calm down and tell myself not to be impatient. I knew my intention was righteous and that Master would strengthen me.
Improving Xinxing to Provide What Practitioners Require in a Timely Manner
I had an unexpected opportunity to do truth clarification using paper currency. In the beginning, some practitioners wanted a bigger font size, while others preferred a smaller one. Some wanted their words in darker shades, while others preferred lighter colors. In the end I even made different versions to satisfy each individual practitioner's needs, yet practitioners were still not satisfied. I discovered that this was linked to each practitioner’s cultivation state. Those who had cultivated solidly liked to use large fonts with dark ink, while those whose cultivation seemed unstable preferred to use smaller words with lighter ink. Sometimes my xinxing was poor, I wasn't able to control myself, and I would criticize practitioners for being so choosy. But in reflection I realized that I was doing this to help fellow practitioners so they could spend the currency and spread the truth. What was I complaining about? We later had a discussion and decided upon a fixed font size and color that is still being used, satisfying everyone. We later also learned that quite a lot of everyday people liked these novel bills, and some even collected them as keepsakes.
Patiently Assisting Practitioners Who Have Fallen Behind
After July 20, 1999, when the persecution began, some practitioners stopped practicing and lost contact with other practitioners. Worried that they would fall behind, local practitioners visited their homes, and repeatedly clarified the truth to them. Many practitioners who had stepped off the path thus found their way back to cultivation practice. By visiting each one individually, we managed to awaken some practitioners who had been deceived by the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) lies.
In our small Fa study group, practitioners sometimes had difficulty overcoming their sickness karma. Some could not even come for group Fa study. On their own initiative, fellow practitioners took turns visiting them. Through helping their fellow practitioners by constant experience sharing, Fa study, and sending forth righteous thoughts, practitioners became more and more steady in their cultivation. This miraculous transformation opened practitioners’ eyes to the mighty power of Dafa, and encouraged our determination to not give up on any fellow practitioner. We really have become a united body.
Mutual Tolerance, Becoming a United Body
When working on activities together, a variety of conflicts will inevitably arise. In most cases, I am able to focus on the other party’s good side. I know that all people living on Earth today come from significant backgrounds, while practitioners are even more precious. I hold fast to this thought that one must accommodate all fellow practitioners. Only through good harmonization will we be able to achieve maximum effectiveness and save sentient beings.
One example was the production of Shen Yun DVDs. The practitioner responsible for burning the DVDs said that there should be no problems, but practitioners in charge of distribution maintained that the DVDs were unplayable. As a result the project stopped. For a few days, I anxiously looked for the cause of the problem. I felt somewhat exhausted during that time as well, but feeling responsible and knowing how sentient beings would feel upon viewing these DVDs, I was able to let go of my attachment to conflict between others. When I considered the seriousness of the overall situation, my personal grievances were of little consequence. Everything reverted back to normal after this problem was solved.
Some practitioners did not want to distribute certain truth clarification materials, such as the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, so I began distributing them. I also began doing some of the more troublesome tasks. For example, since fewer practitioners were venturing out into rural villages to distribute materials, I decided to do so more frequently. To be responsible to the Fa, one should take note of areas that require improvement and try to make up for any deficiencies. I feel that we are required to consider the overall needs of the entire body of practitioners and to save sentient beings.
Taking Responsibility and Persevering
My path of Fa-rectification cultivation began with fear and curiosity, before I finally matured and became calm and steady. I gradually went from purely focusing on selfish human interests to selflessly considering the situation as a whole, from a brief sense of novelty to a lasting sense of responsibility, from seeing things emotionally to considering things rationally by elevating in cultivation. The entire process has been encompassed by Master’s boundless compassion, and I now deeply appreciate the meaning behind, “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
No matter how difficult or inexperienced I am, as long as my heart is pure and I have the wish to do things well, I believe that everything will work out fine. We have Master, and there is nothing Master can't accomplish. Over time I have realized that the persecution is an illusion. If one does things righteously and is truly immersed in the Fa, no one will be able to harm this person—there is no reason to live in constant fear. We must focus on constantly upgrading xinxing in cultivation and searching inward when problems arise. We must be determined to proactively correct bad habits and eliminate attachments as soon as they are identified, lest we invite interference.
Fa-rectification cultivation practice is a serious matter, and it is not meant to satisfy an individual’s selfish interests, nor is it simply to achieve Consummation. It is to save more sentient beings. One cannot just seriously cultivate for a while and then relax a bit. Nor can steadfast cultivation be affected by what you achieved or experienced in the past, which may cause you to relax the standards set for yourself. On the contrary, the closer we get to the final stages, the stricter we must be. As the progress of Fa-rectification moves forward, and as our levels increase, the standards and requirements will also become higher. With the little time remaining, we must steadily cultivate ourselves and persevere in doing well the three things, fulfilling our ancient vows.
The above is my understanding at my limited level. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.