(Minghui.org) I am a new Falun Dafa practitioner. Becoming a practitioner during this final period of the Fa-rectification is a blessing gained from cultivating during many of my reincarnations.
My predestined relationship with Falun Dafa began when I was a little girl. One of my elementary school classmate's mother or father (or both) was a Falun Dafa practitioner. Master’s photo was displayed in their home. My friend and I studied in front of the photo daily. When I saw esteemed Master holding his hands in the lotus palm position, I felt compassion emanating from the picture. I wondered if this was the master I was looking for.
My mother came down with a severe illness, which prompted her to become a Falun Gong practitioner. This gave me the opportunity to read a few Dafa books and learn some principles. After successfully completing my education I got a job and became a regular member of society. There were many trials and tests. That is when I realized that only Falun Dafa is the pure land in this human world.
I was a feisty person and always wanted to prove myself. I was very pushy when talking and always felt that my ideas and abilities were the best. I demanded that my colleagues cooperate with me. I was considered a strong woman.
By studying the Fa diligently, I understood what Master said:
“The very act of using human thinking to stress who’s right and who’s wrong is in itself wrong. That is because you are then using the logic of ordinary people to evaluate yourself, and using that logic to make demands on others. As gods see it, for a cultivator to be right or wrong in the human world is not important in the least, whereas eliminating the attachments that come from human thinking is important, and it is precisely your managing to eliminate those attachments rooted in your human thinking as you cultivate that counts as important.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan”)
After studying the Fa, I understood that one has to look inward when facing problems. Only then can contradictions be resolved and our minds be improved.
After growing up, I had a boyfriend who was very honest, but also very stubborn. He had studied abroad and often received information about Falun Dafa. He got rid of it without looking at it. My mother and I told him the facts about Falun Dafa many times, but he wasn't willing to listen. As he feared the persecution, he begged me to give up cultivation practice. My mother and I finally realized that we had to look inward and see if we held any attachment. I found that I had deep feelings for him and had much sentimentality when thinking of him. If we hold the wish to save people, such an attachment interferes with us. I thought, he is my boyfriend; if I don't save him, he will be eliminated when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is eliminated. In my thinking at the time, such a thought was selfish and not based on compassion.
I remembered Master's Fa and realized that I had to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa:
“What we have to do is to awaken people from a positive, or good, angle. We can't insist on telling the person which path he must take. Rather, after becoming clear on things, the person will see two paths laid out before him, and make a choice. (“What is a Dafa Disciple”)
Therefore, I let go of my emotions, obsession and feelings, regardless of the consequences. I only wanted to save him and help him understand the truth about Falun Dafa. I wanted him to make the correct choice.
One night, we talked through the night with my boyfriend. While we were clarifying the facts about Falun Dafa, we were sending forth righteous thoughts. Almost immediately he said that we were engaged in politics. We ignored this and told him the facts about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident and the peaceful petition of April 25, 1999.
My boyfriend is an atheist and doesn't believe in the existence of gods. We told him about the stone engraved with the six words “the Chinese Communist Party will die,” as well as the appearance of the legendary Udumbara flowers, described in Buddhist sutras, blooming in many places throughout the world.
He couldn't understand why withdrawing from the CCP and its affiliated organizations [the “three withdrawals” was necessary. We spoke of the prophecies about disasters. I said to him, "Now there are more and more disasters. Thunder before the rain is a kind of warning. The three withdrawals are like an umbrella. When it rains, the umbrella stops you from getting wet, even if it pours. Carrying an umbrella when going out will assure that one stays dry." Gradually, he began to listen to what we said. His attitude changed from being tense to being relaxed. Finally, he said that he would think about it. After three days, my boyfriend told me that he understood why I spoke to him that night about the facts of Falun Dafa. He understood that this was for his own good. He agreed to withdraw from the CCP.
Master said,
"As for saving sentient beings and clarifying the truth, a lot of people haven’t done it in depth. They'll say just a few words to people, thinking, Listen or don't listen, just do whatever you like. You do not want to listen, fine!” and they'll go on to find the next person. In whatever you do you should carry it through to the end, do it well, and if you intend to save someone, then go ahead and save him." (“What is a Dafa Disciple”)
I still have a lot of attachments that I need to give up. Many sentient beings are expecting us to save them. I hope that fellow practitioners persevere and we are diligent together.
