(Minghui.org) I began to practice Falun Gong in 2008 after the earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province. Prior to the practice, my thoughts about Falun Dafa were based on the false propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) media. After I listened to a practitioner explain the facts about Falun Dafa, I was eager to read Zhuan Falun and understand more about the practice. That was the time when I began to walk the path Teacher arranged for me.
Believing in Teacher and the Fa
I was an aggressive professional, had done many wicked things and accumulated a lot of karma. Consequently, I suffered many illnesses, including gynecological disease, carotid artery spasm and breast cysts. I thought qigong practice could cure me, so I decided to practice Falun Dafa. I was skeptical, but still practiced the exercises and studied the Fa on and off. By early 2010, my health hadn't improved much. I felt better sometimes and worse at other times. When I was about to give up on the practice, a Fa study group asked me to join them. The veteran practitioners selflessly shared their cultivation experiences with me and reminded me when I deviated from the Fa. They told me that miracles will be displayed when one believes in Teacher and the Fa from deep within the heart. I stopped just speed reading the Fa and studied it diligently and with a devout heart. When I learned the Fa without human notions, I gradually understood the Fa principles and was determined to believe in Teacher and the Fa. One evening, a year later, I experienced levitating in the air and truly felt the joy of being healthy.
Diligent Falun Dafa Cultivation
I think that when new practitioners begin to practice Falun Dafa, they want to escape the mundane world and avoid anything that would stimulate one's desires and pursuits. This is deviating from the principles of the Fa. Only when we practice in the complex environment of the human world can we increase our gong. True cultivation comes after we clearly understand the Fa principles and pass the tests we face daily. For example, I hold a leadership position. My daily work schedule is quite busy. When I don't do things based on the Fa, problems continue to appear, leaving me exhausted and incapable of solving the problems. But when I calm down and look inward to find my attachments to competitiveness, showing off, resentment, and pursuit of self-interest, and cultivate them away, then the road ahead of me opens up, the conflicts are resolved, and everything fall into place.
If we cultivate away from the environment of ordinary people, how do we measure ourselves against the Fa? How do we know we have reached the standard of the Fa? Thus, we should be grateful for everything and everyone around us, even if we suffer or fall outside of our comfort zone and don't know what to do. We need to remember that everything we encounter is part of our cultivation environment. When we elevate our realm, step out of the illusion, we won't be moved by sentimentality. Instead, we are moving toward a wonderful world of cultivation and establish a solid foundation.
I Became a Diligent Cultivator
I have included into my schedule daily Falun Dafa practice. I wake up at 5:55 a.m. and send forth righteous thoughts. After I finish the first four exercises I read Zhuan Falun for half an hour. Because of my busy work schedule, I study other lectures during my spare time at work. I don't watch television in the evenings, and continue to study Zhuan Falun and other lectures after dinner. I do the fifth exercise at 10:40 p.m., and send forth righteous thoughts at 11:55 p.m., then I go to sleep. When I'm diligent and my righteous thoughts are strong, I can study the Fa and do the exercises with good concentration, and maintain physical energy and mental agility. But since we are humans cultivating, sometimes I get sleepy when I study the Fa, or skip the exercises when I'm tired. I know this happens because my human notions and the bad elements are preventing me from cultivating. Therefore, I first clean up the field around me, I then erect my palm, send forth righteous thoughts, and use my supernatural power to eliminate all the interfering elements. Under my strong righteous thoughts, I rectify my conduct, eliminate the interference, and continue to study the Fa and do the exercises diligently.
Following Teacher's Instructions
Teacher asks practitioners to cultivate diligently. Only when we charge forward like a lion on our cultivation path can we do the three things well and deserve the title of Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples. Only when believing in Teacher and the Fa, truly cultivate and maintain righteous thoughts and actions can we establish the foundation of being Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples. I spend more time studying the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts at the global set times to catch up with the Fa-rectification process. I clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to my friends and relatives, and tell them about the goodness of Dafa. I always think of others first before acting and saying something and treat them with kindness and honesty. Consequently, my cultivation and family environment is harmonious. I share truthful information about Falun Dafa with my colleagues and business partners, and help them understand the practice, thus saving them.
Although I still have human notions and behavior, I believe that as long as I steadily believe and cultivate in Dafa, and maintain righteous thoughts and actions, then every thought, word, and action will assimilate to the Fa.
Above are some of my thoughts on cultivation as a new practitioner, please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
