(Minghui.org)
Greetings respected Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
I became a Falun Gong practitioner eighteen years ago. I have treasured the book Zhuan Falun. I read it every day and have hand-copied it four times. I have also copied Essentials for Further Advancement, Hong Yin and all of the Teaching the Fa at the Conferences two to three times. I have listened to and watched Master's lectures on video. I treat Fa study as my top priority because I found the meaning of life and hope in Dafa. I feel honored beyond words and very proud of being a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple under Master. I realized that cultivation in Dafa is the true purpose of my life.
Below are my cultivation experiences that I would like to share with my fellow practitioners:
I became a practitioner at the age of 29. During that time, there were some problems with my health, although they were not the motivation for me to start practicing Dafa. The symptoms rapidly disappeared, including the neurasthenia and insomnia that I had suffered for years. I realized that Master had purified my body and I have been healthy ever since.
My employer organized a trip to a resort in the summer of 2000. My peers were very hot and tired in our sessions and constantly asked to take breaks. Because of my cultivation, I didn't feel tired at all. The improvements in my health were truly miraculous, and the fact that so many others have similar stories is one of the reasons why one hundred million people practice Falun Dafa.
My skin has been rosy and healthy for the last eighteen years. I wash my face with just water and don't spend any money on cosmetics. The scars I had on my face from an earthquake when I was ten vanished, and the effect was even better than plastic surgery. When I was at my mother's home recently, a neighbor who stopped by said that my face had become younger and prettier.
I ran into one of my former colleagues one day whom I hadn't seen for a dozen years. She was surprised and said to me, “You skin looks so good, and you haven't changed at all after all these years.” Although she was four or five years younger than I, her face was covered with makeup, and she kept saying that her skin had aged and lost its tone. She was amazed at the extraordinary effect of Dafa when I told her that I did not use any makeup and that practicing Falun Gong had improved my complexion.
I have been working with a local government for the past 24 years. In 1996, my section installed computers. Several of my colleagues and I attended a two-week training session on computers. During the training session, other people had a hard time understanding the content and had to ask the instructor all kinds of questions after class. They were not able to operate the computer independently.
However, since my wisdom increased, I was able to understand what the instructor taught during the class and operate the computer afterwards, although I didn't have any previous knowledge or experience. I realized that it was Master who helped me, so others could see the extraordinary capabilities and wisdom I obtained from Dafa.
It was very easy for me to use computers at work. Sometimes I was amazed at my high efficiency and accuracy. I had to report a medical aid summary table to the county government, including bills for drugs and documents from hospitals for each patient. All the bills and documents had to be calculated one by one, and then the total amount for each patient needed to be entered into the computer. Everything was then submitted to the department.
The county government was very impressed with my town because we got everything correct, unlike the other towns. Once again, it demonstrated my extraordinary capabilities and wisdom as a Dafa disciple because almost everyone in the town knew that I practiced Falun Gong.
I was a person with a strong sense of pride and hated to lose face in front of others prior to practicing Dafa. I felt jealous if other people were doing better and tried to compete with them. I was not happy, and treated others as if they owed me. Additionally, I was not able to tolerate those who were arrogant and seemed to look down on me. My mind was always worried and I was afraid of being hurt. I also felt entitled to take office supplies home for personal use.
Through continuous Fa study and listening to Master's lectures, I gradually understood the cause for loss and gain. I stopped pursuing fame and personal gain and made up my mind to improve. Master wants us to be good people under all circumstances and cultivate our inner selves. Master said: “Whether you are right or wrong, you should examine yourself.” (Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles)
We should do as Master said “... to not fight back when you are beaten or sworn at” (Zhuan Falun) . I realized that in this world, only Master can change me. Master woke me up and helped me to understand our connection. I was touched by what Master taught in Zhuan Falun “..."no loss, no gain." To gain, one must lose.” and the example about taking things home from work in Zhuan Falun. Since then, I started to follow the standards established in Dafa and diligently improved myself.
It wasn't easy improving with forbearance, but I still tried my best. I remained firm in believing
“When it’s difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it’s impossible to do, you can do it.” (Zhuan Falun)
If I try to endure it, it will be as Master said:
“If you can actually do it, you will indeed find: “After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!” (Zhuan Falun)
For example, I was promoted soon after I graduated from college in the late 1980's. Because of my firm belief in Dafa I spoke to others about the staged “Tiananmen self-immolation incident,” and I was detained in a forced labor camp from 2001 to 2003. After I returned to work, I was demoted to general office staff, while my former colleague in the same office who had only graduated from a junior high school was promoted from typist to the office chief through the back door.
Her promotion irritated me tremendously and I was angry due to my human attachments, including jealousy, attachment to reputation, a competitive mentality, vanity, fame and a mentality of showing off. I was hurt by her attitude as she was always rude, unreasonable, arrogant, and disrespectful when she spoke. Being a practitioner, I tried my best to tolerate her manner and didn't fight back.
In spite of my clear understanding from the Fa, it was very difficult to endure her all the time and really pass the test. Sometimes when I saw her dour face, I was portraying her evil returns in my mind. One day, I could not bear her behavior any longer and argued with her. Afterwards I felt ashamed and regretted what I did against the standard of a practitioner.
For several months after the argument, I thought about taking the initiative of talking to her to ease the tensions, but my human heart, with attachments to my reputation, vanity and competitive mentality, prevented me from stepping forward.
I realized that those attachments were not my true self and I felt terrible owing to their control over me. I sent forth righteous thoughts continually to clean up my own dimension and remove various attachments deep down in my heart, and increased Fa study. Whenever I studied “Transformation of Karma” and “Upgrading Xinxing” in Lecture Four (Zhuan Falun) , I felt that Master was talking to me because of my strong personality and unyielding character without a plan to apologize. I also often recited articles from Essentials for Further Advancement:
“For a cultivator, all the frustrations he comes across among everyday people are trials, and all the compliments he receives are tests.” (“A Cultivator is Naturally Part of It” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
“Forbearance is the key to improving one’s xinxing. To endure with anger, grievance, or tears is the forbearance of an everyday person who is attached to his concerns. To endure completely without anger or grievance is the forbearance of a cultivator.” (“What is Forbearance (Ren)?” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
The teachings of Master are very clear; so why couldn't I take a step forward? I asked myself: “Is yielding or apologizing too difficult for me? Am I acting as a practitioner? Why was I angry? Didn't her behavior provide me with an opportunity to improve my xinxing? Why did I push the opportunity away?”
I was determined to pass the test. During the New Year, I sent her a short letter by mail to greet her and apologize. She replied to me and apologized. I finally took the step forward and disintegrated the attachments which blocked me from improving as a cultivator. I felt as if a heavy burden was removed.
I was enlightened after studying Master's lecture
“One must truly temper and upgrade oneself through actual practice. Someone asks, "Why do we always have tribulations in cultivation practice? Those problems aren’t much different from those of everyday people." It is because you are practicing cultivation among everyday people. You will not be suddenly turned upside down with your head facing the ground, flying up there and suffering in the air—it won’t be like that. Everything will assume the form of everyday situations, such as someone may have irritated you today, someone has upset you, someone has mistreated you, or someone suddenly speaks to you with no respect. It is to see how you will react to these issues.” (Zhuan Falun)
I didn't seem to understand how I should cultivate myself until then. With a smile on my face, I felt relieved, like a new person, and didn't feel troubled anymore after the attachment to fame was removed. Just as Master said “...the appearance stems from the mind.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting”)
With the change in my heart, the office chief was not so stubborn as before when I talked to her about Falun Gong. She even listened to the facts about forced organ harvesting by Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit.
After the persecution began in 1999, the local Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and police department arrested a number of Dafa disciples. Our connections with those out of town were interrupted and we didn't know what to do. I felt anxious and hurt because of repeated lies and slander on TV against Master and Dafa. I believed that Dafa was indestructible and I had no doubt about my belief in it no matter how the CCP clamored with madness.
However, people would be poisoned by the CCP propaganda without any supplies for truth clarification materials from the outside, I could still write articles about Falun Gong with my knowledge and skills to let others become aware of the facts: Contrary to the news on TV, Falun Gong practitioners have become better people by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
I started to write based on my own cultivation experiences, such as my physical health and improvement in morality after practicing Falun Gong. I then distributed what I wrote. Immediately after the Tiananmen self-immolation incident, I wrote an article to let people know that those involved in the incident were not Falun Gong practitioners and it was a staged show directed by the government in attempt to slander, fabricate and stir up hatred against Falun Gong. As Master said:
“For practitioners, we have set the strict requirement that they cannot kill lives.” (Zhuan Falun)
During the most difficult time of the persecution, many people read the information I put together. They became aware of the existence of Falun Gong practitioners everywhere in spite of the persecution.
When I was reported and detained, the police officers dealing with my case and the officials in my business unit had read the facts from me and understood what was going on. They kept talking to me in private: “You have nothing to do with the self-immolation incident regardless of whether it is fake or not. We don't care if you continue to practice at home.”
“Why then do you write something like this?” I replied, “It is definitely related to me because I am a Falun Gong practitioner. The CCP staged the self-immolation to frame Falun Gong. So I need to tell people the facts, otherwise they will be deceived.” I believe that the truth-clarification materials I put together had a significant impact on the CCP and evil beings in our local area.
With the progress of Fa-rectification, a variety of truth clarification materials were distributed everywhere in China. More and more people have become aware of the facts about Falun Gong, and withdrawn from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. In February 2006, I bought a computer, printer (including a color inkjet printer, and a black and white laser printer) and recorders to start making my own printouts.
As I had computer experience, I soon learned how to access the Internet, download information, print, burn CD's, help others withdraw from the CCP online, and write to Minghui.org, etc. I no longer needed to get materials from far away. I was able to create all the materials I needed, including discs for Shen Yun shows.
Every year, I can send out more than a hundred discs of Shen Yun. Compared with others, the number of copies I distributed was relatively small. However, I distributed the discs face to face and almost everyone accepted it with gratitude. When someone declined, I took the disc back and gave it to someone else. In addition, I was able to read Master's new lectures or scriptures as soon as they were published and provided copies to my fellow practitioners.
I have taken advantage of what I learned to validate Dafa. As a practitioner, my wisdom originates from Dafa and is bestowed by Master. I feel that my thinking and actions are closer to being in sync. Whenever I want to do something, I can take action right away without detailed planning. Because of Master's benevolence aligned with my vows, I was very fortunate to become a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple, and I have to do my very best.
Since Master bestowed us with the supernatural power of sending forth righteous thoughts, I have kept sending them four times a day. I believe in the power of my righteous thoughts to disintegrate the evil beings. Although I cannot see the impact in other dimensions, I can feel its power.
I was detained in a detention center in April 2001, and the local TV station wanted Dafa practitioners to slander it with the CCP on TV. The reporters came to us with a video camera. I didn't yet know how to send forth righteous thoughts, but I was thinking that they couldn't record or broadcast anything, and the camera would break if they insisted on recording. Several days later, the police were talking about it, and they said in surprise, “It was odd, the recorded news cannot be broadcast and the video camera worth over one million yuan was broken.” Upon hearing it, I appreciated Master's help in eradicating the evil.
Every day I sent forth righteous thoughts on my way to work. It seemed to form a mechanism, which played a role in the disintegration of evil beings. Our local police station was closed in 2007 and the staff was moved to other nearby towns. There was no more persecution of Dafa practitioners in our area.
To date, positive information about Falun Gong has reached almost every household and has been posted everywhere. More and more people are waking up. Those who know Falun Gong assist practitioners to distribute the information and businessmen want to exchange money with practitioners for currency with messages of truth about Falun Gong on it. It is the power of Fa rectification and the manifestation of Dafa disciples' fulfillment of their missions.
During the process of my cultivation, I have had many small experiences rather than something huge. I believe that we are capable of doing everything well as long as we follow and meet the requirements of the Fa. It is almost the end of Fa-rectification. With the limited time left, I will continue to do the three things well, live up to our benevolent Master's expectations, and fulfill my mission to save more people.
Towards the end of this article, I removed a strong attachment of having the article published, i.e., a show-off mentality. I enlightened that whether it is published or not, attending the Fahui to share with fellow practitioners is an opportunity for Dafa disciples in China to harmonize the opportunity bestowed by Master and to cultivate ourselves.
Thank you Master, for your benevolence to Dafa disciples.
Heshi