(Minghui.org) I am a young male Falun Dafa practitioner. I came across Falun Dafa in 2006 and started cultivation in 2008. I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences. Please point out any shortcomings.
Determined to Memorize and Recite the Fa
I felt that I had learned about Falun Dafa by chance. In 2008 I returned from working outside of my hometown and stayed in my mother-in-law's home. She is a Falun Dafa practitioner. Several other practitioners lived in the same building, and they met to study the Fa at my in-law's home every afternoon. I studied with them. In addition to Zhuan Falun, we studied all of Master's lectures before and after July 20, 1999. My inner world has been changed. I only regret that I obtained the Fa so late.
Master said in Zhuan Falun,
"you must study the high-level Fa thoroughly and know how to practice cultivation. The five sets of exercises will be taught to you all at once, and you will learn them all. In the time to come, you will be able to reach a very high level—one which is so high that it is beyond your imagination."
Master also said: "A person is like a container, and he is whatever he contains." (Essentials for Further Advancement)
In the first month after I obtained the Fa, I decided that I needed to remember this precious universal Fa so that it could guide my cultivation.
Breaking Through the Difficulty of Memorizing the Fa
It was very difficult to memorize the Fa at the beginning. I'd had a bad memory since I was a child and had always had trouble memorizing and reciting my lessons in school. In addition, at that time I was among people who had strong attachments to fame, gain, and sentimentality, so I had developed a lot of thought karma that interfered quite a bit. I did not care. I just read each paragraph again and again. Every time I would start over to read again, I'd remember more. I'd then close my eyes to recite it. It took about an hour for me to memorize one paragraph. After memorizing one paragraph, I'd move onto the next without looking back at the previous paragraph. When I started a new paragraph, I forgot the previous one. I just memorized paragraph by paragraph. It took a lot of time, but I felt it was really worth it. I feel that there's no such thing as too much time spent on studying the Fa. I also listened to Master's audio lectures. After dinner I studied Master's recent lectures.
With intense Fa study, I felt my human shell break down layer by layer. My xinxing improved. Although I was a new practitioner, I really wanted to cultivate diligently and I wanted to catch up with veteran practitioners. I sent righteous thoughts at least six times per day. I clarified the truth whenever I had the chance.
Understanding the Wonders of Dafa by Reciting the Fa
Through memorizing the Fa, I could strongly feel that Master was taking care of me. As soon as I started to send righteous thoughts, I felt my forehead become tight. When I memorized the Fa for the second time, I felt my head swinging from side to side and a Falun rotating in my lower abdominal area. Sometimes I could hear the exercise music in my head. I know that I am one of the most fortunate lives in this universe, because I am Master's disciple, and I am a Falun Dafa practitioner on the divine path. My heart is full of joy.
Master said in "Environment" in Essentials for Further Advancement,
"Even people's claim that they have evolved from apes is able to be highly regarded. Yet with this great Dafa of the universe, you are embarrassed to give it a correct position--this is human beings' true shame."
I told my colleagues about the wonders of Dafa and advised them to withdraw from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). I did well at my job and others liked to chat with me. I gradually clarified the truth to them until they understood and quit the CCP.
When I was working in a small factory doing simple labor, I recited the Fa during work hours and sent righteous thoughts every hour. I got along very well with all my colleagues, and I volunteered to do the dirty and tiring jobs. After they grew to know and trust me, I started to clarify the truth to them. Almost everyone where I work knows the truth. Two of them recited "Falun Dafa is good" and their illnesses disappeared instantly. In time, even the boss started to read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. I knew that this was the power of the Fa. When I recited the Fa at work, every life in the environment assimilates to the Fa. Thus, as soon as I told them the truth on the surface, they could accept it all.
Urgently Saving Sentient Beings and Solidly Reciting the Fa
For a period of time, every morning I began to memorize the Fa after doing the exercises and sending righteous thoughts. On the road to work I recited Hong Yin and Hong Yin II. If the situation allowed for it, I recited the Fa as I worked. When others took a midday rest, I memorized the Fa. In the evenings I studied Master's new lectures. I studied the Fa from morning to evening. I was busy, yet I felt very fulfilled.
When I memorized the Fa for the second time, I felt an urgency to save people in more areas. I thought that I should not only clarify the truth to those near me. My workplace was about 75 km away from my hometown, where many locals did not know the truth. There were not many Dafa practitioners there, and people did not have many opportunities to hear the truth. Master said in "Righteous Thoughts:" "Dafa disciples are now sentient beings' only, sole hope for salvation." I realized that I should go back to my hometown to save people. I discussed the idea with another practitioner, and she was very supportive and offered to go with me.
We went there a dozen times. Sometimes two of us went, and sometimes there were three or four of us. Each time before we went, we studied the Fa and sent righteous thoughts to the place where we were heading, to eliminate all the elements that would disturb sentient beings from being saved. We tooks lots of booklets, talismans, Shen Yun DVDs, and other truth-clarification materials. Each of us carried a large bag.
When we arrived, we began to distribute the materials village by village and also helped people to quit the CCP. We usually skipped lunch, or only had a few biscuits. We returned at around 4 or 5 p.m. On each occasion we felt that we did not bring enough materials. As many as 170 people quit the CCP in one day, or at least a few dozen. We felt that Master was always with us. Those days were just so great.
Master said in Zhuan Falun,
"Wandering around in society is rather torturous. It must beg for food and meet different kinds of people who will scold, insult, or take advantage of it. It might encounter all kinds of things."
There are all sorts of people in the world. We basically met four types: A lot of people easily accepted the truth and quit the CCP right away; the second type wanted to wait until they learned more; the third type, which wasn't so many, were not interested and felt this had nothing to do with them; and the last type – which accounted for very few people, were against us or even threatened us. During this process, my xinxing was tested. At the beginning I was very nervous, but later I did it uprightly. When I ran into those who were against us, I was angry at first, but later I managed not to be moved, although I pitied them. All my attachments, including being afraid of difficulties, afraid of losing face, fear in general, afraid of suffering, the competitive mentality, and jealousy, were all exposed. I tried to reject them according to the Fa. I only wanted to keep focused on saving people. Through this process I encountered many miraculous things.
I also wanted to thank the practitioners who went with me to the villages. From their actions, I saw how practitioners firmly believed in the Fa and in Master, and how they had infinite energy to clarify the truth. I believe I will grow and mature like them.
Measuring Myself with the Fa as I Recite the Fa
I developed the habit of reciting the Fa anytime and anywhere. As long as I had a long break, or when it wouldn't affect my work, I would recite the Fa in my heart. Zhuan Falun is like a map to me. Every sentence in every lecture displays itself before me. During a period of time I got lazy and could not get up early in the morning. When I was half asleep, a paragraph of Fa appeared in my mind: "As a practitioner, without a strong will and self-restraint, you will not be able to do this." (Zhuan Falun)
Once at work a colleague did not follow a work arrangement. As soon as I got angry, a sentence of Fa appeared in my mind:
"As you know, when a person reaches the Arhat level, in his heart he is not concerned about anything. He does not care at all in his heart for any ordinary human matter, and he will always be smiling and in good spirits. No matter how much loss he suffers, he will still be smiling and in good spirits without any concern. " (Zhuan Falun)
Immediately I calmed down and became clear. I could even smile. My colleagues could then tell that a cultivator is really different from an ordinary person.
On another occasion, a colleague accused me for no reason and said many bad words. I immediately looked inward and thought of Master's Fa:
"For instance, upon arriving at the workplace, a person will become furious when he overhears two people denigrating him very badly. We have said, however, that as a practitioner one should not fight back when being punched or insulted, but should conduct oneself with a high standard." (Zhuan Falun)
I calmed down and started to send righteous thoughts to clean all bad elements that stopped him from being saved. Soon he got quiet.
Master said,
"Study the Fa and gain the Fa,
Focus on how you study and cultivate,
Let each and every thing be measured against the Fa.
Only then, with that, is it actually cultivation."
("Solid Cultivation" from Hong Yin)
Of course there have been many times when I did not maintain my xinxing and I did not measure myself with the Fa. I shall strengthen my resolve to memorize and recite the Fa.
Denying the Old Forces When Reciting the Fa, Follow the Path Master Arranged
During the first two years of cultivation, I understood the Fa more from a perceptual perspective. Although I recited the Fa every day, sent righteous thoughts, and tried to save people, I unknowingly still followed the old force's arrangements. First, the practitioner who worked with me to save people was arrested and sent to a forced labor camp, where she remains. Next, my father fell from the roof when building our house and died. This caused everyone in the family to blame us. I was persecuted before and my family members did not understand it. My wife is a practitioner, too. She started cultivation two years before me. She doesn't work outside the home but rather focuses on saving sentient beings through technical projects. We don't have a child after many years of marriage. My salary was not high, and we got into financial difficulties. Because we went to extremes and did not do well at the ordinary people's level, I fell into the old force's trap.
After discussing it with my wife, we realized that we did not understand what Master said in Zhuan Falun,
"In our school of practice, those who practice cultivation among everyday people are required to practice cultivation precisely in ordinary human society, and to fit in among everyday people as much as possible. You are not really asked to lose anything materially. It does not matter how high your position ranks or how much wealth you own. The key is whether you can abandon that attachment."
We learned from our mistakes. We moved back to our hometown. We contacted local practitioners. We tried to do well in every aspect. Soon after we moved back, Udumbara flowers started to bloom in front of the house we rented. We knew Master was encouraging us to follow the right steps. Now we have a healthy child, and we both have steady jobs. My mother started to cultivate, too. Our other family members and relatives gradually learned the truth and quit the CCP. We do the three things that Master requires of us diligently.
I have memorized and recited Zhuan Falun many times. Now I can basically recite it without looking at the book. I will continue and try to engrave each single character into my brain. As I recite the Fa, I attain more wisdom in saving people. In addition to clarifying the truth face to face, I learned how to make truth-clarification materials for other practitioners and learned how to install the NTD satellite receiver. Sometimes I help practitioners to understand the importance of saving people and encourage them to do so.
There is no shortcut in cultivation. As a new practitioner, I think memorizing and reciting the Fa is most beneficial. Reciting the Fa from memory is a big task. One needs to be persistent. Like the saying goes: "If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle."
