(Minghui.org) I am 60 years old. I was fortunate to start Falun Dafa cultivation practice when I was 46. During my 14 years as a Dafa disciple, under Master's compassionate care, I have persevered through hardships, encountered the vicissitudes of life, cultivated my xinxing , and followed Master closely. Because I am uneducated, my fellow practitioners helped me write part of my cultivation experience to report to Master and share with fellow practitioners.
I live in the countryside and have three children – two sons and one daughter. I lost my husband early on. One can only imagine how difficult life was. In 1999, I happened to hear people in my village talking about Falun Dafa. They said it was a Buddha Fa, that it taught people to follow the characteristic of the cosmos, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and to be kind and good people. I decided that I would practice it. I found out that the practice site in my village had already been in existence for more than six months. When I started, a practitioner told me about the importance of studying the Fa well, and that it would aid my progress in cultivation. So I made up my mind to learn to read--I knew that I must read the priceless book of Dafa myself to better assimilate to the Fa.
Two months after I started practicing, my heart disease, headaches, and other health problems disappeared. The Fa principles cleansed all my bad human attachments, and I am now full of hope for the future.
1. Speaking up for Dafa in Beijing
It came as a shock when the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started to slander and defame Dafa and persecute Dafa practitioners who believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I thought, "I must tell the world that Dafa is good."
In late November 1999, with 300 yuan with me, I took a car and then a train to reach Beijing in one day. I spent 90 yuan just on the train tickets and incidentals. When I went to find a hotel in Beijing, one night cost 60 yuan. I did not dare to spend that much, so I slept on the street. The next day, I went to the train station and by chance met a female practitioner who had come to Beijing twice. Both of us set out for Tiananmen Square. I felt very proud when we held the banner “Falun Dafa Is Good” high over our heads.
The evil police on the square beat us violently. They grabbed me by my hair and kept banging my head against the car. I then heard the practitioner who came with me shout, “Hit me! Don't hit and injure her!” In my heart, I was very moved! She was thinking of others while she was suffering, I thought that this was a being created by Dafa.
The police dragged us to the Tiananmen Square Police Station and tried to get us to divulge the names and addresses of other practitioners. The police beat us and used handcuffs, shackles, and electric batons to intimidate us. I let go of my fear of death and listened to Master, who said not to cooperate with any request, command, or instigation from the evil. I went home the next day.
2. Solidly Cultivating Away Attachments
I placed studying the Fa, clarifying the truth, and saving sentient beings as the top priority every day. After that, in addition to regular household chores, farm work, and clarifying the truth, I learned to read and study the Fa wholeheartedly. I carried the priceless book everywhere I went, and asked about words that I did not recognize. Finally, under Master's compassionate care, I could read Zhuan Falun. Although I stammered as I read, I was happy to be able to read the Fa myself. I thus know what Master wants us to do and how to do it, and I know how to take the initiative to follow the Fa's requirements. Thank you, Master, for your compassion. Thank you, fellow practitioners, for your selflessness. I would also like to thank my children for their help.
The year after I obtained the Fa, we had a family tragedy. It was a big xinxing test for me, after I had cultivated for only more than a year. My son, who was planning to get married, was in a car accident and died. The driver ran off. After a few days, the case was solved, and the issue of compensation arose. I followed Dafa's requirement and maintained my xinxing. I did not make any unreasonable demands on the driver, and I let the relevant departments deal with the matter reasonably. The pain of losing my husband and son often struck my heart. I felt that being human was simply too painful. It was Master's Fa that awakened me in this confusion. I understood that everyone has his or her own fate.
From the Fa, I understand that the purpose of life is to return to one’s original, true self. And I know that Dafa disciples shoulder the great mission of saving sentient beings. I am a new life created by Dafa, and should put others first. Henceforth, I am not a person that is joyful or anxious over my reputation, self-interest, and feelings. I feel pain when some sentient beings are unable to understand the truth and be saved by Dafa. I pay close attention to studying the Fa, doing well the three things, and thinking of ways to save sentient beings.
3. Sweeping the Road and Cultivating My Xinxing
CCP agents attempted to comb through my house and illegally arrest me. In the dark, I left my hometown where I had lived for 40 years and went to make a living in the provincial capital. At first, I took the easiest to find, most bitter, most tiring, and dirtiest job – sweeping the road. It was still bearable even though it was dirty, cold in the winter, and hot in the summer. What I found hardest to bear was being looked down on, verbally abused, and insulted. Some criticized me if I swept slower, and other scolded me if I swept faster. If I was not careful and swept the trash and dust on people or on their cars, they would yell at and humiliate me. The sweepers were often hit by a variety of vehicles, resulting in disability, injury, or death. I used to present a strong personality because I had the fear of being bullied, as I am widowed. Thus, I put on a strong front.
I thought of myself as a cultivator and that this job was precisely to help me eliminate my aggressiveness, which was very hard to eliminate. When I recognized that it is Master who has painstakingly arranged my cultivation path for me to eliminate my biggest attachment, I tolerated the insults with tears in the beginning. Gradually, as my xinxing improved, my heart was able to reach the stage of not being moved, to remain calmly tolerant, and I could do my work cheerfully. I challenged myself... I would work for ten days and rest for five days--using that time off to study the Fa. I worked for 20 days a month and studied the Fa for 10 days. Thus there would be no delay in my work and in studying the Fa. I truly thank Master for His compassionate arrangement and thinking of how to improve my xinxing.
4. Eliminating Degenerate Notions That Have Formed Since Birth
A practitioner had bought a counterfeit bracelet and gave it to me. She wanted my daughter to sell it, as she knew my daughter sells such things. The practitioner said to sell it at a whatever price and then use the money to make truth clarification materials. I was unhappy, because I feared that the practitioner was deceiving people with counterfeit jewelry. Subsequently, the bracelet was lost in my house. I thought that I could not tell the practitioner that the bracelet was lost, because I was afraid she would not believe it, so I took out 1000 yuan and gave it to the practitioner, and said that it was from selling the bracelet. The practitioner said to use the money to make truth clarifying materials.
A few days later, I found the bracelet. I did not have the nerve to tell the truth. Once, the practitioner said, “Did I give away virtue , or did your daughter give away virtue by selling the counterfeit bracelet?” I used this opportunity to tell the practitioner, “Originally, I could not find the bracelet in my house, and I did not have the nerve to tell you that it was lost. So I gave you my own money, telling you that it had been sold. Then I found the bracelet.” The practitioner still wanted to sell it. I said to her, “Selling a counterfeit bracelet does not meet our cultivation requirement of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. My daughter tears up the counterfeit bills when she gets them from her customers. Don't try to sell your bracelet. If you would like to leave it here, so be it. If you would like to take it as a toy, so be it. Please don't do something wrong.”
I thought I had handled the situation well. However, after measuring it against the standards of the Fa and thinking carefully about it, I realized that I had handled it poorly. This exposed many of my attachments. Master told us,
“This is particularly challenging in the setting of China, where the evil Party has destroyed traditional Chinese culture and rigged up its own evil Party stuff instead—what we refer to as 'the culture of the Party.' It’s indeed going to be hard to recognize the Truth of the cosmos when one uses the habits of thought bred by that culture. And one won’t even be able to recognize that certain bad thinking and behavior are at odds with universal values. If one can’t recognize bad thinking for what it is, then what can be done? There is no other way but to act according to Dafa.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching”)
Master also said,
“Then as a cultivator, [you may be thinking,] 'What counts as cultivating?' Well, doing the things that Dafa disciples are supposed to do, such as things that validate the Fa and that save sentient beings, among others, is one's duty-bound responsibility and a part of establishing mighty virtue. But being able to improve yourself is the most crucial. That is because if you don't improve yourself, you won't be able to do any of those things well. So when you are strict with yourself, discover your shortcomings, and constantly get rid of them, then you are cultivating. If while you are going through a test you come to understand something, and become clear on it, and handle things well, then you will have elevated.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital”)
When measuring myself against Master's Fa in this situation, I had an attitude of taking things for granted rather than talking to the practitioner frankly. This was a degenerated notion that had formed since birth. The practitioner had said to sell the bracelet, and she acknowledged that it was fake and said to sell it at a whatever price it could be sold. She did not ask that it be sold as genuine. Thus, she did nothing wrong! However, I used the deceitful culture of the evil Party to doubt that the practitioner was being truthful and compassionate. When the bracelet was missing, I did not honestly tell her the truth. Instead, I used a human, cunning way to deal with it by lying, losing money, and deceiving her. In addition, I worried about my own vanity and covered up my attachment of fear, and the fear of not being understood. Originally, it was I who was not truthful and compassionate, and I still blamed it on her. Thank you, Master, for your compassion and painstakingly arranging an opportunity for me to elevate. At the same time, I thank the practitioner for her kindness and honesty that allowed me to see my shortcomings and thus elevate my xinxing.
5. A Fire in the Wheat Field – Firmly Believing in Master and the Fa
During the wheat harvest in the rural areas, everyone collects their wheat and stacks it in the field. My field borders our neighbor's. One day everyone was busy with their own work, when suddenly we heard screams coming from our neighbors. We looked up and saw flames springing up in the neighboring field. Because there was no fire-fighting equipment and no immediate source of water, everyone was dumbfounded. The flames got higher. Aided by the wind, the fire was heading towards my field. The fire seemed inevitable, and a year of hard work was about to turn into ashes. I saw despair in people's faces, and heard screams and cries everywhere.
Apart from the fright, I suddenly remembered that I was a Dafa disciple and I should beg Master for help. When the thought flashed by, one thought immediately rose, “Please help, Master. Let the fire pass my field and not burn my wheat.” Just as the fire was about to consume my stacked wheat, a miracle happened. The fire seemed to have eyes as it bypassed my field.
When the fire was out, everyone was shocked when they recovered and saw the two fields. They were lost in astonishment and could not believe it was true. I told them the truth--I said that I was blessed because I cultivate Dafa, and that it was Falun Dafa's Master that protected me. My family's surprise and neighbors' admiration made me feel fortunate to be a Dafa disciple, and I felt infinite gratitude for Master's grace. At the same time, the fire missing my field made me believe more firmly in Master and the Fa. I am determined to follow Master to rectify the Fa and cultivate to the end!
6. Losing 8,000 Yuan and Then Recovering It
I once went to deliver 8,000 yuan in paper currency bills with truth clarification messages printed on them to another practitioner. When I got out of the taxi, I forgot to take the package with the bills in it, and only realized it after reaching the practitioner's house. I was very worried! What should I do? What would I do if I went to find the driver and he did not acknowledge it? What would I do if the driver found out that the bills had truth clarification messages on them, and went to report it to police? That was my income for nearly a year of labor! Anxiety, concerns, self-interest, and fear were intertwined and continued to haunt me.
I then remembered that I am a cultivator and remembered Master's Fa,
“We have said that good or evil comes from a person’s spontaneous thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)
Yes, I am a Dafa disciple who helps Master to rectify the Fa and save people. As long as what I do is in accordance with the requirement of the Fa, everything will happen for the best. However, happenings can expose my human attachments and eliminate my demon-nature. The purpose is to elevate my xinxing. This is what Master wants. After understanding this from the Fa principles, I was able to calmly find the driver and explain. The driver was glad to return the package to me.
Through this incident, I discovered that I still had very strong self-interest, the attachment of fear, and doing things impatiently without being careful. I had a similar incident at work. I hung my bag, which contained a cell phone, truth clarifying phone recordings, a copy of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and the company's hotel key, on the rear backseat of the motorcycle as I went to do something else before leaving for work. When I rode away, I forgot to put my bag in the front basket of the motorcycle, and only realized that my bag was lost when I got to work. I did not know when I lost it.
This time, my first thought was that it was almost time to start work and that my mistake could not affect my company. I sent out a thought, “Please strengthen me, Master. Let the person who picked up the bag have kind thoughts and return the bag to me.” I then called my cell phone in the bag. Someone answered the phone, and I described how my bag was lost. The person who answered the call asked me to come to the entrance of another company to retrieve it.
7. A Crisis of Land Exchange Averted
Before I cultivated Dafa, a neighbor in my village took a fancy to a piece of land near my home and wanted to exchange a piece of his land to for the land near my home. His alliances in the village were strong, and he had the backing of the village officials. Although I was not pleased about this, as a widow with children, I really had no choice. If I offended the village officials, things would have become difficult. To maintain the peace at home and for the sake of the children's future, the land was exchanged, but I felt wronged and taken advantage of.
A few years later, I left my home to avoid further persecution. One day, my daughter-in-law called me from my home and said that the family who had previously exchanged the land with us wanted to change it back. My daughter-in-law said tearfully, “They are bullying us. I can't live with this anymore. I'm getting desperate.” I advised her not to act impulsively, and to wait for me to return home to handle it. I thought, "This is a test to see if I can let go of the human attachments of reputation, self-interest, and emotion. At the same time, I must use this opportunity to let the villagers see the wonderfulness of cultivating Dafa." Master said,
“Then, as a cultivator, you should make use of all feasible conditions to spread Dafa and validate Dafa as a correct and true science, rather than preaching or idealism—this is every cultivator’s obligation.” (“Validation” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
At home, I first convinced my children to agree to exchange the land. I told the family that wanted the land, “You definitely have your thoughts and difficulties about exchanging land. I have cultivated Dafa for many years, and Master requires us to always be considerate of others in all respects and to think of others first. I will follow Master's requirement to change with you. Although my children do not cultivate, they listen to me and agree to the change. However, you have to allow them to save face and put in a few good words.” After hearing me out, that family was too happy for words. They said, “We really don't know what to say to you. Recalling how you used to be, we thought our families would have some conflicts because of this matter. After listening to you, we really admire you. Falun Dafa is really good. It can change you into such a good person.” The reason behind this exchange was that their family wanted to build a house and took a fancy to the feng shui of the land in question. They wanted to exchange the land for future generations and the prosperity of the family.
After the neighbors learned of this, they only had praise for the generosity of a Dafa practitioner and the wonderfulness of cultivating Dafa. A possible dispute was settled peacefully.
8. Buying a Cell Phone
I met a practitioner who had left his home after being persecuted. At that time, he said he needed a cell phone, but my family finances were not good, and I could not even buy myself a phone. However, as I considered that the practitioner was not thinking of himself but wanted a phone to be able to do the three things better to save people, I quickly bought a phone and gave it to him.
Afterwards, I let it go. However, that year when harvesting the wheat, my family's wheat production was over one thousand jin (about 1,100 lb.) more than the previous year's production. This was simply unheard of in the past. Over a thousand jin of wheat is more than a dozen bags! This was a huge harvest! There is no need to mention how happy my family was. After selling the wheat, the excess money made me suddenly recall that I had bought the cell phone for that practitioner. What I had spent on his phone was the same amount as the extra money we made on that year's wheat production. Once again the miracle of Dafa manifested before my eyes.
It really is as Master said,
“The principles of Falun Dafa can provide guidance for anyone’s cultivation practice, including for one’s religious beliefs. This is the principle of the universe, the true Fa that has never been taught. People in the past were not allowed to know this universe’s principle (the Buddha Fa). It transcends all academic theories and moral principles of human society from ancient times to this day. What was taught by religions and what people experienced in the past were only superficialities and shallow phenomena. Its broad and immense, profound inner meaning can only manifest itself to, and be experienced and understood by, practitioners who are at different levels of true cultivation. Only then can one truly see what the Fa is.” (“Broad and Immense” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
Dafa has different forms at different levels, and it is visible and tangible at different levels. Falun Dafa is the true science.
9. Mutton Dumplings
One year on my birthday, my daughter bought mutton to make dumplings, and I took some to work to eat for lunch. A colleague happened to ask what I had for lunch, and I said, "Mutton dumplings." Another colleague heard it, opened my lunch box, and looked inside. He said, “This is not mutton; it's pork.” My colleagues then said that I was not honest and too vain. I felt slightly unhappy as I did not lie.
Master said,
“How should we deal with this issue? Upon running into this conflict, we should, first of all, keep a cool head, and we should not behave the same as that person.” (“Lecture Four” in Zhuan Falun)
“It's cultivation after all, so every kind of means will be used to expose your attachments.” (“Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005”)
After listening to Master, I looked inward for the attachments that were causing this. I found that I still had the attachment to celebrating birthdays, zealotry about my daughter purchasing meat to celebrate my birthday, fear that others would criticize me, and saving face. After finding all these, I can see the situation with my colleagues with only a grateful heart.
10. Truth-clarification Phones
I returned home from the provincial capital with 30 cell phones for the local practitioners, and presented this truth clarification project to them. Some were opposed to the project at the time, because they thought the government could easily monitor the phones. And they could not be used in the local area, only in the neighboring county. Master said,
“Do you realize that as long as you’re a cultivator, in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across—even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are—to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what’s most important.” (“Further Understanding” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
I first looked inward and found that I had attachments. I was opinionated. I did not have prior communication with practitioners and did not coordinate well with them. I also had an attachment to forcing what I thought was right on other practitioners. Thus my gap was being exploited by the old forces, and they wanted to separate me from the other practitioners. After cultivating myself, I shared with them, and together we understood that Dafa disciples were one body, and that we should not be divided from each other. Our human attachments cannot be used by the evil to separate us and affect our saving sentient beings. Those who were unwilling to do this project had the attachment of fear, which is a human attachment, not righteous thoughts. If a Dafa disciple has the heart to save sentient beings and just do what Master wants, it will be safe. Through our sharing, everyone improved their understanding, and 30 cell phones were distributed to more than ten villages. Practitioners now have another tool to save sentient beings.
Master said, “...the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments.” (“Lecture One” from Zhuan Falun) During these 14 years of studying the Fa, cultivating xinxing, and clarifying the truth, in every step I took, I elevated due to Master's mighty compassion. It was accompanied by looking inward and heart-wrenching and agonizing letting go of attachments. However, each time after truly elevating from the Fa principles, I always personally felt the infinite Buddha's grace.
Master, I must comply with your teaching. And under the glorious universe's Dafa, continue to assimilate to Dafa so that I can continue to be purified. I must firmly follow Master and the Fa-rectification's enormous force, steadfastly and diligently, and complete the great mission of saving the world's people that Master gives to Dafa disciples. I am grateful to mighty and compassionate Master! I am grateful to Dafa! Thank you, fellow practitioners.
