(Minghui.org) I became a Falun Dafa practitioner in 2002. I'd like to share my cultivation experience gained from clarifying the truth at tourist attractions in Taiwan and telephoning people in China to persuade them to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
After my husband passed away, I had few obligations and much time on my hands, which I used to save sentient beings and be a diligent practitioner, focusing on doing the three things well.
I do the exercises at the practice site every day, study and recite the Fa, and clarify the truth at tourist attractions in the afternoon. A fellow practitioner asked, “You persuade dozens of Chinese people to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations every day. How do you do that? Don't you feel lonely living by yourself?” I smiled and replied, “I don't have time to feel lonely.” But, I often cry and feel the need to hurry when I think of Master's words,
“But we will still do our utmost to save more, to save them quickly, to rush to save still more lives before the time arrives.” ("20th Anniversary Fa Teaching")
Once in a while I feel tired after spending the afternoon at tourist attractions, and long for a rest. One time, my tooth began to hurt as soon as I lay down to take a nap. I tossed and turned but could not fall asleep. I then remembered that I had not called China that day. I got up and began making phone calls, telling the Chinese people the facts about Falun Dafa, and encouraging them to quit the party. After about ten phone calls, my tooth stopped hurting.
When I send forth righteous thoughts, voices carrying negative messages occasionally interfere with me and put bad thoughts about Dafa into my head. I can usually sense that those thoughts are not part of me, as they are thought karma interfering with me. I then send strong thoughts to eliminate them. When this happens, I recalled Master's words,
“The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” ("Drive Out Interference," from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Whenever I encounter interference from thought karma, I study the Fa more or recite Hong Yin to strengthen my righteous thoughts.
Master said,
“The Gong Level is as High as the Xinxing Level” (Zhuan Falun)
The house I'm renting has a cylindrical lock, which was broken. I could close the door but not lock it. I closed the door one morning and went to the practice site. Upon returning home, I noticed that the door was locked from the inside and couldn't be opened with my key or the landlady's key. I thought about asking my landlady, who is also a practitioner, to install a new lock. Since we were both practitioners, I didn't want to take advantage of her, but thought that perhaps we could split the cost.
Instead of understanding my good intentions, she said, “So you want to me to pay for all the broken things? I'm not responsible for this. You should talk to my husband about it.” I was shocked and thought, “The lock is broken, and you are the landlady. I'm being nice by offering to share the cost with you.” I was a bit upset, and then I remembered Master's words,
“Fame, gain, emotion — cultivate each away, And ascend to the Firmament at Consummation, See the human world with eyes of compassion, Then are you freed from the spell of delusion.” (“Success at Consummation” from Hong Yin)
“As a cultivator One always looks for one’s own faults ’Tis the Way to get rid of attachments most effectively There’s no way to skip ordeals, big or small [During a conflict, if you can remember:] 'He’s right, And I’m wrong,' What’s to dispute?” (“Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong” from Hong Yin III)
I thought about these Fa principles and found that I had the attachment to competitiveness. Non-practitioners have their principles, but I should follow the principles of the Fa. I felt calm and stopped grumbling.
While waiting for the bus to the tourist attraction the next day, I called people in China and encouraged them to quit the party. One of them agreed to quit right away. In order to save time, I studied the Fa on the bus. My face was bathed in tears when reading Lecture Four,
“Therefore, from now on when you come across a conflict you should not consider it a coincidence. This is because when a conflict occurs, it will take place unexpectedly. But that is not a coincidence — it is for improving your xinxing. As long as you treat yourself as a practitioner, you can handle it properly.” (Zhuan Falun)
I thought of the conflict I had with the landlady, and I was grateful that Master pointed things out to me.
I didn't know how to look inward before, but after I began to clarify the truth, study the Fa, and recite the Fa, I learned how to look inward when encountering conflicts. Things went very smooth that day, and about thirty to forty Chinese people withdrew from the party. I think it was because I had let go of my attachments. It was like Master said, “The gong level is as high as the xinxing level.” (Zhuan Falun) I realized that our ability to save sentient beings is related to how well we cultivate ourselves.
One man from China came up to me, and said with a smile, “Thank you! Thank you!” A tourist from Sichuan Province shouted, “Falun Dafa is good!” as he went back to the tour bus. When I returned home that day, the landlady apologized to me. I replied, “Thank you for helping me to improve!”
One time at the tourist attraction, a tour guide angrily stopped me from talking to a Chinese tourist about quitting the party. I wasn't too happy about it. I was not interfering with his job, and the tourist was not even part of his tour group.
As soon as the thought arose, he became even more upset with me, and threatened to turn me in to the authorities. I realized suddenly that my thoughts were not kind. Tour guides are also sentient beings who need to be saved. I realized that I should be compassionate toward him, and prevent him from creating more karma for himself. If he turned me in, it would affect our truth-clarification environment. Once my compassion emerged, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the bad elements controlling him. He suddenly started to smile, as if nothing had happened.
It is increasingly clear to me that only when we cultivate ourselves well, are we able to save sentient beings.
Finally, I'd like to share Master's poem, “A Will That Ebbs Not,” to encourage fellow practitioners:
A Will That Ebbs Not (in Song Dynasty poetic form)
“Surpassing time and space, Fa-rectification dashes forward Massive is the challenge, but your will is firm Unbridled are the wicked, yet you keep your bearings Purging evil as if but whisking dust away
My disciples, walk straight the path of Dafa May your radiance grace the human world, as you transcend the Three Realms Disciples of Fa, be diligent, with a will that ebbs not The countless years of hardship were all for this time” (To all Dafa disciples around the world and in mainland China, a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!)
Thank you Master! Thank you fellow practitioners!