(Minghui.org) I obtained the Fa when I was two, and I'm now in high school. I've experienced many ups and downs during these ten years of cultivation. There have been the joys of being diligent in my cultivation, and times of sorrow when I've been interfered with. But under Master's merciful protection, I have made it to today. I'd like to share my recent cultivation experiences with fellow practitioners, and hope that they will help young practitioners who have stepped off the path become diligent and cultivate again.
When Terror Came I Was Not Afraid
Most of the practitioners in my city have been subjected to varying degrees of persecution since 1999, when Jiang Zemin and his group started to persecute Falun Gong. My family was not spared. The evildoing police illegally arrested my mom and dad many times. During my childhood, I personally experienced the evildoers's vicious behavior towards my parents. I was also subjected to the persecution. Once in the middle of night, I was awakened by the sound of the police trying to break down our door. That day I was unable to go to school. The police arrested my parents and took them to the station. What made me saddest of all was that all our loved ones were deceived by the regime's lies, so they could not understand the truth. They resented us, often made trouble for us, and scolded us.
During those painful and tough days that my mom and dad were gone, I slowly became less diligent and sometimes went for days without studying the Fa. However, I never forgot that I was a young Dafa disciple. One time in a dream, I saw my parents being captured, and I could not stop crying when I woke up. I then remembered the times of joy and happiness of when I cultivated diligently, and under Master's compassionate mercy and care, I resumed diligent cultivation. I subsequently decided, "No matter how big the storm, I am not afraid. I will firmly follow Master and cultivate to the end."
Only by Truly Cultivating Can One Improve
I'm very fortunate to have a whole family that cultivates. My parents are usually very strict with my cultivation. Whenever I experienced xinxing tests at school, I always went home and told my parents. Each time my parents would help me find my attachments and encourage me to do better the next time. After Master's Hong Yin III came out, I memorized all of the poems, and each time I encountered a xinxing test, I recited, “Don't Argue” and “Who's Right, Who's Wrong.” Sometimes if I felt like my heart was not calm, I recited over and over again:
“[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)
However, sometimes passing tests is very painful.
A few months ago at school, I had a desk mate who was a very competitive girl. If I answered more questions than she in class or got a better test score, she became very unhappy, and sometimes even totally ignored me. Each time, I used this situation as a way to improve my xinxing, and I never fought with her. Eventually, because I treated her with tolerance each time, we became friends.
One day when I came to class, many of my classmates gave me strange looks. Some talked to me sarcastically, and my desk mate refused to talk to me. I thought, "I didn't bother anyone, and usually everyone is good friends. Why is everything different today?" My heart ached, and I could not pay attention in class. After class, one of my classmates said to me, “Your desk mate said a lot of bad words about you in the dorm, and spread lies about you.” My classmate repeated the bad words that my desk mate said about me. I thought, “Isn't she purposely trying to defame me?” After that thought I was even sadder, and I almost cried. A few times I even wanted to ask her, “What did I do to aggravate you?” Then I remembered the example that Master talked about in Zhuan Falun, which was similar to mine. If I acted the same way as she, wouldn't I be the same as an ordinary person? I then recited many times in my heart:
“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” Hong Yin III)
Master said, “Therefore, from now on when you come across a conflict you should not consider it a coincidence.” (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun) This conflict came about because Master wanted me to eliminate my attachment. When I realized that, I was able to instantly find my attachments of fearing being wronged and offending others. After I eliminated these two attachments, I felt a lot more open, but inside my heart, I still felt it was unfair.
After I got home, I talked to my mom about it, and she helped me find what other attachments I had not eliminated. My mom then pointed out that I had an attachment of fearing being wronged and losing face. After I acknowledged that I had these attachments, she and I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate them from my field. After sending forth righteous thoughts, I felt that I had overcome the obstacle, and it would no longer be able to interfere with me.
When I went back to class, I acted as usual and did what I was supposed to do. I also reluctantly talked with my desk mate, and I saw she felt bad for what she said. However, she looked at all our other classmates, who made it seem as if nothing ever happened. Through this test, I feel like I upgraded my xinxing a lot. I realized that no matter how big the obstacle, as long as you take the Fa as your master, it will become very, very small, possibly even non-existent. Master only uses these obstacles as an opportunity to improve.
Let Go of Attachments to Save Sentient Beings
Master has repeatedly told us to do the three things... Study the Fa and do the exercises; send forth righteous thoughts, which I squeeze in time to do; and clarify the truth. As for clarifying the truth face to face, due to my shy personality and attachment of fear, I often didn't say anything. Especially around male classmates, I was even shyer. When I was in middle school, I once asked some of my classmates to quit the Young Pioneers and the Youth League (Chinese Communist Party youth organizations), but at that time, I had a bias towards female classmates. Only those female classmates that I was very close to or familiar with quit. Every time I thought of those classmates who did not quit, I felt regret. Because of my attachments and selfishness, they were not saved. After studying the Fa a lot and strengthening my righteous thoughts, I decided to break through my attachment of fear and division between classmates to take my first step to save more people.
On the weekends, students who live in the rural areas take the train home. So I decided to schedule a meeting with a male classmate who took the train to meet me in front of the school. I told him I had a very important thing to tell him. When we met, instead of taking the bus to the train station, we walked to the station and talked along the way.
I first talked about how the “Tiananmen Self-immolation" in our textbooks was actually just a hoax by the Chinese Communist Party. Then I talked about the student protest in May-June 1989, and the persecution of Falun Gong. Throughout its history the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has instigated big movements to incite hatred against certain groups of people. Its persecution of Falun Gong is an example. I told him how Falun Gong teaches people to be truthful, compassionate, and to forbear and become better people, while also giving them better health. Falun Gong is now being practiced in over 100 countries. I told him how corrupt CCP officials were at all levels, and about the characters on the stone in Pingtang County. I then talked about the prophecies that have been passed down from dynasty to dynasty, and about the tide of people quitting the CCP.
I talked and he quietly listened during our entire walk. By the time we reached the train station, my classmate came up with an alias to quit the Youth League and the Young Pioneers. I told him to forever remember, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great! Falun Dafa is great!” He said he would remember it. He then commented that for someone who was usually so quiet, he was surprised by my eloquence. I know this was all wisdom that Master gave me. When I left my house I didn't bring any money, so I had no way to take the bus. The trip to the bus station and back to school was around 10 li (3.3 miles), and although I was very hot and thirsty, I was very happy that my classmate could be saved. After I got home, I told my mom about it, and she complimented me for doing well, and encouraged me to do even better next time.
Coincidentally, when I went back to school on Monday, the school wanted all the students to sign a “Promise to Deny Cults.” In the entire class, only I and the classmate that I had clarified to the truth to didn't sign. As soon as I got the paper, I tore it up, but our teacher insisted that everyone in the class needed to sign it. I thought, "No matter what, I will not sign," but I was worried that if the classmate to whom I had clarified the truth was forced to sign, then I would not have saved him. I then asked Master to strengthen my righteous thoughts and I went to clarify the truth to our teacher. When class started, our teacher never mentioned signing again.
I clarified the truth to another of my classmates in the same way, and he also withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Master said,
“There has been a great deal of groundwork done in advance. All that’s missing is your carrying things out with righteous thoughts. Yet you haven’t had the righteous thoughts that it takes.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference”)
Although I overcame the obstacle of not differentiating female and male classmates when clarifying the truth, I still have a bias towards classmates who are easier to talk to. This is yet another attachment that I need to overcome.
There are actually many ways to clarify the truth. I often go with my parents to pass out fliers and brochures, and post truth clarification stickers during the weekends. I usually pay extra attention and collect my classmates' cell phone numbers and give them to my mom so that she can call them or text them to clarify the truth. Now that I'm the class leader, I have a copy of all of my classmates' parents numbers and contact information. I gave this to my mom so she could save my classmates' parents. I think that if we can save even just one more sentient being, it will be one less regret in the future. Let's not disappoint Master!
Studying the Fa and Eliminating Attachments to Become More Diligent
This summer I began to systematically study all of Master's teachings and lectures. Every time I looked at the Fa, it was different, and every time I finished reading one of Master's teachings or lectures, I was very happy. In every teaching, I could see where I was less than solid in my cultivation and eliminating my attachments. Whenever I enlightened to something, I did it right, and when I discovered attachments, I immediately got rid of them.
I did the exercises with my parents regularly this summer, and I definitely felt a transformation in my body. When I was home for summer vacation in the past, I never felt well. If it wasn't cold symptoms, then it was my stomach hurting, but now I feel fine. This year even the mosquitoes buzzing around me didn't bite me.
At the same time I was diligently cultivating, I had a lot academic pressure in school. If I could not separate my cultivation and studying, I would feel tired all day, and it was easy to develop attachments to competition, vanity, and rank. I know students should study well, and I should not pursue rank. The more one wants something, the more likely the evil take advantage of that loophole.
I know my destiny is arranged by Master, and, other than saving sentient beings, everything in the human world was made for us to fit in ordinary society. I go home around ten every night and study the Fa for around half an hour, do one or two of the standing exercises, and sometimes do the sitting meditation for half an hour. When I was able to keep up my cultivation and studying, my grades got better. My best ranking in class was seventh place in the past, but this time, I rose to second place. I know this is an encouragement from Master.
The window in the room where my family studies the Fa had 27 udumbara flowers blooming on it last fall. My mom was afraid they would be blown away or get dirty, so she covered them up, but they are still alive and proudly blooming on the window to this day. This year during the summer, the roof of our home also had 10 udumbara flowers blooming on it. My mom said this was an encouragement from Master to our entire family.
During this last period of Fa rectification, I will take the Fa as my teacher and do the three things. We should all be diligent and even more diligent! Be qualified Dafa disciples, and honor our prehistoric vows!
In closing, I would like to share what Master said in his “Congratulatory Message” to encourage fellow practitioners,
“...you are golden light in the mortal world, the hope of the world's people, Fa-disciples who help Master, and future Fa-Kings.”(“Congratulatory Message” 31, 2005)
Thank you, Master, for your compassionate mercy! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
