(Minghui.org) I am a teacher who was on sick leave for seven years because I suffered from all kinds of illnesses and had no energy. Fortunately, I started to practice Falun Dafa, and all those illnesses vanished.
When I started to practice, I was too weak to complete all five of the exercises. I had to take a break after every set. Moreover, I could hold each position in the second exercise for only three minutes. But I didn't give up. I completed each set every time.
One time as I continued to do the second exercise, I was sweating and hot and out of breath. But I was, at the same time, overjoyed.
After about two months, Master encouraged me in dreams. Everything was bright and fantastic. I saw kumquats and plum blossoms. Sometimes I dreamed that I was operated on and that many dirty things were removed from me.
I became energetic and healthy. I was so excited to truly experience Dafa's miracles.
A practitioners shared Master's Guiding the Voyage with me. Then she told me how to send righteous thoughts.
I studied the Fa during the day and distributed truth-clarification materials in the evening. Another practitioner and I went out to post informational materials and mail them. I was full of joy during that time.
When I had cultivated Dafa for around six months, another practitioner and I were putting up truth-clarification posters when the police followed, arrested, and took us to a detention center.
Our homes were searched the next day. They took our informational materials and computers. I was not prepared for this and was petrified.
It was so awful in the detention center that we were very depressed. We were arraigned twice. The other practitioner was beaten. At night she had a hint in a dream. She understood that she had used ordinary attachments to do Dafa work.
I reminded myself to send righteous thoughts. We were released 20 days later.
My husband normally travels for work, so I have often had to take care of the family by myself. I took care of our son from the time he was in elementary school to high school. I felt I had contributed so much and was never recognized.
I did not know how to look inward during the first several years of cultivation. I did not look inward when I had a conflict with my husband or my son. I complained to them and missed these opportunities to improve.
Master said:
“But as you go about truly cultivating yourself in your day-to-day life, the society that you come into contact with is your cultivation environment. The work and family environments that you spend time in are both settings in which you are to cultivate yourselves, are part of the path you must walk, are what you must handle, and handle correctly at that. None of these should be glossed over.” (“Teaching the Fa in Canada, 2006”)
I learned this Fa, but I didn't pay attention to it. So I started to look inward and cultivate myself.
Sometimes at work, my colleagues looked down on me and made unkind remarks to me. I couldn't control myself and got very upset.
Master said:
“That’s because on your path of cultivation there is nothing that is by chance. So, when you get into a heated exchange and it stirs things up in you, or you get into a conflict over something that concerns your vital interests, perhaps the factors behind it were put there by Master. Maybe you only get upset when it’s a case of someone saying something that really provokes you or hits a sore spot. And maybe the person really did treat you wrongfully. But, those words weren’t necessarily said by that person. Perhaps they were said by me. (Everyone laughs) I want to see how you handle things at the time. When you butt heads with that person, it actually equates to butting heads with me. ” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan”)
Master reminded me and encouraged me. Now I can be calm during a conflict and not focus on myself.
In 2008, I was taken advantage of by the attachment of lust because I did not study the Fa well and did not cultivate well.
Someone new moved into my neighborhood. I clarified the truth to him, and he quit the Party and its affiliated organizations.
One day at work, he said hi to me. He was so appreciative and seemed to have feelings for me. I did not think about it further.
About that time, a fellow practitioner visited me, and I told her about him. She warned me that I needed to pay attention to any loopholes in my cultivation.
Soon after, I found the man waiting for me after I got off work. I sensed that something wasn't right, but my heart had another feeling. I felt happy when he looked at me with such warmth. Then it seemed like we were falling in love. This went on until one day he asked me to do something unacceptable sexually. I was astonished.
I did not go along with his request. I did not make that mistake, but my thinking was taken advantage of by lust. I felt very frustrated and didn't know how to get rid of it.
During this time my mother-in-law passed away. I was shocked, even though I understood that, as a human, nothing can be taken away when one dies.
I took care of my mother-in-law's funeral. I wanted to study the Fa diligently, but all of sudden, I was afraid to stay at home alone. The evil created fear for me to prevent me from studying the Fa. I sent righteous thoughts every day to eliminate the evil interference.
This lasted until 2012. I eliminated the attachment of fear, but the evil hovered like a shadow to persecute me. It appeared in my mind to distract me from studying the Fa and sending righteous thoughts; it kept me feeling upset instead of having firm righteous thoughts, and it interfered with me even during meals or at work.
I am clear now that the old forces took advantage of my attachment to lust and desire and wanted to drag me down. I firmly believe in Dafa. I will definitely deny this old force arrangement.
This is the first time I have written an experience sharing article. If there is anything inappropriate, please kindly point it out.