(Minghui.org) Greetings, revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
Master said in “Congratulations to the Taiwan Fa Conference,”
“Your Fa conference is for sharing together in the cultivation process and finding your shortcomings in cultivation, thereby becoming more diligent.”
I am very honored at this Fa conference to have the opportunity to reflect on my cultivation experience of the past three years, to find shortcomings in my cultivation, and to become more diligent as Master instructs us to do.
In 2013, I was fortunate enough to have happened upon and read Zhuan Falun. I felt a strong sense of sudden awakening at that time. Dafa made me understand that the true meaning of life is to return to one's true and original self.
Before that, I had converted to Buddhism twice in a bitter search for the Great Way. It turned out that I had been living in a maze. I felt so fortunate that I ultimately found the True Way and was able to find a path out of the maze of human life.
Master saved me from the bitterness of the human world that is full of karma. Thus, I made the most serious and earnest decision of my life—I would embark on this path of cultivation and follow Master home.
Although three years of cultivation cannot be counted as long, I do deeply feel the seriousness and urgency of cultivation, in which I dare not slack off even a bit. I try my best to cultivate myself, do the three things well, clarify the truth to save sentient beings, and fulfill my vows.
I will share my cultivation experience in two areas—clarifying the truth to save sentient beings and xinxing cultivation.
Master said in “Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World’s People” in The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III,
“For a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple, personal liberation is not the goal of cultivation: when you came, saving sentient beings was your great aspiration, and that is the responsibility and mission history has bestowed upon you in Fa-rectification. Thus great numbers of beings are to be saved by you. Dafa disciples, don’t forsake the magnificent responsibility that has been bestowed upon you in Fa-rectification, and even less should you disappoint those beings, as you are now their only hope for entering the future. For this reason, all Dafa disciples, students both new and veteran, should get to work and begin comprehensively clarifying the truth.”
Master also said in “Fa Teaching at the 2013 Western U.S. Fa Conference,”
“But all the same, Dafa is spreading widely, and I am still calling upon you now to save sentient beings. As for what the future holds, we’ll just have to wait and see. At present Dafa disciples are to go save people, and thus I have been watching how each area is doing in truth-clarification. Some truth-clarification sites have really done an excellent job. There is an increasing number of tourist groups from mainland China nowadays. This is an arrangement for people to hear the truth in a different setting. Our truth-clarification sites are, in fact, the front line—the front line for clarifying the truth. But some areas have dropped this, as they’re busy with other projects. Those too have an effect, of course, and should be done; I affirm all Dafa disciple projects, as all of them can have an effect in clarifying the truth and saving people. But, now there are so many tourist groups, and many of the tourists from mainland China, in particular, have not managed to hear the truth.”
“Many things in the Fa-rectification period aren’t that simple, and nothing is one-dimensional. Things arranged by gods involve multiple factors. When someone heads abroad [from China], well, since he isn’t able to hear the truth while in China, isn’t he being directed to go overseas so that he can learn the truth? You can’t abandon these people. We must still do a good job of clarifying the truth at the tourist sites in each region.”
I was fortunate to have attended the 2013 Western U.S. Fa Conference. After the conference, I came to the realization that I must join truth-clarification projects, so I joined several other local practitioners to clarify to facts to Chinese people face-to-face at the airport.
To me, it was a very precious opportunity to improve my cultivation status. In the beginning, I was simply distributing newspapers and felt it was hard to talk to people because I lacked confidence. I thought that, because I was born and raised in Taiwan and had never lived in China, I couldn’t understand the mindset of mainlanders.
I thought that every Chinese from the mainland was good at talking and arguing, since they were raised in a culture that promotes struggle with heaven, earth, and human beings. I was never good at talking and am most afraid of arguing with others, but my fellow practitioners encouraged me to talk to people.
Master told us in Zhuan Falun,
"Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.”
As long as I, as a disciple, have the genuine motivation to save people, Master will help me. I started by memorizing the scripts. As I continued to talk, I could gradually converse more easily as I met different people and adapted to their reactions and circumstances. In the process, I overcame my nervousness, shyness, fear of losing face, and many other human attachments.
I became more and more confident as I talked more and more to sentient beings. I now spend three to four days at the Los Angeles International Airport every week clarifying the truth to people in person.
I study the Fa and do the exercises diligently every day. As a new practitioner, I read Zhuan Falun and other teachings of Master's for two to three hours each day. I would do the exercises after sending forth righteous thoughts during the night.
Each of my trips to and from the airport takes more than three hours, given no traffic issues, and costs me $20 using public transportation. I usually carry a small suitcase filled with truth-clarification materials, and I travel to the airport and back all by myself. It may seem like very hard work and appear to demand a lot of sacrifice, but I know very well in my heart that it’s an opportunity Master has given me to establish my mighty virtue.
I've had many experiences while clarifying the truth to predestined people at the airport. Whenever I see Chinese people, I first tell them that I’m a volunteer and can help them. I help them find their way through the airport, get connecting flights or taxis, find their lost luggage, passports, or wallets if they lose them. More often I help them call their local relatives or friends. This is a natural opener to chat with them, as they can feel the attitude of a Dafa disciple. It's then very easy for them to accept the truth.
When I meet tourists from mainland China, I always remind them, “Heaven is watching what people do, whether good or evil, and eventually people get what they deserve.”
I discovered that many atheists don’t believe that heaven will punish those who do evil. In the past few months, almost all the predestined people I've met and clarified the truth to would tell me on their own, “Heaven is watching what people do, whether good or evil, and people eventually get what they deserve.” They believe in karmic retribution.
I feel this is a sign that people are waking up and that the overall environment is changing. I suddenly realized that Master’s compassion made disciples aware of the importance of clarifying the truth at tourist attractions.
While what is done each day might seem insignificant and unproductive, as long as one person understands the truth and his kind nature is awakened, not only will he be saved, but the truth will also travel across the ocean and over the mountains with him back to the city, town, village, remote mountainous region, or the great grassland where he lives. He will tell his friends and family, saving many lives.
Thank you, Master, for giving me this opportunity!
I once met three men and a woman who were waiting for their plane back to China. There were still six hours until their departure. I started to chat with them. One man said that he had been to Taiwan. I asked him how he liked Taiwan. He replied that he liked it very much.
He had traveled around Taiwan for 15 days by himself, and he was deeply impressed from the very first day. On that day, he took a bus to the city of Hualian and forgot his luggage on the bus. When he couldn’t find his bag, he asked the clerk at the bus station for help. The clerk quickly called the bus driver and reached him immediately. The bus driver found the bag on the bus, contacted another driver who was on the way to Hualian, and passed the bag to him halfway.
The bag was returned to the owner within an hour. The man said that, if such a thing were to happen in mainland China, the bag, which had a lot of cash inside, would possibly never be returned.
He said he was very impressed by the kindness and friendliness of people in Taiwan. When I heard that, I expanded on his comments and said that China had long been regarded as the land of courtesy with a tradition of taking pleasure in helping people from other places.
Confucius said, “What a pleasure to have a friend come from afar!” This changed after the Chinese Communist Party took the reins, especially after the Cultural Revolution. The cultural traditions accumulated during five thousand years of Chinese history were destroyed. In its 60 years of rule, the Chinese Communist Party, which upholds falsehood, evil, and struggle, instills a great amount of fear among Chinese people, making them afraid of speaking true words and expressing genuine emotions.
The Taiwanese people, however, have inherited the traditional cultural heritage of China. People there believe in the existence of deities and Buddhas. Millions of Taiwanese practice Falun Gong, which has been suppressed, smeared, and persecuted in mainland China.
With so many people practicing Falun Gong, which is based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, it will affect the whole nation in a positive way. I told him “That’s one reason why you would find Taiwan in such harmony. On the other hand, the Chinese Communist Party advocates atheism, which has led people to commit wrongdoing without worrying about the consequences. They even went so far as to forcibly harvest organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. This has been exposed worldwide. They're digging their own graves.”
When he heard this, the man got very angry and said, “The Chinese Communist Party is done, and nothing can save it.” I helped the man to quit the CCP and wished him a wonderful future. I pressed my hands together in front of my chest and said, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance are good.” The man and his group returned the gesture to me and thanked me.
I once met a very gentleman-like businessman, who was handsome and neatly dressed. He was sitting in the airport lobby, waiting for his family to pick him up. I asked him if he would like to read some truth materials. He declined but invited me to sit down with him.
He told me that he had been to many countries and saw Falun Gong practitioners display pictures of the persecution at tourist attractions in many places. He said, “By doing this, you're hurting the image of China on the world stage.”
I replied to him calmly. “We're exposing the crimes of the Chinese Communist Party, opposing the persecution [of Falun Gong], and telling the Chinese people the truth. Hopefully, this will end this inhuman and horrible persecution.”
“Falun Gong is based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. We are a peaceful group that upholds cultivation of mind and acting in goodness.”
“The Chinese Communist Party is so vicious that it even forcibly harvest organs from Falun Gong practitioners for profit. This has been exposed worldwide, and there is sufficient evidence supporting the allegation.”
“This June, the U.S. Congress passed House Resolution 343, condemning organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners.”
I told him about the persecution of Falun Gong in China for the past 17 years, during which tens of thousands to possibly millions of Falun Gong practitioners were killed for their organs, which was described as an “unprecedented evil on the planet.”
I said the laws of heaven would not allow this, Chinese society is wounded and full of complaints, and that people will eventually receive the good or evil they deserve.
He was shocked by my words. He agreed that the CCP faces imminent danger of elimination. He agreed with my points and chose to quit the Party.
I once met a government tax inspector from the city of Shenzhen who held prejudice against practitioners. When he couldn’t understand the questions asked by the airport shuttle driver, I stepped up to help with translation.
I told him that I was a realtor who had immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan years ago. We talked about real estate in the U.S., U.S. politics and economics, and other issues. I told him that I practiced Falun Gong. He said that he encountered some Falun Gong practitioners at a tourist site who spoke of the evils of the CCP and urged him to quite the organization. He refused and didn’t want to listen to them. His attitude was not nice.
I said the practitioners were truly thinking on his behalf by asking him to quit the CCP, which would prevent him from being a scapegoat for the Party. I told him that the world knows that the CCP has committed many crimes against the Chinese people. They even harvest organs from living people for profit. How inhuman is this? They are digging their own graves.
He seemed to understand this and agreed to quit the CCP. He said that he wanted to be a good person and follow the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. He thanked me when he got off the shuttle.
Master said in the “Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference,”
“Let me tell you, every person in the entire world was at one point part of my family ...”
Whenever I encounter predestined people, our eyes meet, and a feeling of familiarity comes up in me. I think to myself that they were once Master’s relatives and thus they are my relatives as well.
There is nothing accidental in cultivation, and everything is arranged for a purpose. We have to seize every fleeting chance to save the sentient beings that we ought to save. That way, we can return to our original place with Master without regrets.
One day, I was in a shopping mall and met three students from mainland China, all of whom were about 13 years old. When they learned that I was a Falun Gong practitioner, one of them asked, “Why is Falun Gong freely practiced everywhere outside China, but not in China?”
I said that was a very good question. I told him that Falun Dafa is based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, that we as practitioners were taught to do good deeds, become good people, and look inward when problems arise. We are taught to put others before our own interests and think of others’ concerns all the time. We try not to complain when we face adversity. The practice also helps us keep fit and healthy.
I told them that Falun Dafa has many positive effects on the whole society and that it’s a respectful advanced practice of the Buddha School and is welcomed everywhere around the world.
I told them that the CCP promotes falsehood, evil, and struggle, and that that's why it persecutes Falun Gong. “You have to discern the difference between good and evil,” I said to them. “Quit the organizations of the CCP, serve the country when you grow up, and do good deeds based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. That way, you will have a bright future.”
They quit the CCP organizations and thanked me respectfully.
One day on a bus, a young man sitting next to me showed me a hotel address and asked if I knew how to get there. We started to talk. He worked as a supervisor in the human resource department of a state-owned airline. He said he had just graduated from college and entered the workforce.
He found the CCP very corrupt and the whole society distorted. He heard that a parent in an elementary school suggested all the parents collectively buy a car as a gift to the teacher.
He said he deeply regretted his decision to join the CCP. I told him that almost all other communist countries have abandoned the destructive and tyrannical communist system and transitioned to democratic societies without bloodshed or social unrest.
Now, only China and North Korea remain communist countries. I told him that many military and civilian hospitals in China have been participating in the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners. I asked him, “Don’t you think the CCP is digging its own grave?”
Hearing this, he immediately chose to quit the Party without hesitation. When we got off the bus, I walked with him for two more blocks until he found his hotel. He sincerely thanked me. I replied, “Please thank my master!”
One day, I walked through the airport’s Terminal 4 toward Terminal 5. A gate suddenly opened and out walked a group of about 15 people all dressed in black suits. Each carried a black suitcase and wore a serious expression. Not one of them talked.
Two individuals in casual wear guided them across the road. I soon concluded that these are most likely senior officials from China. Holding truth-clarification newspapers, I calmly walked with them.
I gently asked one of the middle-aged men to take a copy of the newspaper. He didn’t look at me directly, but he glanced at the paper, paused for a second, and then accepted it.
I followed the momentum and distributed copies to two more people. The next moment, they all crossed the road and got into a waiting mid-sized bus. The whole process took one to two minutes. Afterward, I felt fortunate that I was able to seize this opportunity and distribute the truth-clarification materials.
In the past, if I saw such a group, I would feel that they had benefitted from the CCP’s corrupt system and wouldn’t accept my truth materials, so I wouldn’t even take a step toward them.
Recently, I’ve been feeling that Fa-rectification is advancing and that time is really tight. My thought of saving people is very strong, and I don’t want to lose this opportunity to save them. I hoped that the newspaper would help them learn the truth and lay a foundation for them to be saved in the future.
I once encountered a young couple traveling to the States with their six-year-old daughter. They got my newspaper the moment they got off the plane. Two weeks later, they were waiting for their flight home, and we met again at the airport.
When I walked toward them with my newspapers. they immediately recognized me. The husband said, “Do you remember us? See, this is the paper you gave us.” He reached into his pocket and took out his copy of the material, which was carefully folded into a small square that could fit into his palm.
He said that he planned to take it home, make copies, and distribute them to his friends and family. He asked me if that was okay.
I was very touched. “You'll surely return home with the blessings of gods and Buddhas,” I said to him. “The heavens are watching what people do. Good and evil are rewarded accordingly. I will give your whole family aliases and help you quit the CCP online. Just remember that Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassions-Forbearance is good. You three are all so kind–you will be blessed.”
The family expressed their appreciation, agreed to quit the CCP, and thanked me. Perhaps the paper that they brought back to China has already been distributed to his circle of influence and is blossoming hope among them.
As I clarify the truth at the airport, I no longer pay attention to how many copies of the paper I distribute. I just let go of my self-importance and the mentality of showing off. I understand that all the wisdom and ability that we display in our projects is bestowed on us by Master and that all achievements are just following Master’s arrangements. Participating in activities to save people is Master’s benevolence in giving us opportunities to elevate in our own cultivation. I will definitely speed up my cultivation to catch up with the Fa-rectification and not let Master down.
Master said in “A Reminder” to Dafa disciples attending the Mid-USA Fa Conference,
“Dafa disciples’ ensuring your daily cultivation practice is essential; clarifying the truth and saving people is Dafa disciples’ mission. On the path to Consummation, neither of these two things can be lacking. How well you do them reflects your cultivation state, as to whether or not you are diligent. Society’s form may change, yet the requirements for cultivation will never change, because they are the standard of the universe, the standard of Dafa.”
Master also said in Zhuan Falun,
“To truly cultivate, you must cultivate your mind. This is called xinxing cultivation. For example, in an interpersonal conflict, we must care less about various personal feelings and desires. While competing for personal gain, you want to improve your gong – how is that possible? Aren’t you the same as an everyday person? How can your gong increase? Therefore, only by emphasizing xinxing cultivation can your gong increase and your level improve.”
I came to the realization that the process of clarifying the truth is also a good opportunity for me to improve my xinxing. In face-to-face truth clarification at the airport, I let go of my competitive mentality and fear of losing face.
Whatever opinion my counterpart may hold, I am able to patiently hear them out and follow their way of thinking to clarify the truth. Even when I am rejected and shown an attitude, I always maintain a calm mind and always give them my best wishes. I hope that they can still be saved before the Fa-rectification ends. It’s still very important to leave them with an impression of Dafa disciples’ virtue.
At the airport, I sometimes run into some long-lost friends I knew before I started practicing Dafa. When I see their reluctant smile, I can tell what they were thinking. The old “me” I saw in their eyes was a strong, ambitious, and shrewd woman. Perhaps they wonder how I could be reduced to distributing Falun Gong papers at an airport.
Everyday people can’t understand why we cultivate ourselves or what our ultimate goals are. I don’t expect my former friends to understand. I just smile back at them and continue to distribute newspapers. I know this is a good opportunity for me to eliminate my attachments to fame and self-interest.
Sometimes, when I join my friends for meals, I notice they like to show off their wealth and money-making ability, as well as their expensive handbags, clothing, eyewear, jewelry, and vacations. They gesture dramatically and talk excitedly. I listen quietly without letting my heart be moved. The old me once lived in delusion like them, chasing after money and fame. The old me ended up with karma and was left with nothing of real value.
I don’t carry business cards when I’m at the airport. When some people hear that I’m a real estate agent, they ask for a business card for when they want to buy a house. I explain that the work I do at the airport is as a volunteer and that I am not seeking any business related to real estate. This helps me to let go of the attachment to self-interest.
Shortly after I obtained the Fa, I participated in Shen Yun promotion. I was sent to a booth in a mall to sell tickets. At first, I really cared about how many tickets I sold, and my heart went up and down with how many I sold. The more tickets I sold, the more smug I felt; I thought I was very good at this. When I sold fewer tickets, I felt ashamed and upset. After studying the Fa, I realized that it was the attachments of showing off, zealotry, and a deeply-hidden jealousy of practitioners who sold more tickets. I gradually let go of these attachments; no matter how many tickets I sold, I required myself to maintain a peaceful mind.
Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“As a truly determined cultivator, one is able to endure everything and give up or care less for any attachment in the face of various self-interests. As long as one can do this, it will not be difficult. People who say it’s difficult are those who cannot let go of these things.”
I have a five-year-old son. I believe he was arranged by Master to help me give up my tendency to be impatient, short-tempered, and unfriendly. Now, whenever I feel that I’m losing my temper with my son, most of the time I remember that I am a practitioner and need to guard my xinxing.
I calm myself and then patiently and gently explain things to him. Occasionally, I lose my temper with him. Once, when this happened, he said, “Mom, if you get so angry, you can’t go to the Falun Paradise.”
I was surprised by his response. That had to be Master reminding me through him. To educate my son well, I have to be a good role model and use truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance to guide myself.
I became more patient, gentle, and even-tempered. When my son behaved badly, I spoke to him in a more serious tone. Now, I sometimes bring my son to the airport to help with truth-clarification. He helps carry my luggage full of materials.
When conflicts suddenly arise, I know there is room to improve myself. One day, my son went to a friend’s house to play. When it was time to leave, he cried, struggled, and hit me. I raised my voice to him.
After we got in the car, I told him that he had behaved very badly and that he would not be allowed to play with his toys when we got home.
“You yelled at me, too!” he said. I started looking inward. It was true: I should not have raised my voice, no matter what. As a practitioner, I should keep a benevolent and compassionate heart at all times. When we got home, I made a meal for him. After the meal, he went on to do his homework without crying for toys. I discovered that our own cultivation status will influence our environment; when we look inward, things will genuinely change.
My son’s father and I are divorced, but we share custody. Every two days, my son switches between his father’s house and mine. When he’s with me, he likes to use my cellphone. At the end of last year, he started learning Chinese characters and can also type some easy characters—“miss you”, “love you,” our names, and so on. When he texted his father, I saw the message and got jealous, frustrated, and angry, because I felt he loved his father more than me. My son did not understand why I got so upset. After I looked within, I quickly realized that the problem was my selfishness and jealousy.
I felt really ashamed. As a mother, I didn’t care about my son’s feelings and needs. It’s normal for him to want his father’s love, and he needs both a mother and a father. If I truly cared about his welfare, I would let him grow in an environment of balanced love from both parents. Since then, I have never felt jealous about my son's relationship with his father. Whenever I see them together, I do feel sincerely happy for them.
When I divorced my husband, I felt deeply hurt and resented him. After I started practicing Dafa, with constant reading and reflection, I came to understand the predestined relationships between people. My grudge against my ex gradually went away, but I still had to pay my debt.
After the divorce, I learned that he had intentionally left a large amount of property taxes unpaid to leave me the obligation. I wanted to reason with him, but I remembered Master’s teaching in Zhuan Falun:
“… a cultivator should follow the course of nature. If something is yours, you will not lose it. If something is not yours, you will not have it even if you fight for it.”
I paid the thousands of dollars of debt with my credit card. Soon after, he sued me in small claims court, claiming that I owed him more. Before the court date, I met him and asked how much I owed him. He told me an amount, and I wrote him a check.
I told him that my attorney said I didn’t owe him anything. The bills that he claimed I owed were actually his responsibility. He said he knew this, but he still took my check.
I didn’t argue with him. He was actually quite successful and in good financial health. After the divorce, my financial situation got so tight it was difficult to maintain a basic living standard, not to mention raising a child.
I reminded myself that I’m a practitioner, and I held on to the principle of “no loss, no gain.” I needed to handle my relationships with non-practitioners properly and pay my debts.
I thanked my ex-husband in my heart for helping me cultivate away my attachment to money. As I improved my xinxing, I let go of my resentment toward him. My attitude toward him became more peaceful and more compassionate. I now feel clearly that his attitude toward me has also improved.
In the cultivation process of helping Master rectify the Fa and saving sentient beings, I came to the realization that to let go of human attachments, improve one's level, walk one's own path, and follow Master to return to one's true self is the real reason practitioners came to this world.
When we truly follow Master’s requirements with the three tasks, Master will help us. Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.”
When facing conflicts, our human attachments will inevitably surface. The mentality of showing off, jealousy, resentment, the attachment to fame and self-interest, prejudice, the competitive mentality, vanity, zealotry, stubbornness, the tendency to rush things, impatience, and the attachment to time are all attachments that we have to let go.
On top of that, our physical bodies appear to have all kinds of limitations, such as an aversion to cold, heat, pain, and exhaustion. These should all be taken lightly, and we should not be attached to them.
As a Dafa disciple, I am truly thankful for Master’s mercy. I am determined to let go of my human attachments and march along this narrow road of cultivation. I want to follow the Fa’s teachings, strengthen my righteous thoughts, hurry up to save more sentient beings, spread the truth, and do my best to help Master rectify the Fa.
Thank you, Master. Thank you, fellow practitioners.
(Presented at the 2016 San Francisco Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)