A Practitioner in Her 70s: It’s Important to Look Within to Improve Ourselves

(Minghui.org) I am over 70 years old and started practicing Falun Gong in 1997. Because of this, I am very healthy and always have a positive attitude.

I often go out on my tricycle to tell others about this peaceful meditation practice and the fact that it is being unjustly persecuted. Over the past 10 years I've learned that, as long as we maintain strong righteous thoughts and keep improving ourselves in accordance with the Fa, the persecution will not impede our efforts to reach people's hearts.

Providing a Place for Group Fa Study

After I moved to a new house in 2006, a coordinator asked me if local practitioners could meet at my place once a month for group Fa-study and discussion. “We all want to meet regularly to share our experiences,” she said, “but because of the persecution, many practitioners are fearful that the police will find out, so it's difficult to find a safe place.”

“No problem,” I replied. “All practitioners are welcome in my home. The more the merrier.” I thought that this would help us to improve as one body and it's something that Master encourages us to do.

About 20 to 30 practitioners come to Fa study each time, including a few that seldom interact with other practitioners because of fear. We talk about our cultivation experiences, how to better rescue detained practitioners and save more sentient beings, and how to look within and resolve family conflicts.

My husband is not a practitioner, but strongly supports me. When a practitioner asked me if I was afraid to use my home for practitioners to meet, I replied, “No! I never thought about it. I just did what I'm supposed to do.

We Need to Maintain Righteous Thoughts and Look Within

After the persecution in started in July 1999, many people were misled by the defamatory propaganda put out by the State-run media. Many practitioners and I have been explaining the true situation about Falun Gong to people ever since.

Every time after our group discussion we would offer Falun Gong informational materials for practitioners to take and distribute. Fearful of being stopped by the police, some took only a few brochures, so there were often many left.

Another practitioner and I usually went out to distribute them and put up posters. We didn't return home until they were all gone.

One very cold day, before the Chinese New Year, the glue almost froze on the posters, and my hands were freezing, too. Nonetheless, we finished putting up all the posters before returning home.

After one practitioner was arrested, I distributed many materials outside the police department and detention center. I also put up posters on some of the buildings nearby. Some security guards walked by just as I was leaving. I knew Master was protecting me.

When I talk with people about Falun Gong on the street, some occasionally ignore me or say bad words to me. That doesn't discourage me, and I continue to talk to people about the practice and the persecution.

I went out to distribute copies of theNine Commentaries on the Communist Party one day and was unhappy, because there were so many of them in the bag, and it was heavy. I suddenly tripped and fell down. I immediately realized that my mind was not righteous, and I apologized to Master in my mind. Master often gives me hints when my mind is not righteous.

We discussed cultivation issues after Fa study another time, and I shared about the xinxing conflicts in my family. Several practitioners commented, saying that I did this wrong or that wrong. That made me very upset, and I told the coordinator the following day that I wanted to stop having Fa-study at my home.

I was cooking later that day, and had sharp pains in my legs and lower back. I could hardly stand it. I looked within and knew that I had done wrong. I contacted the coordinator and told her not to cancel the group Fa-study at my home.

The pains in my legs and lower back disappeared.

Eliminating Human Notions

When I have conflicts with other practitioners or family members, it is generally because of my human notions. I recently noticed this and decide to change.

Something came to my mind a few days ago and was difficult to get rid of it. Practitioners reminded me of the importance of looking within, and the situation improved after we discussed it. The next day, however, many complaints and negative feelings came back to plague me.

Feeling guilty, I went to Master's picture and sincerely asked, “Master, please help me let go of all these human notions.”

When I went to do the sitting meditation a few minutes later, those thoughts came right back again. So I begged Master to keep them from entering my mind.

Miraculously, I was able to calm down in a few minutes and felt very comfortable. I can usually only do one hour of sitting meditation, but this time I did 75 minutes without feeling any pain.