(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998, at the age of 15, and am now 35 years old. I feel fortunate that I have been a cultivator for most of my life. I have stumbled on my cultivation path, but Master picked me up, and I have gradually matured over the years.
Growing Up with Falun Dafa
Cultivation Is Amazing
I obtained the Fa during the summer school holidays when my mother took me to the Fa-study group. I also did the exercises there, and sometimes in the park. There were also times when I talked to people about Falun Dafa.
Everyone in the Fa-study group took turns reading and sometimes we discussed Fa issues after we studied. As I was still young, I was ignorant about cultivation, but I felt that it was very good to study the Fa and interact as a group.
My mom said that 100 people in our area were practicing Dafa, thus the Fa-study group was divided into many smaller groups. Everyone, including other young practitioners, were very friendly.
Although I was young when I started practicing, I felt very lucky to attend the Fa conferences organized by practitioners, as well as the large-scale morning exercises at the city's plaza.
The practitioners were very diligent in cultivation, studying the Fa and doing the exercises daily. When I first sat in the lotus position, I decided that no matter how painful it was, I must sit in the lotus position for half an hour. I still remember that it was very painful at times, but I persisted and finally passed this test.
Master protected me at all times and gave me hints whenever it was needed. Once, I had a toothache for the first time in my life. Since I was young, I loved watching Japanese film and television animation, and the story and characters always appeared in my mind. When I realized that I was attached to and quit watching these shows the toothache stopped. Cultivation is really amazing.
Dafa Gave Me Wisdom and Courage
No practitioner can forget the tribulations they faced after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999.
I faced tribulations after going to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Dafa and was arrested and detained. I am filled with gratitude that given Master's protection I escaped each danger practically unharmed.
My studies were not affected by the persecution. Even when my mother was detained, my school performance was still among the best. Dafa had given me the wisdom and courage.
As I was young, I did not enlighten to many Fa-principles. However, I defended Master and Dafa because I have infinite respect for Master and Dafa. I thought that I will do what Master said, firmly cultivate in Dafa, and not give up my faith.
When I finished my homework one night, I suddenly thought of my mother who was detained. I missed her very much and thus cried. That was the only time I cried during my many years of cultivation.
I knew that despite the tremendous pressure, there would be a road I had to walk on and I would keep going if I maintained my righteous thoughts. Regardless of how evil the persecution is, it will not extinguish the Fa light in my heart.
Maturing in the Fa
Master said:
“Maybe now you’ve experienced how hard cultivation is. Because it’s hard, your cultivation can meet with success.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference” from Guiding the Voyage)
I not only experienced the hardships and difficulties of cultivation, I also experienced the process of an ordinary person becoming a divine being and the solemness, preciousness, and extra ordinariness of Dafa.
After maturing, I no longer held an understanding of cultivation as I did when I was still young, ignorant, and when my actions were impulsive. The Fa principles are imprinted in my mind, and I have a clearer understanding of cultivating in Dafa.
Dealing With Challenges
I used to often wonder what is the biggest challenge that I have to pass in cultivation. Then, I realized that it was my attachment to my mother because she was the one who introduced cultivation to me.
An adult's cultivation status could have a positive effect on children for some time. Given ones inborn nature, children trust and depend on parents. As I was ignorant about cultivation, I relied on my mother to prod me along. When my mom came to understand Fa-principles, it affected me greatly. This almost caused me to lose out on understanding the Fa principles on my own.
This realization was very scary. I still behaved as if I was a young practitioner at the age of 18. Subconsciously, I always felt that I was a young practitioner and Master would not be too strict with me. This almost caused me to not enlighten to the Fa principles on my own.
After looking within, I realized that no one could cultivate for me, nor could I cultivate for others. Everyone must follow the Fa on their own. The divine beings will only accept and acknowledge us once we overcame tribulations and cultivated virtue.
Cultivation Process: Rectifying Oneself
Once I decided not to rely on others but truly cultivate myself, I felt to be qualified to become a true Dafa disciple.
When I finished memorizing “Lunyu,” four words appeared in my mind, “Change your human thoughts!”
Master said,
“Dafa disciples have metamorphosed from the old cosmos and have emerged beyond the old Fa principles, but the old cosmos, the old Fa principles, the old beings... all of that is trying to hold you back!” (Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles)
Dafa practitioners' cultivation requires that one uses the Fa-principles as a guide and change all human thoughts and actions to that of divine beings. The process of rectifying ourselves is our cultivation process.
I am somehow lazy and have the attachment to comfort, an attachment I did not want to let go. When I immersed myself in some project, I always complained and felt upset if I was given more work.
Moreover, I wanted to go to bed early, hoping that I am not tired at work the next day. This thought has controlled me for a few years, and stopped me from being productive if I did not sleep well at night. I treated “not resting well equals to not working well.”
Master said,
“But in reality, what human society takes to be truths are, from the perspective of the cosmos, inversions of truth; when humans go through hardship and suffer it is so that they may pay off karma and thereby have happiness in the future. A cultivator thus needs to cultivate by correct and upright truths. Going through hardship and suffering is an outstanding opportunity to remove karma, be cleansed of sin, purify the body, elevate your plane of thought, and rise in level—it’s an extraordinarily good thing. This is a correct and upright Fa-truth.” (“The Closer to the End, the More Diligent You Should Be” in The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
This Fa truth helped me realize that I have been using ordinary people's principles and thoughts to look at this issue. Looking within, I found that I was afraid of hardship. Not wanting to suffer hardship meant that I wanted to have the comfortable life of an ordinary person. I worked hard on eliminating this.
I suddenly realized that I have been using ordinary people's principles to treat and understand cultivation. This is completely wrong. Master said:
“To consummate yourself, reaping Buddhahood,Let joy be found in hardship.” (“Tempering the Will” from Hong Yin)
How do I cultivate when I have been looking at things from the wrong perspective?
Once I understood this, the Fa displayed for me a deeper meaning of this principle. I enlightened that hardship, happiness, tiredness, being cold, hot, thirsty, hungry, in pain, comfortableness, and being uncomfortable are ordinary people's notions. I have to let go of them, so I truly escape humanness. We have to remove the thoughts of hardship, tiredness, and sleepiness from our mind.
Master said:
“As you know, during your cultivation, not only will all elements that constitute your humanness try to stop you from breaking away from being a human, but also everything that constitutes the human environment won’t let you leave. You have to break through everything and overcome all kinds of ordeals. The biggest manifestation is the suffering they create for you.” (Teaching the Fa at the Assistants’ Fa Conference in Changchun)
“Don’t you feel sleepy as soon as you read the book, or become drowsy once you study the Fa? Let me tell you that those are gods at a level in this human dimension. If you can’t break through them, you remain a human. They aren’t intentionally doing anything to you—they treat everyone like that. That’s why people feel tired and sleepy. If you want to break away from being a human, you have to break through everything before you can make it. If you go along with them they’ll think you are just a human.” (Teaching the Fa at the Assistants’ Fa Conference in Changchun)
Cultivation becomes simple after one understands the Fa-principles. This thought of “not resting well equals to not working well” have completely been negated and eliminated from my mind. Should this thought resurface to obstruct me, I will eliminate it without hesitation because I know that it is not me.
Without interference from human thoughts, I gradually reduced my sleep time and persisted in waking up early to do the morning exercises.
I no longer have the thought that sleeping late will affect my work the next day. Although I am still as busy as before, I no longer have the mental burden of being afraid of tiredness and can now face everything easily.
Improving Truth-clarification Method
It is a practitioners' responsibility to clarify the truth. As I gradually matured, I gained a deeper understanding of the Fa-principles. I realized that I had many attachments and human thoughts. I found that I was halfhearted, and seeking quantity and virtue. Practitioners are involved in a noble thing, yet I used human ideas and treated it lightly.
I have been paying attention to these attachments after I realized my problems. I thought that if practitioners truly want to tell people the truth, they must use their hearts, as well as acceptable language, principles, and attitude.
We definitely cannot speak too highly. I have found that when I have the heart to improve myself, Master will give me the wisdom.
A patient came for a further consultation and as we knew each other well, I talked to him about Falun Dafa from a third party perspective and he gave his opinion. I tried to speak peacefully with him and also used principles that he could understand to alleviate his doubts. When he left he had gained a good understanding of Dafa.
When I clarified the truth one summer, I met a woman and her granddaughter. The lady listened attentively for a long time and nodded her head as I talked. Her granddaughter wanted to pull her away, but she said that she wanted to hear more.
Letting Go of Fear
On my way home from work, I distributed DVDs, but the attachment to fear kept interfering with me. I didn't give out a single DVD after walking for a long distance because I thought that this or that person was not good or kind enough.
I was depressed and hated myself for failing to live up to expectations. Then, I remembered Master's Fa,
“Neither heaven nor earth canblock my road of Fa-rectificationBut disciples' human hearts can” (“Troubles” from Hong Yin III)
Instantly my mind became clear, and I thought, “Aren't these human attachments blocking me?” I immediately pulled myself together and distributed the DVDs.
Publishing on Dafa Websites
I have been writing articles to clarify the truth on Dafa websites since 2009. I tried using different writing styles, which was a precious cultivation process for me.
Master said:
“The papers mostly involve rationally analyzing and uncovering shortcomings, and they exchange thoughts for the purpose of validating the Fa, reducing losses, helping fellow cultivators to think and act righteously, thinking of ways to help fellow cultivators who are being persecuted, and saving more sentient beings. Gone are the flowery expressions meant for effective show: the papers are full of substance, and they are accurate, clean, and free of human sentiments. They are not something an ordinary person could write, for the inner world of a cultivator is pure and clean.” (“Mature” from The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
From the time I picked up the pen, I have been strictly abiding by Master's guidelines. Over the many years of writing and submitting articles, I have been writing about what I had enlightened to from the Fa.
I could finish an article quickly. However, I never thought deeply about the higher meaning behind it until Master displayed it for me after I submitted my article to the Minghui website.
When I read the published article to see the changes by the editors so I could find any shortcomings, a scene suddenly flashed into my mind: An enormous scope of the cosmic body that had deviated from the nature of the universe had been rectified.
I was astonished, and understood that writing articles is also helping Master to rectify the Fa! Each time when we have enlightened and elevated, earthshaking changes are actually taking place in another dimension!
I now deeply understand that Dafa websites are practitioners' gems of wisdom and it is Master who has given them to us, so we can carry out our huge responsibility and mission.
