(Minghui.org) Greetings, Revered Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
First of all, I would like to thank Honorable Master Li Hongzhi (the founder) for arranging this opportunity to share my cultivation experiences with you. Writing this article gave me a chance to look back on my cultivation. I cherish even more the predestined opportunity to obtain the Fa and appreciate the great compassion Master has shown me!
Falun Dafa Is Amazing
Before I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2011, I underwent two operations within two years. I was so fragile afterward that I could not go back to work. I decided to stay with my older sister in the north and relax a little. My sister had just begun practicing Falun Dafa and had attended the Nine Day Workshop several times. The day I arrived she was about to attend another round of the Nine Day Lectures. That day was the first day and she invited me to go with her. The Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Taipei and the annual character-forming event would also take place during my visit. I decided to participate in both.
After I attended the Nine Day Lectures, I felt like a completely new person. Refreshed and light! I used to pant heavily after walking upstairs, but now I had no trouble. All my symptoms disappeared. When I returned home I went back to work the next day.
My husband saw the changes in me and thought they were incredible. He phoned my sister and asked, “What tonic did you give her? How could she recover so fast?” My sister replied, “Nothing. I simply brought her with me to practice Falun Dafa.”
My Daughter Begins to Practice
Because I had such an amazing experience after I began practicing, I invited my daughter to attend the Nine Day Lectures. However, she did not start practicing the exercises or study the Fa.
My daughter suffered from menstrual pain for years. When the cramps began, her face became pale and she could not go to work. When her menstrual cramps began again she lay in bed crying. I suddenly remembered what Master said,
“You can read this book to a patient. If the patient can accept it, it can heal his illness, yet the results will differ according to each person’s amount of karma.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)
I opened Zhuan Falun and read “On Dafa (Lunyu)” to her. Within a few minutes, she sat up and said, “Mom, my cramps have stopped. I felt so comfortable listening to you read the Fa. Can you read to me some more?” I replied, “If you want your condition to stop, you have to practice.” On that day my daughter began practicing Falun Dafa. She threw away all her tonics and said that she no longer needed them.
My Father Quit Smoking
In 2015, my father was 94 years old; he had smoked for over 80 years. He had a very strong cigarette addiction and had to smoke at least 2 packs a day. He smoked not only during the day but also at night. His lungs functioned very poorly. He had only less than one-third of his lung function left.
That June when I visited him I brought the cassettes of Master’s Lectures. He liked them very much. When I returned I brought him the Taiwanese version of Master’s Lectures. He listened to them often. That August my father fell and broke his leg. I had to go back to take care of him. I played the videos of Master’s Lectures in Guangzhou on the computer for him. He loves watching Master's Lectures and sometimes watches two or three lectures at a time.
One night when I got up to check on my father he told me that Master helped him quit smoking. He said that when he woke up and reached for his cigarettes, someone knocked them out of his hand. He raised his head to see who it was. It was Master! My father asked Master in Taiwanese, “Did you knock the cigarettes out of my hand?” Master answered my father in Taiwanese, “Yes! Don't you want to quit smoking?” My father said, “Certainly!” Afterward, Master took out a lump of white stuff and told my father to swallow it, then spit it out. My father said, “How can I spit out something once I’ve already swallowed it?” Master said, “You can. Spit it out as far as possible.” My father spit it out hard and very far. Lumps of dark matter came out after that white lump. My father said happily, “I felt great afterward! Master not only helped me quit smoking but also completely took away my cigarette addiction!”
When my older brother got up, my father took out all his cigarettes, altogether 500 packs. He gave them all to my brother and said that he quit. He even asked me to help him change his clothes because they smelled of cigarettes. He had been addicted to cigarettes for over 80 years. He used to scold us whenever we tried to get him to stop. We all felt it was a miracle!
How I Removed the Fear of Being Stung by Mosquitoes
When I began practicing, I had to overcome interference from mosquitoes.
At first, I just wore long-sleeved clothes. Gradually, I put on more and more layers. To avoid mosquito bites on my hands, I wore gloves. Then, I added socks. I wore a mask and a hat to keep them off my face. I even pressed the hat down so my forehead would not be bitten.
Other practitioners also used a variety of preventive measures to ward off mosquitoes. Besides completely covering up as I did, some practitioners even added gauze along the brim of their hats to cover their faces.
When I looked around I felt we all looked very funny! I thought, “What would ordinary people think if they saw this?” Later I realized that it was no coincidence that I noticed this. Didn’t I also fear being stung by mosquitoes?
I realized from studying the Fa that part of cultivation means enduring hardship and repaying karma. Thus, I let go of my attachment of fearing being stung by mosquitoes. I started wearing short-sleeved clothes to join the morning practice. When I was stung, I withstood the pain and then it disappeared. I thought, “If I still owe you something, go ahead and sting me. You cannot interfere with my practice.”
I remember one night I was sending righteous thoughts at a tourist attraction. The practitioner sitting behind me said, “There are so many mosquitoes tonight!” I noticed many mosquitoes surrounding him but they did not bite me. I came to understand that the best way to prevent mosquito bites is by cultivating oneself well.
Cultivating Myself Solidly
In the beginning, I did not tell anyone that I practiced Falun Dafa. I felt I still had a long way to go compared to the Fa's standards and my understanding of cultivation was still very limited. I still had many attachments to be removed and was afraid I might undermine Dafa. I wanted to start from being a good person, as Master taught us, and then enter the state of real cultivation. I started by studying and memorizing the Fa. First, I memorized “On Dafa (Lunyu),” “An Upright Man” and “Solid Cultivation” in Hong Yin and “True Cultivation” in Essentials for Further Advancement. I keep memorizing every day, either on my way to work or while going to the practice site in the morning. I memorize whenever there’s a spare moment; I want to fill my thoughts with the Fa.
Master said,
“A person is like a container, and he is whatever he contains. All of what a person sees with the eyes and hears with the ears are violence, lust, power struggles in literary works, struggles for profit in the practical world, money worship, other manifestations of demon-nature, and so on. With his head filled with these, this kind of person is truly a bad person….” (“Melt into the Fa,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
To avoid getting polluted, I do not watch TV. Master says,
“Therefore, this present, objectively existing environment seriously interferes with our practitioners’ cultivation toward high levels. Nude pictures are displayed right over there, hanging in the middle of the street. Once you look up, you will see them.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
I know I obtained the Fa late, and the Fa-rectification period is about to end. I may not be able to catch up, so I have to run. I need to cultivate myself solidly.
Talking to Chinese Tourists
When I first began going to tourist attractions to clarify the truth, I wasn't sure what to say. I started by reading the materials. I also observed the other practitioners. It did not seem very difficult.
However, when I tried to talk to people myself, I was scared. I asked a practitioner to write down a few opening sentences so I could finally start talking. Because I was so nervous, I only said, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. Millions of Chinese have quit the three Communist Party-affiliated organizations. Would you like me to help you think of a nickname to quit with?”
I gradually put down my fear and spoke more smoothly. One day, a person agreed to quit the Party with his real name. I thought this must be encouragement from Master, which boosted my confidence. Sometimes it took me more than an hour just to think of aliases and nicknames. I made great progress. I went from helping twelve people quit to more than 30, more than 70, to more than 300 people each month for over 3 months in a row
Every time I finish clarifying the truth, my body was hot and filled with energy. I ride my scooter home reciting, “On Dafa”. One day, when I was about to leave, I saw the car parked in the parking lot ahead of me suddenly change. It was not in the shape of this material dimension. Master said,
“The whole body is made of loose, tiny molecules, just like grains of sand that are in motion.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)
When I looked down at the table the same thing happened: the table was made of granules that were in motion. I looked again and it was still the same. I was surprised. But when I looked more closely, it disappeared! I knew Master was letting me witness their state in other dimensions. Master was encouraging me!
Battling Through Tests with Righteous Thoughts to Go to Hong Kong
Before the Chinese Lunar New Year this year, I had 11 days off from work. I decided to go to Hong Kong to clarify the truth. This had always been my wish because I heard practitioners say there were many mainland Chinese tourists in Hong Kong but few practitioners to talk to them. No one else could go so I went alone.
A few days before I was scheduled to leave, I had an accident on my way to the tourist site. Someone called an ambulance. Because my righteous thoughts were not firm enough, I agreed to be sent to the hospital. The X-rays showed a fractured collarbone. The doctor said I needed an operation, but I refused. Seeing that he could not persuade me, the doctor gave me a band that helped stabilize the bone.
Afterward, the Hong Kong coordinator sent me a message saying that it was my decision whether to go or not. She asked me to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference. I said to myself, “Yes! It’s up to me to decide! I’ll definitely go to Hong Kong as scheduled.”
When I arrived home that night, my shoulder and the surrounding area were swollen. I took off the band and thought that cultivators do not need this. At first, I could not even sit to send righteous thoughts and neither could I lay down. I leaned against the wall and sent righteous thoughts until I could sit upright.
In the beginning, I could not finish the 5 sets of exercises, but I persevered. By the 6th day I could finish all the 5 sets even though some postures were not completely up to standard. On the 13th day, I boarded my flight and arrived in Hong Kong. This incident allowed me to experience the power of Dafa disciples' sending righteous thoughts.
Master says,
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughtsMaster has the power to turn back the tide.” (“The Master-Disciple Bond,” Hong Yin II)
Remembering to Clarify the Truth to Everyone
I became friends with someone at work. I asked her if she'd heard of Falun Dafa. She said everything she'd heard was negative. I told her that I was a practitioner. I talked about my cultivation experiences and the amazing things that happened to my family. She said she wondered why what I told her was totally different from what she'd heard.
After we worked together for some time, she told me she realized that Falun Dafa is about being truthful, compassionate and tolerant. Falun Dafa is very good. She told me, “Practitioners should interact with the public more. You should go out and talk to people so that they can get to know you! You're the first Falun Dafa practitioner that I've known. If I hadn't met you, I'd still have a negative opinion about Dafa.”
I sent her the videos of the NTD program The Stories of Life. She watched one episode every day and even shared the program with her husband. Her husband also had a bad opinion of Dafa. When he first heard that I was a practitioner, he even told his wife to stay away from me.
One day when her friend visited her, I asked her if she'd heard about Falun Dafa. Her friend immediately replied, “Oh, Falun Dafa! Practitioners donate their organs.” Since my friend and her husband already knew the truth, they corrected her and said, “No, it’s not like that.” They told me, “Quick! Tell her what's really going on!”
I finally came to realize that there are many Taiwanese who still have misunderstandings about Dafa. Therefore, every time I meet a stranger now I ask them whether they know about Falun Dafa. I find opportunities to explain the truth to them.
Conclusion
It’s been 8 years since I obtained the Fa. I thank Master for displaying so many miracles in my family at the beginning of my cultivation. I'm determined to cultivate solidly and keep propelling myself forward and save more people.
Due to my limited level, some of my understandings may not be correct. Please kindly correct me.
Thank you Master! Thank you, my fellow practitioners!
(Presented at the 2019 Taiwan Fa Conference)
