(Minghui.org) Every step forward on my path of cultivation during these past 20 years has been due to Master Li giving me strength and protecting me. I always feel fortunate and a sense of joy that I have been able to cultivate Falun Dafa.
I would like to share my experiences and hope that we can all cherish Master’s compassionate salvation and the limited time left for us to cultivate and offer salvation to more people.
Renting an Apartment
With a fellow practitioner’s help, I found an affordable apartment nearby that practitioner, so I decided to rent it.
I heard, however, that another practitioner was also looking for an apartment. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had arrested her husband and locked him away. She had a child and was having financial difficulties. Her cultivation was a bit shaky, so she also wanted to live close to another practitioner.
I thought that the apartment I’d found would fit her needs, but I didn't tell her at first because I was thinking only about myself. I had a busy job, little time to apartment hunt, and my current lease was about to expire. Furthermore, my financial situation wasn't good, and I wanted to save money.
On my way home, I kept debating whether or not I should let her have the apartment, but I couldn't decide.
Suddenly, Master’s image appeared in my mind, as if he was nearby and looking at me. Tears ran down my cheeks and I said the word “Compassion.” Master’s compassion strengthened me!
The next time I went to the apartment, I told my fellow practitioner that I was willing to let this other practitioner have it. But I learned that the woman did not want it because it was too cold and wasn't suitable for her young child. I then realized that Master had given me a chance to improve my xinxing.
The Fa Study Group
I joined a Fa study group, but after a while felt somewhat uncomfortable and thought about leaving the group. One day, before we started to read, I seriously thought about not coming again.
When I opened my copy of Zhuan Falun and looked at the words, I could not hold back my tears. I felt Master’s enormous compassion and felt that he was telling me something. I was deeply moved, and my voice trembled as I read. Master knew me better than I knew myself.
Master wants us to study together and form one body. Every practitioner contributes to the environment of the group. My leaving irresponsibly would have damaged the group environment.
When I feel uneasy, I should look inside for the cause. Feeling uncomfortable indicates that I am not getting along with the group and am at least partially responsible for the situation. I should find my attachments and improve myself. Avoiding a situation is not cultivation.
As I thought about the situation, I found that I had a lot of problems: I needed to raise my xinxing and discard my ego and I needed to look inside for reasons rather than outside for other people’s faults. Cultivation is to cultivate oneself; how could I cultivate other people?
Cultivating While Doing Dafa Work
By the end of November last year, I had printed some desk calendars. A practitioner mentioned that many calendars still needed cardboard backings and she did not know where to get them. I promised to find some for her.
Two days later, I found a big box of cardboard backings and delivered them to her. She had already found some in the meantime, however, and did not need any more.
I couldn’t return the box, so I decided to make more calendars myself. I did not have a hole-punch, but a fellow practitioner promised to find one for me.
During November, I was very busy printing calendars and booklets with information about Falun Dafa.
I was so busy, in fact, that I did not have time to read the teachings or send righteous thoughts. Nor was I able to do the exercises regularly. I thought that after I finished printing the calendars I would be able to catch my breath. Unfortunately, there ended up being extra work to do.
At work, I used my break time to read a few experience sharing articles. One practitioner wrote that she read a few lectures in Zhuan Falun every day. My mind was stirred again and I was jealous: “I am so busy that I can't finish reading even one lecture a day, but she had all this time to read several a day?”
I was indignant and felt that I had lost a lot and that it was unfair. Although I tried hard to hide my feelings, I thought, “OK, this is the last time I will do these things. I will use all my time to read the Fa, do the exercises, and send righteous thoughts. I am not going to worry too much about saving people. I must spend all my time reading this great Fa or I will regret it!”
When the day came to pick up the hole-punch, another practitioner agreed to drive me. She didn't arrive at the scheduled time, however, and, already irritated, I became more upset.
I kept complaining to myself, “My time is already tight. Now you make me wait. Couldn't you have left earlier, knowing that this is a weekday and we have a long way to go?”
I started reading the Fa as I waited. When I opened Zhuan Falun, tears came to my eyes again. I felt Master’s enormous compassion and powerful energy; the foolish stubbornness in my mind suddenly dissolved. It is urgent that we save people, yet I was still thinking only about myself. I was so ashamed!
As I read, I had to keep wiping away my tears. By the time my ride arrived, my mind was tranquil.
When we got there, I found that they had kept my box of calendar backings, and I didn't need to do any more work after all.
Through this experience, I realized that I was upset because the test was related to my xinxing level, not because I couldn't handle the workload.
Due to my limited perception, I didn't understand that the situations I encountered were meant to expose my limitations and offer opportunities for me to make improvements.
I also realized that, when I did Dafa work, I was also busy and contributing. Those efforts were within the limits of my xinxing. When a situation touched on my self-interests, however, I considered myself first and did not meet Master’s requirement of selflessness and altruism.
When I thought about this experience again recently, Master’s teaching appeared in my mind: “However much you give is however much you get.” (“Teaching the Fa and Answering Questions in Yanji,” Zhuan Falun Fajie)
Master hopes we will save more lives and cultivate more diligently!
Category: Improving Oneself
