(Minghui.org) In recent years, I have made cards and sent them to Minghui.org to express greetings to Master during traditional festivals. Throughout this process, I have removed many attachments.
I have come to understand that greeting Master during these festivals is very solemn because it shows Him our respect for Dafa.
I had the desire to make digital greeting cards when I saw the many beautiful cards on the Minghui website. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about making them.
Master Sees My Determination
I had tried many ways to make greeting cards but became discouraged as fellow practitioners and my daughter told me I needed to have specialist software to make them. It would be very hard for me to learn. But I was determined, and Master helped me.
Not long afterward, my granddaughter told me she found software on the Internet that can be used to make greeting cards. I believed that Master had paved the path for me to find the right way to get started.
I quickly installed the software on my computer, and then I sent out the thought: Everything is up to Master, Master please bless this practitioner.
I knew I must possess a pure and pious heart to make quality greeting cards for Master. I tried a few steps on this new app with my granddaughter's assistance. I felt a very familiar feeling, as if I had used the program before. I could not explain it!
I knew that Master must be blessing and encouraging me. I understood that making greeting cards is very meaningful as the Minghui website is open to many readers around the world, not just practitioners.
These cards might touch the conscience and kindness in people's hearts, and bless them with a good future.
New Obstacles Follow Early Success
I then encouraged more practitioners to join the effort of sending in their holiday greetings so that I could use them to make digital cards. In the process of producing more cards, I found there were many aspects that could help me cultivate and improve my xinxing.
For example, in terms of image selection, we all knew from the Fa: Dafa created everything, and everyone is waiting to be saved.
If an image can be chosen for a greeting card for Master, then this life is very fortunate! They do not know how long they have waited for this!
I cherished these lives, so every time I made one I told the pictures I had chosen to remember “Falun Dafa is good!” and “Truthfulness- Compassion-Forbearance is good!”
I usually chose suitable images based on the theme of the congratulatory messages written by practitioners, or let them choose their own. I also realized that you cannot make cards just for the sake of making cards.
If you don't pay attention to looking inwards, or if you ignore Fa study, you will be interfered with by human attachments and bring the Minghui editors unnecessary troubles.
For example, Minghui changed the format for greeting card submission. Although there were examples of a few formats to be used, I still couldn’t understand them.
Fortunately, with Master’s guidance, I quickly sent more than a dozen greeting cards to Minghui. After reviewing my work, however, I found some cards were missing the title, some were missing content, and some were not submitted successfully.
The frustration and self-blame I felt were beyond words. I was sad about this for several days, and I could only silently plead to Master to help me rectify the situation.
I later discovered that the greeting cards were all published with the missing parts and completed by the Minghui editors. I was very touched, and thanked Master from my heart. I was grateful for Minghui's selfless efforts.
Making greeting cards is very time-sensitive. There are four festivals in a year and two of the festivals coincide with Minghui’s call for experience sharing articles.
Most practitioners are very busy, so a lot of greetings are submitted when the festivals are fast approaching.
I am an impatient person. Every season, I anxiously urge practitioners to write their messages earlier so I can send them to Minghui on time. I can’t help but blame those who are late.
Master Li said:
“For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference” from Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IX)
I grasped my uncomfortable mentality and quickly looked inward. I found many human attachments, such as the show-off mentality, zealotry, validating myself, and jealousy.
Coming to Terms with Communist Party Culture
I also found deeply-rooted party culture toxins instilled by the CCP since my childhood. Here are just a few examples.
On the surface, I told practitioners of the importance of greeting Master. I was actually trying to validate myself by showing everyone how beautiful I could make the greeting cards even though I'm not educated.
I also developed the attachment to zealotry from others' compliments and forgot to think about Master's teaching:
“…cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
Jealousy manifested when other greeting cards from our area were published in a favored position on the Minghui website. My heart was a little unbalanced as I was the one who taught everyone how to make the cards.
Sometimes, I didn’t cultivate my compassion. When I knew some greeting cards were not published on Minghui, I didn’t take the initiative to help other practitioners find out why they weren’t published and be able to correct their deficiencies.
I even gloated about it in my heart. (I knew this was not the true me). As a result, I lost many precious opportunities to improve my xinxing.
My attachment to preference manifested in the following way: I liked to get in touch with practitioners who were close to me. They could choose pictures at will, and I listened to their suggestions. However, I didn’t want to contact the practitioners who were procrastinating and had no sense of urgency.
On New Year’s Day 2017, I submitted the last batch of New Year’s greeting cards to Minghui.org and turned off the computer, thinking I could finally relax.
Then I heard a knock at the door. Practitioner Fang came in with a congratulatory message for Master. I was not happy and told her it was too late for Minghui to publish it.
After hearing my complaint, Fang confided, “I didn’t sleep last night. I know that I am not diligent in cultivation and make Master worry, but I'm still a Dafa practitioner and I should send greetings as He has given me so much!”
Fang continued, “I am not good at writing. I only wrote this little bit after a whole day. Please send it out for me.”
When I heard this, I really regretted it. The Chinese Communist Party culture is too poisonous! How could I treat my fellow practitioner like this? I tried to hold back my tears and promised her I would send it right away.
After Fang left, a young practitioner came by. She was embarrassed when she told me that she was too busy at work and had just finished writing her greeting card. I told her not to worry and I would send it right away.
I could sense these practitioners’ sincere hearts from their congratulatory messages! From this experience, I realized everything that happens to me is not accidental; they all present issues for me to cultivate.
Over the years, I have been deeply touched by the congratulatory messages from ordinary people who know the truth. I sincerely wish these awakened lives a bright future! I thank our compassionate Master on behalf of these awakened lives.
Category: Improving Oneself
