Taiwanese Young Practitioner: Getting Rid of Selfishness

(Minghui.org) I am a young Falun Dafa practitioner attending fourth grade. I saw my teacher and some classmates crossing their legs one day during lunch break in May 2021. I found it to be interesting and asked my head teacher what they were doing. My head teacher said, “We are doing meditation exercises. It is a form of cultivation.” I began cultivating in Falun Dafa since then.

I felt uncomfortable after returning from my uncle’s house one day. It was not until my mother took my temperature did I realize that I had come down with a fever. My mother told me to drink lots of water, but my fever still did not break. I was still feeling very uncomfortable by bedtime, and my body temperature was 39°C (about 102.2°F). It was considered a high fever, and my mother was very worried.

I was feeling very weak, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I thought of what my teacher said to me, “You should sincerely recite ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good’ when you feel uncomfortable.” I started reciting the nine words and fell asleep after a while. The fever was gone the next morning, and I felt very light. I thought it was a miracle.

I would intentionally let my mother know whenever I did a good deed. I wanted everyone to see that I’d done a good thing. However, after cultivating in Falun Dafa, I enlightened that good deeds should not be intentionally made known, and bad deeds should not be hidden. The divine beings are witnessing everything we do. I learned to look inward, and let go of my attachment to showing off and promoting myself.

My mother used to tell me that I was selfish. I would only get my jacket off the hanger, and my mother would get angry and say, “Why are you so selfish? Can’t you get your younger sister’s jacket as well?” My mother would reprimand me until I cried. During that time I always felt wronged. I followed Master’s teachings after practicing Falun Dafa.

Master said,

“...attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

I began to get my younger sister’s jacket whenever I’got mine. My mother no longer reprimanded me for being selfish. Thank you Master for teaching me these principles. If everyone was “selfless and altruistic,” wouldn’t the world be great?

I have a friend who would always get angry over petty little things. I am grateful that she was helping me upgrade my xinxing. She got angry one time but I did not know what I had done wrong to upset her. I kept looking inward and realized that I might have said something negative when I was playing with her. I found the attachment of “speaking negatively.” My friend also learned to look inward and found her attachment of being “unable to take criticism.” We made up with each other and have fewer conflicts now.

My sister kept kicking me one time. I wanted to reprimand her but held back because I remembered a sentence Master said,

“...looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2009 Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World, Volume IX)

I started to look inward and realized that my sister was upset because I stood too close to her. I sincerely apologized and my sister smiled. In the past, my sister would still remain angry whenever I apologized to her. It was great to see her smile at me.

I wanted to watch Shen Yun Performing Arts this year when the company toured Taiwan. My mother told me that I had to use the money in my piggy bank. Although I did not have much money left after purchasing the tickets, I know that Shen Yun is the best show and it teaches people to abide by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. My sister kept making fun of me when I did not have much money left in my piggy bank. She even asked, “You could have used your money to buy more toys. Why do you have to go watch Shen Yun?” I began to think that she was right. However, on second thought, I know that karma and virtue are the only things that can be taken with me to the afterlife. Was I able to take toys with me? Of course not.

Thank you Master Li Hongzhi for teaching us the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I made a lot of positive changes and believe that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance will bring wonders to the whole world and to the whole universe.

Thank you, Master.