A Young Practitioner’s Cultivation Understandings While Involved with the Media

(Minghui.org) Greetings, esteemed Master and fellow practitioners!

I am a Falun Dafa practitioner who emigrated from Vietnam. I obtained the Fa at the end of 2016. Recalling my cultivation path, I feel that I am the most fortunate person to have had the opportunity to learn this precious practice. I have received countless benefits from Dafa in mind and body, and have also realized the importance of clarifying the truth about Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong), and saving sentient beings.

Obtaining the Fa

I received the devastating news that my mother had come down with cervical cancer in December 2008. For a 17-year-old boy that was a big shock. I fell into a state of depression, and stopped studying for one year to take care of her. Spending time with my mother every day, I witnessed the physical and emotional suffering she experienced. Although I tried many methods of Eastern medicine, Western medicine and even spiritual methods, my mother’s condition did not improve, and she continued to be in a lot of pain. I felt helpless and didn’t know how to help her overcome this terrible disease. We were both in a state of desperation.

During the most stressful time, my best friend from high school, who happens to have the same birthday as I, was an overseas student in Australia and a Falun Dafa practitioner. As soon as he heard about my mother’s situation he constantly called and encouraged us to study the Fa. During a trip back to Vietnam, he stayed at our home for a few days, so he could teach us the five Falun Dafa exercises. In addition, he shared with us stories from his cultivation journey. 

My mother officially obtained the Fa then, and a miracle happened. My mother’s health improved significantly. Her pain disappeared slowly, and her complexion was gradually getting better. She has fully recovered now, and continues to cultivate in Falun Dafa. 

My mother studies the Fa, does the exercises, sends righteous thoughts daily, and takes part in regular activities to save sentient beings. Whenever she has the chance, she gives paper lotus flowers to people and talks about the beauty of Falun Dafa. Most importantly she raises awareness of the persecution in China. 

Many people are happy to receive the lotus flowers and sincerely thank her. When my mother faces difficulties, she looks within to find her attachments, and follows the Dafa principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. 

I witnessed amazing benefits when my mother’s health improved, so I also obtained the Fa at the same time as her – in 2016. My mother encouraged me to study the Fa. Initially I thought that I would practice Falun Dafa with her to help her be more motivated rather than her practicing by herself. At first, I did not focus on studying the Fa and didn’t enlighten to many of the Fa principles. I focused more on practicing the exercises than actual cultivation. As each day passed there was something to encourage me to study the Fa more. I did not enlighten greatly at first, but I began to concentrate when reading the teachings. Gradually, I have realized how precious cultivation is. 

Master taught: 

“…It wasn’t easy for you to gain the Fa. All you know is, it seemed that by chance someone told you about the Fa, and so you’ve gained it. The fact is, that was something hidden deep in your heart, like an electrical plug. The minute it’s connected, you get galvanized. Yet for some people that plug doesn’t work anymore, since it’s covered by dust and dirt. Even though the plug is plugged in, there is no electricity. Many people lost their lives in the past so that they may gain the Fa. They have cultivated in the past and undergone many cultivation ordeals.” (Teachings at the Conference in Canada, 1999)

I was moved after reading this lecture, and I am grateful for the opportunities that Master arranged for me.

Master also said: 

“I resolved many things for Dafa disciples over the course of history, and for this reason I protected you life after life, watching over you all the way through.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)

Before cultivation my mother often shared with our neighbors that while she was pregnant with me her family lived in poverty, so she went to the hospital three times to have an abortion. However, each time something made her change her mind, and she decided not to have an abortion.

I later realized that this was not a coincidence, but that it was compassionate Master who protected me and other Falun Dafa practitioners from generation to generation until today. Thus, we are able to obtain Dafa. This makes me feel extremely emotional and grateful. I thank our great compassionate Master!

Studying the Fa Well Is Fundamental in Cultivation

Dafa practitioners must do the three things well, with studying the Fa being the most fundamental. At first, I read the Fa at home and later I attended group Fa study to read and share with fellow practitioners. However, with this reading method, especially when I could not calm down, I could not understand the surface meaning of the Fa. Besides, I forgot everything within a few minutes after closing Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, and leaving the Fa study group. I felt that when reading like this I couldn’t remember much. After reading the articles on Minghui about how fellow practitioners gained good results from memorizing the Fa, I started to memorize the Fa.

When I memorize and assimilate to the Fa’s principles, I find that I have a better understanding and can follow the Fa more easily. Additionally, I act more righteously whenever I encounter a conflict or when I face a tribulation. When I memorize the Fa, I feel that Master has revealed to me the deeper meaning of the Fa, as well as other beautiful things that I could not experience by only reading the Fa. 

I am cultivating Forbearance while memorizing the Fa – which requires a lot of patience and concentration. Normally, it takes me more than an hour to read a lecture, however, during that amount of time I only memorize two or three paragraphs. I always try to maximize my time when memorizing the Fa.

In addition, when I only read the Fa, I often felt sleepy and couldn’t concentrate, feeling as if I just read out of habit and could not remember anything. When memorizing the Fa, on the other hand, I feel more awake, more focused, and free from interference. Besides, I’m not bothered by any distractions from foreign spirits and thought karma. 

After memorizing Zhuan Falun for the first time, I looked at Master’s picture and saw him smiling to encourage me, which made me very emotional. I am memorizing  Zhuan Falun for the fourth time, and I will try to keep memorizing so that I can assimilate into the Fa.

Master arranged for me to meet a Chinese-Vietnamese practitioner to teach me Chinese. Now I have memorized Lunyu in Chinese, although I may not pronounce the words correctly. 

I realized that only by studying the Fa well can we be highly effective in doing the three things that Master asks of us.

Master Arranged for Me to Work Full-time in the Media 

While talking with my mother, I said that I did not know where and how to fulfill my responsibility in doing the three things, including clarifying the truth. My mother discussed this with a fellow practitioner and this practitioner suggested that I work with the Dafa media. The media offers me a great opportunity to clarify the truth. Initially I started part-time with the media and have been working full-time for the last four years. Based on my understanding, when we maintain righteous thoughts, and sincerely want to do the three things well, our compassionate Master will arrange for us to fulfill those vows. I am sincerely thankful to Master.

When I started with the media, everything was new to me and I really didn’t know where to start. Most of my fellow practitioners who cooperated with me were experienced in the media. I am a lawyer, and I don’t have any knowledge or skills in journalism. At the beginning, I participated in translating articles from foreign news agencies, and accepted the position of a part-time employee. 

Recently, a thought came to my mind. I asked the team leader: “Do you think my work needs to be improved upon anymore?” The team leader replied, “There’s not that much to fix.” Then I asked his permission to do the job full time and he agreed.

I had to put in a lot of effort so I could keep up with my professional requirements, as well as to deal with the intensive workload one faces in the media. There was a time when I published up to eight articles a day. At times some co-workers would criticize my work. However, I never felt discouraged or wanted to give up. I just focused on how I could improve faster so that fellow practitioners did not have to worry about me. 

According to my personal understanding, the long-term memorizing of the Fa helped me maintain righteous thoughts, and be more consistent with this work. There were a few times when I felt quite tired, but I always reminded myself of the reason I came to this Earth. Then I had more power to do what a Falun Dafa practitioner should do.

In the process of cooperating with fellow practitioners one has to deal with many different opinions and views – quite a few issues would be under consideration. When I state my opinion, I do not expect fellow practitioners to agree with me. I offer my suggestion, and then with fellow practitioners we decide on the best method, assuring that we cooperate with each other. While working, when I see a mistake in an article, I quietly make the necessary correction so that the outcome will be better. If I feel I need to provide my suggestions to fellow practitioners, I always try to maintain a positive attitude, be calm and compassionate rather than implying that I am better, that I am right, and that he or she is wrong. After all, our abilities have been given by our Master in order to help us achieve what is expected of us. Whenever I feel uncomfortable in my heart, I look inward to see where I fall short, so that I can correct and improve myself.

There are no days off when working with the media. Sometimes I work from early morning to late at night. I cannot tell other practitioners what I am doing and I sometimes face criticism from readers. However, despite all the hardships I feel no regret. I feel grateful and thankful to Master for looking after me and considering me as his student.

One day, the manager announced that my team leader had resigned, and I would replace him. I wasn’t happy at the time because I was aware of the pressure and difficulty of the position. I knew that I would need to improve myself to be able to take on the role. I realized that it was Master’s arrangement so that I could make more breakthroughs in my cultivation and continue to improve.

I watched a documentary on a social media site called “Candlelight Across the Street” one evening in 2019. The film shared the story of more than 100 Falun Gong practitioners who took turns to maintain a truth-clarification site right across from the Chinese Embassy in London for 17 years. I was very impressed and admired those practitioners, who persisted in clarifying the truth about the brutal persecution in China, despite many hardships, including the freezing winds, rain, and heat. I decided that I would like to fly to London to write about this phenomenal achievement so that more people could learn the truth and be saved. 

Master arranged for me to travel to London three years later. I got a visa within just two weeks while it took others a few months to get one at that time. While waiting to enter the UK, I asked Master to let me enter the country so that I could clarify the truth. I read On, and sent righteous thoughts to eliminate any interference.

When I went through immigration my luggage was held by customs. I was not worried and calmly talked to the customs staff, taking this as an opportunity to tell them about the beauty of Dafa. They thanked me for understanding the challenges in performing their duties. I realized that when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, think of others first, and treat them with compassion and kindness, that person will feel the powerful energy field of a Dafa practitioner.

I was fortunate to be able to meet the Chinese practitioner who initiated the truth-clarification site opposite the Chinese Embassy. That practitioner was 60 years old, had been coordinating this activity for 20 years, and shared a lot of useful information that I could use to write an article, as well as make videos of this project. 

She repeatedly emphasized that the truth-clarification site opposite the Chinese Embassy will only stop when the CCP stops persecuting Falun Gong. After the interview ended, I mentioned Master and she couldn’t hold back her tears. I was able to complete my article by July 20, 2022. The year 2022 marks 30 years since Dafa’s introduction to the world. My article was read and shared by many people. 

I am very grateful that Master is always by my side to protect and enlighten me. I don’t usually watch videos when Master appears in them because my eyes fill with tears. I feel immense gratitude to Master, but this is mixed with sadness for the suffering he has endured when we fail to meet the standard. I can only try my best to improve and be worthy of his great compassion.

As well as working to clarify the truth through the media, I also take advantage of the opportunities to clarify the truth face-to-face when going out to interact with people. I do not have any thoughts to limit myself, as I want to save as many people as possible.

I work part-time as a lawyer but do not focus on money. I consider it as a profession where I can validate the Fa and clarify the truth to my clients. I remind myself that the main reason I came to this Earth is to cultivate and clarify the truth. This helps me to not be interfered with by fame and human sentimentality. 

Master said: 

“...Your life came to this earth all for this. How could you not be diligent, and grow lax? This is your moment of destiny, the chance you have waited all eternity for! For however long it has been, you were all along preparing for this, suffering and shedding karma. Yet now, after all the hardship and pain, when you have made it to this day, somehow you have become not diligent. Isn’t that a shame?! Yet this juncture is critical, and if you are not diligent now, you’re done for. Was it not exactly for this moment that your life came here?” (“Fa teaching on World Falun Dafa Day”)

I hope we will be more diligent, improve, and cultivate ourselves as one body. We should do everything as we did in the beginning. Besides, we need to do the {{three things even better and return to our original, true selves. We want to go home with our great Master.

Above are my humble thoughts and understandings gleaned during my cultivation process. Please let me know if there is anything inappropriate and not on the Fa.

Thank you, Master and fellow practitioners.

(Presented at the 2022 Australia Fa Conference)