(Minghui.org) I went out with Ms. Liu to buy a cake after the group Fa study in May. We clarified the facts to the young male vendor, and helped him to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations. We also gave him a truth-clarification USB drive and a Dafa informational card. He accepted them.

We then went into a store to buy fruit. I was going to purchase some fruit when Ms. Liu asked me to wait until she fetched her membership card from home. I strolled around the store and clarified the facts to a few staff who were there, and helped one of them quit the CCP. Ms. Liu then returned with her card.

I treated Ms. Liu as a very close friend. Without saying anything, I began to pick the fruit. As soon as I finished, the cashier weighted them, and Ms. Liu put them in her plastic bags in order to save on the bag charges. After I finished, she used her membership card to pay for them. I used up all the money on her card and didn’t think much of it.

Only after she reminded me that I still had a balance to pay did I realize that I had not followed the Dafa principles. What a strong attachment to selfishness! For a membership card holder, one was entitled to discounted prices. But I wasn’t a member, thus, I shouldn’t be entitled to that saving. Since I spent everything on her card, she was left with nothing and could not to buy anything herself.

I recalled what Master said,

“I also want to tell you that your nature in the past was actually based on egotism and selfishness. From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

I was ashamed, and my heart was heavy. I looked inward and found some attachments. Then, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate every one of them from its root. I also carefully examined myself.

Starting on May 10, I began to have illness symptoms appear. When I experienced such aberrations before, I could get over it by sending forth righteous thoughts. But, after I repeatedly did that, my improvement was minimal.

When Ms. Liu went to the Fa-study group and noticed my condition, she asked me to recite more Fa so that I could have more Fa fill my mind. In addition, she encouraged me to do more sitting meditation, and also to send forth righteous thoughts more intensively.

She was still worried about me after returning home and decided to come to see me at night. Seeing that I had slacked off and didn’t want to take the hardship, she did the sitting meditation with me. Not until my state changed for the better, did she return home. There, she still helped me send forth righteous thoughts.

Empowered by Master, encouraged and helped by Ms. Liu, my righteous thoughts became stronger. After I finished sending righteous thoughts at midnight, I did the sitting meditation for three hours. Then, I made a breakthrough and overcame this tribulation.

After I realized my cultivation state was off, I looked inward, but couldn’t find my fundamental attachments. Didn’t the behavior I demonstrated when going out with Ms. Liu come down to the root cause of my cultivation issue? It was Master who arranged for her to come and help me improve.

After dinner, I opened a Falun Dafa book, and a passage of Fa was right in front of me. Master said,

“You probably remember something I’ve often said to you: a Dafa disciple should consider others first in everything he does. Whenever something happens or whenever a situation comes about, even if it’s a minor thing, my first thought is of others, for it has already become natural for me—I just think of others first.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2002 Conference in Boston, U.S. A.," Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume II)

I became teary eyed, and felt that I let Master and Dafa down. I was also sorry for the sentient beings in my heavenly world. I failed Master’s expectations and had him worry about me again.

I always felt my cultivation was off, and I had no strength to be diligent, despite the fact that I studied the Fa, did the exercises, sent forth righteous thoughts, and clarified the facts. But I didn’t cultivate solidly.

Long ago, Master tried to enlighten me in a dream. There was a big plum tree full of leaves. It seemed there would be a lot of fruit on there, but there wasn’t any under the leaves. Even though I tried to enlighten to the problem, I didn’t get the hint. It was not until I experienced a major problem in my cultivation, did I realize the seriousness of the problem.

I studied the Fa for a little while. Then, I had a dream. There was a big bathhouse. Ms. Liu and I went there. But instead of taking a bath, she cleaned up the bathroom for me. I was embarrassed. How could I let her do that? After I woke up, I realized that she had been helping me with the dusting. Thank you, Ms. Liu, for your selfless help!

On the morning of May 13, when I was doing the second exercise, I couldn’t hold back my tears. It was mixed feelings of sorrow and joy. I felt sorrow because I didn’t cultivate myself well and Master worried about me. I felt that I let down Master. The joyfulness came from the fact that I would not continue being negligent, instead, I would be diligent, elevate and improve myself!

Until I started the sitting meditation, I was still in tears. After I finished sending forth righteous thoughts at 6 p.m., I knelt down in front of Master’s portrait and made a wish: Today is May 13, and marks the beginning of my performing solid cultivation!

For over 20 years of cultivation, every step of my improvement was only possible with Master’s protection. Only by cultivating solidly, holding my every thought and action based on the Fa’s requirements to cultivate myself well, could I pay back Master. I would treasure this precious opportunity, do the three things well, so Master would worry less about me.

Thank you Master! Thank you fellow practitioners who have helped me!