Experience-Sharing Paper Read at the San Francisco Conference

I'm glad you are all here. My name is Adam. I live here in San Francisco, having moved over three years ago from Salt Lake City. I first attained the teaching of Dafa in July of 1999, just before the crackdown in China. I am happy to share with you some of my thoughts and observations, and I avail myself to your criticism. It is solemn and wonderful to be here. I will not recount the sum of my cultivation experience, nor experiences I have had that may be viewed as extraordinary. Everyone here is miraculous and wonderful beyond words, true beings ascending in cultivation. In the course of this Great Fa Rectification, and in your presence, my words are a trifle. So I will be brief. As a practitioner, I was not very visible before this past spring. It was not until I read the Teacher's article on 'Cultivation Environment' for the second time that I decided I would actively try to participate in and contribute to the cultivation environment. Prior to June, I was still looking to serve my own ends in Dafa. I was trying to conform Dafa to fit the life I was leading. Now it is clear to me that this time has passed, and I must find a way to conform my life to focus on cultivating in Dafa, helping others and upholding Dafa in the face of resistance. I was abruptly awoken to this by Teacher's article 'Towards Consummation.' In the past six months, I have learned a great deal from other practitioners. I very much appreciate those who have helped me by sharing their views, sharing important information, being patient with my shortcomings, and sharing their presence with me. This has been a very valuable and irreplaceable part of cultivation. Hongfa activities, appeals to the Chinese consulate, group practice, group study and constant communication have helped me to more clear and more present during this time of Rectification. I will say to new students that when I first encountered Dafa, I had studied the Tao Te Jing for many years. I had read several sutras and engaged Zen teaching. I had practiced meditation. I had learned some of Tibetan Tantrism, all the while waiting for my true Teacher. Prepared as I thought I was to attain Dafa, I found several topics in Zhuan Falun to be unclear and somewhat foreign to me. I took things a little lightly. I was surprised by Teacher's candid presentation and use of ordinary language. The examples used by Teacher seemed somewhat simplified and even arbitrary. But I can now attest that their deeper meanings, implications and subtle references are inexpressibly important and profound. A long list of topics presented in Zhuan Falun that once seemed foreign to me, and even arbitrary, have now clearly proven to be directly meaningful and vital to my progress. These topics include, of course, choosing one cultivation way, the Falun, Fashen, Demons, Energy Borrowing, QiGong State, Thought Karma, Treating Illness with QiGong and Futi, as well as each attachment specifically mentioned. One by one, my hidden attachments are uncovered. I still find myself facing some of them today. I have found that one attachment can quickly lead to others and must be removed promptly. I have found that complacency can obscure and compound all attachments. And I have found that cultivation requires a complete and focused effort. It must be single minded and wholehearted. Here in the West we think very critically about matters of personal lifestyle and faith. We may have a strong sense of individualism and individual freedom. I might also suggest that here in California we live in a world of nice weather, beaches, office jobs and amenities that can create a veil of complacency. Please do not confuse comfort for salvation. I would now like to speak on a different topic. Look at the people you pass on the street. Do they know the conscious difference between good and evil? The people in your offices, your classes, your family, your friends-do they know of the circumstances that are at hand? Can they for a moment apprehend the inexpressible magnitude of their own existence? Can they put down their fears and their uncertainties long enough to catch a glimpse of their true nature, experience a moment or memory in their lives that was pure, truthful, compassionate and forbearing? When we reveal the Truth of Dafa, we are no longer appealing only to the Chinese government or the media. We are appealing to all sentient beings. We stand before the world. They are starting to see us, but many are unsure. Understand that it takes courage to listen to us. It takes courage to recognize us and to believe in us. For we are the goodness that lies hidden within them, the truth that they once knew long ago, but that they have forgotten. We should have patience. If for one instant, we can share with them the courage and the confidence to have compassion for themselves, to ignite a pure and simple wish, experience a moment of recollection... Dafa now shines before them. Their obstructions will dissolve. Or they will be lost. No longer are we merely learning the Fa to the best of our ability. No longer are we merely practicing, sharing insights and experiences amongst ourselves. No longer are we merely grading ourselves, observing ourselves, looking inward and purifying ourselves. We are also reaching outwards. Radiating. At this time, we are even using every ordinary means-aparade, a T-shirt, an interview, a letter to the newspaper, a web site, ordinary speech, a banner, a workshop, an exhibition, pictures and words. It is as if we ourselves are swimming back out into the currents and the rapids of ordinary society, to communicate with others. Therefore it is even more important that we study and practice diligently to maintain our bearings and make progress quickly. We cannot merely wait for the future to unfold before us. We cannot predict the mysterious and wondrous ways that Fa will manifest outwardly and within us--so perfect in completeness and sufficiency. Sometimes we must be willing to let go of our own understanding in order to advance in our understanding. We too must have courage and act in faith. In my opinion, to become a particle of Dafa requires not merely that we perceive and bear witness to the events that are transpiring. One must become the very gateway, an open window through which Dafa breathes into this world. One must completely dissolve into Fa. There is none other! Let our view become even more expansive. Let our heart become even more sincere. In revealing the truth and sharing Dafa, we should not limit ourselves to our areas of expertise but be willing to learn new skills. We should have the courage to engage new means and new forms of revealing the truth and spreading Dafa. We should not limit ourselves to operating in environments that are familiar to us, but be willing to spread Fa in new ways and in new environments. The Great Fa is boundless. What limits can we find? Often when I have stepped out or spoken out to uphold Dafa, I have felt a light resistance, a moment of hesitation, a subtle doubt or anxiety. Perhaps it is the presence of karma. Sometimes I think to plow through this resistance as if I were shoveling snow. But then, in taking a step back, maybe two steps back, I discover that all resistance, my own fear, uncertainty and laziness, simply disappears. I have found that my reluctance is quite often baseless and rooted in attachment. It is arbitrary and not rational. Don't just ask whether you're worthy of cultivating Dafa. Be worthy! Don't just ponder what it means to participate in rectification. Advance! No matter what evil we encounter, the Great Fa is incomparably greater, greater by an infinite number of orders of magnitude. Clearly we do not have the limitations of ordinary people. What ultimately becomes of us as individuals is of little consequence. The world is waiting. Please join me in acknowledging our Teacher. Heshi, Adam