(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings, Revered Teacher! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

The following is my experience and understanding during Fa rectification cultivation. Please point out anything inappropriate.

Today I delivered truth clarification materials to fellow practitioners and took the same bumpy, narrow street. It is always late at night by the time I get there, and there isn't any streetlight. The area is completely dark. Fellow practitioners' homes are at the end of the street. I have traveled this stretch of road for more than four years and always carry a large box of truth clarification materials on a bike. Although I'm familiar with the route, I always send forth righteous thoughts when I get close. I ride carefully, and yet I almost fell several times. I dare not let my guard down, especially after a rain, when the road is muddy and slippery. This difficult street is a symbol of my cultivation path.

I began studying the Fa in 1997 and have followed Teacher with rock-solid resolve since day one. I have always been fulfilling my vow in the past few years of fanatical evil persecution of Dafa.

I had only practiced Dafa for a short time when the persecution began in 1999 and didn't understand a lot of things. It was difficult for me to have reached this stage. I went through it with firm belief in Teacher and the power of Dafa. The stories of diligent practitioners close to me and on the Minghui website always inspired me.

After July 20, 1999, I validated Dafa in various ways. The evil was quite rampant during that period, and I had a copying machine at home. I could not calm my mind when studying the Fa. Random thoughts would occasionally emerge when I walked up the stairs toward my apartment returning from work. After I got married, the pursuit of comfort came back. I took Fa study as a chore and I didn't put my heart into it. I didn't do the exercises frequently, either. Dafa was being persecuted and I was under great pressure. The vicious cycle continued. I could not calm my mind and practice solid cultivation. During this period, benevolent Teacher prompted me many times but I did not realize the issue. Soon, the evildoers arrested me, designating me as a major target.

I was jolted awake. I knew that Teacher was right next to me and protecting me. I continuously sent forth righteous thoughts and clarified the truth. The police dared not touch me since the moment I awakened and I looked straight into the eyes of the evildoers. Benevolent Teacher later protected me. I was able to open the handcuffs and escape. A taxicab drove up at the right moment and I left safely. It is exactly as Teacher had said,

"Should you have fear,
it will seize upon you
If thoughts are righteous,
evil will collapse."

("What's to Fear?" in Hong Yin Volume II)

The result is completely different, depending on whether a practitioner has righteous thoughts amid tribulations! It's easy to say, but back then it was a gut-wrenching battle between good and evil, and the same war raged in my head. After I passed this test, I deeply felt,

"When a tribulation arrives, if you, a disciple, can truly maintain an unshakable calm or be determined to meet different requirements at different levels, this should be sufficient for you to pass the test." ("Expounding on the Fa" in Essentials for Further Advancement)

It's so critically important to study the Fa and practice solid cultivation! This incident served as a lesson and also changed my Fa rectification cultivation path.

I went to several places while living in exile. The evil was vehemently persecuting Dafa at the time, and there were few materials production sites in my city. We suffered from a shortage of manpower in many respects, and I was needed there. So, I decided to go back to my city to validate Dafa. It's a small city, and the government was posting a reward for my arrest. I lived quietly and started to build Dafa materials production sites to make truth clarification materials and Dafa books and gave them to fellow practitioners. Now, material production sites can be found all over in our area. Practitioners have gradually matured, and the evil can no longer affect us.

I am responsible for a materials production site. I buy the supplies, download information on-line, edit and print, and deliver the finished materials to other practitioners. Although I was forced to live in isolation, my righteous thoughts have strengthened and lots of my attachments have been removed. I used to be attached to love for my wife who is also a Dafa practitioner. Following a long period of separation, my wife and I share our understandings on the Fa and are reluctant to discuss ordinary topics when we get together. I used to have lots of fears and had qualms about validating Dafa, a sacred matter. Now, making truth clarification materials is like eating three meals a day - it has become a part of my life. I think Teacher's arrangement is the best. The evil old forces cannot escape Teacher's boundless power, regardless of the arrangements they have made.

Teacher said, "Fear is a death trap on a human being's journey toward divinity." ("Pass the Deadly Test")

I was afraid when I first escaped from the evil's den. I got what I asked for: the police constantly harassed my family and looked for me everywhere.

Once at an intersection I ran into a police officer, who arrested me and stayed with me for the longest time. We looked into each other's faces for a while but he didn't recognize me at all. I left as I sent forth righteous thoughts, and I think Teacher was prompting me. The outside environment surrounding a practitioner will change as soon as one's attachments surface. The so-called persecution is in fact forced upon a practitioner when his mind is impure. A practitioner will not be able to use the power of righteous thoughts if he has lots of ordinary notions.

After I realized this, I took Fa study and sending forth righteous thoughts seriously. We really have to calm our minds when studying the Fa or sending forth righteous thoughts. When we take sending forth righteous thoughts seriously, we quickly enter a state of concentration. I would hold still everything within my field with powerful righteous thoughts. As righteous thoughts grow stronger, fear is reduced and eventually goes away. The things that cause fear then also leave.

Since 2005, practitioners started helping people quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations, in addition to clarifying the truth. I devoted myself to work at the materials production site and was busy all day long. I don't come in contact with many ordinary people, which made me think about the path I will take in the future. Dafa practitioners should cultivate themselves while maximally conforming to the state of ordinary people. We should cultivate in the ordinary environment until Consummation, which means we are rescuing people in the broadest range.

I had almost completely isolated myself from ordinary people in the past few years. Although the evil had forced me into hiding, Dafa practitioners do not acknowledge any of it. We should do away with all evil arrangements in order to rescue the world's people and correct our path of Fa rectification cultivation. I rarely ask people face-to-face to quit the Party out of concern for the safety of my material production site, and usually only provide a hint from a third person's perspective.

One thing changed my mind. One day, I went to buy supplies. I often send forth righteous thoughts when outside the home and have rarely met or been recognized by acquaintances in the past several years. It feels supernatural. That day, though, I heard someone calling out to me from behind. I turned around and saw one of my former classmates. I had not seen acquaintances for quite a few years and I wasn't mentally prepared for this encounter. Moreover, I could not answer many of his questions regarding my situation. I thought I should seize this opportunity to help him quit the Party, because I would regret it very much if I missed this opportunity.

I didn't have much time, so I got right to the point, and he quickly agreed to quit the Party. I thought, "Although we constantly remove attachments on the path of cultivation, we also continuously develop new notions and attachments. If we don't take them seriously and let them run wild, we may not cultivate well."

I have missed so many people who have a predestined relationship with Dafa. That is due to newly formed attachments; these people include my parents, other family members, classmates, colleagues, and friends--so many sentient beings! The evil persecution deprived me of a normal life. How many of them would truly understand the compassion of Dafa practitioners after being brainwashed by mind-poisoning propaganda? If I can do everything well and rescue them from poisonous lies, then I can truly liberate their lives. Isn't this my responsibility as a Dafa practitioner? I reviewed my cultivation path.

In China, some practitioners work "full-time" at some materials production sites. [Note: all Dafa practitioners do Dafa work on a voluntary basis. They use their own money or each others' money to make truth clarification materials] They cannot work among ordinary people for various reasons. The issue of livelihood arises in these situations. These practitioners are not providing for themselves, regardless of whether they are supported by their families or fellow practitioners. I think they are then doing Dafa work conditionally. How can Dafa practitioners validate the Fa based on specific terms? Taking into account the unique circumstances in Mainland China, Dafa practitioners should attach great importance to rescuing sentient beings. Some practitioners may need to fully devote themselves, and also have to pay attention to safety, which makes it difficult to find a job.

I understand from the depth of my heart that it is harder to rescue people deceived by lies amid evil interference and persecution, and it gets even harder for us to break through it. My understanding is that we have to eventually correct our cultivation path, regardless of the circumstances. Dafa practitioners are rescuing sentient beings and negating everything imposed by the old forces by opposing the persecution. Returning to a normal life and cultivating through work is in fact negating the old forces' arrangements.

Practitioners in our area worked diligently to establish numerous small-scale materials production sites. Those who used to be novices are now "old hands." There is no shortage of technically adept practitioners. There is no shortage of manpower at material production sites. Other practitioners have said that I need to get a job. I think every Dafa practitioner is willing to fully devote himself to validating Dafa, especially since we are not wiling to face today's ordinary environment. I've been living alone for all these years and have developed a new attachment--not wanting to get in the middle of a complex environment, which would make it necessary for me to cultivate in an ordinary environment. It is difficult for me to calm my mind, even when I encounter a tiny problem among ordinary people. I understand that our cultivation and improvement is the top priority. When Dafa practitioners deviate from solid cultivation and improvement of xinxing, nothing will work.

I experienced various types of tribulations in the process of looking for a job. At first, my mind was not altruistic. I said that I wanted to do away with the old forces' arrangements and rescue people by conforming to an ordinary state, but in fact I had a selfish thought - "My wife was the sole caretaker of the family over the past few years. She is also persecuted and we have experienced serious financial deprivation. If I make some money, our lives will not be as difficult."

I was wrong as soon as this thought surfaced while I was still talking about Dafa. To put it more severely, it's a filthy mentality that is using Dafa. As a result I couldn't find a job then. Once the rain poured down on me several times during a trip. When I stayed out of the rain, the rain stopped; when I went back out, the rain started again. It felt as if the rain was coming after me. I eventually realized that what Dafa requires of me is how I should walk on my cultivation path, and it serves the need of assisting Teacher to rectify the Fa. I'll go wherever Dafa needs me to go and I shall validate the Fa there. This is walking a righteous cultivation path.

Teacher said,

"things are gained naturally, with no pursuit." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 International Fa Conference in New York")

We should follow in whatever direction the Fa takes us. Soon after I gave up that selfish notion, someone offered me a job. It is in another city, so it is relatively safe. The salary and benefits are good, as is the work environment. I will continue to use my special skills to validate Dafa.

As long as we take righteous steps and act with righteous thoughts and righteous actions, we will succeed in whatever we want to do. Great and benevolent Teacher is always looking after us. Fellow practitioners, let us strive forward diligently and be worthy of Teacher's arduous and benevolent efforts in saving us.