(Clearwisdom.net) During this final process of Fa-rectification cultivation, I would like to write down my cultivation experiences during these past eight years to share with fellow practitioners. At the same time, I will find where I fall short, treat each step in cultivation more seriously, genuinely do what I should do well, cherish this special historic period, and not let Master's boundless mercy down.
Fortunate to Obtain the Fa; Focus On How to Study and Cultivate
I am a young Dafa disciple. One morning in April 1998, when I was doing my usual exercises in the park, I noticed that Falun Dafa's brief introduction was quite different from other practices. For example, Master installs Falun for practitioners; Falun Dafa is easy to learn and there is no charge. There is no concern for time or location, one is free to practice and cultivate, etc. Therefore, it is suitable for people who work every day. Later, I walked around the park once and noticed that there were four Dafa exercises sites and a lot of practitioners. I immediately talked to one of the assistants and felt that what he talked about was quite good and unusual. Since they did not charge a fee, I attempted to learn it. This is how I started practicing Falun Gong.
Due to work, I was unable to attend the group Fa study in the daytime. The practitioner who taught me the exercises found a Fa study group in the evening for me. Later, he took me to the Fa study group, which was located in an activity center of a work unit dormitory. In this Fa study group most of the practitioners were retired older people. Upon seeing a young man, they all smiled at me and warm-heartedly welcomed me to the group. We, a dozen or so people, sat in a circle to silently listen to Master's lectures. After listening to Lecture Three for over one hour, I felt as if I was listening to fairy tales, but it was very clear and miraculous.
I learned the five sets of exercises and read the Dafa books, which greatly broadened my view. At the same time, I experienced a lot of supernormal phenomena while doing the exercises. I felt so fortunate to learn such a supernatural practice. I was extremely excited.
Because my work hours were not fixed, the assistant helped introduce me to some other practice sites and Fa study groups. Thus, I could arrange my schedule according to my own situation. Sometimes I went to this Fa study group, and sometimes to another one. At times, I went to the place where Master's lecture video was played. No matter which Fa study group I attended, and regardless of whether I was familiar with the other practitioners, as long as the practitioners heard that I went there to study the Fa, they treated me well and saved a good spot for me. After sitting down, I would quietly listen to Master's lectures. When the lectures were over, I would silently leave.
At the beginning of my practice, many assistants provided convenient conditions for me so that I could understand Dafa in an atmosphere of serenity and peace. Through incessantly studying the Fa and doing the exercises, the former feeling of novelty gradually disappeared. At the same time, my shortcomings also emerged one after another. One time while attending group Fa study my mind was not calm and I could not concentrate on reading. I read the sentences, "Zhang Guolao, one of the Eight Deities, rode backward on his donkey. Few people know why he rode backward on his donkey." (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation version) but I incorrectly read the word of "Lu" as "Mao Lu," which made other practitioners laugh. I felt ashamed and laughed as well. From then on, I was strict with myself in concentrating during Fa-study. During that time, all of us looked inside and focused on how to study and cultivate.
Dafa cultivation is distinguished and magnificent. In everyday society, as long as I get rid of my incorrect human notions and attachments, I am able to gradually rectify myself. Little by little, my world view has changed greatly. Therefore, I can find beauty in anything. In addition, I can treat people around me with a tolerant and serene mind. Naturally, I became calm and serene and dignified. Sometimes I am very humorous. I realize that all good things come from Dafa cultivation, so I cherish this opportunity of cultivation much more.
Although I haven't met Master in person, through my cultivation of over one year and witnessing other practitioners' changes in cultivation, I deeply realize Dafa's magnificence, Master's benevolent salvation and the preciousness of cultivation. In fact, no matter who cultivates Dafa, he is able to improve and does not need the old forces' so-called "tests." It is the old forces' arrangements that tried to destroy Dafa's cultivation environment in the world and poisoned numerous beings' minds. Looking back on this now, I can see it more clearly.
Safeguarding Dafa, Saving Sentient Beings
On July 20, 1999, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) began to widely slander Dafa and make use of different means to persecute Dafa. Over the past seven years, I have persevered with cultivation, safeguarded Dafa, and done what we should do. With Master's benevolent protection, I have made it through these difficult seven years.
In 2001, due to making truth-clarification materials, I was sentenced to two years of forced labor by the Communist regime. At the labor camp, other fellow practitioners and I maintained righteous thoughts, resisted the persecution and disclosed the CCP's lies and slander, which made the collaborators have no audience amongst us. Due to being prohibited from doing the exercises and studying the Fa, we sometimes lacked righteous thoughts. As a result, the evil in other dimensions took advantage of the loopholes to persecute my physical body. I suffered hearing and vision loss, and my body below the chest was numb, which led to difficult situations in cultivation, validating the Fa and clarifying the facts.
After I returned home, my family worried about my health very much. They were afraid that I would be disabled and not recover. In addition, they were afraid that my daily life would be difficult. They even worried, as a young man, how I would spend the rest of my life. Facing the various thoughts of my family, I realized that they had doubts about Dafa, so I told them firmly that as long as I cultivated Dafa I would recover. I began to do the exercises and send forth righteous thoughts at home. Later some fellow practitioners came to visit me and provided me with financial help. At the same time, they comforted my family and gave me Master's recent writings and lectures. During the two-year period of detention at the forced labor camp, I deeply realized that, in the evil environment, it was not enough to maintain human resolution, or we would stumble. We should improve our understandings of the Fa. I began to study the Fa with a calm mind and reflected on the path that I had walked.
Based on the Fa principles, I understood that I must negate the old forces' arrangements. However, in fact, I did not put saving sentient beings in the first place, and determine myself to break through tribulations and save sentient beings. Instead, I put myself in the first place, and attempted to manifest how steadfast and great I was. (Of course, we should be steadfast in the evil environment.) Therefore, in the evil environment, although I eliminated some evil factors, I forgot to save sentient beings and only temporarily made myself "free." Under this circumstance, I was unable to save sentient beings and thoroughly reject the old forces' arrangements. In addition, I did not do things according to Master's requests. With this kind of human notion, I was unable to validate the Fa and manifest the sacredness and beauty of Dafa. This selfish factor was reflected in my every action and every word.
After understanding these things, I began to strengthen my righteous thoughts and eliminate incorrect notions and various thought karma. I tried my best not to be affected by my home environment, and to eliminate the old forces' persecution. I started to communicate with my family more. I talked of law, science, morality and the persecution and exposed the CCP's lies. Sometimes I did not know what I should talk about, and then I read some good articles. Sometimes they could accept my words, but sometimes they quarreled with me. Regardless of my family's attitudes, I always treated them with righteous thoughts.
During this period of time, I genuinely realized that all matter in other dimensions are living beings with thinking minds, and the old forces' interference with Dafa disciples penetrates everything, everywhere. Sometimes when I fell asleep, they began to interfere with me and raised a rumpus inside my body. At that time, I was not flustered at all. I recited Master's Fa-rectification formula "the Fa (Fa) rectifies (zheng) the Cosmos (qian kun); the Evil (xie e) is completely (quan) eliminated (mie)." All the evils were eliminated at once. The next day when I got up I felt very calm. However, sometimes I lacked righteous thoughts. As a result, I did not maintain my xinxing in my dreams, and the more I slept, the more muddleheaded I was. In reality, it was interference. Conversely, when I studied the Fa well and maintained righteous thoughts, I would not feel sleepy even though I had only slept three or four hours. In reality, diligent fellow practitioners have already done well in this regard.
Although I suffered hearing and vision loss, and my lower body was numb, I came to understand that it was the old forces' persecution. They manipulated the dark minions and rotten demons to take advantage of my loopholes to persecute me. I sent forth righteous thoughts to clean them out and rectified my every thought. At the same time, I went out to share with fellow practitioners, distributed truth-clarification materials, and tried to find a suitable job. I gradually recovered, and my mental outlook improved greatly. Therefore, my family no longer worried about me. At present, I have found a suitable job and am able to support myself. In addition, I have bought a computer, learned how to browse the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, learned the necessary technology and made truth-clarification CDs. This time, I edited this article by myself and sent it to the website. I appreciate the fellow practitioners who work for this website and provide technical data for us.
Since the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published, I have read it many times. I find that a lot of bad notions of mine are directly related to the Party culture. In addition, I can clearly see various manifestations of the malevolent Party's evil specter in the world and the difficulties that the evil specter brought about in saving sentient beings. Although I have a lot of shortcomings in persuading people to quit the CCP, with Teacher here, with the Fa here, in addition to our confidence, we are destined to do well with what we should do.
The above is my limited understanding. Please kindly point out any mistakes.