(Clearwisdom.net) In order to improve our cultivation as a whole body, assistants from the Taoyuan-Hisinchu-Miaoli Region in Taiwan hold a Fa-study and experience-sharing meeting every month. The October meeting was held on October 19, 2008, in Miaoli. Practitioners at the meeting actively participated in the discussion and shared their understanding on a variety of topics during the half-day meeting. Below is an account of some of the experience sharing.
Maintaining a cultivation environment through Fa-study and experience sharing |
Discovering the Mentality of Relying on Others
Practitioner A: In the past, when Taiwanese practitioners traveled to Hong Kong to clarify the facts about Falun Gong, some would go only when they had some companions, and I found that hard to understand. Recently, I discovered that I prefer to have my husband and son with me when I travel. Otherwise, I don't feel safe. When I had to participate in an experience-sharing meeting out of town by myself, a fellow practitioner didn't invite me to travel together, which upset me. Looking inside, I found my long-standing habit of relying on others. I realized that if I were to be responsible for so many sentient beings in the future, I should be able to do things independently and let go of my reliance upon others.
Practitioner A said that she preferred to talk to a few specific practitioners, which made her fall short on the cultivation of speech. Because they were old friends, the sharing often got sidetracked by irrelevant topics. Once she realized this, she actively reminded herself to avoid it. She also prepared her topics by writing a few notes, so that she could stay on track. After a while, she discovered that she used the word "I" a lot, which led her to discover more attachments.
Sharing the Workload
Practitioner C: Certain practitioners didn't wish to return to Hong Kong following a trip there because of the hardships and inconveniences they endured. I think that all of us should look for our own attachments when this feeling bothers us, and we should improve in this regard. In addition, I believe that Master has allocated every practitioner's tasks -- not too much and not too little. If all of us can become aware of this, we should be able to overcome the desire for comfort and laziness. After all, we must each do our share.
Having Faith in Master and Dafa--Improving Internet Safety
Practitioner D: In an accident with a piece of farm machinery a farmer practitioner's finger was severed. Without a second thought, he picked up the finger and told himself, "No problem, Falun Dafa is good." Before long, he saw that his finger had become attached to his hand again. This miracle happened because he firmly believes in Master and Dafa. If someone didn't truly believe in Dafa's power, no matter how many times he repeated the same words, the miracle might not have happened. The bottom line is true, firm belief.
Practitioner D also talked about the issue of Internet safety. The key is not technology alone, which cannot completely solve the problems that we face. The key is to raise our xinxing level. When we see a strange email, if curiosity gets the better of us and we open it carelessly, and if we expect the technology team to always fix the problems, then we may cause major losses due to our carelessness. That will then hinder our efforts to save sentient beings, so we must be very careful.
Practitioner E: When we discuss the importance of group Fa study, we should pay special attention to providing a stable environment for new practitioners, so that everyone can cultivate and improve as a whole body.
Clarifying the Truth--Discovering Predestined Relationships
Practitioner F: I remember meeting some people during my truth clarification efforts. They might have been waiting for this moment for millions of years, for Dafa practitioners to tell them the facts about Falun Gong and awaken their long-lost memories. Some of them even started to actively participate in our activities. Thus, when we encounter difficult circumstances, we should never waver in our resolve, and as long as our efforts benefit other people, we should keep it up. Miracles will happen.
Practitioner G: After I returned from Hong Kong, my Fa study became more effective, as I was less likely to become distracted. When I let emotion or issues with my family disturb me, this most likely happened because of a specific attachment I still had. If I could find and eliminate the attachment, the family members who were involved in the issue would automatically change their behavior. We should never criticize others' behavior while forgetting to look for our own problems.
Using Major Incidents to Clarify the Truth
Practitioner I: Fa-rectification is changing rapidly. The earthquake in Sichuan and the poisoned milk products in China are good topics for practitioners to discuss when talking to Taiwan-based businessmen operating in China. These issues are relevant to their concerns and worries in daily life. We can use this to expose the Chinese Communist Party's wicked nature. Time is of the essence -- let's seize this good opportunity to save sentient beings.
Safeguarding the Cultivation Environment with Our Divine Sides
Practitioner J: Regarding the issue of maintaining a proper experience-sharing environment, we should use our divine sides and use Dafa's principles to measure our every word, action and thought.
If all of us are responsible to the Fa and actively participate in the discussion, we will find it easier to discover attachments and improve together. If we have nothing to say, we still need to listen to others patiently, courteously and attentively. When someone says something that we disagree with, we should discuss it with that person with kindness. Experience sharing is not about showing off and has nothing to do with one's educational level or eloquence. When someone always apologizes for his poor cultivation state and becomes too humble, he is not helping the group to improve. If everyone waits until he is perfect before saying anything, then there is no need for the experience-sharing meetings.
Don't Let Notions Prevent Us from Saving People
Practitioner K: During the process of saving people, we should take a proactive role, because that's the mission bestowed upon us by the Fa. If someone is the captain of a huge ship out to rescue people, but he chooses to paddle a canoe instead, imagine how much damage that decision would do to the effort of saving people.
Practitioner L: We should relinquish our human attachments and abandon our notions, so that we can effectively save people. Recently, the changes in a straight-A student helped me to improve my understanding. His pride and overconfidence led him to ignore others' words. He gave his teachers and parents headaches, and he had no friends in school. He eventually became a Falun Gong practitioner and went through profound changes in his mindset and behavior. His turnaround was remarkable. His academic advisor was so pleased that he visited some practitioners to express his gratitude.
This example shows once again that it is up to Master whether or not a person can be saved. Our notions and human judgments are unreliable. When we speak with others, we must have an abundance of compassion in our hearts. We should never let our human notions block our efforts of saving people.