(Clearwisdom.net) In my ten years of cultivation, I have experienced hardships as well as happiness. However, no matter how difficult this evil persecution was to withstand, I have come to this point today only through my cultivation in Dafa. If I were to talk about all my experiences in cultivation during these past ten years, I probably would not be able to finish even if I were to talk for several days. I am writing this sharing because I wish to find my shortcomings and walk the rest of my journey well.
I began to learn Falun Dafa in November 1998. A friend of mine sent me a copy of Zhuan Falun and I finished reading the book in seven days without any judgment. During that time, I had diarrhea but I did not know I was having my karma was eliminated. However, when I finished reading the last page of Zhuan Falun, my diarrhea stopped. I was really amazed because a dozen or so illnesses disappeared along with the diarrhea. This was the first time that I had ever experienced being free of illness. Through this, I enlightened to the Fa principle that I should pursue nothing and gain naturally.
The book Zhuan Falun has accompanied me ever since and has encouraged me to be more steadfast as well as unrelenting and persistent. It also enables me to be increasingly mature on the path of my cultivation.
Study the Fa
On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its campaign to slander Falun Dafa as well as persecute its practitioners. Around noon that day, about a dozen other practitioners and I were worried about the situation but did not know what to do. We all believed that Dafa was good so we decided to go to Beijing to speak out for Falun Dafa. However, we learned that all the roads and waterways were blocked and we had no other option but to return home. I shed many tears as a result. It was really upsetting and humiliating for such a great Fa to be banned and persecuted. At this time, it really seemed like the heavens had collapsed. No one dared to talk about Falun Gong anymore, and no one dared to read Dafa books in public. I was determined to walk my own path and do what I could to establish the innocence of our Teacher and the greatness of Dafa!
At the time, I was a teacher. All the schools were on summer break so I began to earnestly copy Zhuan Falun. I don't know how long it took me to finish copying the book the very first time.
I left the handwritten copy of Zhuan Falun in school, and whenever I had a bit of free time, I read it. When I returned home, I would read Teacher's other lectures. Maybe this earnest attitude in studying the Fa laid a solid foundation for joining the Fa-rectification later on. During my ten years of cultivation, Fa study has been the most important thing for me. I persevered in studying the Fa and practiced the exercises every day. I have read Zhuan Falun more than 200 times and studied Teacher's lectures more than 20 times. I learned Hong Yin and Hong Yin II by heart, and I have copied Essentials for Further Advancement and the articles published between July 20, 1999 and 2004. In 2006, I copied Zhuan Falun for the second time, which took me five months. Even during the darkest days, I used all sorts of ways to keep up with Fa study.
Use Various Methods to Save Sentient Beings
In validating the Fa to save sentient beings, I gradually matured. At the very beginning, I dared not do it all by myself in public but now I can. Before 2004, another practitioner did "truth-clarification" work with me. Then I moved elsewhere due to my job and from 2004 until now, I have done it by myself. I still remember one autumn night when it was very chilly outside. I went outside with truth-clarification pamphlets and stickers and went street by street. By dawn, I had distributed nearly 100 pamphlets and put up a similar amount of stickers. Altogether, I walked over 20 kilometers (approximately 12.4 miles).
One night in November 2006, I was about to go to bed but suddenly realized that I still had over 100 truth-clarification stickers that needed to be posted. If I could put them up, it would certainly be of great benefit to sentient beings. It was close to the Chinese New Year and all the government departments were closed due to the holiday season, so they would not organize people to take the stickers down. It was very cold and windy, so I put on a thin overcoat because a thick coat would make it inconvenient to put up the stickers. I carried over 100 truth-clarification stickers and left home without hesitation. The wind howled and the dust hit my face and stung. Since it was very cold, the stickers lost their stickiness and it was very difficult to put them up. I sent forth righteous thoughts and thought that the wind and dust should leave me alone. The wind kept blowing, but the dust stopped. I kept searching for suitable buildings and put up the stickers one by one. Due to the cold weather, I had to warm the stickers first before I could put them up.
It took me nearly four hours to finish putting up 100 stickers, which were all firmly stuck to the walls. It was really very cold, but I had the thought that sentient beings from the village would read these truth-clarification stickers and I felt warmth in my heart. During the persecution, these stickers stayed up for the longest time. No one sabotaged the stickers until the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar year. These truth-clarification materials played a great role in disseminating the truth about the persecution of Falun Dafa.
In order to save sentient beings, I used all kinds of methods. I was a person who did not like travel at all, but in order to save sentient beings, I would leave home whenever I had time. I did not go sight-seeing--I went out to save more sentient beings. In recent years, I have traveled to 20 to 30 tourist spots in five or six provinces. I left truth-clarification stickers in almost every tourist spot and many people accepted the amulets(1) or truth-clarification pamphlets that I took with me.
I always had amulets and truth-clarification pamphlets in my pocket. Whenever I found someone with a predestined relationship, I gave the person an amulet. In recent years, I have distributed numerous truth-clarification materials, put up nearly one thousand stickers, and given out nearly ten thousand amulets in person. The Dafa amulets have played a really wonderful role for everyday people. Around a dozen students of mine at school wear truth-clarification amulets. Since they started wearing them, they have been free of major illnesses. I gave four amulets to some other people and they miraculously survived a major accident. The nearly ten thousand amulets I have given out will certainly save more people.
While Saving Sentient Being We Should Try to Lead Them to Learn the Fa
When clarifying the facts, I always remember to let predestined people learn Falun Dafa. Over the past ten years, I sent Falun Dafa books to about 100 people. Among them, more than 20 became practitioners. Between 2006 and the present day, when the persecution was rampant, I still managed to get over 60 people to read Zhuan Falun and over 10 embarked on the path of cultivation. Some new practitioners have finished reading Zhuan Falun and some have already read the book more than 30 times. One of them even said that he persuaded dozens of his friends and relatives to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers. He used monetary bills with truth-clarification messages written on them to clarify the facts about the persecution as well as about the "three withdrawals" (withdrawing from the CCP and its youth organizations). This is a manifestation of the steadfastness of these new practitioners; they in turn helped me to be even more diligent on the path of cultivation.
To let more predestined people learn Dafa, I spent a lot of money to buy cassette recorders, DVD players, Dafa books, cassettes, and video tapes to give to predestined people. I also set up a home Falun Dafa materials processing site with my own money.
Loss and Gain
Dafa has given me a brand new body and mind. Over the last ten years, I have stayed very healthy and have not taken a single pill. Dafa also changed my warped thinking. Now I live a very happy life. I attribute all of this to the blessings of Dafa. As for material wealth, one cannot bring it along at birth or carry it after death. Everyday people would find this very difficult to understand, which is one of the reasons why they can never get what we have obtained.
Over the last ten years, Teacher has always kept me in his compassionate care and given me encouragement. When I read Zhuan Falun for the very first time, Teacher transformed me from a seriously sick patient into a healthy person, free of illness. I was in the state of Semi-Unlocking of Gong. When I read Zhuan Falun for the first time, Teacher showed me His Law Body. At that time, I did not know about the opening of the Celestial Eye. I still remembered that when I was lying in bed that night, a big Buddha with curly hair sitting in the full lotus position appeared in front of me. Even though at the time I did not know it was Teacher, it was magnificent.
Over the last ten years, whenever I was diligent, Teacher would encourage me in many ways. When I joined the global sending forth righteous thoughts at noon, I saw a huge disk-like thing surrounding the sun and a huge balloon with a long colored ribbon rose from the northwest part of the sky. I could not use words to describe how wonderful it was. It flew towards the southeast until it was out of sight. The scene lasted for several minutes. I knew it was Teacher giving me encouragement. On another occasion as I was sending forth righteous thoughts at 6 a.m., a huge and very beautiful flower appeared as soon as I crossed my legs. There have been many such examples. What amazed me most, however, was when I found a stone at the beach that clearly displayed the characters "Falun Dafa is good" in February 2006. From the texture, I could see it was naturally formed. Many everyday people also saw the stone and they were all very much amazed. Because of this stone, a dozen or so people began to support Falun Dafa; therefore I described the stone as a "Fa Spreading Stone."
From 2006 until now, Udumbara flowers have blossomed at my house and at my work unit. They are in full blossom all year round on the windows of the room where I practice the exercises. Whenever I am puzzled, I look at the flowers. Their beauty and sacredness have given me strength.
All in all, on the path of cultivation over the last ten years, my fellow practitioners and I have experienced bitterness as well as happiness. We feel proud to have saved so many sentient beings due to our efforts. On the other hand, we know that no words can describe the gratitude that we feel toward Teacher, who has given sentient beings His utmost concern.
Fellow practitioners, we must seize the time to save more sentient beings. Practitioners are not meant to live a comfortable life here in this human world. We are here to assist Teacher in rectifying the Fa. If we fail to do well, we will not reach consummation ourselves nor can we truly save the sentient beings in our paradise. This means that we would not honor the grand vows we made before history. When the Fa-rectification is over, those practitioners who have done well and the cosmic bodies they represent will have everything that is truly compassionate and truly beautiful. Those who fail to do well will have their cosmic bodies broken and in an incomplete state. Although Dafa can make up for us, the things we have lost can never be recovered. Fellow practitioners, let's work together with one heart during this historical moment and look inward to find and eliminate the attachments hidden deep down and save more sentient beings.
Note:
(1) Amulets - In China, practitioners sometimes clarify the truth by giving people something small to wear or cherish, bearing a few words reminding them of the goodness of Dafa.