Western Practitioner: Reading the Clearwisdom Website As a Part of my Cultivation Practice

(Clearwisdom.net) I live in a rural area, and there are only two practitioners with whom I can talk about cultivation, Dafa, and the Fa. Because we are very busy, there is little time to get together to share experiences. Though I study the Fa a lot, often there are situations in my life, attachments or notions that I cannot see clearly in the light of the Fa. Sometimes I think human thoughts and behave like an ordinary person and have nobody to point it out to me. This is where the practitioners that write articles for Clearwisdom step in and give me a hand. They provide examples of the human thoughts I am entertaining, they point out to me my attachments and notions that I need to relinquish, and they remind me of Fa lectures and articles that will be useful to me. They identify, with their experiences, the very things that I need to address in my cultivation, often to my great discomfort. Their experiences illuminate my cultivation so that I can see into dark corners and dim rooms.

When I decided to begin memorizing Zhuan Falun, their articles encouraged me. I searched Clearwisdom and found many articles that kind practitioners had written. I copied all of them that I could find and read them all. Often I felt that I was in the presence of very wise and benevolent beings. Their words calmed my worries and gave me the determination to continue. When I found it difficult to memorize, there were other practitioners who had struggled and broken through the difficulty. Sometimes I sat with my stack of articles and cried in frustration at being unable to memorize even a paragraph, and the comforting presence of those kind practitioners gave me the resolve to pick up the book again. I decided I would memorize the book to the end, if I had to do it one sentence at a time, and that is what I did. As I made my way through the book, I was able to memorize more and more at one sitting. With the help I received from practitioners in other parts of the world, I was able to finish memorizing the book, and have started at the beginning again. I could not have done it alone.

Sometimes the everyday responsibilities, combined with Dafa work and activities, are very demanding, and I let human thinking slip in. My thoughts become desperate, worried, resentful or depressed. Again, by reading Clearwisdom on a daily basis, I am sure to read an article that will point out my failings. Their words bring me a sense of humility and proportion that I could never think up on my own. Their calm words and their underlying truthfulness and great compassion bring me to my senses, and I sit there, ashamed and embarrassed that I have been so selfish and lazy. I need their reminders and their example of true selflessness to see how a genuine disciple will think and act.

With their help, I can remember to study the Fa more, actively take on my part in rectifying the Fa in my neighborhood, and understand deeply that I am here to save sentient beings as part of my cultivation. The perspective that I gain from reading the articles of the practitioners in China is priceless, truly priceless. Each day my husband (a fellow practitioner) and I go through the section on events around the world. It only takes a few minutes, and it strengthens our feeling of being part of Dafa as whole, as part of the body of Dafa that extends around the world. Those articles with photos are especially precious, because we can see the faces of practitioners in far away places, as if they were friends in a travel snapshot. Sometimes we see photos of displays at events that give us new ideas on how to present Dafa materials. These articles strengthen Dafa in our area, no matter where the other practitioners may be or what might be their event.

Because it is easy for my thoughts and attitudes to stray, I read Clearwisdom on a daily basis. Everyday I read at the least one article, usually several. Without the sharings on Clearwisdom, I could still cultivate, but I would cultivate more slowly and remain in difficulties much longer. My cultivation would not be so strong, often I would forget to do the three things that are my requirements, and I would fall victim to the attachment of loneliness, I am sure. Other practitioners from more populated parts of our country have asked me if I get lonely living so far from larger groups of practitioners. I have always answered no. How can I be lonely when I have practitioners from around the world supporting me and telling me about their cultivation? They come here every day, to keep me company and help me in my cultivation.

Thank you, Clearwisdom contributors, wherever you are! Thank you, Teacher, for giving us such a vehicle to help and encourage each other on our path to consummation.