(Clearwisdom.net) As I was getting ready to write this article, I read Master's "Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference." I sat down and read it through in one sitting. I realized that Master's lectures have become more and more straight-forward and easy to understand. Some of my confusion has been dispelled. I also understood why, even though there was a practice site right in front of my apartment building with many practitioners in the years before the persecution began, I did not then have the desire to cultivate. It took being held in a detention center for me to begin practicing. Master said,
"As you know, there is always the question of why there have been so few new Dafa disciples since the persecution started. It is precisely because the old forces locked up the entrance, and thus nobody could enter unless they had an exceptional circumstance or I specifically needed them." (Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference)
Reading this passage, I felt I was the most fortunate person in the world.
Beginning to Practice at a Detention Center
I am 52 years old and have now been a practitioner for nearly 10 years. I was very fortunate in that I became a practitioner while in a detention center. It was around September 2001. I was swindled by some con artists and was arrested, even though I did not knowingly commit any crime. Before that, I was a happy-go-lucky person. My tribulations made me realize that the human heart was unpredictable, and the world could be a cruel place. I felt as though I had no choice but to endure my painful life here.
While at the detention center, I was placed in the same cell as several older women. They were all very kind, and I knew they were Falun Gong practitioners. They often told me about the wonders of Falun Dafa and taught me to do the exercises and recite Hong Yin. One woman named Wang said, "I think you have a predestined relationship. You should practice Falun Gong." I was very touched but also a little nervous. I told her that I never went to school and was almost illiterate. She said, "As long as you are determined, we will teach you. There are also many miracles in Dafa." That was how I became a cultivator. At the detention center, besides teaching me Hong Yin, the practitioners also taught me how to write. I felt Master's every word was wonderful and profound. When I practiced the meditation exercise, I felt that three hours passed quickly, like one moment. My whole body was relaxed, and I could feel Master giving me the Falun. I truly experienced the wonder of Dafa. I decided that I will definitely practice Dafa until the end. I will follow Master without hesitation.
Steadfastly Practice Dafa
After I was released, I contacted the daughter of one of the practitioners. She gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun and other Master's lectures. I read them voraciously. However, I was illiterate, so reading was extremely difficult. Sometime I was frustrated to tears. When my daughter saw it, she read the book to me sentence by sentence, and taught me the characters one by one. She also wrote down the characters and words and added phonetic symbols. I read the book word by word. My perseverance paid off. Master saw my dedication, and opened my wisdom. In less than six months, I was almost able to read Zhuan Falun from cover to cover, as well as other lectures. I felt great, since I considered myself a true Dafa practitioner and genuine disciple of Master's. I felt that I was the most fortunate person in the world.
In 2002, my husband believed in the slanders of the Chinese Communist Party. In addition, he was also afraid of the persecution. He tried to prevent me from doing the exercises and studying the Fa. He hid the Dafa books and convinced my siblings to persuade me to quit practicing Falun Dafa. He also fought with me relentlessly. However, I was not moved. I was already a faithful practitioner. I recalled Master's words,
"Be resolute cultivating Dafa, the mind unstirred
Climbing in levels is what's fundamental
Faced with tests, a person's true character is revealed
May you Consummate--
a Buddha, Dao, or God." ("True Character Is Revealed," Hong Yin II).
When they saw how determined I was, they just told me to watch out for my safety and left.
Follow Master's Every Word
For a few years, I basically practiced by myself at home. When the practitioner I met in the detention center was released, she introduced me to other practitioners and encouraged me to step forward. That was when I learned the three things Master asked us to do well. I was also able to read Master's new lectures and realized that saving sentient beings is the responsibility and historic mission of Dafa disciples. Master said,
"If you don't take action to save sentient beings, you will not have fulfilled your responsibility as a Dafa disciple and your cultivation will amount to nothing, for your becoming a Dafa disciple was not for the sake of your own Consummation. This means that you shoulder a monumental mission." (Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference)
I devoted myself to this mission. I distributed materials, posted stickers, and made banners. My city is located on the border of two provinces. I lived in the rural area north of the city and was a bit isolated. However, I traveled to the city to distribute materials and clarify the facts often. Although it was around 45 miles round trip, I never felt tired. As I clarified the facts face-to-face, I encountered all kinds of people. Most of them were able to accept the facts about the persecution and quit the Communist Party. But sometimes I also ran into unreasonable people. I kept my heart unmoved in these situations and did not have resentment towards them. I only told them that I was there to save them, then asked for Master's help.
Once I was clarified the facts to a person who was sick (at that time, I didn't know he was sick). After he withdrew from the Communist Party, he told me he was lost. So I took him to his home on my electric bike. His whole family was very thankful to me. I told them I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, and our Master told us to be good people; they could thank Master. I also clarified the facts about the persecution to his whole family.
From Illiteracy to Establishing a Material Center
Once, I traveled with another practitioner to a rural area to distribute materials. When the practitioner was clarifying the facts, he was arrested. Because of his attachment to fear, he told the police where the materials were from, and incurred a loss to our local area. After that incident, we no longer had a source of materials. I thought that truth-clarifying materials were to save people and Minghui Weekly was an environment of sharing for Dafa disciples. We could not go on without materials. Sentient beings need to learn the facts. It occurred to me that I could start to make materials. However, the conditions were not yet mature, so I did not bring it up to fellow practitioners. Another practitioner began supplying materials to me again. I was never late when it came to picking up materials.
The practitioner saw that I was dedicated to truth clarification, and said, "You should learn how to make materials." Great minds think alike! I gladly accepted the suggestion. I knew I didn't have much education, and would encounter all kinds of problems. However, I was not afraid of the problems. I was determined to learn it. I did not know how to use a computer before, so I needed to memorize everything. The practitioner patiently taught me how to do it, and I practiced over and over again. Dafa is truly wonderful! I started out as an illiterate person, but now am able to read Master's lectures and use computers to print materials. The changes in me are beyond one's imagination.
After Master's new articles are published, no matter what hour it is, I immediately print them out and distribute them to the Fa study groups by bike. Regardless of the distance, my only desire is that fellow practitioners can see the articles as soon as possible. Often I would see the articles around mealtime. When I think of how excited fellow practitioners are when reading the new articles, I don't feel hungry at all. It's been several years since I established a material center. Now I can download information and software from the Internet. Here I would like to express my sincere thanks to the practitioner who first guided me towards cultivation and the practitioners who offered other assistance. Furthermore, I would like to thank Master for his compassionate teachings. Without Master's compassion and protection, I would not have anything I have now.
Be More and More Diligent
When Master's article "Be More Diligent" was published, I felt even more seriously about Dafa disciples' responsibilities, the importance of saving people, and a sense of urgency. Master said in the article,
"...the number of lives to be saved before the final moment arrives has not reached the amount it should; and that there is still a portion of Dafa disciples that hasn't kept up. That is the key reason why the end of this undertaking still hasn't been enacted."
What other attachments can't we eliminate? Why can't we step forward? We should study the Fa well, cultivate ourselves, send righteous thoughts to clear away the evil, and clarify the facts to save sentient beings. Let's walk better on the path arranged by Master and be diligent. I hope Master can have more joy and less worries. This is my wish, a wish shared by every Dafa disciple.
