(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Revered Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
I am a Dafa disciple who obtained the Fa in September 1993. I am 70 years old and have had no education. I am not able to write sharing articles that have a deep understanding of the Fa, but one thing is clear to me, that is, as a Falun Dafa disciple in the Fa-rectification period, clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings is my responsibility, and it is also my prehistoric vow.
For several years, I have been clarifying the facts through faxing and telephoning Chinese people within China. I have personally experienced the sacredness of Falun Dafa cultivation and the great compassion Master has for his disciples and sentient beings. I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences.
1. Do Well in Studying the Fa, Doing the Exercises and Sending Righteous Thoughts
Fa-study and doing the exercises are the foundation for me to do well in clarifying the facts and saving sentient beings. It is the homework I must do every day. Apart from participating in the global sending of righteous thoughts collectively four times a day, I also pay special attention to sending righteous thoughts anytime, anywhere. When I make a phone call to China and the other end answers and asks me questions, I send righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors that interfere with saving sentient beings. I have been participating in the global Dafa disciples' sending of righteous thoughts at 3:00 a.m. After I freshen up, I do the fifth exercise before reading one lecture of Zhuan Falun. I then go to group practice near my house. After I come back, if I have time, I read another lecture. I also read Master's new articles whenever I have time.
2. Harmonizing the Family Does Not Affect Saving Sentient Beings
I have been faxing and phoning China for nine years. Last August, my son-in-law returned to China for work. Therefore, I am now responsible for looking after my six-year-old grandson, taking him to school and picking him up. This sudden change has had a direct impact on my time management. At first, my physical condition was not that good and it took me more than half an hour to make a one-way trip to school. A child is different from an adult, and so taking care of his food, drink and playtime, as well as his studies, made me feel that this task was taking the time that I should be using to call people in China and save sentient beings. Plus the times of day when I picked up and dropped off the child at school were the best times to call people in China. This caused me to become quite anxious.
Master said,
"Many students understand only that doing the exercises and studying the Fa are cultivation. Yes, with those you directly engage the Fa. But as you go about truly cultivating yourself in your day-to-day life, the society that you come into contact with is your cultivation environment. The work and family environments that you spend time in are both settings in which you are to cultivate yourselves, are part of the path you must walk, are what you must handle, and handle correctly at that. None of these should be glossed over. When you have made it to the end, [a question would be]: How did you travel the path that Master arranged for you? When all is said and done, these things have to be taken into account. And in the course of your cultivation these things have to be looked at, too. So you shouldn't neglect anything. As far as convenience goes, [in Dafa] a person can cultivate without having to enter a monastery, go to a secluded mountain, or leave the secular world. But from another perspective, all of this adds a layer of difficulty: If you are to make it through, you have to do well with things such as all of the above, and do well in every aspect of your life." ("Teaching in Fa in Canada, 2006")
Previously, my husband always tried to take on all of the housework to make time for me, and wholeheartedly supported me when making phone calls to save sentient beings. Now that he is in a special situation, I have to pick up my grandson from school. I thought to myself that Master wanted me to make up for everything and enlightened me to the understanding that I must do whatever I need to do for the family. As a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple, I not only have to do the three things well, but also harmonize the family. This is Master's requirement for Dafa disciples.
After I was clear on the Fa, I had one thought: I will pick up and drop off my grandson and also save sentient beings. Maybe because my thought was very pure and I had straightened out the relationship with my family, when I picked up the phone again, the result was very good. When I make phone calls, I tell the person on the other end my situation. I say, "You and I are like strangers, so why do I spend money and make this international long distance call to you? It's because this is a very important matter and human lives are involved. Have you thought about the fact that I also have a family, and I also have my life? I now have to end this call quickly in order to pick up my grandson from school. If I don't go now, he will cry in front of the school. You must understand my heart of wanting to save people. It is for your good. It is for you to have a safe future." After I spoke like that, several people quickly withdrew from the Chinese Communist Party. During the time that I usually take for one phone call, I managed to make several calls. I knew that it was Master helping me. Without Master's help, what can I achieve?
"Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master." (Zhuan Falun).
When my xinxing reaches its rightful place, Master displays to me the power and wonder of Dafa.
Similar things have happened many times, which encouraged me. I personally experienced the happiness of elevating in the Fa. I have harmonized my family and it didn't affect my saving sentient beings. The number of people that I called and persuaded to withdraw from the CCP in fact increased instead of reduced. My health also improved. My footsteps are much quicker now.
As Master said,
"With many things, it turns out that if you can balance things well and arrange your affairs correctly, there won't be any delays brought to the Dafa things that you do." ("Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan")
3. Assist Master with Fa-rectification, Save Sentient Beings and Rescue People From the Hands of the Old Forces
Master said,
"Studying the Fa well, doing a good job of clarifying the facts, and saving sentient beings are your top priorities. If your righteous thoughts are amply strong, you will manage to do well the things that Dafa disciples are supposed to do." ("To the Midwestern US Fa Conference")
I believe that what we are doing now is rescuing people from the hands of the old forces. Therefore, I cherish every single day of my life. Whether it is while shopping or catching a train, whether it is on the way to drop off or pick up my grandson or going somewhere else, as long as I see Chinese people, I will speak to them about the withdrawals.
One time, on my way to picking up my grandson, I passed a maternity hospital. I met a pregnant woman and I immediately greeted her. I said, "Are you close to having your baby? When are you due?" This shortened my distance with her and I continued by saying, "Are you from China? How long have you been here? Have you heard about the withdrawals from the CCP? This matter is especially important if you have joined the Chinese Communist Party, its Youth League or Young Pioneers. If you go to The Epoch Times website and announce your withdrawal with an alias, you will be able to avoid disasters and have a peaceful and bright future." She agreed to withdraw and said, "Please withdraw my sister as well." I said, "This is a very serious matter, she herself must agree to do so." She said, "She will agree." Because her sister was in China, I was not able to know if she would agree or not, so I didn't do the withdrawal for her. I really regretted that later. I continued by saying, "What about your husband?" She said, "He will definitely quit. He often curses the CCP. He hates the CCP." I said, "Then I will give him a name Zhao Wei and quit for him." She said, "All right."
In short, as long as I meet Chinese people, I try to draw them closer according to their situation. After a few words, they agree to withdraw. I deeply feel that time is life. Only by seizing every possible opportunity in our limited time can we save sentient beings most effectively.
At home, sometimes I sit down for four or five hours when calling people in China. When taking my grandson home, I always take the laptop with me. When my grandson is playing in the house I call China from my living room. After my daughter comes home, I leave. If there is a problem with the network connection at home, and it takes several days to be fixed, I don't wait. I am not willing to waste any time. I take my laptop computer to my daughter's place to call people in China and persuade people to do the withdrawals. Nothing can delay me or affect me in saving sentient beings.
In order to fully utilize the most suitable time to call people in China, I arrange my daily duties to a different time period, so they don't conflict with calling China. I eat on time, and try to make my life as simple as possible. In order to save time, I often warm up some leftovers for a meal. I usually start to sit down at around 11:00 a.m. to make phone calls, and finish after 3:00 p.m. righteous thoughts. After a short rest and dinner, I call until 11:00 p.m. I feel that I must utilize all of my time to save people. Sometimes when I am tired, when my attachment to comfort appears, I really want to take a break. But I always remind myself, I have to speak, I must speak more, because saving one more person is saving all the sentient beings in an entire celestial body of that cosmos.
During the cultivation process of clarifying the facts by calling China, I deeply feel that only when I use my heart can I save sentient beings. Even when I was downloading telephone numbers, as soon as I thought of something else, the attitude of those I spoke to later wasn't good, and some even hung up on me. During the process of calling China, I constantly look inward to check my heart, to take into consideration the person to whom I'm speaking. If he/she doesn't withdraw, I examine my mentality and speech. Was I too anxious to succeed? Did I not explain the matter thoroughly? Did I forget to mention the special stone that had words written on it?
My years of calling China has been a process of cultivating my heart, getting rid of my attachments, and elevating my realm. I am no longer moved by the words and attitudes of other people. No matter what they say, whether it is verbal abuse or insults and attacks, I can maintain a peaceful state of mind. With righteous thoughts, I firmly tell them, "I spend my money to make international long distance calls to you. I am 70 years old. Why don't I spend that money on something that I can eat? I am telling you all of this for your own good. Do you agree that's the case?" A lot of times, the attitude of the other party suddenly changes.
When calling people to withdraw, making up a good name is very crucial. If the name is good, and the other party likes it, it is easier to persuade them to withdraw. One time when I called someone, I first told them some facts about the withdrawals, then in the end I asked that person, "Are you a member of the CCP and its Youth League or Young Pioneers?" The other party said, "Yes." I said, "So withdraw from it!" The other party was not sure. I asked quickly, "What if I give you the name Yong Li? What a good name, it brings good luck. As long as you withdraw, your life forever will be smooth. As long as you remember this name - Yong Li, you will not be near major disasters or epidemics." That person originally wasn't sure, but after hearing this, he agreed to withdraw right away. He added, "Oh, good, thank you. This is a very nice name!" I feel that when giving a name, it must be done in a timely and appropriate manner. It is very helpful to consider the other party's age and situation.
Master taught us,
"Validate the Fa with rationality, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and save people with mercy" ("Rationality," from Essentials for Further Advancement II )
I constantly remind myself that as long as the other party listens, no matter whether the phone call is long or short, my call and my truth-clarification is eliminating the bad elements behind that person. Master said,
"The power of true compassion can dissolve all deviant factors, and when you talk with a person you will be emitting energy outwardly that dissolves evil things, and the evil in other dimensions will not dare to approach or control that person anymore. When you then reason with that person, he will listen, and you will be able to purge the lies infused into him by the wicked CCP, thus removing the block in his mind." ("Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan")
Even if that person didn't withdraw this time, I am laying a foundation for him to listen to the truth and to be saved in the future.
The Fa-rectification is reaching its end, and the requirements of Fa are getting higher and higher. Only by being diligent, by paying close attention to saving sentient beings, can we keep up with Master's Fa-rectification pace and fulfill the prehistoric vows we made. We will then be worthy of our benevolent Master's compassionate saving.
Thank you Master!
Thank you Fellow practitioners!