(Clearwisdom.net) I would like to share with everyone some of my cultivation experiences from the last decade.
I Begin Practicing
I will never forget December 14, 1997, when I had the good fortune to attend the first Falun Dafa experience sharing conference in our local area. I arrived early and sat in the third row. I could not describe how excited I was to hear the papers presented by fellow practitioners.
Near the end of the conference, everyone asked when we would be able to buy new copies of the book Zhuan Falun. The local assistant stood at the podium and told us to come to the assistance center Saturday or Sunday to pick up the book. At that time, I didn't know anyone, so I asked an older practitioner sitting next to me where the assistance center was. He said that it was at his house, and the local assistant was his son. The older man gave me directions to his house. When I got home that evening, I was looking forward to the weekend. I wondered if I should go on Saturday or Sunday.
I remember having a dream Friday night. In my dream, a voice asked, "Have the books arrived?" Another voice said, "No." As a result, I didn't go Saturday. Saturday night, I had another dream in which several people held books and were reading. I thought perhaps the books had arrived. Sunday morning, I went to the elderly practitioner's home. He said, "Just wait here a minute. My son went to pick up the books. They arrived last night." That evening, I dreamed of a giant ladder and a lock. In my dream, I asked myself, "What good is a lock without the key?" A voice said, "The key is here." I later realized that Zhuan Falun was a ladder that Master has bestowed upon us to ascend to the heavens.
I know that although it looked like it was a coincidence that I began practicing, Master had actually made meticulous arrangements for this extremely precious opportunity. My faith in Master and the Fa has never been shaken, despite the persecution over the last ten years.
Fundamental Change in My Marriage
Before I became a practitioner, I fought often with my husband. Regardless of the time or location, we fought tirelessly, and many things in our home were broken. We went to the courthouse several times to get a divorce, and once we divorced but remarried. Another time we tried to divorce but it did not go through. I felt that he was my enemy. Our families on both sides were worried, and there was no peace for our neighbors.
As I continued practicing Falun Dafa, I began to understand the karmic relationship between people. One instance left a deep impression on me. Not too long after I began practicing, a fellow practitioner stopped by my house so we could go together to watch a video of Master's lecture. I had just finished fighting with my husband and was crying. I packed up a Dafa book and was ready to go out when the practitioner arrived. When she said she was going to watch a Fa lecture, I immediately went with her.
That day we watched "Teaching the Fa at the Eastern U.S. Fa Conference." Master said:
"...if you're a woman, you must act like one, and be kind and gentle. Only then can you gain respect and love from men. If you aren't kind and gentle, men will be afraid of you when they see you, (laughter) and you won't be able to have the love or even the family affection that you're supposed to have."
"Self-interest and personal liberty have taken over everything. Where then do you find the warmth of a family? People vie with and try to overcome each other--no one is willing to concede. I'm telling you, that is not how human beings should be!"
The other practitioner looked at me and said, "Master is talking about you." I nodded and smiled. Inside I wondered how Master could pinpoint my situation so accurately. When I returned home, it was past 2:00 a.m., and I didn't have any anger left. I explained to my husband what Master said. After that, I made a giant step forward in my cultivation. I paid more attention to cultivating myself and tried my best to follow Master's guidance and let go of myself, especially of emotions.
Gradually I noticed changes in my husband and me. We fought less and less. I explained to him the wonders of Falun Dafa and my understandings. Other practitioners also came to my home often to share their thoughts and experiences. After hearing their stories, my husband eliminated some of his bad habits, and studied the Fa occasionally. When the persecution first began, he prevented me from participating in Fa-rectification work, cursed me, beat me, and threatened to divorce me. He has now completely changed. He sometimes even goes out with other practitioners to do Fa-rectification work and save sentient beings.
Validate the Fa and Saving Sentient Beings
In 2005, we began distributing the book, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. My husband once drove me to a rural area 20 km (12 miles) away to distribute two large bundles of the Nine Commentaries. We went from village to village. It was overcast and drizzling, making it completely dark, and I felt a little afraid. I then remembered that there were so many overseas Falun Dafa disciples supporting us, as well as Master. As I thought of this, a warm feeling enveloped me.
We went to another village and distributed all of the books. Then all the clouds dispersed. I realized that even when I was by myself, I was not alone. I am a particle of Dafa. Master is always near us and protecting us.
Another time, I went with several practitioners to a village over 60 miles away to distribute the Nine Commentaries. The local practitioners led the way. We were in groups of three. The layout of the village was very complex, and there were many alleys and small passageways. This meant that we had to act individually to save time. Practitioner A and I walked along a paved road from east to west. She was covering the south side of the road and I was on the north side. After a while, I couldn't find her. I didn't have too many thoughts, as I knew the urgent task was to save sentient beings. After I finished the north side, I went back and did the south side, and then saw Practitioner A and another practitioner walking towards me. Before dawn, we successfully distributed all of the books we had brought.
In 2009, I went with other practitioners to hand out DVDs of the Shen Yun Performing Arts. Once we went to a village 16 miles away. I was teamed with Practitioner B, who was a new practitioner who had been practicing since 2007. We didn't know each other before that. This was the first time she had distributed materials. She wore shoes with leather soles that made a loud noise as she walked on the paved road. Although she tried to be careful, the sound was loud, and dogs were barking wildly. However, she was very calm. After she finished her side, we walked out of the village. I was a little nervous and was upset with her for wearing leather-soled shoes. Then I realized that it was her first time, and she had no experience. I told her to wear shoes with rubber soles in the future. The next time, she did wear shoes with rubber soles, and we cooperated very well.
These are some of my personal experiences. The key to cooperating well with fellow practitioners is to understand and be kind to each other. When we encounter a problem, we should cultivate ourselves and be gentle with other practitioners. We should always make saving sentient beings the top priority.