(Clearwisdom.net) I would like to share my 13 years of Fa-study that gave me righteous thoughts, and relate my experiences doing the three things with righteous thoughts.
1. Looking Inward from the Fa Perspective; Eliminating Confusion from the Evil
I was introduced to the Fa in 1996. I realized the importance of Fa-study and grasped the importance of looking inward. I usually read the Fa slowly prior to 1999, sensing that only by reading it slowly would I comprehend it completely. Besides my job and daily life at that time, I was busy working at the assistanc center. I did not study more than other practitioners. However, because I concentrated when I studied the Fa and was able to look inward I was able to improve every day, no matter how much Fa I studied.
After the persecution started in 1999, I was illegally sent to a forced labor camp in 2001. While there, initially I recited the Fa every day. But the evildoers' theories confused me and I went astray. This is a permanent shame in my life. However, I still could not let go of Dafa, even when I went astray.
I still kept looking inward and recited the Fa every day. Nevertheless, the evil substances kept getting into my mind and gave me a headache. What puzzled me the most then was: what are the old forces? What kind of lives are the old forces? What is the relationship between Master and the old forces? What are Master's arrangements? What is the relationship between the Communist Party and the old forces? Why were so many practitioners that went to Beijing to validate the Fa arrested? What do we do to assist Master in Fa-rectification and meet Master's expectations?
I shared my thoughts with fellow practitioners. No one could give me a clear answer. I was confused. Many people were unclear on the principles of Fa-rectification in 2000 and 2001; practitioners merely followed what Master asked us to do with firm belief in Master. So did I. I only knew I should do things to validate the Fa. But I did not know what Fa-rectification cultivation was.
Master saw my confusion and arranged an opportunity for me to read a letter a practitioner wrote to the police refuting their arguments. This letter helped me a lot.
After that I resumed reciting the Fa. Master has since then shown me the principles of Fa-rectification via "Teaching the Fa at the Western US Fa Conference" (1999) and "Teaching the Fa at the Great Lakes Fa Conference in North America" (2000). I gradually understood what Fa-rectification cultivation was. In the past, although I worked on validating the Fa, I had a strong thought of "if I don't do this, I will be left out and I will be unable to walk toward consummation." I was unable to see the Fa-rectification principles because of this strong attachment.
Master said,
"Do you know that one of the biggest excuses the old evil forces use at present to persecute Dafa is that your fundamental attachments remain concealed? So in order to identify those people, the tribulations have been made more severe." ("Towards Consummation," Essentials for Further Advancement II)
The old forces had targeted me. Due to my strong attachments to fear, showing off, and being competitive, the old forces pushed me to the edge of the abyss. It took me eight months to finally understand what happened. Since then I have utilized every opportunity to exchange thoughts with those "reformed" practitioners. We figured out our fundamental attachments. More than 30 practitioners who had gone astray returned to cultivation. This lesson made me understand that unless one fully understands the Fa principles, one will be unable to make it.
2. Reciting the Fa
I could not stop studying the Fa after I returned from the forced labor camp in 2002. I read Master's lectures over and over again. I hand-copied them twice in a notebook that I took with me everywhere I went. The more I studied, the better I understood what Fa-rectification cultivation was. I understood more about my mission and responsibilities. I did not pursue quantity or speed in my Fa-study. I studied the Fa with great concentration. I tried not to use my human notions to understand the Fa. Instead, I tried to understand the Fa from the Fa's perspective.
Every time I studied the Fa I had interference from thought karma and bad notions. Initially I simply followed what Master asks us to do, and I told myself that these thoughts were not me. I studied the Fa and eliminated them. As I studied more, I gained a new understanding of the meaning of Fa-rectification. Master asks us to do the three things well. Fa-study is one of the three things. Part of cultivation is to study the Fa. While cultivating and studying the Fa, bad substances get exposed in the process. My state of cultivation is directly related to the sentient beings I need to rescue. While studying the Fa, I immediately grabbed the bad thought, dug it out by its roots, and eliminated it when it surfaced. Bad thoughts became gradually less and less, and I was able to study the Fa with a calm mind.
I began reciting Zhuan Falun in November 2006. It was so tiring the first time I did it. Every time the thought karma showed up to interfere with and make me sleepy or busy, I was able to identify the source and eliminate it so I could continue reciting. After one recitation I felt I had broken through a lot of things. Some of the attachments had become less strong. I then did it the second time. I picked up speed this time and developed further understanding of Fa principles.
I made a similar breakthrough in truth clarification and sending righteous thoughts. I had experienced the advantage of the Fa study. The third-time I memorized it, I wrote down Zhuan Falun on a plastic board. I was unable to preserve it because I made mistakes while copying it. So, every time, I corrected my mistakes and washed them off the board. Oftentimes the mistakes were areas in which I had attachments. I recited and copied Zhuan Falun three more times. During the sixth time, I had a thought that I would recite the entire book as a whole, beginning with day one; the next day I would start from the beginning again. Progress was very slow, but I was able to do it everywhere I went.
Sometimes when I recited more my divine side became dominant. I was reciting even in my sleep. I recited four lectures like that. I then realized that this approach was not based on the Fa's perspective. I might be able to do it this way now, but I was doing it at my level at that time. When my realm would elevate, I would have forgotten what I had memorized. I had past experiences like that. What I could take back was the part of me that had assimilated into the Fa. I would be able to take as much as I was able to assimilate according to the Fa. That is why I reverted to the approach of memorizing the Fa, sentence by sentence, in my mind.
The reason I have shared my approaches to studying the Fa is to explain my way of studying the Fa with a clear, calm mindset, from my heart. These approaches might not be applicable to other practitioners. Every practitioner will have his/her own way of Fa study. No matter which approach is used, we should all assimilate into the Fa with our whole minds. I have greatly benefited from my approaches to Fa study. I have developed further understandings of Fa principles and continue to look inward to cultivate.
3. Clarifying the Truth with a Pure Mind
I have used different approaches these past few years to explain the facts to people: writing letters, using stickers, and face to face contact. No matter which method I use, I follow the Fa principles. I have much experience in face-to-face dialogue with people. I mainly speak with my relatives, friends, and colleagues from different social strata. The effect varies according to how much I study the Fa and the upgrading of my xinxing. I approach people based on their interests. My mind becomes purer and purer. As I reach different realms, I have seen breakthroughs in my efforts to tell people the true nature of the Fa and the persecution.
I remember how pure my mind had become for a while during my third recitation and writing down Zhuan Falun. Oftentimes while I spoke with someone about the facts, several other people came over to listen to me. Once there were 24 people! It was like a meeting.
In recent years I have met eight people who went astray. Some of them went astray eight or nine years ago. Some of them even tried to "reform" practitioners in brainwashing centers. Master arranged for me to meet them. Most of these people had not read Master's lectures in recent years. I simply spoke with them about Zhuan Falun. With the Fa principles in Zhuan Falun, I helped explain what they did not understand. With Master's strengthening, they resumed cultivation.
4. Maintaining Righteous Thoughts and Actions; Keeping Up with the Fa-rectification Process
Only by constantly studying the Fa wholeheartedly can we comprehend the Fa principles and keep up with Master's Fa-rectification process. It will then be easier for us to maintain righteous thoughts when we encounter tribulations and pass the test quickly. Below I give a few such examples.
Example 1
A materials site in a neighboring city was sabotaged in 2004. Six practitioners including a relative were arrested. Learning of this, I visited my relative in his home. There were few practitioners in our area. We had relied heavily on this nearby materials site. Now that the police had raided the facility, we immediately suffered a shortage of explanatory materials. I decided to help practitioners to set up a new site. When I first brought up the idea, they said they were not ready to do it yet. As I saw it, they still had fear and a tendency to depend on other practitioners. I intensified my Fa study and read experience-sharing articles published on the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. I came to the understanding that material sites must be small in scale, but numerous, allowing more practitioners to become mature and at the same time ensure security. A few weeks later, three practitioners finally agreed to purchase computers. Soon I tried to make all kinds of opportunities available to them to learn how to use the computer and get on the Internet. The three practitioners were able to use the Internet on their own in about two months. Not long after, Minghui published an editorial suggesting that practitioners in China set up material sites everywhere. This editorial boosted the three practitioners' confidence. These three sites eventually became the major material sites in their city.
I shared my thoughts with local practitioners and got them together to send righteous thoughts to rescue the six detained practitioners. I also worked with them to hire lawyers to defend the detained practitioners and write letters to different people to explain the facts. My goal was to get everyone involved. By the time the six practitioners were brought to trial, more than 30 practitioners went to the courtroom to send righteous thoughts. The rest of the local practitioners formed several small groups to send righteous thoughts from home until the end of the trial. Five of the six detained practitioners told how the police had beaten them and extorted confessions by using torture. The presiding judge and the public prosecutor left the courtroom many times during the trial that ran from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and often couldn't utter coherent sentences. In the end, four practitioners were released. Two of the practitioners who promised to no longer practice Falun Gong were given prison sentences.
Looking back, I feel I was able to handle the whole thing well in 2004, mainly because of Master's compassionate hints and my understanding of the Fa principles.
Example 2
A few years ago the local authorities considered me a target and installed surveillance cameras in front of and behind my apartment building. Suspecting I was making Dafa materials, they dispatched a car equipped with an electronic detection device to patrol around my apartment. One day I was uploading contents into an MP3 player when I heard a knock on the door, and someone yelling, "Open the door! We're from the police."
I had a portable hard drive and several MP3s scattered on my desk. I immediately remembered that Master asked us not to acknowledge this persecution, not even the existence of the old forces. I said to Master in my mind, "Master, I do not acknowledge their persecution. They come to listen to the truth. I will rescue them, and please strengthen me." I turned off the computer and calmly opened the door. My serenity calmed them down. They looked at my computer and wanted to say something. But before they uttered anything, I immediately sent out one thought, "Don't look at my computer. Listen quietly to my explanation of the truth about Dafa." They turned their eyes around right away. After chatting for a few minutes, I told them the facts about Dafa based on my own experiences and also mentioned the importance of withdrawing from the CCP. I talked for more than two hours. They listened attentively. I asked them to remember that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good and Falun Dafa is good, and they nodded their heads. In the end they told me, "We promise not to bother you again."
Example 3
One day I had stomach pain so intense that I saw sparks in front of my eyes. I remained in bed and felt my stomach burning, as if it was being "run over by a bulldozer." The pain soon spread to my heart. I vomited. When I finished, it felt like my heart was going to stop and I was going into a coma. I was still clear that the old forces wanted to take my life. I called out in my mind, "Master, save me!" A couple of minutes later I still didn't feel any better. I immediately knew that the old forces intended to manipulate my creditors in my previous lives to take my life. I knew I had to handle the hatred with compassion. In my mind I said to those lives, "I know you're my creditors. You want to take my life to make me repay what I owe you. According to the old universe's rules, I should repay my debt. I am not afraid of death. However, I am now a Dafa disciple in the Fa-rectification period. My Master chose me. I have a mission to rescue sentient beings. I still need my human body to rescue people in the human world; therefore, I can't give you my life. If you agree not to take my life, you can become a being in my world when I reach consummation. Even if I can't make you go to my world, my Master can. If you insist on following the old forces' arrangements to take my life, you will commit a sin of persecuting Dafa disciples. The Fa has standards. You will be eliminated if you do this. I hope you leave me alone." Then I asked Master to strengthen me and recited righteous verses to eliminate all the evils. This time, in no more than two minutes, the pain subsided. I lay in bed full of gratitude to Master.
Example 4
Once I went to my cousin's home about 35 miles away to explain the facts and met numerous relatives in his home whom I hadn't seen for many years. I said to myself how compassionate Master was to arrange these people for me to rescue. I had dinner with them and explained the facts for several hours. Everyone was very happy. They took all 50 of my cards with Falun Dafa words on them. I felt very happy and thus developed zealotry. Just the day before several other relatives also accepted 50 cards from me.
The old forces soon took advantage of my attachment. While passing a back road on my way to the bus station, it suddenly felt as if someone was pushing me and I fell, breaking my arm. I writhed in pain and immediately sent righteous thoughts to eliminate all evil beings and factors in other dimensions that persecuted me. While sitting on a bench in the waiting area of the bus station, my arm and heart hurt terribly. I thought that I refused to acknowledge the evil arrangements of the old forces. I asked Master to please strengthen me and asked righteous gods to help me. A few minutes later, my arm felt much better. Since my bus was late, I sat there reciting the Fa and looking within. Whatever bad things I found, I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate them. I realized that I had zealotry because I had handed out more than 100 cards in just two days. I found my attachment to the quantity of material distributed, which meant I was seeking consummation and mighty virtue. I kept sending righteous thoughts to eliminate this attachment. One week later I was able to hold a pot of water with both hands.
Example 5
I have studied computer skills since May 2009 to help our local practitioners get on the Minghui website. I didn't know much about a computer before, except for the basics. When it came to the installation of operating systems and the use of software, I had no clue whatsoever but thought I must learn operating systems to help our local practitioners keep up with the Fa-rectification process. With Master's support and my efforts, I was finally able to install systems and thus helped many practitioners. Just when I thought I already knew everything, Minghui recommended the installation of double operating systems. For the sake of other practitioners, I learned to install encrypted double systems, which took me two days and a night. I tried numerous times and finally got it to work. I helped install double systems on over a dozen computers.
Nearby practitioners were all beginners in terms of computer use, so I often had to re-install their systems. Especially those who had just learned how to get on Minghui--the old forces used numerous means to interfere with them. When I helped them, I often sent righteous thoughts prior to and also during the installation process. Otherwise, all kinds of weird things would pop up. It was common for me to stay up until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning those days. Sometimes my brain was so tired that I had fever, just like a machine being used for too long. Each time this happened I reminded myself of the practitioners working on Minghui and other overseas practitioners. I knew it was very common for them to stay up in order to save sentient beings. My sacrifice was really nothing compared to theirs.
One day I wasn't clearheaded when installing double systems on my own computer. I accidentally touched the CD player button of the machine. The CD popped out, and a dialog window immediately showed up on the screen, saying the hard drive had been damaged.
I was stunned. I tried to reinstall it, but when the files had recovered at around 75 percent, the CD came out of the player again. The second day I tried numerous times; it was the same each time. I thought the hard drive on the computer could be damaged because I had tried it so many times. It was such a pity I couldn't put double systems on my own machine. It had taken me painstaking efforts to learn to install double systems, but I couldn't use it myself. I thought to post a question on an online forum, but I quickly changed my mind. I figured it was all human notions. Dafa is omnipotent, and even cancer patients could recover. Computers are also beings; how come they couldn't become good again? The more I used it, the more it did for Dafa, and the better this life would be. This computer and I came together to assist Master with the Fa-rectification process, and it would not go bad. I decided to install the systems again, fortified with righteous thoughts, and believed everything would be fine. I asked Master to strengthen me, not allowing any evil to interfere with me.
I sent righteous thoughts when beginning the re-installation. During the process I sometimes opened my eyes out of curiosity, since I wanted to take a look and see if there was any question. When the installation came to the 75 percent benchmark, I heard a click and the CD came out again. I was bothered, but soon made up my mind to eliminate that thought as it was not me. I had complete confidence that the systems would be installed on my computer. Miracles did happen! Without any CD (I didn't copy the files to the hard drive), the files were fully recovered. Master once again showed me the miracle of Dafa. I gratefully folded my hands together to thank Master.
Above are some understandings at my current level to report to Master and share with fellow practitioners. Please point out anything inappropriate.
