(Clearwisdom.net) It has been 12 years since I started practicing Falun Gong. Recalling my cultivation, I have been protected by Teacher's mercy all the time. I would now like to share my experiences.
1. Memorizing the Fa Diligently
In recent years, because of my attachment to comfort, I could not make up my mind to memorize the Fa, although I knew many practitioners were doing this. Once I heard that one practitioner had memorized and recited the Fa more than eleven times and that some practitioners over 70 years old had also memorized the Fa. I was deeply moved. At the end of 2005, I decided to memorize the Fa. In the beginning I was interfered with by many factors, such as sleepiness. My progress was very slow. At most, I could only memorize one paragraph, and it even took several days to memorize a long paragraph. But I did not give up. Eventually it took me one and a half years to memorize Zhuan Falun. Although the process was slow, I realized that it was different from reading the Fa. If I had difficulty memorizing the Fa, it was often because I did not concentrate. However, if I focused, I found I could memorize the Fa better, and I enlightened to more Fa principles.
Through memorizing the Fa, my cultivation changed. Between 2001and 2003, I was arrested three times and had a strong attachment of fear. We lost the group Fa study environment, and I could not keep up with the progress of Fa-rectification. I was unable to concentrate when studying the Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts. I could not achieve good results when clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to people. However, my righteous thoughts became stronger and stronger through memorizing the Fa. After I read Teacher's new lectures, I realized the urgency of saving sentient beings. I realized that I should not wait and need to do my best to clarify the truth to people and save more sentient beings in the limited time we have left.
Because I could not get many truth-clarification materials, I wrote truth-clarification banners by hand and hung them up on the walls in public areas. I tried to do all that I could think of to save sentient beings. A couple months later, I found one of my hand-written truth-clarification banners still hanging in a phone booth, and I was very encouraged.
2. Raising Xinxing Level from Validating the Fa
Many sites have been set up in many areas to produce truth-clarification materials. I wanted to be one of them. Because of that thought, Teacher arranged for me to meet practitioners that I knew from the past. Finally, I learned how to browse the Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom) with practitioners' help. I learned how make the truth-clarification materials. I felt very happy.
Practitioner L asked me to make calendars with truth-clarification contents. After he delivered all the laminated calendars, he shared other practitioners' feedback. Practitioners commented that the calendars I made were the best. I searched inward and realized that some words in the calendars could be seen from the back, and a few laminated covers were folded. This was because the paper I used for printing was too thin and the plastic materials I used for laminating were of poor quality. I had bought them due to their cheap price. I was also in hurry when I made the calendars. I realized I did not pay enough attention.
Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston,"
"We're doing these things with our hearts, while they're doing things with money--they could never compare."
Teacher has mentioned many times, "with heart." We should do the three things with the heart of a genuine cultivator.
Practitioner L asked me to make some cards to clarify the facts about Falun Dafa. After downloading the template from Minghui, I reduced the font and added more information, such as the latest news about quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This way we could save time and let people understand the truth after they read all the facts. These truth-clarification cards could also be kept as bookmarks. Very soon after the cards were delivered, practitioner L told me he met one person to clarify the truth to. This person took a card from his pocket and showed practitioner L. The card was actually made by us. We know our compassionate Teacher encourages us every moment.
When I was designing a bill with a hand-written truth-clarification message, I tried to focus to fit more information. My design was getting better and better by incorporating suggestions from other practitioners, the Internet, and so on. Now, it is no longer difficult for me to design bills with truth-clarification messages.
Because I have been doing this with the heart of a cultivator, my xinxing level has been rising, and the results of clarifying the truth to people face-to-face have also improved. I started by clarifying the facts to acquaintances, and then to strangers. Now, I can help three or four people quit the CCP in just a few minutes. Of course, it is not only because I raised my xinxing level, but also due to the effort of all the practitioners who continued to clarify the truth to people over the past ten years. More importantly, as Teacher's Fa-rectification advances rapidly, evil beings have been almost completely eliminated in other dimensions.
3. Validating the Fa with Righteous Thoughts and Actions
The management from my original workplace along with the police sent me to a brainwashing center because I gave out truth-clarifying DVDs to my colleagues. When I was released from the brainwashing center, everyone in my workplace was scared to talk to me. I was passed up for a promotion three times because of this. During this time, I cultivated myself solidly and tried to be a good person following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance at every moment. I still treated my colleagues kindly, even those people who falsely accused me. At that time, two of my colleagues and eight of their family members had quit the CCP. When I applied for a promotion the fourth time, I rectified my heart and mind when preparing the summary of my work-related accomplishments. In this way, I changed people's attitude towards Dafa and helped people to choose a bright future for themselves. I was so happy that I achieved this good result.
During New Year in 2008, I prepared a stage performance. I received positive comments and applause from beginning to end. I knew that I could achieve this because Teacher strengthened me. When I prepared this, my righteous thoughts became stronger through Fa study.
Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Art,"
"You should be a good person wherever you are. So in the field of the arts you should be a good person as well, and in your artwork you should display what's beautiful, what's upright, what's pure, what's good, and what's bright and positive."
My purpose was to show people Dafa's beauty, and let them understand the aim of life and develop a positive attitude toward life. I also wished them good fortune in the New Year. This was all arranged by Teacher, and I established a good foundation to clarify the truth for later on.
Last year before the New Year, I was selected again to prepare a performance for the New Year's party. I worked on it, but I was not satisfied because I did not it base it on the Fa. I was frustrated and wanted to find a way to add more information to validate the Fa. I became depressed because I thought it would be meaningless if I could not validate the Fa. However, the party was canceled for other reasons, even though they had paid a deposit for holding the party at a hotel. I know all of this was arranged by Teacher again. Everything in the world is for Dafa and practitioners.
Just before the 2009 New Year, my workplace held an evening party. I went on stage and read an antithetical couplet that I had specially prepared, which included some goals for my workplace beyond the current environment. I also read some antithetical couplets written by other practitioners. My final part of the performance included reciting a poem with a musical background, for which I used "The Lotus Praising." The first part of the poem included "Raises the Sail" from the poetry anthology called We Meet Today for a Reason. I tried to tell people that Dafa was able to provide salvation to sentient beings. Everyone listened carefully. I understood that it was the power of Dafa that could clean everyone's mind.
Before this, I had a discussion with other practitioners about choosing the right music. One practitioner told me that I should burn a CD with truth-clarification songs to give to people. However, I was unable to burn the CDs due to interference. Instead, I selected some truth-clarification songs to play on the computer in my office. This spread to other offices, and they all said that these were beautiful songs, and one female manager even started to dance when she heard these songs. I took this opportunity to make more copies to give to people in other offices. I believe that this will help clean their minds in another dimensions.
Just before that New Year's party, I was told by the person who reviewed programs that the poetry part of my performance needed to be removed. I felt sad and told my colleague that I would cancel my performance if the poetry part was removed. I understood that I was to attend the performance for clarifying the truth and validating the Fa, and I hoped that more people could be saved this way. When my colleague heard this, she copied these songs, took them home and played them for her husband (her husband had refused to hear the truth). Other colleagues passed on the message that I would refuse to go on stage if they removed the poetry part of my planned performance. (At this time, four of my colleagues had learned the truth, had quit the CCP and knew of Dafa's beauty.) I also told other practitioners this situation. Practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts, and we asked Teacher to strengthen us. The next day, the person who reviewed the programs said to me that my performance didn't need to be examined. Because evil was eliminated, people did not miss the opportunity to be saved.
This summer, our workplace achieved its goals beyond expectations. From this I realized the seriousness of cultivation. Of course, this shows the Fa's miraculous power, which brought good fortune. I said to our manager, "I see your goodness, and it brings good rewards." She smiled.
Afterward I looked inward and realized that I did not clarify the truth well enough, as only a limited number of people had heard the truth. This was due to my attachment of fear. I was not constantly diligent in my cultivation. Also, practitioners suggested that I include truth-clarifying songs, but I made an excuse to reject this idea. In fact, I still have a strong attachment to self.
4. Studying the Fa Well and Walking the Last Step Well
I realized deeply that the more I study the Fa, the stronger my righteous thoughts, and the smaller the interference in validating the Fa. It is then much easier to clarify the truth. Otherwise, I do not have strong righteous thoughts and cannot clarify the truth well, or people refuse to hear it. Then, Teacher's arrangements cannot be fulfilled and sentient beings' chances for salvation are lost. I read in another practitioner's sharing article that "we should not miss one person and one opportunity." I still have to catch up a long way.
The real reason is that I did not study the Fa well. It had been several months since I stopped memorizing Zhuan Falun on page 26 for the second time. This time, I started to memorize it from the beginning at a faster speed. As I memorized more and more, I became more enlightened, and my surface human attachments were eliminated from the roots. I understand that I should give up human attachments completely, for time is short.
Since many Fa study groups have been restarted, I was hoping that I could join one of them. I met a practitioner through Teacher's arrangement one day. She introduced practitioner B to me. The three of us established a Fa study group, and we all value this opportunity. When I heard that practitioner B could memorize four pages of Zhuan Falun in two hours during her second time memorizing the Fa, I became ashamed. I did not memorize the Fa consistently. She is over 60 years old, and still very diligent. I really should cultivate more diligently to catch up.
Teacher said in Zhuan Falun:
"You are given another opportunity to return from the maze to your origin. If you are able to return to the origin, you will make it. If you cannot make it, you will continue the cycle of samsara or be eliminated."
I then enlightened to the words, "another opportunity." Before this, I always ignored these words.
Let us value this opportunity that only comes once in thousands of years and not let Teacher down. Let us follow Teacher in every step on the Fa-rectification path towards godhood.
Thank you very much, Teacher!
