(Clearwisdom.net) I became a Falun Dafa practitioner in 1997. One day shortly after I learned the exercises, I received the precious book Zhuan Falun from a fellow practitioner. I went home and finished reading it in two days. Frankly speaking, back then I thought I was almost at the end of my life (I was in my sixties at the time). Day after day I only focused on my work, household, and kids, not knowing the world outside was so big, never questioning the moral downslide mankind was taking or the corruption of society around me. I continued to read through the book a second and then a third time. I watched Master's videos and read his lectures, and went to the exercise site and shared my understanding of the Fa with others, and we exchanged cultivation experiences. I gained a solid and stable feeling, as if my life had finally stabilized, and everything was in its proper place. Falun Dafa had opened my eyes to a world that I never knew existed.
I joined the group exercises at 4:30 a.m. every day. When the music came on, the practitioners lined up promptly and started the exercises as if drawn by an intangible force. Nobody directed us or supervised the site. One practitioner brought the music. It was the same with Fa study or watching Master's videos. No one was late, and no one chatted. We all sat and listened quietly for hours. On the weekends we spread the Fa and taught the exercises at several municipal squares. There were over a thousand people in each square. When the music came on at the scheduled time, everyone instantly lined up and started doing the exercise movements with the music. Everything seemed so pure and natural.
When the persecution began on July 20, 1999, because many people were deluded by the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) lies, my family environment was greatly interfered with, and I was pressured to stop practicing. Master said,
"Regardless of who or what social forces tell you not to practice cultivation anymore, you then give up your cultivation. Do you practice cultivation for them?"
"When some people resort to the media to criticize qigong, some students waver in determination and give up their practice; it's as if those who take advantage of the media are wiser than Buddha Fa, and that some practitioners cultivate for others." ("For Whom do You Practice Cultivation?" from Essentials for Further Advancement)
How could I have allowed myself to be pressured into stepping off the path of cultivation! Being a practitioner was the most important and serious thing in my life. I resumed my cultivation practice in early 2001. It was the force of the righteous belief that made me to come back to Dafa. I deeply regretted the opportunities I had lost, yet I was glad that I was finally able to determine my own future.
Assimilating to Dafa
In order to clarify the truth to the world, Dafa disciples around the globe promoted the wonders of Falun Dafa while uncovering the truth about the CCP's persecution, risking their personal safety. Every time I received truth-clarification materials, I carefully read them and went through the content in my mind. It allowed me to leverage it anytime for my own truth-clarification purposes. Below are some of my experiences.
I went to mail truth-clarification letters to lawyers one afternoon in 2008. I planned to leave two letters in each public mailbox. Before I dropped the letters in each box, I said to them, "Your mission is to save sentient beings. You must awaken the conscience of those who receive you." It was past 7:00 p.m. when the last two letters were dispatched, and I started my 40-minute walk home. There were many people along the road. I hummed the song, "Falun Dafa Is Good" while walking briskly in time to the rhythm. Suddenly it seemed that I was among a large group of people wearing yellow clothing and hats (similar to the outfits worn by the Divine Land Marching Band except they were yellow). They were moving forward to the rhythmic drumbeats. The scene was moving beyond words. My intuition told me that they were heavenly soldiers and generals marching along with me. I was deeply moved. I recalled that Master said,
"Master affirms what Dafa disciples have done. As long as you are doing things out of a wish to validate the Fa and save sentient beings, I will affirm all that you do. And when you go do those things, there will be my law bodies or gods there to amplify it and make what you do yet more magnificent and extraordinary, and they will assist you." ("Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference")
There was a period of time when I stayed with my daughter to help out with my grandchild. I was very stressed, busying myself with household chores each day, yet I was still unable to please my daughter's family. One afternoon, I suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, as if the world in front of me was revolving. I kept my eyes shut. My mind, however, was crystal clear, and I sent forth steady righteous thoughts, "I am a Dafa disciple. Master will help me." During my sitting meditation, Master gave me the hint-- I had strong human attachments.
"Strong human attachments" is a serious warning to a cultivator. At the beginning of my cultivation, I remember Master said on the first page of Zhuan Falun, "To tell you the truth, the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments."
I had read Zhuan Falun hundreds of times, yet whenever a tribulation arose, I failed to handle it as a practitioner. Instead, I still firmly hung on to many human attachments, such as to sentimentality, to arrogance, to seeking easy work, etc. I realized that although I was diligent in studying the Fa, I placed emphasis on the number of pages I read and the duration of the time I spent studying. I failed to do as Master taught us, to memorize the Fa with my heart and mind. This led to my tendency to use human notions when dealing with issues and problems. I now often remind myself that I should let go of these heavy attachments and truly assimilate to the Fa.
Seeing Master
Oftentimes I pondered in amazement at how many Falun Dafa cultivators there are and how deep and profound the connotation of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is. Within just over ten years, Dafa has been embraced in more than 100 countries, attracting over one hundred million people from different regions and ethnic groups. I am honored to be a part of this group, as a Dafa disciple.
I joined a local Fa study group in the U.S. when I went there to visit my family in 2007. As I neither drove nor spoke English, my ability to participate in Fa-related activities was very limited. However, I learned a lot through experience sharing with others.
I was able to attend the 2007 Washington DC Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference and the activities commemorating the eight years of Dafa disciples opposing the brutal persecution. When we lined up in the morning, there are so many people gathered in front of the grand conference hall. They were all there for the conference.
The conference began, and fellow practitioners shared their cultivation experiences. A little past 10:00 a.m., the host announced, "Let's applaud to welcome our great Master." Everybody instantly stood up and burst into thunderous applause. I was already in tears the moment Master greeted us. People nearby gave out soft cries. I felt every cell in my body was bouncing with my heartbeat.
Master began to lecture. The four thousand plus students were extremely quiet, as everyone wanted to engrave Master's each and every word into their own minds. The lecture lasted for about 35 minutes. We were hungry for more, yet Master was going to leave. All we could do was watch Master leave, accompanied by our applause.
That day and that precious memory is etched into my mind. I will forever treasure it, forever and ever.
Master said,
"The unfolding of an event as great as this in the human world could by no means be accidental. Think about it a little and you will see that it really isn't ordinary." ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference")
Let us cherish the predestined relationship, and let us follow Master and do well in the final stage of Fa rectification.
