(Clearwisdom.net) I am 25 years old now, and have been cultivating in Falun Gong for 11 years. Among the red dust and in the transition period of the cosmos, I was so lucky to be saved by Teacher and cultivate in Falun Gong. Below I will share my cultivation experiences and enlightenment during cultivation with fellow practitioners.
Attaining Fa and Resolving Doubts
At a very young age, when I went to bed and closed my eyes, I could see a woman standing next to me and watching me. It was strange: she was in a bright room, and I could see her appearance clearly. She always looked at me with a smile. I did not understand why I could see her, where she was from and why she was always smiling at me. Eventually, I could not see her again. I often asked myself why I came to this world and what is the meaning of my life. Looking up, I wished there was a ladder hanging down from the sky so I could climb up to take a look.
As I got older, these marvelous experiences and memories became dust-ladened. In my childhood, nobody attended to me. In addition, my elder brother unreasonably bullied and beat me. As a result, my original pure state was replaced with hatred. When I was young, I went to the fields with my mom. There I was hit into the ground by a cart. To my surprise, I was not injured at all. At another time, I fell into a river, and swallowed a lot of water, but I survived. A proverb says, "After surviving a great disaster, one is bound to have good fortune in later years. " I was not sure what "good fortune" I would have in the future.
In 1997, Falun Gong was introduced to my hometown, and my mother began to cultivate. Afterwards, she quit smoking and drinking. She also seldom lost her temper. When I looked at Teacher's illustrations on teaching the exercises, I felt really good. So I followed mother's example and began to practice meditation. From then on, I set foot on the path of returning to my true origin. This was in 1998, at the age of 13.
After that, Teacher opened my childhood memory. I became clear that Teacher had been protecting me all the time, because I survived disasters again and again. Also, cultivating in Falun Gong was my big "good fortune". Along with cultivation, Teacher opened my celestial eye. Sometimes, Teacher's Law Body and Falun appeared in front of me. I thought Teacher was encouraging me to forge ahead diligently.
One thing impressed me deeply. One morning, I walked to my school. It was a winter morning, and it was quite dark. Before cultivation, I was quite timid, and dared not walk in the dark. After cultivation, I believed that Teacher was protecting me, and my courage became stronger and stronger. So I often went to school under stars and moonlight. Bearing Teacher and Dafa in mind, I felt I was the happiest person in the world.
On that day, I arrived quite early. The door of the school was still locked. I waited quietly outside. When I looked up at the sky, I saw two huge Buddhas in yellow kasayas with curly hair. They sat opposite each other, staring at me attentively.
Believing Teacher and the Fa When Facing Tribulations
On July 20, 1999, the CCP launched the vicious persecution of Falun Gong, broadcasting lies to slander Teacher and Fa every day. The government exerted pressure layer upon layer, and we practitioners were monitored. What is more, mother and other local practitioners were often forcibly taken to the local police station and detained there. My non-practitioner family members felt huge pressure. Fooled by the CCP's propaganda and dreading its despotic power, my father once violently tried to prevent my mother and me from practicing Dafa. During that period, I could not remember how many times my father and elder brother beat me.
To have an environment to study the Fa and practice the exercises, I moved to the kitchen to sleep. Although the kitchen was only several square meters, I just felt like a fish in water. In the summer, it was as muggy as a boiler, and in the winter, it was as cold as an ice-house. But I had the Fa in my mind and never felt uncomfortable. As long as I could cultivate in Dafa, I would feel happy no matter how tough the environment was. I deeply realized that without Dafa, my life was meaningless. Since father did not allow me to turn lights on at night, I read by the light penetrating through the glass when they were watching TV. Sometimes I went outside to study the Fa with fellow practitioners, and transcribed Teacher's new articles. Then we distributed the articles to practitioners in neighboring areas. Sometimes when I came home at night, my family members had already locked the door from the inside. So I quietly jumped over the wall and got into the yard. Recollecting what I learned from Dafa and the joyfulness of being together with fellow practitioners that day, I was filled with happiness in my heart.
Once I went to a fellow practitioner's home to practice the exercises. My brother followed me and rebuked me. Then he brought me back home. The moment I stood in the yard, staring at the stars, I said to Teacher in my heart, "Is there anything wrong with studying the Fa and practicing the exercises? Should I be restricted by him? No. I have to go back. " So I went back to practice with the other practitioners. When I was practicing the Falun Standing Stance and overlapped my hands in front of my lower abdomen, I felt a Falun rotating inside my arms. I realized that I made the right decision, and Teacher was encouraging me.
Afterwards, the persecution by the CCP became increasingly fierce. Sometimes when practitioners were working in the fields, they were forcibly taken away and detained. The CCP thugs harassed my home again and again. My father could not bear the huge mental pressure. Once when my mother was detained, he swallowed some farm chemicals. At that time, only my father and I were at home. After some time, I felt he was a little different from before. So I went outside to talk with him. He asked me, "If I die, will you miss me?" I answered, "Of course." His tears welled up. He told me that he consumed the chemicals. It seemed that he regretted what he did. In a moment, he fell onto the ground, twitched all over, vomited lots of white foam, and became stiff all over. As a teenager, I was at a loss. I called my father's younger brother. He found a car and took my father to a hospital. I stood outside and watched the car disappearing in the dark.
Sitting at home by myself, I thought of my detained mother and my father. Would father survive? My mind was not tranquil then. Suddenly I realized that I was a Dafa disciple and the entire family benefits with one person practicing. So I began to restrain my bad thoughts, and tried my best to repel them. I felt I was confronted with a powerful and invisible pressure. I suddenly recalled Teacher's Fa about chanting Buddha's name, so I began to recite from Zhuan Falun in my mind. After some time, my various bad thoughts disappeared. I felt so peaceful, harmonious and splendid. At that very moment, I realized that my father had survived.
Soon afterwards, my mother was released and returned home. She said the moment she saw my father, her first thought was to believe in Teacher and the Fa, and persisting in cultivation to the very end. Presently, both my father and brother know the truth of Dafa and have quit the CCP's affiliated organizations. In addition, they made solemn declarations for what they did.
Going To Beijing To Safeguard the Fa
Along with the advance of Teacher's Fa-rectification, I came up with the aspiration to go to Beijing to validate the Fa. One time, I learned Teacher's article "A Dialogue with Time" in Essentials For Further Advancement,
“Divine Being: In my opinion, there is no need to wait for those who cannot become gods. In fact, they can only be humans.
“Master: (talking to himself) In the human world, they are indeed too thoroughly lost. They might have to end up like this. I'm afraid they won't even be qualified to be humans in the end!
“Divine Being: Actually it's not bad to become humans in the new world. Compared with those innumerable high-level beings in the universe who have been eliminated by history, they are already incomparably fortunate.
“Master: I still want to wait for some time, see what they are like when the more microscopic matter that damages mankind has been cleaned up, and then make a decision. After all, they did come to obtain the Fa.”
I realized that Teacher's immeasurable mercy is beyond the understanding of beings on any level of the universe. As a Dafa disciple and defender of the Fa in the human world, I should let go of self at any moment and harmonize with Dafa unconditionally. At that moment I felt that Teacher revealed many things to me, and made me even more clear of my cultivation path. In December 2000, more than 10 practitioners set out for Beijing. Before leaving, I wrote a letter to my father and brother in tears and explained why I went to Beijing to validate the Fa. Upon arriving at Tiananmen Square, I said to Teacher quietly, "Teacher, I came too late."
At that time, there were many guards on Tiananmen Square. When we stood in a line to practice the “Falun Standing Stance” exercise, we were soon thrown into a police van and taken to a detention center nearby. There the fellow practitioners spoke their innermost thoughts: “Falun Dafa is good,” “Restore Master Li's Good Name”, “Restore Falun Gong's Good Name.” The police officers wrote down every word.
Soon we were sent back to our hometowns, and subjected to the persecution by local police. Afterwards, we were sentenced to forced labor. Since I was too young and below the age of being in a forced labor camp, I was detained in a local detention center, where I told the inmates the truth about Falun Gong and how the police officers mistreated me.
After several days of detention, I was released, but my mother and other practitioners were all sent to forced labor camps. Facing family members' misunderstandings and common people's mocking and jeering, I did not waver. I did all the household work and farm work well. I just bore one idea, "I am a Dafa disciple and I must validate Dafa with every word and deed."
Two or three years later, my mother and other practitioners were released one after another. They joined in the mighty current of Fa-rectification again. Among them is a sixty-year-old woman. She was detained in the forced labor camp for more than three years and suffered all kinds of persecution. But with righteous belief in Teacher and the Fa, she came out of there in an open and aboveboard way and is walking on the cultivation path stably.
Becoming A Coordinator
In 2004, under teacher's arrangements, I got to know a practitioner living in the city. From her I could get some of Teacher's articles and truth clarification materials. I did not know what a coordinator was back then. I only knew that I should let local practitioners get Teacher's articles, Minghui Weekly, and truth clarification materials in a timely fashion. Before that, due to the persecution, it was very difficult for local practitioners to get any truth clarification materials. Afterwards, along with the improvement of local practitioners as a whole, the demand for truth materials kept on increasing. Since I did not have my own car or motorcycle, I had to take the bus to transport the materials. This way I played the role of a local coordinator unconsciously.
Once, I caught someone's attention as they saw me catch the bus to the city each week. I was reported to the police by that person, who tried to have me arrested on the bus. It happened that another practitioner was beside him, and heard him talking. So the practitioner notified my mother in a hurry. I left the bus empty-handed, and sent forth righteous thoughts to disintegrate the evil elements all the way. Finally I returned home safely.
Eliminating Attachment of Validating Self
For some period, I was working for a practitioner, who was very rich and owned two engineering vehicles. I worked as a delivery man. When there was no work to do, I used my time freely. One time, a practitioner was preparing for a wedding. He planned to take advantage of this opportunity to hold a Fa conference. I discussed this issue with another coordinator and then made the decision to call in as many practitioners as possible to attend. The date and location were all settled.
I knew that my employer would go to the conference. I asked her to give me that day off. She agreed without any hesitation. But on that day, the foreman who was responsible to arrange my work called me and asked me to work. My plan to attend the conference was disrupted.
I was very frustrated then. There was not much work to do during that period. Why was there just so much work that day? I could not help but blame the employer for breaking her promise. But I reconsidered and realized that there are no accidents for a cultivator. There must be something that I needed to cultivate myself. Anyway, that conference was the largest conference in the local area since July 20, 1999, and almost all coordinators showed up except me. So I could not suppress my feelings of loss. I began to look inwards to see what was wrong with me. Suddenly I found my attachment to validating myself. Since many practitioners would show up at the conference, I unconsciously hoped that other coordinators would see how many practitioners we had in this area, and how many I had contacted. I also realized that Teacher took advantage of this opportunity to expose my selfishness that was hidden deeply.
Just as Teacher said, "Do you realize that as long as you're a cultivator, in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across-even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are-to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what's most important."( from "Further Understanding" in Essentials For Further Advancement,)
He also said, "Any work in Dafa is intended for people to obtain the Fa and for disciples to improve themselves. Anything other than these two points is meaningless."( from "Clearheadedness" in Essentials For Further Advancement)
At this very moment, I sighed from the bottom of my heart for Teacher's mercy. He takes care of his disciples all the time. If I went to the conference with the attachment to validate myself, not only would I not make improvements in my cultivation, but I would also bring about tribulations. No matter what seemingly good or bad things one comes across on the path of cultivation, they really are all good things. Teacher's words are absolutely correct. Teacher pointed out that dangerous attachment for me. Is that not an improvement on the path of cultivation?
As for me, the role of the coordinator was a bridge. As long as my responsibilities and goal were achieved, it was not important for me to attend the conference. What was important was the improvement of all practitioners as an entirety. So why should I show off and be attached to myself?
Later I learned that the conference was very successful. The practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts together. In the period of the banquet, the master of the wedding broadcasted Dafa music. For the practitioners amidst the persecution, such an occasion was very rare. They could not help but recollect the cultivation environment before July 20, 1999. Some practitioners had never met each other before. But they were all walking on the path of assisting Teacher to rectify the Fa. So on seeing each other, they felt very cordial. Some practitioners could not suppress their innermost feelings and shed tears.
Setting Up a Materials Production Site
Along with the advancement of Fa rectification and maturity of practitioners in cultivation, many practitioners set up material production sites one after another. At the beginning of 2010, under Teacher's arrangements, I got to know a practitioner who was familiar with computer technology. With his help, I also set up my material production site.
Soon afterwards, I collected the persecution cases that happened in my local region, and sent those to the editor of the Minghui website, where they were published soon. I realized that was Teacher's encouragement. I express my gratitude to the editors for their unselfish contribution. The establishment of material production sites all over China is a step from individual cultivation to Fa-rectification cultivation.
Recollecting my many years of cultivation, I stumbled all the way,but Teacher never abandoned me. With Teacher's painstaking care all the time, I gradually became mature. In the future, I will cherish the cultivation opportunities even more, cherish each improvement opportunity Teacher creates for me, do well the three things, forge ahead diligently, and walk steadily on the final path of cultivation. Thank you Teacher.
