(Clearwisdom.net) Our compassionate and venerable Master has given every Dafa disciple numerous hints along his or her cultivation path. He truly does not want to leave behind a single disciple, including someone like me, who is not very diligent.
In 1994, I heard Master lecture at the Motor Club in Dalian City. When I recall the event, I really feel like Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“I think those who are able to attend my lectures in person are really... You will understand what I mean when you feel your appreciation of this period of time in the future.”
But because my inborn quality was poor, I only felt that the lectures were good and that they helped me understand some principles on how to be a good human being. However, I still chose not to cultivate. Later that year, Master came to Dalian again. Once again, I saw Master and remembered what he said about the Falun and energy mechanisms he plants inside each of his disciples:
“Therefore, I am telling you that you mustn't lose them easily because you have got them easily. They are extremely valuable and cannot be valued at any price. (Zhuan Falun)
I felt like I had missed these precious predestined opportunities again and again, and had gotten lost in the big dye vat of ordinary people.
In the summer of 2007, I met an elderly practitioner that I had not seen for a long time. I will refer to her as “W.” Although she clarified the truth to me, I had already heard it from an everyday person. At that time, I wrote a solemn declaration stating that I had quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but I was afraid to post it in public. When I met “W,” I asked her to help me to quit all of the CCP affiliated organizations, using my real name. With “W’s” help, I, too, stepped onto the road of cultivation.
Since group Fa-study is one of the forms of cultivation that Master has left us, “W” and I formed a Fa-study group. We studied the Fa together in the afternoon, two to three times per week. At that time, I did not know any other fellow practitioners. I had to travel 90 minutes each way to get to “W’s” house. During the trip, I needed to change buses, and that change required me to walk a long distance.
Each time we finished studying the Fa, I would rush home to cook dinner for my husband. Every day I felt tense, but I still kept up my Fa study, without altering my busy schedule. Nothing was more important to me than studying the Fa. I truly valued the Fa-study environment, which I could not find anywhere else in my life.
Not long after, the two bus stops that I used to use were relocated to a single location, thus saving me a lot of time. Everything was arranged by Master. It was Master encouraging me to keep attending group Fa-study.
At that time, my husband did not know that I was studying the Fa. I was afraid that he would not come to take over managing our shop on time and that would cut my Fa-study time short. I sent forth righteous thoughts to get rid all the wicked elements that could keep me from going to the Fa-study group.
As a result, each time my husband arrived on time. Sometimes when I was on the road and ran into a traffic jam, I would ask Master for help, saying, “Please do not let me be late.” Soon after, the traffic would begin to move again.
After studying the Fa for a while, I realized that Master requires that we cultivate with dignity, so I should not have hidden my Fa study arrangement from my husband. My husband had many misunderstandings about Dafa due to the wicked CCP's fabricated propaganda. I told him the truth, but he refused to listen. Even when I studied the Fa at home, he would turn up the volume on the TV to disturb me.
Before I started to cultivate, I thought he was selfish, since he did not take care of me or help me with the household chores. Also, my husband would easily lose his temper whenever something went wrong. He used to say to me, “If you choose not to have a child, I will divorce you!”
His family members were not happy with the fact that I did not bear any children. Because of this, and other many conflicts and pressures, I led a very unhappy life. After I stepped onto the path of cultivation, I had joy in my heart. I also regretted all the time that I had wasted in my life.
After reading Master’s writings every day, I felt that my whole body, including my bones, had all been transformed. The atmosphere around me was changing, too. I no longer complained about my husband mistreating me. Master told us that whenever conflicts arise, we should look within; we need to cultivate “so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature” from Essentials For Further Advancement).
So I stopped complaining to my husband when he got angry with me and no longer argued with him whenever a problem arose. I always maintained a compassionate and serene mind and acted in accordance with the requirements of the Fa.
Whatever I did—if I was in line with the Fa’s principle—I would have good results. When my parents-in-law were hospitalized due to illness, I took care of them so well that the doctors and nurses in the hospital thought that I was their daughter.
Gradually, my husband changed his attitude towards me and started to do some household chores. He even went grocery shopping, which saved me a lot of time. As a result, I had more time to study the Fa. I clarified the truth to him again, and this time he accepted it and agreed to quit all of the wicked CCP’s affiliated organizations.
After reading numerous articles written by practitioners, I understood that our duty and responsibility as Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification period is to save sentient beings.
At that time, we only received 12 truth-clarifying fliers per week, from a fellow practitioner, and a single copy of Minghui Weekly, which everyone took turns reading. When it was my turn to read it, I would carefully read all of the practitioner's articles, without missing one. When I came across a good method of clarifying the truth, I would write it down.
Sometimes I clarified the truth to my customers from a third person’s point of view. I recall one time when a group of people from out of town visited my shop. One of them wanted to buy something, but the price he offered me was so low that I wouldn’t make a profit.
But I thought to myself, “Since they came to my shop, they must have a predestined relationship. They came to listen to the truth.”
So instead of focusing on making a profit, I accepted the man's offer and clarified the facts to him. I also gave them a truth-clarifying DVD, which they all eagerly wanted. One of them said, “In my hometown, we all know Falun Gong is good! So what's the use of belonging to the CCP? We should all quit it!” Then the whole group agreed to do the three withdrawals. I was finally able to take the very first step in clarifying the truth to strangers!
When I took a taxi to visit clients, I would always clarify the truth to anyone I thought had a predestined relationship.
In Minghui Weekly, there were numerous stories about practitioners who printed out truth-clarifying materials to save sentient beings. I admired them very much and was looking forward to accessing the Minghui website myself. My family did not have a computer and there were no other fellow practitioners close to me who knew how to use computers or how to access the Minghui website.
In the summer of 2008, the practitioner who had supplied Dafa materials to us was seized by the authorities, and the source of our Dafa materials was cut off. Soon after, I got a phone call from a practitioner (who I will refer to as “A”) that I had never seen before. After visiting with each other, she said she could supply us with the Minghui Weekly and assorted truth-clarifying materials.
Thus, under Master’s arrangement, I could read the Minghui Weekly again. During that time, due to the persecution and safety reasons, our Fa-study group stopped studying the Fa together for a while. After losing the Fa-study group environment, I studied the Fa less and less. That's when my hidden fears started to surface again.
Gradually, I became complacent, until “A” finally suggested that we study the Fa together twice a week. I would always complain to her about my daily problems, but she always patiently listened to me and used the Fa's principals to analyze my situation. With her ongoing encouragement, both of us improved and raised our levels.
“A” knew how to use a computer and how to access the Minghui website. When I first saw the Minghui homepage, I thought, “If I can access the website, I could communicate with Dafa disciples all over the world!”
Soon after, my husband said to me out of the blue, “Let’s buy a computer and log onto the Internet.” I was shocked at the time, thinking, “How come what I wanted came true?” Actually, as Master said in Zhuan Falun, “Cultivation depends on oneself; gong depends on one’s Master.”
Later, “A” gave me software that enabled me to break through the CCP’s Internet firewall. I moved the mouse, clicked here and there, and then accessed the Minghui website,—without clearly knowing how I did it. I downloaded many of Master’s articles and Minghui articles using the software, but eventually my IP was blocked.
No matter how hard I tried, I could not access the website. I also received a notice requiring me to send a list of websites that I had logged onto a designated instant messaging address in China.
When my husband saw this he said, “We are finished! Tomorrow they will come to our house, arrest you, torture you, and remove your organs! Then our family will be finished!”
I immediately realized that the evil was using his mouth to scare me. I told him, “Don’t be afraid. I have Master taking care of me. Teacher said, 'If you are a true practitioner, our Falun will safeguard you. I am rooted in the universe. If anyone can harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe.' (Zhuan Falun)”
At that time, I didn't care if my husband understood what I said or not. I sat on the floor holding my palm erect and sent forth righteous thoughts. Although I could not see into other dimensions, I still believed what Master said in his article, “Dafa Disciples’ Righteous Thoughts are Powerful.” (Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I often read Minghui articles about sending righteous thoughts and eliminating evil. I felt like I could eliminate all the evil elements that opposed my accessing the website. The next morning, I shared my understandings with “A” on this matter. She said, “We will send righteous thoughts for you.”
Whenever I had time, I would send righteous thoughts and recite Lunyu. The third day after I received the computer-generated notice, I came home from work, turned on the computer, and found out that everything was back to normal, and that I could access the Dafa website again. This incident proved, again, that when we form one body, the Fa’s mighty power can destroy all evil. Thank you, Master, for your kind protection! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
Being a shop owner, I often have to take business trips. I always take some Dafa-related DVDs and small brochures with me. “A” told me one day, “Saving sentient beings is really important! Tell me when you need materials and how many you need and I will prepare them for you.”
As a result, I always had informational materials with me. Every time I had to go though security checks, I always sent righteous thoughts, eliminated the evil elements around me, and asked Master for his help. Thus, I safely made it through every security check I went through.
Not long after, two more practitioners joined our Fa-study group. While studying the Fa, we compared our study methods and our cultivation understandings. Together, we wholeheartedly worked to raise our levels. After “A” learned to use her cell phone to send voice messages and text messages to clarify the truth, she patiently taught me to do the same. This made it easier and more efficient for me to save even more sentient beings.
Thank you, Master, for giving me the opportunity to know all these diligent fellow practitioners, for, without them, it would be hard to imagine where I would be now in my cultivation.
One day, “W” asked me to visit her house. I had not seen her since we stopped studying the Fa together. When I stepped in the door, I saw two other practitioners there, too. Later, I found out that both of them had turned against Dafa. They told me all sorts of negative things, which really confused me. When they told me they did not read the Minghui Weekly, it really shocked me. I thought to myself, “How could that be?” Later, I told “A” what they said and she totally disagreed with them.
I feel that cultivation is very serious and that no one should deviate from it even a little bit. Since I witnessed this situation, I had to look within to see what shortcomings I needed to get rid of. When I looked, I realized that I was still attached to wanting a comfortable life and didn't want to experience any suffering.
When I sat in the lotus position, I was afraid of the pain in my legs. I also realized that I still had the attachments of laziness, competitiveness, jealously, a show-off mentality, fame, profit, losing face, and needing people to complement me. I can’t stand it when others say anything negative about me! I also have the tendency to judge people, based on their social status.
When I clarified the truth, I did not approach it from the point of view of truly saving sentient beings. Instead, I was mainly focused on my own safety, and, as a result, I clarified the facts with a great deal of caution. I need to remove these bad notions which are not in line with the Fa.
During the course of my cultivation, the Minghui Weekly has played a key role in my life and has become a platform where millions of Dafa disciples can communicate with each other. The lecture “Fa Teaching Given at the Fa Conference Marking the Tenth Anniversary of the Minghui Website’s Founding,” as well as the lecture “Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005” were published in the Minghui Weekly.
Master said:
“Study the Fa more, and take a look at some of the articles on Clearwisdom that students publish to share with each other. They are truly wonderful, and indeed very mature. Some of the articles were really well written. Compare yourselves with those and see where you fall short.” (Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005)
All of this was arranged by our compassionate Master. Now, after thinking it over, I feel that I did not cultivate very well. However, Teacher never gave up on me! I will be a good student and successfully finish the cultivation path that Teacher has arranged for me.
