(Clearwisdom.net) I am 40 years old and a new practitioner, having been introduced to Falun Dafa by a colleague in March 2010.
Prior to that time, I lived a negative life due to my unfortunate family circumstances. I was not a healthy person, even from a young age, and I did not have much hope for the future. As I complained about my life and the injustices that fate had dealt me, a well-intentioned colleague suggested I read Zhuan Falun, the teachings of Falun Dafa. She said, “This is a good book from heaven. You have to cherish it. Please read it without stopping. You will change after you read it.”
I agreed to give it a try and I took the book home. I was surprised that when I first read it I had a very strong feeling that Dafa was the truth that I had been looking for! After I finished reading the book, I began to read other Dafa books one after the other. Each time I read the words being a "genuine practitioner," I said to Master that I would like to be a genuine practitioner.
Thus, in a very short time, I eagerly finished reading all 38 Dafa books and Master Li's new articles. At first, I just hoped to feel better. However, after reading Zhuan Falun and Master’s lectures and articles, not only did I feel good, but all my illnesses, including heart disease, rheumatism, gynecological problems, and neurasthenia, had disappeared. My friends and colleagues all noticed the changes in me. They no longer heard my regular sighs. I became energetic and could walk without feeling tired. Those days without illness were really good. Saying “Falun Dafa is good” was truly remarkable. I decided to cultivate diligently. During six months of Fa study, cultivation, and validating the Fa, I had many experiences.
Improving My Heart and Mind Nature
I still remember the first month after I began practicing Falun Gong I read in Zhuan Falun,
“One practitioner in Beijing took his child to Qianmen for a walk after dinner and saw a commercial vehicle promoting lottery tickets. The child became interested and asked to play the lottery. He gave the child one yuan to play, and the child ended up with the second prize, a luxury junior bike. The child was very delighted. At once an idea flashed into the father’s mind: 'I’m a practitioner. How can I go for such a thing? How much de must I give away if I get something that isn’t paid for?'”
I was a little stunned when I read this. Prior to practicing Falun Gong, we borrowed over 10,000 yuan from my child's grandmother to help purchase our house. I was the one who took care of my child and earned only a small salary, I had been thinking about not returning this money. I thought I would save it for my child to go to college. After studying Dafa, I understood that it wasn't right not to repay her. How much virtue would I have to give away if I did not return the money? Therefore, I decided to return it.
My friends said, “Is there something wrong with you? Your child will need money for college. What will you do if you can't pay the college fees at that time? Who will help you then? No one will accuse you of doing anything wrong if you spend the money from your child’s grandmother on your child.” I replied, “I can't do that—I am a practitioner. Because I have I learned Dafa, I should aspire to follow a higher standard.”
I remembered what Master said,
“As a practitioner, one cannot conduct oneself based on the standard of everyday people. It is not permitted if you go do things simply because everyday people consider them right.” (Zhuan Falun)
Without hesitation, I returned the money. Walking home, my whole body felt like it was floating. I have never before felt so relaxed. I knew that I had done the right thing.
Not long afterward, I once again had a test of my heart and mind nature. I was hanging clothes on the clothesline where there was a bed sheet, and I didn't pay much attention to it. After half an hour, my neighbor said sharply to me that I had gotten her bed sheet rusty and that there was a small hole in it. I looked and realized that the wind had twisted the bed sheet and caused the problem. I felt disconcerted, but I also knew that I was a practitioner so I didn't argue with her and replied, “I'm sorry. I will give you another bed sheet.”
After returning home, I felt a little angry. I thought to myself, “The rust and the hole in her bed sheet was caused by the wind and it had nothing to do with me, but I told her I would give her another bed sheet.” I did not have an extra bed sheet at home, only a new bed sheet and I was reluctant to give it away. I then began doing other things.
After I finished some household chores, I began studying the Fa. Upon opening the book I saw Master's serious expression, and I knew that I had not followed Master's requirements. I hadn't considered others first, and I was even angry about the other person. Wasn’t this an understanding of an everyday person and wasn't I acting just like an everyday person? Moreover, I didn’t let go of my attachment to self interest. I knew I was wrong, therefore I sincerely admitted to Master that I was wrong. I got the new bed sheet and took it to my neighbor. She, however, would not accept it. On returning home, I saw Master smiling at me. Someone later told me that the neighbor said that what I gave her was a used bed sheet and that's why she would not accept it. I was not moved by what she said. I understand that everyday people will do such things, and I didn't mind. I only smiled.
It is Dafa that has changed me and upgraded my heart and mind nature. If I had not studied Dafa, I would not have behaved like that. That state of mind cannot be described in words. I felt that I was so lucky to have found Dafa in this lifetime.
Righteous Thought Demonstrates Divine Power
After learning the formulas for sending forth righteous thoughts, I usually sent forth righteous thoughts as I walked. I believed that by saying the formulas I would be able to eliminate evil factors in other dimensions. In particular, when I saw police cars and police I recited the formulas so that they would not persecute Dafa practitioners and thus have the chance to be saved.
Once I suddenly felt a tightness and pain in my throat. I thought to myself, “I am not ill. It is the evil factors that were trying to persecute me.” I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil interference to my throat. This one thought alone made the pain disappear. It was truly magical. That was the first time that I felt the divine power of sending forth righteous thoughts.
In my work unit there was a male colleague who always liked to tease me. I warned him to respect others, but to no avail. On one occasion, as I was getting off the work unit shuttle, he started to act up again. He pushed me off the back of the shuttle (I felt that I was flying off the car). I was lucky that I had Master's protection and nothing happened. I didn't say anything to him. I looked inward and thought to myself, “I don't have the attachment of lust. Why does he treat me like that?”
The next day, he again joked with me and said some bad words. On the third day, he even knocked me on the head with an umbrella. Normally I don't like to joke around. I said to him, “You are going too far.” I thought to myself, “I am a practitioner who is walking on the path to becoming a divine being. You should not be so rude to me. Divine beings have their majesty. Your behavior is a crime to a divine being.” I realized that there must be some evil factors manipulating him to do those bad things, and I then sent forth righteous thoughts and recited the formulas. The next day, he caught a cold. His face turned dark. After he recovered he no longer teased me.
Evil factors are really all-pervasive. Sometimes evil factors can create a false impression of illness karma to persecute me. I had stomach problems in the past. This year I felt unwell. I could not eat anything sour, spicy, or hard to digest. For two days, I had pains every now and then, and I also spit-up acidic saliva. I thought there was something wrong with me. After I studied the Fa, I knew that Master had already purified my body, so why would I still get ill? Evil factors had taken advantage of me. Looking within, I tried to adjust myself from the perspective of the Fa. Master does not acknowledge the old force arrangements and neither do I. I eliminated it.
One week passed and I still had some pain. One day at dinner time, I suddenly had a thought, “I only accept Master's arrangements. I am sure I do not have an illness. My stomach is used to whole grains and vegetables. Whatever I eat should not matter. I will eat some chili sauce now,” and began to have some. Before I finished eating one small chili, the pain in my stomach had stopped. From this, I realized that I should not accept the persecution of the evil factors. While denying their arrangement, I should truly to eliminate it in cultivation and thus walk well on my cultivation path.
Following Up with the Process of Fa Rectification
Master asked us to do the three things well, and I want to do what Master requires of us. I was afraid at first. One morning in a supermarket, I was late and almost everyone had left. On my way home, I saw two women who had bought a lot of groceries. I walked up to them and offered to help them carry some items, and we then began chatting. I asked one of them, “Why are you buying so much fruit?” She replied, “They are used as an offering to the Goddess of Mercy.” I told her that I was a Falun Gong practitioner. They both said, “Nowadays, who else would help other people?” They then kept thanking me for helping them. I said, “You don't need to thank me. If you want to, you should thank Falun Dafa.” They repeated three times after me, saying “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I then quickly walked into a shopping center. At that moment, I was really afraid.
Our benevolent Master saw that I still had an attachment of fear and he hinted to me that night in a dream. I dreamed my neighbor let a bunch of dogs run out of his house. I said in the dream, “Please don't let those dogs get out. I am afraid of dogs.” He said, “I will,” and several dogs ran out of his yard. The more the dogs ran, the bigger they grew and then they looked like a pack of big tigers. But when they ran up to me, they changed into a passel of small dogs and looked very gentle. I realized that I should not be afraid. Those evil things may look mighty, but, in fact, they are nothing before a Dafa disciple.
Later, I recited the poem, “What's to Fear?” (from Hong Yin II). Gradually, as I continued to clarify the truth, I was no longer afraid.
For several weeks, Minghui Weekly published several good articles about sending forth righteous thoughts. The articles inspired me greatly. I now pay special attention to sending forth righteous thoughts. When I have days off, I send forth righteous thoughts at the top of each hour. At first I could not calm myself down, but now I can.
I have continued to spend money that has truth clarification phrases written on the bills. If I don't have such bills, I write the messages on them myself. Fifty-yuan bills look pretty clean with nothing on them. I wrote truth clarification phrases on them and sent out one thought, that whoever got the money would be saved. My only wish was to save more people.
Pleased to See Udumbara
One day I was taking a break in the staff room at my work unit and went to help my colleague hang up her clothes. When I was ready to get the clothes, something drew my attention. Weren't those Udumbara flowers? On the clothesline, I saw tiny, thin flowers silently blooming. It was our merciful Master encouraging me to be more diligent in cultivation. Therefore, I decided to talk to my colleague. I said, “These flowers only bloom every three thousand years. The blossom of this kind of flower indicates to the world that a Tathagata or King of the Golden Wheel is appearing in the human world to save people.” I also told my colleague about the stone with characters from heaven that say “Eliminate the CCP.” I told her she could be saved by withdrawing from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Finally, she agreed to withdraw from the CCP. She informed her husband and he also quit. This time when I clarified the truth and encouraged people to quit the CCP, I didn't have the attachment of fear. In the future, I will clarify the truth with a righteous mind and eliminate the attachment of fear. Because everything in the world today came for the Fa, only by telling them the truth will they be able to have clear minds and be saved.
I miss our Master very much. He has given me so much. As long as I practice cultivation, firmly believe in Master and Dafa, Dafa's power will be demonstrated through me. If it were not for Master's benevolent grace, I would not be able to have so much spirit today. What I have done is far from Master's requirements. Sometimes I am lax and not diligent in my cultivation. However, I believe that with constant Fa study I will become more and more like a divine being. I will do the three things well and save more sentient beings.
