(Clearwisdom.net)
Master Helped Me Overcome the Bad Habit of Smoking
I obtained the Fa in May of 1999. I came to the practice site for the purpose of healing illness and to quit the habit of smoking. At the practice site, everyone was very friendly and patient teaching me the exercises. I did not understand what cultivation was, the concept of attachments, or how to improve my xinxing. I just did the exercises, following their example. I had been a smoker for more than 20 years and had tried many different methods in the past to quit, with no success. So, of course, I was very skeptical this time. After practicing for a couple weeks, I already began to feel uncomfortable when I smoked. I was addicted to more than the tobacco—it was also the habit of holding cigarettes and the act of puffing on them. Then, one morning after puffing on my cigarette, I felt dizzy, as if the world around me was spinning. I also felt sick to my stomach and wanted to vomit. Never had I felt this way smoking before.
I suddenly remembered a paragraph in Zhuan Falun, where Master mentions:
“I’ve given an example before: have you ever seen a Buddha or a Dao sitting there with a cigarette dangling from his mouth? How laughable! Now that you’re a cultivator, what is it you’re trying to achieve? Shouldn’t you quit? That’s why I’m saying that if you want to cultivate you’d better quit. It harms your body, and it’s a desire—it couldn’t be further from what we cultivators have to do.”
I was overwhelmed with feelings of regret, and tears flowed. Why had I not realized this sooner? Master had already clearly told me and was purifying my body. I felt so thankful to Master. I had tried many methods in the past to quit smoking, but only with Master's help could I give up the habit so quickly. I also noticed that my other ailments, including stomach aches, severe cranial nerve pain, rheumatism in the leg, and numbness in the hands, were gone. My body felt light, as if leaving the ground when I walked. I experienced the Fa principle, "The cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master." (Zhuan Falun)
The Pure Land Created by Dafa
In June of 1999, after cultivating for over a month, my son and I were riding bicycles home from my mother's when a farm tractor knocked us both over. After we were hit, the tractor continued on without stopping. My son, who was 14 years of age at the time, got up and tried to stop the driver of the tractor and reason with him. The driver was yelling obscenities at us, and when he saw my son was still a child, threatened to beat him up. I got up, went over to my son, and told him to forget it—at least neither of us was injured. I felt this was due to Master's protection. Perhaps we had paid back a debt. I told the driver that he knew what he did was wrong, but we were protected. I kept thinking to myself: “I am a Dafa practitioner, I should think of others and not get them in trouble.” Master’s Fa was ringing in my ears:
“A good or bad outcome comes from one thought. If she’d just lay there and said, 'Ohhh, I’m in trouble. This part hurts, that part hurts…' then maybe her ligaments would be torn, or her bones fractured, and maybe she’d be paralyzed. No matter how much money they give you, you’d still have to live in the hospital the rest of your life. And could you really enjoy that?” (Zhuan Falun)
I pulled my son over to leave, and when we looked at our bicycles, we noticed that they were damaged beyond use. It was then I realized that perhaps I should check with my son to see if he could have really been injured. He said that he had no pain and didn't think he was injured in the least. So I then checked myself over and found a hole in my pants, but no cuts on my body. Once again I truly felt in Master's care, keeping us safe. Thank you, Master!
Three days later this same driver came to our village to sell alcohol. My son saw him and came home looking for family members and friends to go with him and demand that this driver pay for our bicycles. He was determined that they would beat the driver up if he refused to pay. I remained calm and explained to my son that the driver didn't hit us on purpose and we should just let it be. He listened to me, so there was no trouble. I know I would not have been able to handle this situation so calmly if I were not a cultivator. I am a Dafa practitioner, I have higher requirements for myself. One person who practices Dafa will benefit the whole family. My words and actions were applauded by my family, and they all said Falun Dafa was good. It prevented a disaster for both our family and others involved.
That night I had a dream that I had a basket on my back to collect wood. I was very tired and tried to look for a place to take a break. But the ground had flooded and it was muddy everywhere; there was no place for me to stand. I had to hop from rock to rock. I do not know how far I hopped when I landed on solid ground. It was circular in shape and very clean, and I was happy. I had found a good place, so I just stood there. I woke up and felt very happy and thankful. This was Master enlightening me: I had learned Falun Dafa, and I had walked into this pure land. It was not that filthy world any more. Nowadays the social moral standards are deteriorating and are really disgusting. I am so lucky and proud that I obtained Falun Dafa and came to a pure land.
Dafa Practitioners’ Righteous Thoughts Are Tremendously Powerful
One afternoon I was on my way home after studying the Fa. I had a truth-clarifying brochure in my pocket. On it were slogans that defamed Dafa written by a person in the village that I knew. There was more graffiti in the village that defamed Dafa, written by the same person. I wanted to leave this brochure at his door with a message that he should not behave this way anymore so as to avoid retribution. As I approached his home, I saw five or six people outside, standing around talking. I wanted them to leave, so I could leave the brochure and was thinking that to myself when immediately they all left. There was not a single person left on the street. Of course, this was Master’s mighty virtue, and I am his disciple. I quickly put the brochure at his door. Since then, I have not seen anymore of his defaming Dafa. This life has been saved. This incident assures me that true Dafa practitioners’ righteous thoughts are tremendously powerful.
My 81-Year-Old Mother Benefited from Dafa
One day in August my younger brother called me to say that our mother could not move her hands or legs, half of her body felt heavy, and she could barely talk. She almost fell down and wanted me to come get her. I immediately called a taxi for her. In my home, my mom cried, saying that she was very afraid, afraid that she might be paralyzed and bedridden for the rest of her life. I saw that her face was dark and there were black spots on her skin. I had become healthy both physically and spiritually after cultivating Dafa. So in 2007 I introduced Dafa to my brother and mother. My mother was already getting elderly and could not read well. I taught her the exercises, but she was too feeble to do them by herself. She was only able to do the meditation. I knew my human attachment of impatience was keeping me from helping her with the exercises, which she did want to do. Looking back, I felt such guilt and regret. As a Dafa practitioner, it is my duty to spread the Fa. How important it is if someone wants to learn the exercises! However, it was not my priority. I was selfish and could not let go of myself. I felt unworthy of Master’s compassionate saving, and I felt unworthy of my mother who raised me. My next thought was that my mother had already obtained the Fa. Although she did not do the exercises, she still believed in Master and believed in the Fa. Wasn't that faith eliminating her karma? Master was taking care of her. My enlightenment quality was so poor. I did not help her understand the Fa principles, and I did not treat her as a fellow practitioner. I felt I was not acting as a true Dafa disciple.
I stood in front of Master’s Fa photo and said: “Master, I have been wrong. Please forgive me, I have been unworthy as a Dafa practitioner.”
The next day my mother came to my home. In order to avoid conflict with the ordinary people there, we tried our best to avoid behavior that would alarm them. I took my mother to the hospital for an exam. The results were that she suffered from myocardium anemia, encephalitis, and stroke. Without hospitalization, without any medication, we took the results and went home. Every day I would do the exercises with her, and then we would study Fa together. My mom was very diligent and truly believed in Master and the Fa. She was very determined and was not afraid of suffering or fatigue. She learned the five exercises and was fully recovered after 12 days. When she went back to the hospital for a follow-up, her health was normal. Her grandson picked her up to go home. Before leaving she said, “After going home, I will use my own experience to validate the greatness of Dafa and the magic of Dafa, and I would like to do well the three things. I will try to do what I can to do my part to contribute to the power and beauty of Dafa.
My life took on a completely new look after cultivating Dafa. Over the past dozen years, I have gone from “don’t know” to “know,”, from “don’t understand” to “understand,” from “not enlightened” to “enlightened.” My every step was protected by Master’s great care. Master has been sacrificing so much for me, while I just did a little bit. I felt a gap. In the future, I will be more determined in believing in Master and the Fa on this pure land created by Dafa. I will be more diligent and do well the three things in the Fa-rectification.
