(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, merciful Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I have been wanting to write something about young practitioners' cultivation but haven't done so because of my laziness and lack of self-confidence. Now I am determined to write down my thoughts to share with fellow practitioners.
I started practicing Falun Dafa in March 1999, when I was 13 years old. Several months later, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched its persecution. Later, the staged self-immolation on Tiananmen Square was broadcast on all media in China, but I held strong trust in Master and the Fa and didn't believe the CCP's lies. I knew that my life was for Falun Dafa cultivation. I told my high school classmates that Falun Dafa's reputation would be restored eventually, because Falun Dafa is great. Because there were so few young practitioners available to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to children in my area, children of my age didn't have the chance to learn about these issues. So I started telling them about Falun Dafa and the staged self-immolation. They all listened carefully and were happy to learn the facts.
After I had graduated from junior high school, I attended an occupational college, where I also talked to fellow students about the facts of Falun Dafa. Not only did they have no problem accepting the facts, but some of them also asked me to teach them the exercises. One girl liked the song Pu Du, and told me that it really moved her.
The college I was attending had many students who were very loose in terms of sexual mores. I did not feel that I belonged there, so I quit. In retrospect, I should not have been affected by everyday people's mentality.
Master said in “Teaching the Fa at the Conference in the Midwest-U.S.,”
“Just by staying unaffected you will be able to handle all situations.”
After coming home, I practiced cultivation with my mother, who is also a practitioner. I also recited Zhuan Falun. Every Saturday, we went to a fellow practitioner's home to send forth righteous thoughts with other practitioners from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning. Many practitioners were unable to stay up for the whole night, but I had no problem doing it and did not feel tired at all. My mother, my grandmother, and I studied the Fa and did the exercises together every evening. During the day I volunteered at a local material production site to produce truth-clarification materials for posting in public places or distribution. As I was fast in learning how to use a computer and other equipment, I was responsible for printing truth-clarification booklets. I was very content and full of energy all of the time.
Later I got a job at a factory run by my father's friend. My workload was light, as I only needed to clean my office and do minimal bookkeeping. With a lot of time to myself, I started hand-copying Essentials for Further Advancement. I tried to copy and memorize one article from the book each day. On the way to work, I listened to Master's lectures on an MP3 player; on the way home, I recited an article from Essentials for Further Advancement. I would get off my bike to check the book if I was uncertain about any words. I felt that I was living in the Fa every minute of every day.
Early in the morning on October 18, 2006, some local police officers broke into our home. They took our portrait of Master and a copy of Zhuan Falun. When they were arresting my mother, I tried to stop them by saying that I would kill myself if they did. I also pretended to have a heart attack, wishing to prevent the arrest. The police hesitated when I threatened them, but still took my mother away. Looking back, I realize that I applied everyday people's means, instead of using the righteous thoughts of Falun Dafa to try to confine the evil. Thus, it was not a surprise that I was not successful.
The policed put our Master's portrait and the book that they had taken from our home in a bag and tossed the bag in the back of their truck. When they all got into the truck, I ran up behind it and pulled out the bag. They saw me in the rear-view mirror and got out and took the bag back from me, while mumbling to themselves, “That young girl is tougher than her mother.” After this event, we all realized that we should never cooperate with the persecutors' demands.
Since there are few young practitioners in my area, our validating the Fa usually generates a strong impact on everyday people. For example, once I talked to a taxi driver about the facts of Falun Dafa, and the driver was very surprised: “You practice Falun Dafa, too?” When I said that I did, she said, “I thought only elderly women practiced it, yet you are so young! So young and competent people practice Falun Dafa as well.” I often talk to people face-to-face about quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations, and find that the results are usually good, thanks to the wisdom given to me by Falun Dafa.
In my understanding, young practitioners need to come out to clarify the truth to everyday people face-to-face, rather than being absorbed in daily life and work.
Many young practitioners learned the Fa and the exercises in their childhood with their parents or grandparents; however, they stopped practicing when they grew up, lost in the secular world. They pursue fame, material gain, and sentimentality like everyday people, turning into people who merely maintain sympathy for Falun Dafa practitioners. I think that both the young practitioners and the older ones who are their family members have some responsibility in this. Those young practitioners did not study the Fa well and did not develop a solid foundation of cultivation when they had first started practicing Falun Dafa. I think they will regret it greatly when they realize what they have missed.
A 30-year-old practitioner runs his own business. He had been studying the Fa, practicing the exercises, and going out to distribute truth-clarification materials. However, he was afraid of talking to people in person about Falun Dafa and quitting the CCP. He considered that distributing Falun Dafa materials and doing Falun Dafa projects would bring him good fortune. Fearing discrimination by his friends and business partners, he did not want to tell others that he was a Falun Dafa practitioner. Because of his selfishness and fear in cultivation, his business was not successful.
Master said,
“The old forces don't dare to oppose our clarifying the truth or saving sentient beings. What's key is to not let them take advantage of the gaps in your state of mind when you do things.” (Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston).
Cultivation is serious, and any human attachment can become a critical barrier for our improvement; any stray thoughts can lead to downfall in cultivation.
After sharing experiences and discussing his problems with fellow practitioners, this practitioner realized his mistakes and started to reinforce his Fa study. As his understanding of the Fa improved, he began to take part in more activities to validate Dafa and even talked to people about quitting the CCP at his wedding. When his heart was truly in Falun Dafa, his business became successful.
All we have is given by Master, and all we do should be for the Fa. We must not use Falun Dafa to satisfy our human desires. Instead, we should use the conditions in our life and work, as well as our resources, to validate Dafa. We need to study the Fa sufficiently and understand well our role in Fa-Rectification.
I hope that more young practitioners can come forward to validate the Fa. As we were arranged to come to this world at this particular time, we should take advantage of our strengths in the secular world and fulfill our sacred oaths by assisting Master in Fa-Rectification.
Please kindly point out anything not in line with the Fa.
Thank you, esteemed Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
