(Minghui.org)
How I Obtained the Fa
Greetings to all. I am a practitioner from Bali, Indonesia, and I began practicing Falun Dafa at the end of 2009. At that time, my father asked me, my mom, my older sister and my twin to come out to a field close to our home to see people practicing Falun Dafa. When we arrived, the practice was almost finished.
The following week, only my twin sister and I went to join the practice. The week after that we got the book Zhuan Falun, and information on how to send forth righteous thoughts.
I was in awe as I read the first chapter of Zhuan Falun. The book gave me answers about what being human is all about and what is the purpose of life on this earth. When I read Lecture Two, I understood that only this book, Zhuan Falun, explains how we can cultivate and go back to our true home.
I'd been interested in spirituality even since I was very young. Later, I believed in a religion that predicted a big catastrophe that would destroy mankind in the end period. I was very worried and wondered how I could survive this catastrophe. On one occasion, I cried as I prayed and worshiped our God, and begged God to save me from this catastrophe. This all happened shortly before I obtained Falun Dafa.
Also, before I cultivated in Falun Dafa, since I was very young, I frequently encountered interference from other dimensions. Almost every night I was awakened by sounds from other dimensions that really frightened me. Because of this, my mother almost took me to a psychologist. These events were still vivid in my mind until I graduated from high school, and I did not dare to sleep by myself.
I obtained the Fa towards the end of 2009, right after I graduated from high school, and I started to go to college in southern Bali, which is a bit far from my hometown. The presented a big test for me, to sleep by myself. However, the more I read Zhuan Falun and sent forth righteous thoughts, the more my fear subsided. Sometimes at night I was so scared that I could not sleep at all, and sometimes I was not afraid at all. After cultivating for six months, my fear of beings from other dimensions was gone. My father was amazed by the changes in me because of Dafa.
Being Single-Minded in Cultivation and Negating the Old Forces
About six months into my cultivation practice, I really began to pay attention to what Master says in Lecture Three of Zhuan Falun: “We require people to practice only one cultivation way since one should be single-minded in true cultivation.”
I understood that if I want to really cultivate, I have to really be on the path that Master arranges. That is, I need to be single-minded in Dafa cultivation. In Indonesia, we are obligated to follow a certain religion. I live in a village, and following the ritual of the religion is a must, otherwise, the villagers would think that I don’t believe in God.
Therefore, to tell my extended family, including my parents, that I really only cultivated in Dafa and that I had to be single-minded in my cultivation practice was not that easy. When I first told my mother and father, they did not accept it, although they knew that Falun Dafa was good. Later on, almost all of my extended family accepted my decision. Everything was quite harmonious, but the real test always came when there was a big religious ritual. I felt that my parents almost became different people when they were doing the religious ritual. They still insisted on my taking part in the ritual with them. I strengthened my righteous thoughts and denied that that was their true selves. I also shared with another practitioner who believes in single-minded cultivation. I asked, "How can I pass this test? I have to be steadfast in Dafa! Only Master can save me!" That practitioner asked me to be more diligent in studying the Fa, believing in Master, and doing the three things well.
I studied the Fa more and sent forth righteous thoughts at the global set times and even more often, to get rid of the evil, and the old forces that are using my parents to disturb me in following only one cultivation way. And true enough, after the religious ritual was finished my parents were nice to me again, almost like nothing had happened! They even asked me to spend time with them on a trip. This situation lasted about 2 years, recurring every 6 months when there was a big religious ceremony or ritual.
In all those tests to improve my xinxing, I focused on doing the three things. At the end of 2012, several months before a major religious ritual was about to take place, my father invited a few practitioners over and asked them why I didn't want to do religious rituals anymore. The practitioners who came to my home were still doing religious rituals. To my surprise, those practitioners berated me in front of my parents. They did not help me in being single-minded in cultivation. My father and mother were very angry with me. I really sent forth righteous thoughts and denied that they are like this; they are not being themselves. At the end of our discussion, the practitioners left, and after the big religious ceremony was over, my mother asked me to leave home. I was not surprised. My only thought was that, if this has to be, let it be. No matter what, my life is fully in Dafa! I have a Master. If I really am in Dafa, Master will arrange everything! I will not want for anything! At that time, I was a university student. I left the laptop and all the other things that my parents had given me, and I left home.
I lived in the home of a practitioner who is single-minded in Dafa cultivation. When we are steadfast in Dafa, Master can see our hearts! My mother called me and told me that she regretted throwing me out of the house. She said when she was angry and threw me out, but those were not words from the bottom of her heart. My parents really wanted me to go back home, and even came to pick me up.
During my stay with this practitioner, she helped me to clarify the truth to my parents. In the end, my parents understood and accepted everything. Now, whenever there is a big religious ritual, they don’t ask me to join in anymore. My understanding is that this particular evil has been eliminated. The old forces don’t dare to disturb me anymore because I chose to be steadfast in Dafa and the path that Master arranges when I was thrown out of my home. And my family has become harmonious again, like in the past, and there are no conflicts.
I graduated from university with good grades and got a good job in a government position. This makes my parents proud of me. This is all because of Dafa. They feel that I am a good Dafa practitioner. And they know that Falun Dafa is good. When we are determined to be steadfast in Dafa, there will be tests to see whether our heart is fully in Dafa or not.
Single-minded cultivation is a serious issue. In my hometown, there are still many practitioners who do not dare to practice only one cultivation way, using the excuse that they are fully cultivating in Dafa but that it is fine to participate in other religious activities. Isn't this stepping on two boats at the same time? Don’t they believe in Master completely? I believe that Master and Dafa will harmonize everything and am very grateful to Master.
The Development of Truth-clarification Sites in Bali
In mid-2010 after I'd been practicing Falun Dafa for six months, the assistant of our practice site told me that Falun Dafa practitioners are responsible for doing the three things well, namely: studying the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts at the set times, and clarifying the truth of Falun Dafa, especially to Chinese tourists who have been deeply poisoned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
When I heard this, I was determined to do the three things well. At first, I joined the assistant to clarify the truth at Tanah Lot. Tanah Lot is one of the top destinations Chinese tourists visit in Bali. He rented a stall for us to display banners and brochures. The stall was located in the market in front of the parking place for the buses carrying Chinese tourists. Each passing tourist seemed surprised by our banners. Some were afraid, as if they didn't believe what they were seeing, but many Chinese tourists took photos of our banners. Chinese practitioners who lived in Bali also clarified the truth there and encouraged Chinese tourists to quit the CCP and its youth organizations. Many did after they understood the truth about Falun Dafa.
A few years earlier, when the assistant first started clarifying the truth at the stall in Tanah Lot, the Chinese consulate started to disturb our activities. But at that time, the village head was willing to listen to practitioners explain the facts about Dafa. However, in 2011 the interference reoccurred. The head of the Tanah Lot market began to disturb us. They took down our banners, closed our stall, and confiscated the key. Seeing this, fellow practitioners in several districts in Bali then gathered to discuss what to do. We tried to visit the market director at his home to clarify the truth. However, he still did not allow us to return.
For several months our stall in Tanah Lot remained closed. Then the local assistant told me that the following thought occurred to him: “Bali Island is small; Chinese tourists who are on vacation in Bali can be found everywhere!” So we began to scatter to different tourist attractions in South Bali. We had a sharing with fellow practitioners in these areas, and the local assistant encouraged them to step forward to clarify the truth to Chinese tourists. Finally, we were able to establish truth-clarification sites in Tanjung Benoa, Kuta Beach, and Uluwatu to reach out to Chinese tourists. More and more Bali practitioners stepped forward to clarify the truth.
Then, a miracle happened. The head of the Tanah Lot market suddenly handed the shop key back to the local assistant, and we were allowed to open our stall again in Tanah Lot.
Master said, “...once you take up Dafa, whatever it is you encounter--good or bad--it is a good thing...” (“Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005”)
The closure of our truth-clarification site at Tanah Lot provided an opportunity for Balinese practitioners to start truth-clarification sites in many other tourist spots. Today, at almost every tourist spot in Bali where there are many Chinese tourists, the local practitioners hold activities to clarify the truth and improve together. That is truly a miracle. Thank you, Master!
Improving Xinxing and Clarifying the Truth Diligently to Chinese Tourists
Since mid-2010 I have taken part in truth-clarification activities with other Balinese practitioners. I experienced many xinxing tests during those time. For example, the Mainland Chinese tourists sometimes wouldn't accept the flyers I offered them, or they'd make fun of me, laugh at me, throw away the flyers, and even kick the flyers in front of me. One time, at a truth-clarification site in Ubud, there was a group of tourist from Mainland China waiting for their bus. I was close to them so I started handing them flyers. One of them took The Epoch Times newspaper that we were distributing, then they discussed among themselves the content of the newspaper. It seems that they were surprised with the content of The Epoch Times, and turned to me and said, “Do you understand the content of this newspaper ?” I answered that I could not read Chinese. Then almost all of them laughed at me. At that moment, my human heart surfaced. I was so embarrassed. Then I told one of the tourists who could speak English that I know the content of the newspaper because I read the Indonesian version.
There are quite a lot of tour guides who forbid their tourists from China to take our truth-clarification materials, sometimes even snatching the flyers out of their hands and throwing them away in front of me. In the past, this kind of incident made me frustrated and I'd give up. I did not look inside. I did not have a compassionate heart. It took a long time for me to realize that I should not be upset by these incidents.
One day on my way to the truth-clarification site, there was a feeling that I did not want to clarify the truth that day. But suddenly a voice said, “You cannot be like this!” I was startled and realized that no matter what, I have to clarify the truth to them! I have to have a compassionate heart. I realized that that was the human heart I still have to cultivate. That day, I continued my journey to the truth-clarification site. I thanked Master for reminding me to improve my xinxing. From then on, by being diligent about Fa study, I cultivated my heart to be more patient and not easily angered when Mainland China tourists and the tour guides were not nice to me. I just smiled at them sincerely.
Some tourists are willing to listen. When I held a banner, smiling and with strong righteous thoughts, I said in Chinese, “Huan ying lai dao Bali Dao, Falun Dafa Hao!” (Welcome to Bali Island, Falun Dafa is good). Almost all the tourists smiled back at me, gave me the thumbs up, and accepted the reading materials. I felt that Master supported me and wanted me to do even better in truth clarification.
About eights months into our truth-clarification efforts, more and more Mainland Chinese tourists were coming to Bali. In 2017, they ranked number 1 as the most number of tourists coming to Indonesia. This made me proud and complacent. I thought that with so many practitioners who were diligent in doing the truth-clarification work, I could relax. And so I concentrated more on my office work and did not go to the truth-clarification site as much. I usually would go 4 to 5 times a week, but then it became twice a week. This lasted about 1 month. As if reminded by Master, the only active volcano in Bali erupted. The airport was closed for a week. All flights were canceled. Then I realized, how can I clarify the truth if there were no tourists from Mainland China?
During the first two months after the eruption, Bali saw a decline in tourists from China. I was so frustrated. I could not find any tourist from China at that time. I was looking for them with my twin sister at several truth-clarifications sites. I regretted that I did not use the time given to me. I realized that the time that Master gives us will end soon. I was so sad and regretful! I wondered if Master would give me another chance to do the three things well. I felt that I had not done well in clarifying the truth to Mainland China tourists, and had wasted the time given to us.
Three months after the eruption, there are more tourists coming. I was so relieved and happy to have another chance. From then on until today, every day after work, my twin sister and I go to truth-clarification sites. Thank you, Master, for giving us the opportunity!
Please correct me if there is anything inappropriate in this sharing. Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners !
(Presented at the 2018 Asia Fa Conference)
