(Minghui.org) Greetings Master, greetings fellow practitioners!
I began practicing Falun Dafa with my mother ten years ago, when I was in middle school. I'm now 23 years old and about to graduate from college. These past ten years felt like they went by in the blink of an eye. I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences with you.
College Offers New Cultivation Opportunities
After I started college, finding time to do the three things was much harder, but I realized these new challenges were also part of my cultivation. During my first year I lived in a dorm. I didn’t have a car, so it was difficult to travel to my local Fa study, which was an hour drive from campus. Because of the transportation issue, I began reading online with other practitioners.
I was also the only practitioner at my college, so it was a challenge clarifying the truth on my own. But I remembered what Master said:
“You are all shouldering the greatest of Dafa disciples' responsibilities: you are sentient beings' hope for salvation. Many people have been saved as a result of your clarifying the facts and as a result of your actions and conduct in this world.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VIII)
Master also said:
“All the same, people’s very existence is for the sake of this Fa. It might seem that neither who they are nor what they do is relevant to Dafa disciples, but in reality, all of it is. It might all appear random, but everything is, in reality, well ordered. All sentient beings are waiting to be saved, and I can tell you something certain. If Dafa disciples don’t act to save them, those people, no matter in what corner of the world they may be, will have no hope unless you go to save them. And that especially holds true for the Chinese people. I have spoken about this before, as you know. A lot of kings from the heavens, kings of different nationalities, and kings from different eras of history have reincarnated in that place.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IX)
I realized that meditation was a really trendy topic. There's even a meditation section at the school’s mental health center. I tried to research how to create a Falun Dafa meditation club, but my school had requirements that were hard to meet with just one person. The club had to have at least five people who would join to serve as officers. Since I didn’t know who to ask, I decided to create an unofficial club.
I bought a blank yellow plastic sign and attached a meditation poster to the front. Then, I printed out many small flyers to post all over my school’s bulletin boards. Twice a week, I would go to my school’s main quad, the busiest spot on campus, and I would meditate for an hour. I brought flyers so that interested students could take them.
At first, I was a bit nervous because I was the only one meditating. I thought I might have looked odd. I realized that this thought was interfering with my truth clarification, so whenever that thought surfaced, I immediately negated it.
Master said:
“There are also many new Dafa practitioners who are secretly practicing at home, fearing the embarrassment of others finding out. Think about it: What kind of thought is this? An ordinary fear is an attachment that needs to be eliminated through cultivation practice. Yet you are afraid of others finding out that you're learning Dafa?” (“Environment,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
After a while, I noticed that people were taking the flyers. Some Chinese people were surprised to see a Western girl practicing Falun Dafa on her own, and their shock led them to take a flyer. Others waited for me to finish, and then asked me about Falun Dafa.
My flyer postings only led to one person joining me. She was from Sweden, but she was ethnically Chinese. She knew about Falun Dafa and knew about the persecution. She wished to learn the practice because she had a lot of anxiety. She joined me two weeks after I began meditating on the quad. I really thank Master for bringing her to the practice site. I felt encouraged to continue and not to start late since I knew she would be coming to the exercise site. A few others came, but only once or twice.
Another way I clarified the truth was through class assignments. The first assignment was in a writing class that had a prompt asking about your favorite activity.
Master said,
“I say that nothing is 'natural,' nor is there any such thing as 'coincidence'—everything has its cause.” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Europe)
I wrote my essay about how meditating is my favorite activity. At first, I was happy that at least the professor would learn about Falun Dafa, but during class she asked us if we’d like to read our essay out loud. I knew this was a great opportunity to have my entire class learn about Falun Dafa, so I volunteered to read my paper.
This class had only 15 students, but about half were Chinese. When I finished reading, I could see their shocked expressions. Three students raised their hands to ask me questions. They asked how I knew about Falun Dafa and wanted to know if I really felt positive changes within myself. I told them that Falun Dafa helped me to become a better person. I abide by Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and these principles have helped my mental health, study habits, and daily activities. They were surprised and happy to learn that Falun Dafa is a good practice – not like the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) propaganda claimed.
The most recent activity I did to clarify the truth was in my embroidery class. This was a random class that I needed in order to graduate, and it was held online because of schools being closed due to the CCP virus (coronavirus). The first assignment was to embroider something that had to do with the current refugee situation. Most people thought about the Syrians who were trying to seek a new life, but I saw this as an opportunity to expose the persecution. I stitched a woman meditating with the words “Zhen, Shan, Ren” next to her, and on the bottom, “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.” On the very top I displayed the text “CCP” in both Chinese and English with a red X over top, and practitioners running out of China on a yellow bridge with signs displaying “Falun Dafa is Good” in both Chinese and English.
During the class, everyone presented their embroidery. When it was my turn, I silently sent righteous thoughts and wished that the people who were in my class would understand the truth. I explained what my embroidery represented and said that I practiced Falun Dafa as well, and that it was persecuted in China. I told my class that I knew a few refugees who escaped China, and it was not easy for them to get out. By the end of my presentation, I wasn’t exactly sure about the reaction among my classmates because I couldn’t see their faces since the presentation was online. But in my heart, I was happy to at least speak the true facts about the CCP, and tell people that Falun Dafa is good.
There Are No Coincidences
Last summer, I and other students went to study abroad in Europe. I felt that Master arranged one person to be with me to test my xinxing.
Annie was placed with me in a dorm room that we shared with six other people. The other girls didn’t like her because she was loud, rude, and didn’t follow directions. I tried to avoid her, but because I was usually placed in a group with her, I knew Master was trying to test my xinxing. I wanted Annie to feel I was a good person, and whenever I had negative thoughts, I reminded myself of what Master said,
“They do not place saving sentient beings in the first position when considering things, but always use human notions to think about issues: Whether you like it or not, your heart is full of indignation, or you want things this or that way—how can that work?! Would Gods be like you? If people are all like you in saving sentient beings, how can sentient beings be saved? You’ll save those you like, and not save those you dislike—can you save sentient beings then? ” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)
Master also said in the same teaching:
“But have you thought about it? You once signed a contract with me when you came to this world, vowing to save those sentient beings. You could then become a Dafa disciple, and you could then do this thing. But you did not fulfill it. You did not completely fulfill your vow, and you cannot even save those beings allotted to you, those you undertook to save, behind whom are countless sentient beings and gigantic groups of beings. What is that?! Is that simply just a matter of not cultivating diligently? That is an extremely serious crime!” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)
Annie regarded me as one of her closest friends, and sometimes thanked me for being kind when she knew that she was being short-tempered. I knew this was an opportunity to really improve my compassion and tolerance, and I knew she was helping me.
Master said,
“When you encounter a tribulation, that great compassion will help you overcome it. At the same time, my Law Bodies will look after you and protect your life, but you will still have to go through the ordeal.” (“Chapter III, Cultivation of Character,” Falun Gong)
I was happy to be a person she regarded as “safe” to share her feelings with, but I still had not clarified the truth to her yet.
When we arrived after a bus trip to Edinburgh, UK, Annie realized that she lost her phone. She couldn’t control her feelings and didn’t want to do the activities planned on the trip anymore. I couldn’t blame her, losing a phone is costly, and losing it in another country is especially nerve-wracking. I offered to bring her any food she wished, but she just wanted to stay in her room all day.
The professor did everything he could to help her, but the business office wouldn’t be open until the next day. The next day they contacted the driver, but there was no luck in finding her phone.
Annie knew that her phone was gone, but somehow, I felt guilty. I was reading Zhuan Falun on my bed when I had a sudden thought that maybe I should go ahead and clarify the truth. The situation felt like it had to do with me. At that moment my other roommate walked past me and asked what book I was reading. I started to clarify the truth to her, and Annie listened. I told them that I had studied Chinese for eight years, but couldn’t go to China because of the persecution. I told them that the CCP has been practicing the most atrocious, inhumane acts that include organ harvesting. When I got to this topic, Annie was shocked and exclaimed, “That is disgusting! How come nobody talks about this on the news?!”
Five minutes after I clarified the facts, Annie received a phone call. The driver found her phone between two seats on the bus! I knew this was no coincidence.
Master said,
“If when you find the real reasons within yourself you dare to face and recognize them, you will find that the matter instantly changes and the problem disappears.” (Lecture at the First Conference in North America)
I felt very encouraged. After this incident, I was able to clarify the truth to almost all my study abroad mates.
Although college tested many of my attachments, it was also a great opportunity to pass tests and improve my xinxing. I believe that it’s extremely important for college students to learn about the Fa. I am always reminded by what Master said,
“By the time I started to teach the Fa, those Gods came down like snowflakes—it was just that many. I calculated their ages now, and from when I started to spread the Fa till now, they would be young people around twenty-five years old, many of whom really have not been saved. They were all Gods, coming down to Earth, and they scattered to all areas of the world.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)
My fellow practitioners who are in school, I really hope we all stay diligent and not miss out on any chances to clarify the truth!
Finally, I would like to end with a quote from Master:
“You are the hope for humankind. You must do well. You must take on your responsibility. You must go save sentient beings, so that you can consummate yourselves and this undertaking will not be in vain!” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)
These are my personal understandings. Please point out anything incorrect. Thank you Master, thank you fellow practitioners.
(Presented at the 2020 International Falun Dafa Young Practitioners’ Online Fa Conference)
