My Cultivation Under the Guidance of Dafa

(Minghui.org) I began to practice Falun Dafa in 1997. I am now in my 70s and retired from the medical field. Looking back at my cultivation path, Master led me every step of the way, and I wouldn’t be here today without his merciful salvation!

During the onset of the pandemic in 2020, cities, villages, and even community districts were locked down in China. The lockdown made saving people more difficult. I thought: The pandemic is arranged by Gods. The virus cannot affect Dafa practitioners. The more difficult the situation is, the more effort we should make to do the three things. Practitioners are here to assist Master during Fa-rectification, and we are the only hope for sentient beings to be saved!

There were not many people outside. Those who were had masks on, walked hurriedly, and tried not to get too close to anyone else. In these circumstances, how could I clarify the truth to them? So I decided to distribute truth-clarification pamphlets and put up posters about Falun Dafa.

I downloaded templates from Minghui.org with such messages as “Recite ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!’ wholeheartedly” and “The Secret to Escaping the Pandemic.” I also printed flyers and brochures and made adhesive posters.

Each time I went out, I asked Master to strengthen me and help me give the materials to those who needed to know the truth. I believe that as long as I keep a pure heart to save people, Master will help me.

I made large posters so the messages were easy to read. I usually put them up in the daytime by myself. Some practitioners asked, “Aren’t you afraid to do that in the daytime?” I said, “No. Master is always right next to me, protecting me. Master gave us tens of thousands of supernormal abilities. What could I be afraid of?”

Indeed, Master protects us at all times. Several times when I was putting up posters on an embankment, I noticed a tall figure behind me. At first I thought someone was walking by, but then I noticed the figure slowed down when I slowed down. I stopped and waited for the person to catch up.

When no one showed up, I looked around, and the entire embankment was empty. I understood: the tall figure was Master's fashen (law body)! Master told us that, behind every student, there is his fashen. It is so true! Although our human eyes cannot see it, Master is always with us every moment, taking care of us!
The Mysterious Gatekeeper

Another time, I wanted to talk to a fellow practitioner about saving people during the lockdown. I went to the practitioner’s residential area but it was locked up tight. I walked around the perimeter, and when I reached the back gate, I silently asked Master for help: “I need to see this practitioner to discuss something important. Please help me, Master!”

A short time later, a man on the inside walked over and opened the back gate. I immediately entered. The man gave me a look, said nothing, and continued to look at his cell phone. The strange thing was this man did not go out. He simply opened the gate for me and then locked it after I entered. He seemed to have come there just to open the gate for me!

The practitioner was surprised to see me and asked how I’d gotten in. She said their community began its lockdown the day before, and the residents could only go through the front gate with their IDs. I told her that Master helped me!

A Fellow Practitioner Serves as My Reflection

I recently helped a practitioner edit her experience sharing article for the online Fa conference. During the editing, I saw how she could have responded better, although she did well overall during her illegal detention. However, I believed she resisted the persecution based on an ordinary person’s sense of bravery instead of using a cultivator’s righteous thoughts. I also saw her hatred for the persecutors, which lacked a Dafa practitioner’s compassion. I thought, “If she cultivated better and had better enlightenment, the persecution she endured could have been avoided.”

In her article, she spoke about clarifying the truth about Dafa to a street vendor. She successfully advised the person to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and gave her a DVD of the Nine Commentaries on Communist Party. She should have left then, especially since some people might have misunderstandings about the Nine Commentaries, but she lingered. A while later she brought another person to the stall to shop and was reported to the police.

In another incident, she was doing the Falun Dafa exercises while she was detained. A guard yelled at her, “You are not allowed to do the exercises!” She shouted back, “I will do the exercises!” The guard threatened to lock her up in isolation, and he really did. I don’t think her response to the guard was wrong, but I could see her confrontational attitude. If she had changed her tone, and if she peacefully explained why she did the exercises and how she benefited from them, the result might have been different.

I then wondered why I had those thoughts about her article and something Master said suddenly appeared in my mind:

“I have told everyone in my Fa lectures that when a conflict arises between two people and it’s seen by a third person, even the third person should think to himself, “Oh, a confrontation is happening between them, so why is it that I was there to see it? Is it because I have certain attachments? Is it because I have that kind of problem as well?” Since you are cultivating, you need to be truly responsible to yourself and need to look at yourself.” (Teachings at the Conference in Australia)

“If the matter has absolutely nothing to do with you or doesn’t involve any of the attachments you should break, then that thing would rarely happen to you.” (Teachings at the Conference in Europe)

Following what Master said, I looked inward and was shocked. All the problems I saw in this practitioner applied to me as well, and mine were even more serious! She was a mirror for me! Master uses every opportunity to help me improve. I am so grateful to Master!

Since 2008, my home has been a Dafa informational material production site. Without Master’s protection, it would have been impossible to keep it running smoothly for all these years, even though the authorities have continued to harass me. On the CCP's sensitive days, officers followed me. I have been illegally arrested and detained. The authorities have ransacked my home multiple times and taken pictures of me against my will.

Then, last February when I was printing pamphlets at home, someone knocked on the door. Without looking, I assumed it was a fellow practitioner, so I opened up and saw a police officer and a residential district committee member standing there. They took away all the materials and my laptop.

Although they had ransacked my home in the past and suspected I was making informational materials about Falun Dafa, they’d never found any evidence. This time, they came just when I was printing the materials. I considered the incident to be evil interference and immediately afterward, asked fellow practitioners to help send righteous thoughts to dissolve the interference. However, I did not look inward to see what I did wrong.

When I was editing the practitioner’s article, I initially thought she should cultivate better. After looking at myself, I realized I was no better. Producing materials about Falun Dafa is a battle between good and evil in other dimensions, but I did not take it seriously. I opened the door so casually without first protecting the materials.

After I found myself in that dangerous situation, I did not respond like a Dafa practitioner. I forgot to send righteous thoughts or ask Master for help. I just watched them take everything away. I have practiced Dafa for more than 20 years, yet I responded so badly in the face of persecution!

Studying the Fa with a Clear Understanding

I asked myself why I didn’t send righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil in the face of persecution? I found one main reason. It was because I did not study the Fa well. I often treated Fa study as a mere formality. I also measured how well I did by the amount of Fa I read or recited.

Although I have recited Zhuan Falun multiple times and memorized many of Master’s other teachings, I did not seem to have a clear understanding of why I should study the Fa. I was even worse at answering the question of how I should study the Fa.

I read the Fa because Master told us to. But I did not use the Fa to guide my cultivation. Moreover, my enlightenment quality was not high, and I did not deeply understand the Fa, especially Master’s teachings about negating the old forces’ arrangements. My concentration was often not good when studying the Fa. As a result, I have been studying for years, but I did not really align myself with the Fa's standards.

Master taught us:

“Don’t just go through the motions when you study the Fa. You should study with a concentrated mind, and you must really be studying.” (“To the Australia Fa Conference”, The Essentials of Diligent Progress III)

I found that, although I have been practicing Falun Dafa for many years, I have not truly cultivated. When I faced tribulations and tests, I did not use the Fa to guide my thoughts and actions. Without the power of the Fa, I could not pass the adversity the old forces created for me.

I shall remain alert and remember at every moment that I am a Dafa practitioner. We cultivate our main souls. If my main soul is not clear-minded, it will be easy for the old forces to interfere with me.

My Fundamental Attachment of Resentment

Another problem of mine is that I did not know how to look inward when problems occurred. I did try sometimes to search within, but I only saw the problems on the surface and did not solve them fundamentally. So I held onto some of my fundamental attachments for a long time, and they were enlarged by the old forces. As a result, I was pushed in a negative direction. For example, my family tribulations got worse and worse, and eventually became a test that was too hard for me to overcome.

One of my biggest attachments is resentment. Whenever I had a problem or felt unhappy about something, I felt resentful. I knew it was a very bad attachment a cultivator must relinquish, but it appeared repeatedly and I was unable to eliminate it. For example, I used to seriously resent my late husband. I often complained he only cared about his work, not the family, and that he was not considerate of me. After he passed away, my resentment was transferred to my daughter. I complained that she did not know how to cook and could not do household chores properly.

Last year, my daughter was hit by a car and ended ui with comminuted fractures in her left lower leg. After the accident, I complained about her being immature and not paying enough attention to safety. After she recovered, however, my son and his wife had a marriage crisis.

With my resentments increasing, I developed other attachments, including jealousy, a fighting mentality, looking down on others, and irritability. I always complained that life was unfair. The old forces took advantage of my loopholes and enlarged them. They made more family troubles for me and sent the authorities to my home to harass me. Cultivation is serious!

Master said:

“… it is not an easy thing if one wants to cultivate. I have said that this is a very serious matter. It is something beyond everyday people and more difficult than anything of everyday people.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)

We are cultivating our main souls. I must truly study the Fa, use the Fa to guide my every thought, and look within unconditionally. Only then can I eliminate my attachments, raise my xinxing, and align myself with the Fa. Only by looking within can I negate the old forces’ arrangements. When the evil is dissolved, the family tribulations are dissolved as well.

Final Thoughts

Although I have done some things a Dafa practitioner should do, I'm still far from reaching Master’s requirements. For example, I have not done very well in saving people. Fa rectification is not over yet, but our time is limited. I know we do not have many opportunities left.

Over the years, I have witnessed Dafa’s mighty power. Master took away my karma and protected me from tribulations. I am so grateful for his mercy! I am determined that, on the last leg of my journey, I will do all I can to cultivate diligently and repay Master’s salvation!