Taking the Initiative to Break Through Tribulations

(Minghui.org) I am a retired worker, and was fortunate to begin Falun Dafa cultivation practice in 1996. During the past more than 20 years, my family and I, as well as my friends and relatives, have been blessed by Dafa.

I was illegally sentenced in 2015 by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to two years of detention for refusing to give up my faith. After I returned home from the detention center in 2017, I studied the Fa and did the exercises every day. However, I couldn’t calm my mind when studying the Fa. When I sent forth righteous thoughts, I couldn’t hold up my palm for the entire time, nor did I dare to clarify the truth to people in public. I felt I couldn’t keep up with the Fa-rectification process, as all kinds of attachments of mine were holding me back on my cultivation path. Moreover, I appeared to behave as if I was going into “menopause.” I couldn’t control myself when venting my anger. I sent forth righteous thoughts to negate this illusion. I thought, “This wasn’t me. As a practitioner, we shouldn’t have what ordinary people refer to as menopause.” But that didn’t work. I didn’t know what to do, and was very worried.

One day, an experience sharing article I came across online touched me greatly. The article quoted Master:

“The Life Gate is a crucial and central “aperture,” as Daoists call it, or “juncture,” as we put it.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

The author enlightened: Why is it called a juncture? As in our cultivation, every tribulation is a juncture, we have to take the initiative to make a breakthrough. We cannot wait, hoping the trial will go away by itself.

Improving Xinxing: Illusion Disappears

Through reading this article, I enlightened that we must study the Fa well. Only with guidance from the Fa can we break through every trial and tribulation. I needed to improve my xinxing and eliminate all kinds of attachments, so I could break through what was keeping me from clarifying the truth to people face-to-face.

I looked for another practitioner with whom I could clarify the truth. At night I studied the Fa. By making continuous efforts for a period of time, I became able to clarify the truth to people face-to-face, and I went out every day to do so. I also made a breakthrough in Fa-study. I had twice memorized and recited Zhuan Falun.

When memorizing Zhuan Falun, I enlightened to many Fa-principles, which never happened before. For example, the illusion of menopause appeared again, coupled with my feeling of being agitated. As I had the Fa in me, the Fa-principle was able to manifest during the tribulation. I understood that as a practitioner, we have no such thing as menopause; instead, it was Master purifying my body, which is a good thing. After a few trials like that, this illusion went away completely.

When I first returned home from the detention center, I always felt that my stomach was bloated and I was short of breath, due to my having gone on a hunger strike to oppose the persecution while in detention. When the weather warmed up, I felt even more short of breath and could eat very little food. As soon as I took in a bit more food, I felt bloated.

I felt the situation worsen day by day. Although I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it, this state became more and more pronounced. Sometimes I was moved by it and wondered if I should go to the hospital for a checkup. As soon as this idea flashed in my mind, I caught it immediately. I shouldn’t fall into the trap set by the old forces. I was fine as a practitioner, and enlightened that I should improve my xinxing. I therefore began to cultivate my xinxing, look inward more closely, and try to elevate myself in all aspects. Thus, soon enough, my symptom of being short of breath quickly disappeared. My stomach also returned to normal. With that, I could eat a lot more. It was truly amazing!

We need to look inward when we run into issues in our cultivation. Only by enlightening based on the Fa principles can we pass the trial. For example, another thing occurred soon after I was released, when my fear was very strong. A fellow practitioner offered to help me file a criminal complaint against the former CCP leader, Jiang Zemin. However, I was so scared that I didn’t take her up on it. An abnormal state then appeared – my lower body was bleeding, which lasted a few days. I kept looking inward and couldn’t find the real cause. Thus, the bleeding didn’t stop. But I felt I was at my wit’s end.

One morning, while feeling muddle-headed, I heard a loud voice, “You haven’t filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin yet.” On that day, I went to find that fellow practitioner and asked her to help me organize the letter to bring Jiang to justice. On that day, my lower body stopped bleeding. I enlightened that we have to fulfill all aspects of our missions in cultivation. Afterwards, I truly felt grateful for Master’s enlightenment.

Eliminating Resentment

I also experienced issues related to resentment. When I lived with my mother, she didn’t treat me very well. I thus disliked her all along. After I began to cultivate Dafa, I understood that I should treat her nicely. Therefore, I visited her and brought her fruit from time to time. I also helped her with household chores. However, she still picked on me, and she vented her anger at me at will. Yet, I practiced Dafa, and knew that Master asks us to treat everyone well, including our parents.

As I was washing her clothes I overheard my sister saying to her inside the room, “Now, only my youngest sister and I take care of you. But you don’t like us. You didn’t treat us very well before, but look, we still treat you the best.” My mother got very upset, and yelled at her, “Why are you saying I didn’t treat you well before!” She then immediately had a temper tantrum. Right then, my resentment flared up. I thought, if it wasn’t because I’m a practitioner, I would not have taken care of you due to how you treated me in the past. I then immediately caught this unrighteous thought. I realized this was not me, and I wanted to eliminate it.

After I returned home and studied the Fa, I thought, “Why is my resentment so strong?” Master’s words came into my mind:

“But in reality, what human society takes to be truths are, from the perspective of the cosmos, inversions of truth...” (“The Closer to the End, the More Diligent You Should Be,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress III)

My mother held me to such a high standard. By doing so, she ended up treating me the best, as she helped me eliminate so much karma. I should truly appreciate her! After I enlightened to this, my resentment disappeared. I also became calm, and reached a serene and peaceful state. I was then surprised to see my mother change too. She stopped having temper tantrums, and even went as far as praising me from time to time.

She suddenly called me over to her house a few days ago. As soon as she saw me, she said to me in tears, “Your going out every day makes me so worried.” I told her, “I always pay attention to my safety. But, since I am a Dafa practitioner, I have Master protecting me. I am fine. Besides, what I do is the most upright thing, please don’t worry about it.” She had really started caring about me, which never happened before.

Benefiting from Falun Dafa

My husband was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2012, and he had surgery for it at the provincial hospital. Since he diligently recited the phrases, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!,” it went very well. He doesn’t have to take any medication, and he is in good health. He has benefited from Falun Dafa. During the time when I was illegally detained, he worked hard on rescuing me. In turn, he received good fortune for his kindness.

My husband isn’t a smart person, nor is he eloquent, so I looked down on him and always talked to him in a tone that was a bit harsh. When I looked inward, I realized that I should stop behaving like this, and eliminate my attachments. Through reciting the Fa, I understood that I was using my human notions to judge him. By doing so, I felt important, and elevated myself as being more rational. I thus stopped forcing my opinions on him. I stopped criticizing or resenting him for whatever I thought he didn’t do well. I maintained a composed and peaceful mindset at all times by holding myself to the Fa principles at different levels.

Improving in Cultivation While Clarifying the Truth

I initially had strong fear when I clarified the truth to people. The more I tried to break through it, the more fearful I was, and the more often I made myself go out to clarify the truth to people. I encouraged myself to say, “This fear is not me. I am a practitioner. Truth-clarification is my duty. I will eliminate any interference and persecution. Whoever tries to interfere with me or prevent me from saving people will be eliminated.” I’d let go of my own self-interest to save sentient beings, since they are waiting to be saved by us.

I often encouraged myself by saying, “Everything is arranged by Master. All I have to do is to act on it.” Without the guidance of Master’s Fa principles, I wouldn’t have known how to deal with the issues I encountered. If I didn’t cultivate diligently, I’d have lagged behind. If I didn’t improve my xinxing, I’d have behaved the same as a regular person.

It is such a wonderful thing to be able to obtain this Dafa, become Master’s disciple, and be saved by Master. I can never repay Master’s compassion! I feel truly grateful to Master. Thank you, Master!

One day I ran into a cadre who works for the government. I said, “Hello! I’d like to give you a colorful calendar and wish you good luck and peace. The calendar has many cultivation stories in it. Falun Dafa is Buddha Law, and it has spread throughout the world. Master Li teaches us to be good people by following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. By doing so, we improve our morality and our health. For one to quit the CCP is to have good people avoid calamity. If you ever joined the CCP or its youth organizations, I can give you a pseudonym to help you renounce your memberships in it. Gods will protect every kind-hearted person.” After he heard that, he quit the CCP. He also enjoyed listening to me tell hime the facts, and he came to see me from time to time.

A young girl once said to me, “Auntie, are you not afraid?” I said, “I am not. We have obtained the Buddha law and been saved. But if we didn’t go out to tell people about the truth, when the calamity comes, it would be such a pity. Many people couldn’t be saved because they did not know the truth.”

I encountered a lady at the morning market. After I clarified the truth to her and helped her quit the CCP, she said, “On such a warm day, you still go out to clarify the truth. I know you don’t want anything, so you are doing this solely for us.” She truly admired practitioners for clarifying the truth to people.

One day I clarified the truth to a man at a bus stop, and I gave him the software to break through the Internet blockade. When I turned around, I saw a man, who said to me, “Can I also have one? What else do you have in your purse? Let me check.” I immediately detected his intention. I refused him and told him I’d be helping him to commit a crime if I were to do that. He then followed me wherever I went. When we arrived at the parking lot, he didn’t want to let me go. He continued trying to take my purse and asked me to go with him. My concern increased and I told him, “I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner. I won’t go with you, as I was previously persecuted by the CCP for my belief.” As soon as I said that, he dropped his head. I quickly ran away.