Doctoral Student Seizes Every Opportunity to Identify His Attachments

(Minghui.org) Greetings to esteemed Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

I am studying for my doctorate in chemistry. During my high school years I was fortunate to learn about Dafa from a host family I stayed with in Vancouver, but I did not truly practice until my senior year at university. In an instant, four years have passed, and I’d like to summarize my cultivation experiences.

Improving My Character While Attending Graduate School

When I started my graduate school studies, I had not really adapted to my surroundings. I thought undergraduate studies were much more relaxed and I wouldn’t be under as much pressure. As this thought developed, I thought I should not be in school and that it would be better to drop out and get involved in a project. But I finally decided that, since I was already enrolled, I would first study for a while, so I kept up with my studies.

One day, while studying Teachings at the Conference in Los Angeles, I read what Master said,

“If the many occupations and the many fields seen today were brought here from those distant systems of beings, and Dafa disciples are cultivating in this setting, with Dafa disciples cultivating in different occupations, then isn’t it just like rectifying [those systems] with the Fa? Isn’t that acknowledging their existence? Isn’t that saving them?” (Teachings at the Conference in Los Angeles)

I realized that going to graduate school was only superficial and that it is crucial to practice and connect with people as a graduate student. I also realized that I was clinging to my past learning environment and I did not wish to deal with reality. This was also my attachment to seeking comfort. I began to integrate into the current environment. I took advantage of my teaching assistant position to tell the students about Falun Dafa and clarify the truth about the persecution.

An international student came to the lab for an internship. When I found out he was from China, I thought, “I have to help him. How can I do it?” At first, I helped him with experiments, gave him suggestions, and befriended him.

After a few weeks he asked me, “You have been in Canada for so long. Have you joined any religion?” I said, “I practice Falun Dafa, so I’m not a member of any ‘religion.’” He was surprised and told me he’d met Falun Dafa practitioners who tried to persuade him to quit the Communist Party, but he did not fully understand.

I said, “The Communist Party has done a lot of bad things in China. According to Chinese tradition, good is rewarded and bad deeds are punished. Because of all the terrible things it’s done, the Communist Party will face karmic retribution. Practitioners are worried that those who are CCP (Chinese Communist Party) members will be implicated when it is brought to justice. They aren’t trying to force you to practice Falun Dafa.” After I saw that he understood, I said, “They may have pressured you to quit, but they did it out of good intentions. Now that you understand, why don’t you quit the Party?” He said, “Sure.” So I helped him quit the CCP Young Pioneers.

In the lab course I taught, the students and I got along very well. Some of them asked if I planned to go back to China after graduation. I told them that human rights and freedom in China are very bad right now, so I would not go back. I took this opportunity to tell them how the CCP persecutes Falun Dafa practitioners, and they were very sympathetic and supportive of Dafa. I could see from their body language that they were very interested.

Experimental research is not always clear sailing. In my first year of graduate school, many of my experiments failed, which really affected my confidence. My professor hoped to see results from my research, but after a year, I had not made any progress. He was upset, and his attitude towards me gradually hardened. He often criticized me in front of others.

At first I thought this was happening because I needed to eliminate my attachment to saving face so I was able to handle it. But after he did this repeatedly, I began to feel anxious. I thought that I had put in a lot of effort but was making no progress. What could I do? My anxiety continued to grow and gradually turned into resentment. Whenever I passed the professor’s office, I wanted to kick his door. But I reminded myself to be rational: “The door hasn’t done anything. Why would I kick it?” I worked hard to restrain myself.

On the other hand, when the professor gave my assignment to someone else and they couldn’t do it, instead of being tough on the person, the professor said, “It’s all right. No need to waste time on it.” This upset me and I thought, “See? I was right. It cannot be done. How can you blame me? ”

This happened several times, and the accumulation of negative substances (which manifested as resentment) became thicker and thicker. Although I realized that my resentment and jealousy were acting up, it was hard for me to get out of this state for a long time.

In the summer of 2019, my research finally began to show progress. I felt that there would surely be satisfying results if I moved ahead slowly. But then the professor sent me a text message saying, “We have spent so much time and effort but there are so few results. Let’s cancel the project.”

I thought, “It was so hard to make some progress and then it got canceled. Well, so be it. But what will I do afterward?” I was very distressed and confused. After our weekly meeting with other practitioners, I was waiting for the bus with an older practitioner. We chatted a bit. She asked me, “Do you know the story of Milarepa? I read it again a few days ago, and it felt different to read it after having practiced for a long time.”

I remembered that Master mentioned Milarepa and the other practitioners talked about Milarepa’s stories before. This time the practitioner told me specifically about the benefits of reading Milarepa’s stories. I felt it was time for me to read them.

Milarepa’s master made him repair a house, then demolish it. He had to repair and demolish it many times. Throughout the process, Milarepa’s master repeatedly beat and scolded him. Milarepa not only did not feel any resentment, but he kept repenting his mistakes.

This really touched me. The professor’s attitude towards me and the cancellation of the research project were similar to Milarepa’s experience. Milarepa could look inward instead of having bad thoughts. I was angry and upset and wanted to kick down the door. I really shouldn’t have reacted that way. I should not have those bad thoughts and blame my professor.

Everything in cultivation was compassionately arranged by Master. If a project is canceled, there will be a new one. There is no need to be downhearted. I also recalled a conversation I had with a colleague, who told me that every professor was under financial pressure while leading a team. So I made up my mind that I must produce results for him.

The following week, my professor gave me a new project that he thought had a good chance of success and asked me to try it. After two weeks, I got good results. At the group meeting, the professor told me, “You’ve just started this chemical reaction and the results are already satisfactory. You should know that nobody reacts like this [I was very calm]. You should be excited.” I nodded to express my gratitude. I thought to myself, “I finally passed this test. Thanks to Master’s arrangement and enlightenment and thanks to the help of my fellow practitioners.”

Participating in the Zhen Shan Ren Art Exhibition

The Zhen Shan Ren International Art Exhibition is a truth clarification effort led by local young practitioners. Some practitioners were responsible for promoting it on social media. I helped by handing out flyers. One day, I stood for a long time but no one took a flyer. I thought, “Why doesn’t anyone take them?”

Master said,

“As I’ve said, everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples’ thoughts.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2002 Conference in Philadelphia,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume II)

I thought, “If my attitude and expression make me appear cold instead of kind, won’t people be indifferent?” So I adjusted my attitude and expression and smiled at everyone who passed. Sure enough, people started to take the flyers. Soon, people came one after another, and I was a bit overwhelmed. I was very happy, “I was right! I am doing a good job. Master is encouraging me!” My happiness was short-lived, as people stopped taking the flyers. I thought, “Did I do something wrong again?”

I realized that my attachment to elation was coming up and that I should give out flyers with a calm and peaceful mind. My mind should not be moved—whether people took the flyers or not. Then people took them at a steady pace.

Many people learned the truth during the 2019 art exhibition, and some people from China quit the CCP. People were saddened by the suffering of Dafa disciples and encouraged by their perseverance. When one person saw the persecution of Dafa disciples in the artworks, he told me, “This kind of persecution is not right. The world is so chaotic now—we need goodness and justice.”

As a guide for the exhibition, I could see people’s expressions change from ignorance to clarity as they viewed the artworks, starting with “The Coming of the Falun Holy King” and “Setting the Cosmos in Motion.” In just 10 minutes, people could change so much. What a blessing and honor it is to participate in the exhibition!

Many people who came to the exhibition seemed to have a predestined relationship with Dafa. For example, when a woman was listening to my explanation of the painting “Shock,” she pointed to the right side of the female practitioner floating in the painting and said, “I see the light!” When a father and son listened to my explanation, the son, who spoke English, conveyed my meaning in a clear and colorful way to his father even more enthusiastically than I did. I was also told by a fellow practitioner that they met someone who wanted to buy a painting and practice Falun Dafa.

Due to the COVID outbreak and the restrictions on gatherings, there were no local Zhen Shan Ren Art Exhibitions in 2020 and 2021. An exhibition will be held in 2022 and more people will learn the truth.

Eliminating My Attachment to Loss and Gain

One day in May 2021, I scraped another car as I drove out of a parking lot. I contacted my insurance and a car repair shop. I went to a repair shop and found out that the insurance company would cover most of the cost of the repair and would also provide a rental car while the owner’s car was being repaired since the owner needed to drive in the meantime.

While handling the paperwork, the owner of the repair shop told me, “We’re talking with the insurance company about renting a car, so you don’t need to worry. Just drive my car.” I said, “If I take your car, what about you?” He said, “I have another car. Drive mine so you don't have to rent one. Even if you rent a car, you can’t rent a car like this. Wouldn’t it be great for you to drive such a nice car?”

I didn’t really understand what he meant at first. I just thought he was being nice, so I agreed. I drove his car while participating in a car parade. I noticed a small spider on the windshield, so I reached out and tried to knock it off. I was distracted and hit the practitioner’s car in front of me. I was very upset, and after discussing it with the practitioner, I decided to pay for the repair.

When I got home, the more I thought about it, the more it left me feeling bad. Mishaps truly don’t come only one at a time. I remembered that the accident happened because I had to knock away a spider. Isn’t the word “spider” (in Chinese) a homonym for “attachment?” What was my attachment? After thinking about it, I thought of something Master said: "The principles of the human world will not become the Dao...” (“To the Taiwan Experience-Sharing Conference”)

When I recalled my conversation with the owner of the repair shop, I immediately understood his intention: I did not rent a car and drove his car, so he could apply for and be paid what a rental would have cost. He was exploiting a loophole to make extra money. Not to mention, this was also morally wrong. I could not go along with this. I realized I had made a big mistake. I drove the car back to the repair shop and apologized to the owner. I said, “I’m truly sorry, sir. I crashed the car.”

When he saw that I had hit his car, he was both sad and upset. I told him, “I practice Falun Dafa and must be truthful and compassionate and have forbearance. We told the insurance company we were going to rent a car, but we didn’t. That’s not right, is it?”

He understood and helped me with the car rental. I drove to work in the rental car, relaxed in mind and body. While walking down the corridor, suddenly a phrase entered my mind: “Not being within loss and gain.” My heart shook: “Yes! The repair shop owner suffered because of loss and gain, and I also suffered because of loss and gain. It’s not worth it to be calculating and then suffer because of gains and losses! And if life were free from the attachment to loss and gain, how beautiful it would be! This is what it means to let nature take its course, right?” When I thought of this, I sensed how good my body felt and how warm my mind was, which was wonderful.

One night, my wife and I were taking a walk and my eyes were a little dry, so I suggested to her, “Why don’t I close my eyes and you can guide me home?” She agreed. At first, I was a little nervous about running into trees and other people. I repeatedly told her, “Make sure to watch the road in front of me.” She said, “Don’t worry.”

With her repeated assurances, I began to trust her and I focused on my steps. Gradually, I found that although the trees and pedestrians existed in reality, they did not affect me at all. From what I felt, the road I was walking on was incredibly wide and flat. When we reached home, my wife told me to open my eyes.

I associated this with cultivation. The road of cultivation also has untold dangers and difficulties, and we cultivate within a maze. The only way to make this path wider is to believe in Master and the Fa. May we be more rational and steadfast in our trust of Master and the Fa in our future cultivation.

This concludes my cultivation sharing. If there is anything inappropriate, please kindly correct me.

Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!

(Presented at the 2022 Canada Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)