Chicago: Falun Dafa Practitioners Thank Master and Reflect on Their Cultivation Journeys During the Mid-Autumn Festival

(Minghui.org) With the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Falun Dafa practitioners in Chicago wished their founder, Master Li Hongzhi, a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. They expressed their respect for Master and Falun Dafa. They reflected on their cultivation and said they would be more diligent, assist Master in Fa-rectification, save sentient beings, and fulfill their historic vows in order to repay Master’s grace.

Cherishing the Predestined Relationship With Dafa

Ms. Du said, “It is hard for me to think about what I would have been like during these 20 years if I did not practice Falun Dafa!” She said she feels very fortunate to have found Falun Dafa. “As long as we cultivate well and do as Master asks, Master will arrange everything for us. Many things in life will naturally fall into place as long as we walk steadily on the path of cultivation.”

Ms. Ye said that she’s grateful to Master for giving her a new life. She said, “When I was young and attended school and then I grew up and went to work, many things I was exposed to taught people how to be bad and degenerate.” She felt that Master never gave up on her even when she slacked off in cultivation. “Master always patiently protects us and looks over us while helping us improve. Master pulled us out of hell and eliminated the karma from our bodies.”

Ms. Xu knew that obtaining the Fa was not easy. Many practitioners lost their lives in past lifetimes so that they could practice Falun Dafa in this lifetime. She said, “I realize how Master has long paved our paths so that we can cultivate in this lifetime. I am only just embarking on this journey. It may not be easy and there will be setbacks.” She recalled the twists and turns she experienced when she obtained the Fa more than 20 years ago. She feels that she was fortunate to obtain Dafa because of Master’s boundless compassion.

Grateful for Master’s Compassionate Protection

Ms. Liu was involved in a serious car accident several years ago and her car was destroyed. She was unconscious but when she woke up, she realized she was not hurt. Through this experience she understood that Master endured a lot for practitioners and she was grateful for his protection.

The experience helped her look inward and she realized that before, she was not sincere in her gratitude towards Master. “When I saw a photo of the accident I was deeply moved. The ordinary person’s car was not as badly damaged as mine, but he was seriously injured—yet I was unharmed. This made me realize that Master has endured more for us than we can imagine. There are some things that we know during the path of our cultivation, but there is so much that we don’t know. For example, how much Master suffered for us. I realized that my gratitude towards Master was not sincere.”

Ms. Mei shared a memorable experience after she practiced for more than 10 years. “I got into an argument with another practitioner one time and felt quite aggravated. I always thought I was calm and seldom got angry. However, at that moment it was very hard for me to calm down. I was so angry that I almost hit a car at a crossing. Suddenly, a voice told me, ‘Turn this way.’”

She said, “I saw an elderly couple was in the car I almost hit. I was grateful and I knew Master had saved me.”

After the incident, Ms. Mei was not moved by what the other practitioner said. She also looked inward and found her shortcomings.

Miracles in Cultivation

Ms. Mai said that she temporarily lost vision in one eye. She said, “I remembered Master’s teachings and knew that this was a good thing. Although I could not see out of one eye, I was truly happy.” A week later her eye recovered.

Mr. Wang shared his experiences for the first time during a large group sharing. This summer, he accidentally bumped his head on a large pole. The pain in his body made practicing the exercises difficult. He also excreted black feces for more than a month. He learned that black feces was a result of internal bleeding. He was not swayed and persist in doing the three things every day. With hints from Master he realized, “The internal bleeding was all negative substances being eliminated.” His body soon recovered.

Cultivate Like When You First Started and Assimilate to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

Ms. Li said that the principles of, “Compassion” and “embodying the qualities of the universe” deeply moved her when she read Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa.

“When you assimilate to the characteristic of the universe, you will feel that everything is coming along for the better. It is not by trying to achieve a certain goal through human efforts, but by elevating oneself in the Fa and harmonizing with the qualities of the universe. For example, I always hope to quickly finish cooking so that I can save time. This often leads me to become impatient and anxious. Being anxious is also an attachment. Things only turn out in the opposite way when I try to be fast and get things done. I found out by having a calm heart and following the course of nature, many tasks can be accomplished faster.”

She enlightened that genuine cultivation is following the qualities of the universe, and it is reflected in all aspects of life. Everything is also related to cultivating compassion.

Mr. Dai said, “We should treat everything around us with the heart of a cultivator. We need to have a practitioner's mindset when we do ordinary work, help others solve problems, and listen to people’s complaints.”

Mr. Lin said that when he genuinely cultivated and looked inward, he felt as if he had just begun to cultivate. He said that for a period of time he was unable to focus and study the Fa. Genuine cultivation is not about studying the Fa and practicing the exercises on the surface. He is able to truly learn the teachings of Dafa by looking inward in cultivation, and he is grateful for Master’s compassion.

Ms. Mao said that everything in the world has to do with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. One should constantly look inward when encountering issues in everyday life. She said we need to pay attention to our every thought and assimilate to Dafa.