A Young Practitioner’s Cultivation Journey: From Slacking Off to Maturing in Cultivation

(Minghui.org) I was born in 1992, the year Master introduced Falun Dafa to the public. I’d like to tell you about my cultivation journey.

Master said,

“By the time I started to teach the Fa, those Gods came down like snowflakes—it was just that many.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIV)

My Search for Falun Dafa

My father had various diseases such as asthma and severe sinusitis for years. He tried both Chinese and Western medication, but nothing helped. Since childhood, I was on a spiritual quest, but I didn’t realize it. I often asked my parents, “Why do people become monks? Why do Taoists burn charms? How do they communicate with God and Buddha?”

When I was in the third grade, I often drew warriors and I always drew swastikas or taiji on their chests or armor. When I was in the sixth grade, my piano teacher, who practiced Buddhism, gave each student an enchanted bead. All the other kids wore it. However, the string broke on mine after I wore it for a few days.

I always thought: I want to find a highly virtuous master who would take me back to my true home. Only after I began practicing Falun Dafa did I realize that Master was already watching over me before I started practicing.

Master Awakened Me in a Dream

One winter break, my father took me to a camp organized by Falun Dafa practitioners at his school.

We learned how to do the exercises. I felt relaxed the first day while I did them. I listened to the recordings of Master’s lectures and felt that Master was a good and decent person.

My father soon began practicing Falun Dafa. He used to have a bad temper, but after practicing Dafa, he became gentle and nice. He also became healthy.

However, I didn’t understand the Fa principles then and I slacked off for ten years.

In 2017, I had some health issues after I graduated with my master’s degree. I only thought of reading the teachings when I was in pain.

One night I dreamed that I saw a golden Buddha. Next to the Buddha, there was a huge stone with four big words carved on it, “Turn back to the shore.” I still didn’t take it seriously until I had a car accident. Both my legs were injured. That night, I opened the book Zhuan Falun and gazed at Master’s photo. From the bottom of my heart, I said, “I did not seize the opportunity to practice in the past, and I wasted a lot of precious time. I want to be a qualified Dafa disciple and cultivate solidly from now on.”

I reminded myself to read at least one lecture of Zhuan Falun and one of Master’s recent articles every day. In less than a month, I finished reading all of Master’s articles. My legs recovered, and I was grateful to Master for his compassionate salvation!

Cultivation Opportunities at Work

I have been working for five years. I changed jobs and worked in three different fields. I’ve had many opportunities to remove my attachments and improve my xinxing.

I worked hard at my first job. I was responsible and my supervisor trusted me. There was a female colleague who dressed strangely and behaved aggressively. She often took credit for my work and inserted herself into my conversations with my supervisor.

During a break I thought it might be a good opportunity to clarify the truth to her. I set aside my negative thoughts about her and told her about the persecution. She was very sympathetic towards Falun Dafa.

I then told her about Shen Yun. She read the flyer but returned it, saying, “I don’t want to watch it because it has information about Falun Dafa, and I am a devout Christian.”

I looked inward and realized that there were factors interfering with her salvation. I asked Master in my heart to strengthen my righteous thoughts. I calmed down and said Shen Yun is a performance of pure goodness and beauty, and it revived China’s 5,000 year old civilization. She said she would enjoy it.

She attended a Shen Yun performance and liked it very much. She later gradually changed her odd dress and hairstyle. Her temper became gentle, and she soon married.

Not long after, I got a new job in another industry with good prospects. Another practitioner happened to work in the same company. In that relaxed environment, I slacked off again.

The quality of my work worsened, and I began having conflicts with my colleagues and supervisors. I realized I had to remove my attachments to competition, showing off, fame and resentment. When my colleagues scolded me, I looked inward and eliminated my selfishness and carelessness. I realized that my mistakes caused extra work and difficulties for my colleagues. When I was able to look within and rectify myself, amazingly, the conflicts all disappeared.

I currently work as a librarian in a private elementary school. I am more strict with my character. I often help others. I always smile and keep a peaceful mind when I encounter conflicts. My colleagues say that I’m warmhearted and cheerful. My supervisors and colleagues greatly praised me, and the students liked me.

This school had a special event, a three-day and two-night snow mountain climbing course. When the supervisor asked me to participate, I immediately declined. I thought, “I don’t have time to have fun. I need to study the Fa, do the exercises, send forth righteous thoughts and participate in truth-clarification projects.”

The supervisor was not happy and asked me to participate in a demanding tone. I thought, “I will overcome my psychological fears and physical limits to climb the mountain. This may be a good opportunity to validate the Fa.”

During those three days, I memorized the Fa and sent forth righteous thoughts while climbing the mountain. I did the exercises when the others went to bed.

As a result, I did not experience any altitude sickness. All my health indicators were normal. My colleagues were amazed and asked me if I received special training and what my secret was. I happily replied, “I had no special training. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. I just did the exercises and cultivated my character according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” My colleagues and the students all witnessed the beauty of Dafa and said Falun Dafa brings optimism, positive energy, and good health to people.

Clarifying the Truth to People in Taiwan and China

When Shen Yun did not perform in Taiwan due to the COVID pandemic, some practitioners suggested we give waist drum performances at local events. However, some event hosts did not understand the truth about Dafa and didn’t mention we were Falun Dafa practitioners.

I was disappointed and upset. I later realized that I looked down on people, and my motivation to save people was not pure. I discussed what to do with the other practitioners and I volunteered to host some local events.

I was confident I could do a good job. However I was nervous on stage. When I was discouraged, I read an article An Emcee’s Purpose on the Shen Yun website.

The author of the article wrote, “It also reminds me why I wanted to be an emcee in the first place—to be a bridge between cultures, individuals, and perspectives, to foster appreciation and excitement for our shared humanity. And to make the experience of cultural enrichment accessible and entertaining for everyone.”

I thought, “Aren’t I also a bridge between the practitioners’ performance and precious sentient beings? What a wonderful way to bond with people in a delightful form which is based on traditional culture.” When I thought of this, I was free of fear and full of righteous thoughts.

I experienced many different situations during the interactions with the audience. Most gladly accepted the truth. Some warmly encouraged me. Some sympathized with us. Unfortunately others did not accept the truth and some people were unfriendly.

I also clarified the truth on WeChat. Last year I coordinated a group of practitioners. I also joined other WeChat groups and clarified the truth through different channels. We helped more than two hundred people in China quit the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and its affiliated organizations. I will keep going no matter how hard it is.

Conclusion

During the Shen Yun promotion this year, I had a vivid dream. I used my power to eliminate the evil beings who were chasing me and hindering my progress. I looked up to the sky and cried out: “I want to help Master rectify the Fa and save people.” At that moment, Master’s supreme and solemn image appeared in the sky. His body was huge, and he was wearing a golden robe. I realized that I was following Master all the way forward. I thanked Master for encouraging me!

Looking back at all the interference, tests and pressure in recent years, I deeply realized that a practitioner’s cultivation is an epic process on the road to godhood.

I hope that I can practice as steadfastly as I did when I first started and cultivate diligently.