China Fahui | Measuring Things Against the Fa Principles and Looking Within

(Minghui.org)

Greetings, venerable Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

I am very grateful to Master for giving Falun Dafa practitioners in China the opportunity to share their experiences online annually. I am taking the opportunity of the 21^st China Fahui to report my cultivation experiences to Master and to share with fellow practitioners.

Studying the Fa Well and Looking Inward When Issues Arise

I bought a copy of Zhuan Falun in a bookstore in the capital city in July 1996. I read it earnestly every day and was completely convinced by its principles. I was very excited, because I’d found the true meaning of life. I felt that nothing was as important in this world as practicing Falun Dafa.

I was in my 30s when I started practicing Falun Dafa. I worked as a technician in a corporation. I finished my work as soon as possible every day and then studied and memorized the Fa sitting in the full lotus position. I acted in accordance with the Fa principles in my daily life. My husband swore at me and beat me a few times after I came home from doing the Falun Dafa exercises in a park. I understood that he was helping me pay back my karma, so I didn’t complain about his behavior.

One day our former classmates came over to play Mahjong. My husband played while I cooked in the kitchen. I prepared a whole table of dishes all by myself. When lunch was ready and asked him to put the bowls and chopsticks on the table, he slapped me in front of everyone. I didn’t say anything, but I did get emotional. Our friends scolded him for his rude behavior.

I remembered Master’s teachings and calmed down. I said, “I didn’t speak nicely to my husband when I asked him for help. My heart was unbalanced, which was not in line with the Fa principles. That’s my fault. He slapped me. It was a warning to me. I should behave strictly according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I should thank him.”

One person said, “You are a genuine cultivator—you didn’t hit back.” Another said, “He obviously bullied you, but you said it was your fault. Falun Dafa is remarkable.” They praised me for the delicious food.

We will come across all sorts of people and incidents when we cultivate in ordinary society. Tests are everywhere. With the Fa in my heart, I am able to deal with the tests according to the Fa principles. When my friends and relatives have suffered from illnesses or had other tribulations, I have thought of Master’s Fa:

“When your friends or family suffer, are you moved?” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)

I understood that when they had tribulations, they were paying back their karma and that it was a good thing. I shouldn’t be moved.

When my personal interest was taken by others, I thought of Master’s Fa:

“Amidst your critical self-interests, are you moved?” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)

I am retired and my pension is less than 2000 yuan (USD$280) a month. I need to cover my mother’s and mother-in-law’s living expenses. They are both in their 80s. I would rather live frugally myself and let them live well. Both of them can look after themselves and are in good spirits. They always praise me in front of others for being a good daughter and daughter-in-law. I know that I have a good reputation because I practice Falun Dafa.

Studying the Fa Well and Changing My Notions

We form a lot of notions in ordinary society. Our language and behavior are driven by these notions. Yet we are not aware of them. After practicing Falun Dafa, I realized that many of my notions are not correct. These notions are selfish and have come about so that I can protect myself and conceal my fundamental attachments. They show themselves in how I seek excuses for my behavior, look outward, and do not hold myself to high standards. Sometimes I didn’t get up early to do the exercises and found excuses for myself such as: “I am not in a good mood,” “I went to bed too late last night,” or “I didn’t sleep well due to other practitioners’ issues.”

The police asked to see me on politically “sensitive days” over the recent two years. I got emotional. Though I had clarified the truth to them and sent them letters, I had negative notions about them. I believed that they didn’t do good things and were against me and that I should tell them off and teach them a good lesson. I behaved selfishly and that was using the principles of the old cosmos. The elements of fear arose now and then. I hadn’t truly let go of myself and didn’t treat them kindly, and I didn’t save them.

Through constant Fa study, I realized that those local-level police officers who are involved in the persecution carry out their tasks passively and have no other choice. Realizing this, I felt sorry for them. They are in a terrible position. If Dafa practitioners have loopholes and are taken advantage of by the old forces, the police will be used by the evil and become the tools for the evil to persecute Dafa practitioners. They then commit crimes against practitioners. They will lose their futures if they don’t stop doing evil.

I must change my notions about the police and set right my relationship with them. Whatever our predestined relationship, I, as a practitioner in the Fa-rectification period, shouldn’t think that the police have come to persecute me. They are everyday people and are being controlled by the old forces. I have obtained the Fa and Master protects me. I am taken care of by Master, not the old forces. My mission is to save sentient beings. I know that Master will give me the power. I should clarify the truth to them with wisdom and without a selfish purpose to break though the arrangements of the old forces, who use the police officers to persecute practitioners. I should rescue the police officers who have been ensnared by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and try to save them.

When I had this new understanding of the persecution, I could face the harassment calmly. During the CCP’s so-called “zero-out” campaign, I clarified the truth to the previous police director for more than an hour over the phone. He gave up asking me to sign a statement to give up my belief. He also agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. When I met a local police officer, I handed him a handwritten letter and clarified the truth to him. He agreed to quit the CCP. Because I had changed my notions, I got along well with the police when I met them. I regarded them as Master’s people.

Studying the Fa Well and Looking Within

I was relatively young and had more education than most of our local practitioners. I went through many hardships and was able to do the three things all by myself. Some practitioners relied on me a lot. I helped them unconditionally and did everything well with them.

Over the past two years, I found some practitioners were not in correct cultivation states. Some elderly practitioners were actively involved in clarifying the truth to people but had slacked off in their personal cultivation. One in her 80s used to visit the Minghui website and read practitioners’ sharing articles every day, but recently she had not been able to access the site. I went to her home a few times and was able to access the Minghui website every time I went there, but she was not able to open the webpage after I left. This occurred quite a few times. I spent a lot of time visiting her.

As I studied the Fa more, I realized that I also needed to cultivate myself because my heart was moved. I didn’t insist that she access the website. I encouraged her to strengthen her righteous thoughts and act righteously, and she could overcome this issue. She then seldom asked me for help. Instead she spent time learning how to break through the internet blockade using software. She said that she was able to get onto the Minghui website when she had strong righteous thoughts.

One 86-year-old practitioner set up a family material production site with my help, though she had little education. She was still unable to print pamphlets independently after she had run the material site for many years. She asked me for help all the time. I helped her to download the pamphlets and buy consumables. I went to help her whenever she called me.

The police harassed her many times during the CCP’s “zero-out” campaign. She became afraid and suspicious. She stopped making materials and didn’t even dare to go outside. I suspected that I was somewhat to blame for her cultivation state. I had helped her too much, which had increased her reliance on me and weakened her willingness to overcome hardships by herself. I looked inward and realized that if I was really being responsible to that practitioner, I should have let her face the hardships and solve them with righteous thoughts by herself, not do everything for her. I shouldn’t have hindered her from overcoming hardships by herself. I encouraged her to look within and let go of her reliance on me, to study the Fa more, and ask Master to strengthen her. She would then overcome the difficulties. Thanks to Master’s care, she calmed down and is now able to print pamphlets by herself.

Many practitioners liked to share with me because they trusted me. Lili (alias) liked to tell me everything without reservation. She hoped that I would help her so that she could cultivate diligently. At first, I shared with her from the Fa’s perspective. She gradually told me about her family conflicts and asked my opinion and for solutions. I made suggestions readily on how to solve them. She said that my solutions were very effective when she put them into practice.

But I was not able to enter into tranquility when I was doing the meditation. My mind was occupied with her family affairs. As I studied the Fa more, I realized that I was wrong on this issue. I had overreached. From the Fa’s perspective, I had deprived her of opportunities to cultivate and improve. This was not genuine help, but, rather, I had harmed her. I stopped offering suggestions on how to solve her family conflicts. I only reminded her of the Fa principles, asked her to study the Fa more and to look within, to measure everything with the Fa principles, and to not to look outward. She was gradually able to look within.

My last story is a lesson I learned. I often went to the countryside with practitioner Hua (alias) on her scooter to clarify the truth to people and ask them to quit the CCP. We had good results. On one occasion Hua made an appointment with me to distribute pamphlets in the countryside the following day, but she changed her mind and insisted on going to the countryside in the afternoon. I said, “We have agreed to go there tomorrow. Why did you change your mind?” She said, “Practitioner Chen (alias) has a lot of fliers and we need to distribute them as soon as possible.” I said, “I’m not ready. We’d better go tomorrow.” She insisted on going there that afternoon.

Hua did things in a vigorous and hasty manner, but she worked hard. She picked up some flyers from Chen and asked me to go to the countryside with her. It, wenunwillingly, on her scooter. She stopped just outside the city to distribute flyers. I said, “We have distributed flyers here many times. We’d better go a bit further into the countryside.” She insisted on distributing the flyers there. She gave out one flyer, walked a few meters, and distributed the second flyer. I said, “We don’t distribute here. We’d better post our true-clarification letters first.” She didn’t listen and insisted on distributing the flyers just outside the city area. I no longer argued with her, because I knew we might really start arguing if I said more. When she gave out the third flyer, we heard a police car. We were arrested and taken to the local police station. But we broke through their persecution with righteous thoughts and were released several hours later.

Looking back at this incident, I saw why we were arrested. It is a sacred thing to clarify the truth to people and save them. We must do it with a pure heart and shouldn’t do it with strong attachments. Hua worried that Chen had too many materials at home and was not safe. She wanted to get rid of the materials quickly. This was not a pure heart. I knew Hua was not in a good cultivation state, but I still followed her and did so unwillingly. I was not being responsible to myself or to the sentient beings.

I felt sad for the trouble incurred due to our unrighteous hearts. I have practiced Falun Dafa for more than 20 years, but I was still not rational. This was a wake-up call for me. The Fa-rectification period is near the end. I reminded myself that I must cultivate myself well until I have no omissions. I must study the Fa well, assimilate to the Fa, and return to the new cosmos.

Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!