(Minghui.org) I am 62 years old, and live in a rural area. I began practicing Falun Dafa 15 years ago. During the nearly nine years that I helped coordinate a project, I experienced many tribulations and identified and removed some hidden attachments. I faced conflicts between practitioners and pressures from various sources, but I was able to get through them with Master’s compassionate protection and guidance.
I’d like to tell you how I improved my xinxing and express my gratitude to Master.
Our local practitioners have been diligent over the years. We participate in group Fa study, do the exercises, and strive to do the three things well. We experienced the joy and sacredness of assisting Master in saving people. When one of us was arrested or harassed, the others got together and, with righteous thoughts and actions, turned dangerous situations around. Even during the strict COVID lockdowns, practitioners continued to do the three things.
However, since last New Year, I started having conflicts with a few practitioners. I studied the Fa more and unconditionally looked inward, treating all tribulations as opportunities to improve myself. I silently accepted the criticism, but I couldn’t find the fundamental cause of my issues.
I believed I was no longer capable of doing the coordination work well, so, to avoid affecting the overall cultivation environment, I handed over the coordination work and the task of purchasing supplies to practitioner Hong (who was the previous coordinator). I focused on studying the Fa and cultivating my xinxing, reflecting on the cultivation path I had walked over the years, while identifying and removing my attachments.
Although I stepped down from the coordinator position, I did not let up in my cultivation. Instead, I set stricter requirements for myself. Every morning, I memorized the Fa, and I sent righteous thoughts more frequently to clear my dimensional field and eliminate any interference. Every day, I went to the exercise site to study the Fa and do the exercises. I continued to make truth clarification materials, and distributed them. Sometimes an elderly practitioner went out with me. During that time, I truly experienced the beauty of quiet cultivation after letting go of the busyness of coordination work and freeing myself from the conflicts among practitioners.
One day, after studying the Fa, Hong said, “Don’t be so downcast. We’re out of printing paper now. Three of us looked for three days and couldn’t find any. Over the years you worked on Dafa projects, you made it seem easy and never dropped the ball, but it’s very difficult for us. Please, for the sake of the group, come with me to buy paper.”
My previously calm mindset was once again unsettled, and feelings of grievance, resentment, and being treated unfairly arose. I looked at Master’s portrait, as tears flowed uncontrollably. I responded to Hong, “Actually, I am just one of Master’s disciples. I have no special abilities, everything is done by Master. Master paved my cultivation path and gave me the opportunity to establish my own virtue. You have also seen the severe tribulations I encountered this year. If Master hadn’t strengthened my righteous thoughts and cleared away my negative thinking, I really would have fallen. My life is given by Master, and it is my duty to work on Dafa projects. Rest assured, I will cooperate well with you and repay Master for his grace.”
The next day, Hong and I went to the city and bought printing paper. Since the Minghui calendar was coming out soon, we bought materials for that as well, but we didn’t buy the calendar stands. Hong encouraged me, “Don’t even think about backing down in the future. Take all conflicts as opportunities to improve your xinxing. Don’t slack off with Dafa projects. Right and wrong are not decided by any practitioner. Dafa is sacred, and we have to do it wholeheartedly.” Hong then reminded me, “You’ll still have to buy the calendar stands and make the calendars since I have too many things to do at home and don’t have time.”
With Master’s constant protection and help from practitioners in the city, I was able to purchase calendar stands. I also bought two printers on my own. I calmed down and produced each calendar with care.
As I was about to finish the 2,000 calendars, the left side of my lower abdomen started to hurt, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I looked inward but couldn’t find the cause, so I regarded it as Master eliminating my karma. When I was down to the last three calendars, I said to Master in my heart: “Master, why am I making the calendars alone this year?”
In previous years, after I printed the calendars, other practitioners would help assemble them. This year, they assembled over a thousand calendars, and I silently assembled the rest by myself. A thought came to my mind, “This is my choice—without complaint, without resentment, without regret!” My heart brightened as I realized that this was the vow I made to Master. I said in my heart: “Master, rest assured, I will cultivate well, fulfill my vows, and return home with you.” As soon as this thought arose, the pain instantly disappeared. I was deeply grateful to Master.
When the calendars were completed, practitioners distributed them all. But I still didn’t want to coordinate. I just wanted to go out to distribute materials, talk to people about Dafa, help them quit the Chinese Communist Party, and avoid conflicts with other practitioners. Although the pain on the left side of my abdomen disappeared, my entire abdomen and stomach felt heavy and swollen, to the point where my lower back was pulled downwards, and I constantly had the urge to go to the restroom, but I was not able to relieve myself.
I studied the Fa more, sent righteous thoughts, and looked inward. When the symptoms were severe, I felt weak and just wanted to sleep. Sometimes negative thoughts surfaced, or I would hear a voice saying, “Your condition is similar to so-and-so” (referring to a practitioner who passed away due to illness karma) or “So-and-so became like this after being a coordinator” (due to the pressure, they were unable to take care of themselves) or “Your life has been extended.”
I rejected these thoughts and spoke to my dimensional field: “Before I began to cultivate, Master was already protecting me. There is no issue of extending my cultivation path. My current state is meant for me to improve my xinxing, and with Master’s protection, nothing will happen to me. No evil beings are worthy of testing me. Don’t even think about persecuting me—Master is watching over me.” After that, the interference dissolved.
Some practitioners pointed out that I had jealousy, resentment, a desire to show off, and an attachment to doing things. I silently accepted these criticisms and rarely argued. When someone said I needed to cultivate my speech, I refrained from speaking for more than six months. Following Master’s hints, I silently cultivated and eliminated various attachments.
When my body had these symptoms again, I intensified my efforts to send righteous thoughts and eliminate the interference. However, it didn’t help, and I was in great physical and mental pain. One day, I asked Master: “Master, what is my hidden attachment? Please give me a hint.” A thought came to my mind: Resisting persecution while acknowledging it.
I immediately awakened and sent forth righteous thoughts: “I am Master’s disciple. Master decides everything about me. I absolutely do not acknowledge or accept anything that Master does not acknowledge. I do not have jealousy or resentment. The false self’s attachments must be completely disintegrated from my dimensional field. No evil beings or degenerate entities are worthy of manifesting these false appearances in my body or imposing negative thoughts on me.”
As soon as I sent forth this thought, my stomach symptoms disappeared, and my abdomen returned to normal. However, there was still some discomfort around my navel, so I continued to look inward and realized that, whenever I became anxious or was dissatisfied with other practitioners’ words or actions, the symptoms resurfaced. After noticing this, I eliminated my anxiety and dissatisfaction with others, and my body returned to normal. I was deeply grateful to Master for his compassionate salvation, and I was determined to do the three things well.
A few days later, after I got up in the morning and finished washing up, I went to offer incense to Master. Suddenly, I felt dizzy, my legs were weak, and I could barely stand. I asked Master to help me and forced myself to walk to Master’s portrait. I knelt down and said, “Master, I don’t know where I went wrong, but I have suddenly developed these symptoms. Recently, I’ve been thinking about the practice site because it’s getting cold, and the current site is no longer suitable. Should we move the site back to my home? Please give me some guidance.”
I live alone. My children also practice Dafa, but they work in other cities. When they return home, we do the exercises and study the Fa together. The practice site was at my home for nearly five years. Last year, due to various reasons, the practice site was moved elsewhere, and within a year, it was relocated several times.
As soon as I said this, my body returned to normal. I told the other practitioners about this, and they were happy and cheerfully came back to my home for Fa study. We let go of our attachments, looked inward, eliminated the barriers between us, and broke through the interference, advancing diligently together. Since then, other practitioners supported me in continuing to work on Dafa projects.
I no longer hold onto some other practitioners’ idea that having a practice site and a material production site in the same place doesn’t align with Dafa’s requirements. Through nearly a year of trials and tribulations, I’ve come to realize that as long as we cultivate in Dafa, put our trust in Master and the Fa, and uphold the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, the evil beings and incorrect states will all be completely dissolved and disappear like smoke.
It was easy to say, but carrying it out met with resistance. Reflecting on the process of diligently advancing alongside other practitioners under Master’s compassionate protection over the years, and seeing the state of decline among practitioners over the past year, I felt unworthy of Master’s compassionate salvation. But I also don’t want to be like I was before, when I pointed out other practitioners’ shortcomings as soon as I saw them, or encouraging them as soon I saw them being diligent, for fear that I might invite tribulations for myself.
A practitioner brought me the movie Once We Were Divine. I wept as I watched it and was deeply touched. Master is always compassionately watching over me, using this way to encourage me to be diligent and not slack off. I must let go of attachments and human thoughts to transcend human notions and walk toward the divine.
The difference between human and divine lies in a single thought. It was great to see those who dared to leave their divine positions and follow the King of Kings down to the human world to assist Master in saving people. Those Kings and Lords of various worlds who, through arduous trials in the human world, rectified their thoughts and actions and, under Master’s protection, fulfilled their vows and returned to their divine realms in supreme glory were saved. I was sad to see the pitiful end of those who missed their chance to obtain the Fa, stubbornly persisting in their ways.
Cultivation, while sublime, is solemn. I want to be a kind person. I am also one of those countless beings who followed Master down to the human world to assist him in saving people. I, too, must fulfill my vow, cherish the glorious moment when both humans and gods coexist, cherish the opportunity to meet Dafa practitioners during this special period of Fa-rectification, and treasure the cultivation environment that Master has extended through his immense endurance. Let us return to heaven together with one heart.
Thank you, Master, for your compassionate salvation!