Shared by a practitioner from the UK at the 2002 European Fa Conference in Copenhagen
Greetings to our Master and greeting to my fellow practitioners!
My name is Justin and I am from UK.
One day about two years ago I was visiting my grandparents in Ipswich, where there is a large bookstore. At the time I was looking for books that would give me a different perspective on life.
In the bookstore I found myself in the mind, body and spirit section, and when I was scanning though the titles a book fell at my feet. Thinking I should get this book as it must be fate, I turned 180 degrees, and there in front of me was a blue book with gold lettering which captured all my attention, Zhuan Falun by Li Hongzhi. The introduction opens with: "'Buddha's Law' is most profound. It is the most mystical and supernormal science of all theories in the world."
"This must be some kind of ancient Chinese science," I thought to myself. So with the two books under my arm I went to the cash desk and bought both. I can tell you I have never read the other book, as Zhuan Falun answered all my questions and certainly changed my perspective on life.
In the early stages of my cultivation I began looking at myself from a higher, deeper perspective, which I thought then clearly identified what I had to do to become a Falun Dafa disciple. And I thought I could achieve it that day. However, my progress was hindered; I felt I wasn't able to improve at the rate I wanted to, because I had very little Fa in me and I was trying to remove my attachments with my human side, which is like trying to wash ink off your hands with only water--the effect is very little and incredibly hard work.
The key issue in my improvement was that I understood the more I read Zhuan Falun the more I was filled with what is at higher levels, which can expose and eliminate any evils. So I was now using a powerful soap to wash away the ink, which is very effective and needs very little effort. I could now manage my xinxing better and once I did the Fa would show me a little more of what is at higher levels. Thus I could improve at the rate I wanted to, which filled every cell in my body with joy knowing I was assimilating to the characteristic of the universe, Truth, Compassion, Forbearance. Master says: "Without knowing the Fa at higher levels one will not be able to practise cultivation. Without cultivating one's inner self and one's Xinxing one will not increase cultivation energy." (Zhuan Falun, Lecture 1).
The second chapter to my improvement came about when I was at the Chinese Embassy in London, where I enlightened to a major factor in my cultivation, that is: when I harbour an attachment which is so ingrained that it seems natural, Master uses any means to expose it, which I can tell you is very uncomfortable.
Master says: "When your mind cannot get over something, isn't it caused by your attachment?" (Essentials for Further Advances, "Further Elimination of Attachments") We'd been sending forth righteous thoughts every half an hour, and after a period of time I was becoming very uncomfortable. It was affecting the purity of my righteous thoughts, so on this particular occasion I stopped with a few minutes remaining. At that moment a Chinese practitioner with his arms crossed said to me, "Why have you stopped?"
This comment, regardless of whether it was right or wrong, made me feel very uncomfortable.
This gave me the opportunity to look inside and what I saw was that my ego had been creating an image of myself as a great practitioner. And that simple comment exposed my fundamental attachment and made me realise I wasn't putting Dafa first, I was preoccupied with my image, something I have always done "naturally." Thanks to Master I was able to expose my ego, which had been restraining my improvement.
From this situation a revolution took place in my mind. I could now put Dafa first, which made me feel so free from everyday interference, and I was now actively eliminating rather than passively enduring. This enabled me to walk my path with much greater effectiveness because I felt the characteristics of the universe, Truth, Compassion, Forbearance, stronger than ever before, which is a wonderful feeling.
By being with Chinese practitioners, I got an opportunity to improve, as it is more difficult to hide behind my attachments in this environment. So I had to melt into the Fa, and this resulted in me helping the environment I was in, because I was acting from the Fa, not my notions. Master says: "Those who do well will change the environments around them, and those who do poorly will make the environments around them change according to their states of mind." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington DC Fa-Conference, 2002").
Another example in which a Chinese practitioner helped me was when one said to me that every practitioner could do the double leg crossing. The week before he told me a story of a practitioner who used a rock to help himself get into the lotus position. This time he read a passage from Zhuan Falun: "When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible." (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Nine). So to prove it was impossible, I sat down with both knees riding high, but to my amazement within five minutes I had achieved the lotus position.
This showed me that however much you put in you will gain back, which has made me twice as diligent, because anything is possible, the great law is boundless. Then, as I was sitting there with a big smile on my face, he read the following sentence: "After passing the shady willow trees there will be bright flowers and another village ahead." I think we can all achieve so much if we put Dafa first and melt into the Fa together, as this creates an atmosphere where practitioners can open their hearts and really help each other to take giant steps forward.
The Embassy in London is a great place to send forth righteous thoughts, as it is in close proximity to the evil. This places a higher requirement on me as the interference I experience is much more intense. For example, the car fumes seem to billow into my mouth and lungs as if there were a tube directly fixed from the car to my mouth. Time is also manipulated by the evil. I've often felt like I've sat there for half an hour when only five minutes had passed, which made me question whether my watch had stopped. And when the pain in my legs and back is significant it affects my righteous thoughts, so the way I deal with this is to do twice as much practice so my righteous thoughts become stronger. This also helps me become more righteous in my actions when clarifying the truth and handing out leaflets. If I prepare effectively and reach a calm state of mind through reading Zhuan Falun, I'm able to become better equipped to deal with any interference because my xinxing has reached a higher level.
Thus, my time at the Embassy helped me to improve rapidly.
I had the opportunity to go to Iceland, thanks to the efforts of other practitioners. This experience made me realise the importance of Fa rectification. When I think about Iceland I'm truly at a loss for words when trying to describe how this historic moment made me feel. Everything I tried to write could not capture what I experienced in Iceland. So rather than going into detail I'll just say what my heart wants to say to all of you: Read the Fa, the great law is boundless!
Iceland and the Chinese Embassy in London are stages set by Dafa where I could step forward and act out my virtue and truly help Master in Fa rectification. I have now defined a foundation on which to progress and tailor my skills to help the Fa rectification on a deeper level, which has given me great satisfaction, because there are so many more people waiting to be touched by the characteristic of the universe, Truth, Compassion, Forbearance .
Thank you.
(Copenhagen, 22nd September 2002)
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Category: Journeys of Cultivation
