(Clearwisdom.net) For the past ten years, Teacher has been guiding us during our cultivation. I would like to share with fellow practitioners how Teacher has helped me on my path home.
I used to be a lay Buddhist. After I started to practice Falun Gong, the very first test I faced was to follow only one cultivation way. I used to suffer from many types of illnesses and could not live without medicine. I was in agony. I practiced in many qigong schools in hopes of curing my illnesses and finally decided to convert to Buddhism. But Buddhism did not cure my illnesses, either. Then, one day, I heard about Falun Gong and that it was a Buddha school qigong and a mind-body cultivation practice. I thought, "This is exactly what I have been looking for." I decided to register for a Falun Gong class. In the class, Teacher taught us that one must follow only one cultivation way. This issue really bothered me. I could hardly listen when Teacher talked about no second cultivation way. I felt that Falun Gong was very good, but I could not make up my mind to give up Buddhism. After all, I had cultivated in Pure Land Buddhism for years. It was very difficult for me to give it up.
What should I do? I decided that I must ask Teacher in person for advice. I approached assistants and asked to see Teacher. I expected that Teacher would be exhausted after the class because he had to cleanse the field in the class and the bodies of over 1,000 students. I felt my request to be somewhat unreasonable, but I was pleasantly surprised that Teacher agreed to see me. I was enormously fortunate. I was very excited and nervous. Teacher asked me with a kind, gentle smile, "Do you have any questions?" I relaxed the second I saw Teacher's kind smile. I asked Teacher, "After today's class, I learned that one must follow only one cultivation way. However, I have been a diligent lay Buddhist and I have developed some supernormal capabilities. I have also treated people's illnesses with my supernormal capabilities. It is difficult for me to give it up. On the other hand, I am really interested in cultivating in Falun Gong." With a smile, Teacher replied that the Buddhist temples were no longer pure and clean and that they had become tourist spots. Teacher said many other things. He added that Buddhas and divine beings will not grace those tainted temples and that true Buddhas do not exist in the temples any longer.
I felt as though I had become clearheaded all of sudden. Teacher was perfectly right. That was exactly what I had witnessed in the temples. A typical Buddhist monk would hold a mirror to reflect sunlight on the Buddha statue and call that consecration. They charge a lot of money for such a consecration procedure. I once asked an elderly monk to conduct consecration for a Buddha statue. I saw him chanting the scripture and chatting with others at the same time. How could he possibly invite a great enlightened being when he behaved so disrespectfully? They cannot achieve the goal of consecration. They are commercializing consecration and making money from it.
Everything became clear to me when I compared what I had witnessed in temples with Teacher's Fa. Those minor "supernormal capabilities" that I had came from animal possession. I trembled to think of it. I decided to give up cultivating in Buddhism. I am not saying that Pure Land Buddhism is bad. I am saying that in the Age of the Law's End, many monks in the temples are not cultivating at all. They are using religion for self-interest. They are damaging religion and have invited bad things, and they are no longer looked after by divine beings.
I decided to cultivate only in Falun Gong. Every morning I went to a Falun Gong group practice site near my home to do the exercises. One day after we finished doing the exercises, a fellow Falun Gong practitioner who had picked up Teacher told me, "Teacher came here while everyone was practicing the second Falun Gong exercise. Teacher walked right over to you, grabbed something invisible above your head, and tossed it away." I think I know what happened. Teacher must have seen my determination to cultivate only Falun Gong and eliminated the animal possessing my body. As to the reason why Teacher did not get rid of the animal spirit in class, I think it is because I had not decided to give up cultivating in Buddhism and the attachments to cure my illness and treat people's illness at the time. Once I corrected my thinking, Teacher purified my body. It was a horrifying prospect to be possessed by an animal spirit. If Teacher had not cleansed my body, my life would have been done for.
Although I had decided to cultivate only in Falun Gong, I continued to be interfered with. Two lay Buddhists whom I was close to tried to talk me into giving up the practice of Falun Gong. They said, "You have been very diligent in cultivating in Pure Land Buddhism. Are you going to throw it all away by practicing Falun Gong?" I repeatedly explained to them about Falun Gong, but they refused to listen. They said, "If you don't want to go to the temple, you may cultivate at home. We know someone who cultivates well at home." They insisted on having me meet with that person. Out of politeness, I agreed to go meet with that person. On the way back from the meeting, I heard Falun Gong's exercise music. I was very pleasantly surprised at the time. I thought it was Teacher trying to call me back and prevent me from taking the wrong path. I told those two lay Buddhists what had happened. They said, "It looks like you are predestined to practice Falun Gong. From now on, we will cultivate our respective cultivation ways. We will no longer try to talk you out of it." I felt Teacher was right next to me, leading me towards this great cultivation way.
Because of Teacher's compassionate protection, I passed another test in a dream. I dreamed that those two lay Buddhists and I were playing together. We were flying high in the sky and having a great time. Finally I told them, "You two are going to the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. I am going to the Falun Paradise." Everything in the dream was very clear and unforgettable. I told the dream to one of them and she was very happy. too. Therefore, I cultivated only in Falun Gong.
Later Teacher moved to the United States. I lost the opportunity to listen to Teacher's Fa lectures in person. What should I do? I decided that I must study the Fa more, so I would walk my cultivation path well. After I started to genuinely cultivate in Falun Gong, I realized that Teacher had also cleansed my home.
I have a friend who used to practice qigong. She had supernormal abilities and she used them to tell people's fortunes and treat their illnesses. Sometimes she was very accurate in fortune telling. However, she was completely inaccurate when she tried to tell my child's fortune. When my child asked why her fortune telling was completely off, she replied, "It is because your mother practices Falun Gong. My abilities cannot enter your home or touch your bodies." I realized that Teacher had cleansed my home and my family's bodies for my safety. I thank Teacher for his compassion and protection. Since then, I became all the more determined in practicing Falun Gong.
I persevered in studying the Fa, doing the Falun Gong exercises and cultivating my xinxing daily. Soon I regained my health and my disposition improved. My family was very pleased to see my health and temper improve. They were very supportive of my studying Falun Gong. Nevertheless, I was faced with many tests with respect to my family. I kept Teacher's words in mind, which helped me pass many large xinxing tests. For example, I didn't fight for my share of the family inheritance or for an apartment from my work organization. But I didn't completely eliminate my attachment to self-interest. For example, when I was sweeping snow in front of my house, a neighbor came and told me, "A restaurant distributed coupons for free wine. Lots of people fought over the coupons. I grabbed about two boxes of coupons for free wine!" I was envious and regretted missing the opportunity. After the neighbor left, I continued to sweep the snow. When I progressed to the bottom of a tree, I suddenly tripped and fell. I was unable to get up. I immediately realized that Teacher was giving me a hint to give up the attachment to money. Once I attained that understanding, I got up from the ground with ease.
Quite often, as soon as my attachment surfaced, Teacher would give me a hint to give it up and help me improve my xinxing. There was a solar eclipse that year. Everyone had to look at the eclipsed sun from behind shaded glass, except for me. I could look directly at it. While I was looking at the eclipsed sun, a neighbor came and offered me a shaded glass. I said with a show-off mentality, "I don't need it. I can see it clearly without the shaded glass." As soon as I showed off, I was unable to see the eclipsed sun anymore. I realized that I still held zealotry and the mentality to show off.
I tried to memorize Master's article "What is Emptiness?" for days in vain. After dinner one day, I stood in front of Teacher's photo, saying, "Teacher, why am I so stupid? I have tried to memorize it for many days." Asleep that night, I felt as though Teacher was saying to me, "Your mind is occupied. Your head is not clear and clean. You are thinking about too much." I felt ashamed when I woke up. I think Teacher was giving me a hint to attain a clear and clean mind.
Teacher has been looking after me just as I described in this article, and I have been following Teacher diligently. I used to depend on a daily dose of medicine. It has been over ten years since I began to cultivate Falun Gong and I no longer need any medicine. Teacher said that Falun Gong cultivators are free of any illness. When I came down a few times with sickness karma and had a high fever, I didn't take any medicine and recovered within around four days. Once I had 27 bouts of diarrhea within 24 hours. My family was shocked, but I told them, "Teacher is cleansing my body." I did not take any medicine, and yet I recovered after 24 hours. I have steadfast faith in Teacher and the Fa. I shall walk righteously on the path that Teacher has given me.
Teacher has made too many sacrifices for our sakes. No words can describe my immense gratitude towards Teacher. Regardless of the severity of the evil persecution, I shall follow Teacher closely, cultivate Falun Gong, and do well the Three Things. I shall not pause for a moment on my way home. Teacher, please do not worry about me.
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