(Clearwisdom.net) Here, I want to share some of my cultivation experiences with Teacher and fellow practitioners.
(I) Battling through Test after Test with Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions
1. Cultivating and Fa Study
I am a 63-year-old elementary school teacher. I used to suffer from a dozen illnesses. Not very long after I started to practice Falun Gong, all my illnesses were cured through the practice, and I no longer had to take medicine.
On May 11, 1997, I started to practice Falun Gong. I finished reading Zhuan Falun in a week. When reading the book for the first time, I understood that this was cultivation and Master Li was a great Teacher. I also understood some of the profound teachings in the book. In the next week after I read Zhuan Falun, I saw a Falun and things in other dimensions. I also saw Teacher standing on a lotus flower and coming toward me from afar. Teacher looked just like his photo in the book Essentials for Further Advancement.
Before July 20, 1999, I had memorized Lunyu, many articles in Essentials for Further Advancement, and Hong Yin. Many times, I recited Teacher's articles in my dreams. I studied all of Teacher's books carefully. There were some xinxing issues that I always had difficulties with, so I memorized the part of the Fa that addressed my xinxing issues. I always sat in the full lotus position while reading Teacher's books. Sometimes, I read Zhuan Falun for a whole day.
2. Safeguarding Teacher and Dafa
July 20, 1999 was the date that the persecution started against Dafa and Dafa disciples. Even Teacher was slandered. Our local coordinators were arrested on July 19. On July 20, we went to appeal for them. On the morning of July 20, we received Teacher's article "Some Thoughts of Mine." I cried while reading it. It was the saddest moment in my life. Teacher had done such a good deed for the universe, for mankind, and especially China. But how was he repaid? I memorized the article. During the days that followed, I recited that article to people who followed the persecution, and they couldn't find any words to contradict me.
On December 7, 1999, several 610 Office officials brought a dozen Dafa disciples to a meeting room in the town government office. They tried to force us to give up cultivation. One guy with the last name Li pointed to me and told other practitioners that I had given up. I immediately told them that I had never given up cultivation for a minute. After practicing Dafa, all of my diseases were cured, which saved a lot of money for the government on medical expenses. Before I finished, Li was very nervous and called my supervisors in the school and officials from the Education Department to give me some pressure. I didn't have any fear. When they were lecturing me, I recited "Mighty Virtue" and Teacher's other articles by heart. Afterward, they didn't punish me. I felt Teacher was right beside me and helped me pass the test.
On April 20, 2000, the local 610 Office forced me to attend a brainwashing class. Because I was determined to continue my practice of Falun Gong, they took me to a detention center the next day. I was released on May 13. Four days later, on May 17, they took me to the brainwashing class again. No matter where I was taken, I didn't stop protesting the persecution and clarifying the truth of Falun Gong to people. In the brainwashing class, we were forced to listen to readings of books that slandered Teacher and Dafa. I stopped them by telling them that my Teacher was great and Dafa was great. On the afternoon of May 17, we were asked to declare our stand. One of the 610 Office officials threw a practitioner to the ground. I immediately stood up and shouted towards outside, "The government doesn't want us to be good people. Come and see!" Within a minute, a crowd gathered outside the window. The policemen were very anxious. The next day, the director and secretary of the politics and law committee from the local district came to talk to me for over an hour. The director asked me many questions. With Teacher's help, I answered his questions one by one. The director kept nodding.
On the afternoon of May 18, during discussion time, practitioners tried to let the policemen know the truth of Falun Gong. We refused to cooperate with their orders and didn't allow them to attack Teacher or Dafa. On May 19, the 610 Office officials forced other practitioners to write a guarantee statement, but didn't dare to ask me. After I could let go of everything, the most surprising thing happened. The head of the 610 Office announced among practitioners that I was being released. The school principle and my supervisors came to take me home. On the way home, I used the chance to clarify the truth of Falun Gong to them. It was with Teacher's protection and Dafa's power that I passed another test.
3. Validating Dafa and Restraining the Evil
On August 13, 2000, the head of the town's local 610 Office took me to a brainwashing class hosted by the local district. He said, "We know you are very persuasive. But this time the district has invited some professors to 'transform' you. These professors had hosted several (brainwashing) classes, and there is no one that they can't 'transform.'" I was very calm and thought, "What you say doesn't matter. It is what my Teacher says and what Dafa practitioner say that matters."
The district brainwashing class was indeed very evil. Every practitioner was closely monitored by one person 24/7 including bathroom time, but I was monitored by two people. Every day, they played Dafa slandering TV programs to us, and ordered us to write a report every day. I took it as an opportunity to report to Teacher, so every day I wrote according to the principles of "Truthfulness - Compassion - Forbearance" and sometimes quoted Teacher's words. When they played slandering TV programs, I recited Zhuan Falun, "Lunyu," Hong Yin, and other Teacher's articles by heart. After the TV programs, I would tell those staff members with compassion, "When you play those programs made up to slander Falun Gong, it only shows how shameless some people in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are and how great and righteous Falun Gong is."
Afterwards, they no longer played those TV programs. Instead, they started to focus on me. Usually four or five of them took turns to debate with me. I told them calmly that any talk between them and me must be equal and that I should have the same amount of time to talk as them. Thus, I won the right to speak up. During their time to talk, I recited Teacher's Fa by heart. After they finished, I would contradict their lies one by one. When they slandered Teacher, I stopped them immediately. After a week, all of them asked for a break. The heads of the brainwashing class were utterly powerless against me. It was just like Teacher said, "...just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations." ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)" from Essentials for Further Advancement II) On August 19, I wrote a four page article explaining the April 25 incident. My article was so rational and reasonable that even the brainwashing class staff couldn't argue against it.
Afterwards, the heads of the local district came to talk to me. I asked them, "I just want to follow Dafa and my Teacher's requirements to be a good person. But you want to 'transform' me. What kind of person do you want to 'transform' me into? Some people threatened to fire me from my job or stop paying me salary. I have been working over ten hours a day for dozens of years. Because of the hard work, I used to have many health problems. If I didn't practice Falun Gong, I could be paralyzed (I used to have very severe arthritis) or even dead. Which part of the law decides that good people should be persecuted?"
Later, the head of the brainwashing class threatened to keep me in the class forever if I didn't "transform." He also threatened to suspend my son's job and make my son come here to help them "transform" me. I told him, "I didn't do anything wrong. Instead, I just want to be a good person in a dignified and open manner. I have good health, which takes a lot of burden off my son financially, mentally, and physically. Why do you want to suspend his job? It is heaven's principle that good is rewarded with good and evil is met with evil." Several days later, no one wanted to monitor me. On August 28, I was released.
After I came home, I heard that someone from the local 610 Office told someone in the local police station that I was very good and very persuasive. Some bad guys even feared my name. I am not very good at talking, but Dafa gives me wisdom so that I could do what a Dafa disciple needs to do. Under Teacher's care and protection, I passed another test.
4. Letting Go of qing with Respect to Family Members
On February 9, 2002, some people from the 610 Office broke into my home and started to search without my permission. They asked me to sign the search warrant. I refused to sign. I opened a window and tried to get some attention from people on the street. I told those 610 Office people that they were committing a crime as the law states that no individual or institute was allowed to confiscate any citizen's personal belongings without reason. When they wanted to take my Zhuan Falun book away, I told them to give it back. They returned it to me immediately. They took me to a detention center. On the way there, I kept sending forth righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth when possible.
In the detention center, I talked to guards and inmates about the truth of Falun Gong every day. Two weeks later, my husband was diagnosed with lung cancer. My son begged the 610 Office to let me visit my husband in the hospital. He begged me to write a guarantee statement so that I could go home to take care of my husband. He had lost a lot weight and looked horrible. I told him calmly, "I am being persecuted for trying to be a good person. If I didn't practice Falun Gong, I might have already died. Your dad will be OK."
Later, they let me to go to the hospital. My husband was in a coma, with several tubes connected to him. All of our close relatives stood around the bed and looked very sad. Even in that kind of situation, in front of a dying person, the head of the 610 Office threatened to fire me from my job. I knew he was trying to threaten my relatives and pressure them to give me some pressure to write a guarantee statement. But all my relatives supported my practice of Falun Gong.
At that moment I was exceptionally cool, calm and clear-minded, which came from Teacher and Dafa. I knew that Teacher's law body was besides me. As long as I conducted myself as a genuine Dafa disciple, Teacher could help my family members too and nothing would happen to my husband. Later, everything turned out to be just fine. To be frank, if I hadn't practiced Falun Gong, I might have passed out in the hospital. However, at that moment, my mind went blank. I knew nothing but Teacher's Fa and my determination to cultivate Dafa. I knew that if I couldn't succeed in my cultivation, my family and relatives wouldn't be saved either. Negative thoughts didn't have any chance to affect me.
In the detention center, I talked to everyone I met. On the wall in my cell, I wrote down some quotes from Teacher's Fa and some poems from Hong Yin. Many people said Falun Dafa is good. Some even learned the exercises. On March 8, I saw heavenly maidens scattering flowers in another dimension. On March 9, I was released. I thank Teacher for his care and encouragement.
After I came home, I took care of my husband, and tried my best to do the three things. On December 2, 2002, my husband passed away. The CCP is responsible for his death. After the persecution started, the police came to our home to harass me whenever a so called sensitive date approached. My husband supported my practice of Falun Gong. He was furious at the police for persecuting me and threatening my son. A major reason for his illness was anger and resentment.
(II) Following Teacher's Requirement to Do the Three Things Well
1. Studying the Fa
Teacher stressed the importance of studying the Fa in almost every book. As a Dafa disciple, we should study the Fa well without any reservation. I usually study the Fa during the evening. I always wash my hands before opening Teacher's book, and sit in lotus position during Fa study to ensure that my mind won't slip away. Sometimes I study the Fa during the daytime too.
I also read Teacher's other articles very often. Whenever a new article comes out, I always read it and try to memorize it. When I do housework such as laundry or cleaning the floor, I put the article in a clean place so that I can memorize it while doing housework. I memorized over a hundred of Teacher's poems this way. Sometimes, I read the article several times before going to bed, so that I could memorize it while laying in bed. I only sleep for five hours a day. Teacher says,
"Cultivating gong has a path
mind is the way
On the boundless sea of Dafa
hardship is your ferry" ("Falun Dafa" from Hong Yin)
So we should study the Fa diligently.
After I read Zhuan Falun ten times, I read Teacher's other articles once again. They are all Teacher's Fa, in which there are many heavenly secrets and profound meanings. Every time I read them, I have different understandings. Especially, Teacher's articles after the persecution started are guidance for validating the Fa, truth clarification, and saving sentient beings.
On March 9, 2002, I came back from the detention center. The next day while I was cleaning, the mother of my son's fiancée came to visit. She didn't stay for long. But in the afternoon, my son came back home and had words with me. He said his fiancee's mother complained to him that I seemed to be unhappy to see her. I hadn't treated her like that. Having my son yelling at me on top of it, it was a bit too much for me to swallow. After I calmed down, I started to look into myself. As a practitioner, how could I run from conflicts? With Teacher's Fa reminding me what to do, I was relieved and started to think about my son. During the past three years, I was taken to detention centers three times and brainwashing classes three times. My husband and my son were very worried for me and scared by the persecution. They also took care of Dafa books for me. When I sent forth righteous thoughts, they would wait for me before having lunch or dinner. Maybe I mistreated his fiancee's mother in a past life, and that was why she misunderstood me. It happened so that I could pay her back. Wasn't it a good thing then? After improving my xinxing, I passed the test easily.
In November 2002, my husband stayed in a local hospital several times. The hospital bill was around 400 yuan every day. His workplace refused to reimbursed his medical expenses for February. We sued his workplace but lost the lawsuit. After my husband passed away on December 2, we were over 20,000 yuan in debt.
Meanwhile, the family of my son's fiancée wanted to call off the wedding. With so many tribulations, I was pushed to the limit. But I studied the Fa, sent forth righteous thoughts and clarified the truth of Falun Gong to people as usual. During the day, I clarified the truth to hospital patients. At night, I studied the Fa and did the exercise. Teacher's Fa guided me though all the tribulations with my son's fiancee's family. Eventually, they changed their minds. No matter what happened, I always used Teacher's Fa as the guidance and handled things with smiles. If we always maintain a heart of compassion and kindness, then we will be able to handle all problems and issues.
2. Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts
Teacher requires us to send forth righteous thoughts, and mentioned the great effect of sending forth righteous thoughts in many lectures.
Since May 2001, when I received Teacher's article about sending forth righteous thoughts, I started to increase the frequency and intensity of sending forth righteous thoughts. When the former CCP's leader Jiang went to visit some foreign countries, overseas practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts every thirty minutes. I was very touched and started to send forth righteous thoughts eighteen times a day. Another time when the CCP's evil head went abroad, I sent forth righteous thoughts twenty three times a day. On ordinary days, I sent forth righteous thoughts every hour. If I had to miss some, I would do more afterwards to make up. I repeated the formulas for sending forth righteous thoughts while working. I sent forth righteous thoughts no matter if I was eating, walking or laying in bed before falling asleep. If I felt tired, I asked Teacher to help me. I also reminded myself of those fellow practitioners being tortured in forced labor camps. Compared to their suffering, my little bit of tiredness was nothing. Till today, I have never slacked off.
I send forth righteous thoughts before going out to distribute fliers. I didn't have any real trouble in distributing the fliers. I know that it is because of the power of righteous thoughts. For example, in 2002, I found two posters with slanderous content hanging over a very busy road. At midnight, I sent forth righteous thoughts, and then I left home to remove them. I sent forth righteous thoughts on my way there. While I was removing them, the door of a restaurant opened. I thought, "Close." It closed immediately. I removed the two big posters without any problems.
On February 28, 2003, the head of the town 610 Office and two policemen came to my home and started to search. I immediately started to send forth righteous thoughts and asked them to stop. As a result, they did stop. I then asked them to sit down, and started to clarify the truth to them. After only a few words, they ran away.
3. Truth Clarification
On July 20, 1999, the CCP and Jiang's regime started the brutal persecution of Dafa and Dafa disciples. Under the overwhelming slanderous propaganda, many people were poisoned. As Dafa disciples, we know how great and righteous Teacher and Dafa are. I knew that I should step out to safeguard Teacher and Dafa, clarify the truth to people, and clean out the poison that the CCP put in their heads. It is Dafa disciples' responsibility. Since July 20, 1999, I have never stopped clarifying the truth to all kinds of people, under all kinds of circumstances, by all kinds of means. I clarify the truth to people in farmer's markets, on buses, in detention centers, in brainwashing classes or while visiting friends. Most times, I talk to people face to face. I also distribute fliers, post truth clarifying stickers, etc. The following are some examples.
Once I went to wash clothes in a river. There were several people there. I told them the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution. I also ask them to tell their relatives to stop if they were involved in the persecution. I told them to remember that "Falun Dafa is good and 'Truthfulness - Compassion - Forbearance' is good." Among them was a woman whose son-in-law was the head of the local 610 Office.
Her son-in-law, the head of local 610 Office, came to question me afterwards. I told him that I was just trying to save all kind people no matter who they were. I asked him whether it was wrong to let his mother-in-law find a way to obtain good health. He couldn't answer.
While riding buses, I never let any truth clarification opportunities pass by. For example, I once gave my seat to a pregnant woman. I told her that my Teacher taught me to help others, and also some facts about Falun Gong. Many people on the bus said Falun Gong is good. Only two persons said something bad about Falun Gong. They also mentioned that in their hometown two Falun Gong practitioners were taken to a forced labor camp. I told them Falun Gong practitioners were being persecuted by the Jiang's regime only because they wanted to be good people. I told them not to believe the slanderous propaganda produced by the media. I think we must have very strong righteous thoughts while clarifying the truth. No matter what kind of situation, we come to save sentient beings, and our compassion can't be moved.
Now with the evil becoming weaker and weaker and the environment becoming better and better, we mustn't relax and let truth clarification opportunities pass by. I want to share a wonderful thing that happened through local practitioners' truth clarification efforts. It was on November 26, 2004, when the local farmer's market opened. Seven or eight local practitioners arrived at the market and clarified the truth of Falun Gong to people coming to the market. Around 10:30 a.m., the head of the 610 Office walked onto this street. Seeing us clarifying the truth, he hid himself from us. We immediately walked up to him and hoped to clarify the truth to him. He was scared and ran away. We told people on the street that the guy was in charge of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners and was too afraid to face practitioners. We also said that practitioners were all very kind and compassionate, and we wouldn't give him a hard time as long as he changed his heart and stopped persecuting practitioners. Thus, many people in the market on that day learned the truth. In our area, circumstances have eased up and many people have been saved.
Now, whenever I have a chance to meet a person, I will start a conversation with the person and turn the conversation to truth clarification in few words. For example while buying vegetables, I don't argue about the price too much. If we can save a person by paying ten or twenty cents more, then why not? Even when I am really busy, I will try to leave them with my compassion and kindness. During these several years, I have talked to many people. Ninety percent of them were willing to learn the truth of Falun Gong. Only ten percept of them didn't understand us. Very, very few opposed us.
Since 2005, I felt that Fa rectification has entered a new stage. Helping people to quit the CCP is easier than before. But the condition is that we have to study the Fa well, send strong righteous thoughts, and always hold strong righteous thoughts so that there is no room for negative things or thoughts. What are righteous thoughts? My understanding is that practitioners with strong righteous thoughts are those who always remember "You are the ones saving the ordinary people's society, and you are the ones saving sentient beings!" ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.") The positive things that we need to think about are: now people are awakening, are willing to learn the truth, and some even come to ask us about the truth; practitioners all step out to do the three things, with diligent ones becoming more diligent and not so diligent ones becoming diligent.
To help more people quit the CCP, we must read Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party carefully. It helps in two ways, one is to clear away the CCP's poison in our own thoughts and bodies. The second is that it allows us to talk about the CCP with examples and proof.
After I wrote a declaration to denounce the Communist Youth League and Young Pioneers, I helped other practitioners to quit. Then I helped my family and friends to quit. The next step was my previous students and their parents; about ninety five percent of them quit after talking to me. Most of them also asked me to help them draft the declaration. Other than submitting the declarations through the Internet, I also encouraged them to post them in public places in order to save more people. Many people have never heard anything about quitting the CCP. The declarations could inspire them and suffocate the evil as well.
I still need to study the Fa better and read more of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party in order to do the three things better. I need to be more patient while convincing people to quit the CCP. Some people may need more than one conversation to understand the truth. I can't rush them. Some people refused to quit the CCP no matter how hard I tried to persuade them. I still treat them with the same kindness as before, so they still have a chance to learn the truth in the future. If people ask me some hard questions that I didn't know how to answer, I promise to answer them the next time. I will then discuss with fellow practitioners to find the satisfactory answers.
During the past year, before going out to clarify the truth, I always send forth righteous thoughts and talk to Teacher in my mind: "Teacher, I am a Dafa disciple who should fulfill a Dafa disciple's responsibilities and save sentient beings. Please arrange people with predestined relationships to come to me." I also memorize Teacher's articles such as, "Buddha Fa Is Boundless" (from Hong Yin Vol II), "Surround and Exterminate" (from Hong Yin Vol II), "Tathagata," and "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World."
The above is only a fraction of my cultivation experience. There were many tribulations on the way, some of which I passed with ease and calm, and very few of which I passed with tears. But as long as we have Teacher and Dafa in our hearts, we can pass any difficulties and tribulations. In the middle of a test, I often think about the following Fa:
"When you take each trial or each tribulation as a good opportunity for improvement and let go of it, you will be able to pass the test. Some people find their tribulations very big in cultivation practice, but actually they are not. The bigger you find them, the bigger they will become and the smaller you will become. If you do not care and do not put them on your mind, with the master and the Fa here what is there to fear? As long as the green mountains remain, there is no fear of having no firewood to burn. Ignore them! Once you give them up, you will find that the tribulations have become smaller and you have become bigger. You will overcome them in one step, and the tribulations will become nothing. It is guaranteed to be this way. If one cannot overcome them, it is actually that he cannot give up the attachments or does not believe in the Fa. In most cases, it is because one cannot give up one or another attachment. His failure is all due to his inability to give up the attachments. Because he cannot back that one human step, he is not able to overcome them." (Lecture in Sydney)