(Clearwisdom.net)
Dear Honorable Master and fellow practitioners:
Thank you to Master for giving practitioners this platform of the Fifth Internet Experience Sharing Conference to share experiences and to learn from one other. I'd like to share some of my cultivation experiences as a practitioner.
1. I begin to practice
In the spring of 1996, I was blessed to walk through the door of cultivation. Today, I look back and see that I had many predestined relationships. Even at the beginning, I felt that Dafa was sacred. I always used to pursue the good life, work and sentiment. Once I began to practice, I immediately started to take these things lightly. At that time, many things interfered with me, some from other cultivation ways, some from relationships among family members, and some from friendships. Under Master's guidance and through constant Fa study, I walked through the interference quickly. Master said,
"If you obtain it, perhaps you are supposed to have it. You should therefore treasure it and not be attached to any pursuit." (Zhuan Falun)
This passage echoes in my mind. I felt happy that I obtained the Fa. With deeper understanding of this sentence, I firmly walked through the path of obtaining the Fa, passing tests, staying with the Fa firmly, and validating the Fa.
2. Assimilating to the Fa
"For a cultivator, all the frustrations he comes across among everyday people are trials, and all the compliments he receives are tests." ("A Cultivator is Naturally Part of It," Essentials for Further Advancement)
During the process of assimilating to the Fa, studying the Fa and practicing the exercises were most important. I recited Master's article, "A Cultivator is Naturally Part of It" in my heart and always set strict standards for myself in everything. At the beginning, my son was only three years old. I took him to group study every day, rain or shine. I helped the coordinator teach new practitioners the exercises and went to the countryside to promote the Fa. As a young worker in my 20s, I was at the peak of my profession. I did my daily work well and made time to study the Fa and do the exercises. I tried to let go of different attachments and my performance at work was outstanding. When the time for promotions came up, another practitioner and I were willing to give up our promotion opportunities to others, which touched the managers deeply. During interactions with colleagues and friends, I tried to always think of others first. In my family life, I was humble and tolerant. Although some people didn't understand me, I tried to maintain my xinxing. I did not behave arrogantly when I was praised, and I did not get frustrated while facing trouble. I treated both praise and trouble as tests. My managers, colleagues, and friends all had a good impression of Dafa and of me, which established the foundation for future truth clarification and Fa-rectification.
3.Validating the Fa
As practitioners in the period of the Fa-rectification, we have to manage personal cultivation and Fa-rectification at the same time. The great responsibilities that Master has placed on us are to save sentient beings. To put saving sentient being into action, cultivating ourselves well is the key.
a. Study the Fa diligently
Master told us, "The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." ("Drive Out Interference") We disciples should do everything according to what Master tell us, studying the Fa, reciting the Fa, and assimilating to the Fa. The process of reciting the Fa came with a mix of wonders and ordeals. I discovered that my attitude was not serious enough. I missed words or I would recall only the basic meaning instead of each word. So I got rid of the attachment of carelessness and changed my attitude to have a serious heart. I also figured out why I often made mistakes reciting the Fa: I was falling short in my personal cultivation. Reciting the Fa was really the process of getting rid of attachments.
Because I recited the Fa, my mind was filled with the Fa while I was walking, taking the bus, or in my spare time. Especially when certain things happened, Master's words were reflected into my mind immediately and guided me. I have recited the Fa over and over again. I have also kept reciting the Fa during group Fa study. I deeply believe that as long as you study the Fa, you are changing.
b. Benevolently resolve sensitive attachments with righteous thoughts in the shortest time possible
When carefully studying the Fa of high levels and looking inward, you constantly cultivate yourself diligently. When the evil interferes due to our loopholes, it is important that we discover our attachments in the shortest time possible and benevolently resolve them with righteous thoughts. Once when I was sharing with another practitioner, she suddenly pointed out that I didn't allow others to criticize me. At that time, Master's lecture on "won't let others criticize them." ("Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles," February 25, 2006) had not come out yet. I always thought of myself as an amiable person, so I felt very uncomfortable. I argued that her tone did not sound right, and I refused to compromise. That night after I sent forth righteous thoughts, I asked myself why I felt uncomfortable if she really was being unfair. I discovered my strong attachment to protecting myself and I also found another attachment originating from this "selfness." At this moment, a picture of many cables being cut off flashed in my mind. My heart felt really relaxed. I had found such a strong and hidden attachment. I wrote about finding the attachment that same night. The next day, I visited that practitioner and sincerely thanked her for touching me and enabling me to dig out the attachment.
c. Doing my best to help other practitioners to cultivate diligently
We interact with certain practitioners because of our predestined relationships. We might have made a pact before we came down here to help each other. His matter is mine. When a practitioner was released after signing paperwork to give up the practice against her will, she was not able to pull herself together. So I stopped by her place almost every day to accompany her and tried to untie the knots in her heart with Master's Fa. I tried sincerely to warm her heart and brought other practitioners to share their understandings to encourage her. Finally she got rid of the burden and cheered up. She is doing better and better with saving sentient beings. She told me, "At that time, if you had not pulled me up, I don't know what would have happened. I really felt lost." I knew that Master had arranged for me to help her.
There was another practitioner who always had the attachment of fear. So I studied the Fa with her and prepared informational materials with her. I encouraged her to do things with righteous thoughts and righteous actions and pointed out her shortcomings patiently. Sometimes she was not very happy about what I said, but I knew that I did what I should do. Now she is more diligent. Fellow practitioners need to harmonize, communicate, and encourage each other. Everyone needs an environment to share their experiences. Every practitioner should do his or her best to do this. This is not only to benefit other practitioners but also to cultivate oneself.
d. Setting up a material production center in my home
The material production center in home my has been in operation for three years. It has operated independently and supplied materials to practitioners in two areas. At the beginning, my job was not stable and I had the attachment to getting things done and the attachments of fear, worry, and anxiety. Now I have calmed down. The process of making materials was the process of cultivation and the process of being tested. When I had loopholes, I could not make materials smoothly. I had to stop and check myself. I sent forth righteous thoughts and discovered the attachment, then dissolved it. Then things went smoothly again.
I chose a job with more spare time so that I would have more time to work for Dafa. My financial situation is getting better as well. I understood another principle: if you think of an idea that benefits the validation of Fa, you should implement it. Do not fear anything. As long as your base is correct, everything else is for us to choose to validate the Fa.
e. Let go of all human notions and save sentient beings
Our work environment can be used to save sentient beings. People around us at our jobs should all have predestined relationships with us--or you can say they are here to know the Fa. First I set up good foundations with people based on our working relationships, then started to clarify the truth. Sometimes I did it openly, sometimes I wisely talked about it, and sometimes I related other people's stories. How I did it was not important, the efficacy was.
I was born in the countryside. Maybe a lot of practitioners live in different places from where they grew up. It is important not to forget the old relatives and friends there. I went back to my hometown to save people several times during my vacations. I saved lots of people each time. People in the countryside respect and trust those of us that live in the city. So I told them that everyone in my city knows that quitting the CCP and its affiliates brings you peace. Then I chose some topics to talk about according to their circumstances. Lastly, I told them to remember, "Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good." Almost everyone agreed with me. When I went to the market, I told people at each stand. Sometimes I bought presents to visit old friends and told them the facts about Falun Gong. At a wedding, I gave presents and explained the facts at the wedding dinner. No matter how I did it, my goal was clear: find opportunities to save sentient beings. Master often encouraged me. Once I dreamed about telling an old friend about Dafa. I enlightened to the fact that I had not fulfilled my responsibilities to save my old friends, so I found more chances to do more.
With Master's teachings as my guide, I have walked my cultivation path through all adversities. I feel happy yet uneasy every day, happy that I am a Dafa practitioner, uneasy that there are still many sentient beings to save. Only through diligent cultivation and walking each step firmly and steadily can we fulfill our historic grand vows and proudly meet Master.
Thank you, Master!
Thank you, fellow practitioners!
October 15, 2008
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