(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings, Teacher! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
It has been twelve years since I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity of learning Falun Dafa, in August 1996. I would like to share my cultivation experience with fellow practitioners.
Teacher Protects Us All the Time
If we didn't have Teacher's protection when we practiced Falun Dafa we wouldn't be able to cultivate to higher levels at all. The following are examples of how Teacher has protected me during the process of my cultivation.
One time I was driving with other practitioners to a village 50 kilometers (31 miles) away, to have a meeting where practitioners could share their cultivation experiences with each other. As we approached a steep hill, due to the evil's interference, my car's headlights suddenly failed, forcing me to quickly brake. I applied the hand-brake and lowered my head, trying to find the reason as to why this happened. As the night was so dark, I was unable to see the very steep road ahead of me, or see the conditions of the road. Since my handbrake was in a poor condition, my car started sliding backward, hitting the roadside. The noise as it hit the sides of the road caused us to realize that our car was moving. I immediately stopped the car, and got out, only to see that we were very lucky. Fortunately, the car had skidded in this particular direction. If it had skidded to the other side we would have fallen off the side of the canyon 100 meters down, the consequence of which would have been unthinkable. At that time, all five of us had the same feeling of Teacher's grace and protection. We later heard that there had been many accidents in that area.
Another incident occurred while I was riding my bike to a fellow practitioner's home to study the Fa. I noticed that there were two vehicles behind me. One of the cars was accelerating and trying to pass the other. Due to the narrow street and the number of people on the pavement, the car had little space to pass, and I was hit from behind and thrown off my bike, landing about 3 to 4 meters in front of the bike. The front wheel of my bike was totally buckled and my left leg was hit, and felt heavy at the time. The car's driver came to check the situation, and noticed a big dent in his car's front bumper. At that moment I thought of Master's teachings in Zhuan Falun,
"We'd say that a good or bad outcome comes from one thought. The difference in one thought leads to different results" (Lecture four, from Zhuan Falun, 2003). (Official Translation)
I knew that I would have no problem since I was a Dafa practitioner, so I pulled myself up without any problem, using both hands. The driver, knowing that he was at fault, said that he'd take me to the hospital for a check-up, but I told him that I didn't have any problem. Since my bike's front wheel was all buckled, I wasn't able to push it, and I was still quite far from home, so I carried the bike on my shoulder and headed back home. I then walked to the practitioner's home for Fa study, but I didn't tell the practitioners about what happened. While studying the Fa, I was feeling that things were draining out from the bottom of my left leg. It was being cleansed and repaired by Teacher. As there have been numerous instances where Teacher protected me, I won't list all of them.
The Importance of Harmony Within the Family
Teacher brought us to this point in the human world. While Teacher does Fa-rectification, it is our responsibility to assist Him where required. Every Dafa disciple has family members, yet it is not necessarily so that all family members can be practitioners. However, they have a great deal of karmic relationship with us, because they're here for the sake of the Fa as well. Their opportunity to learn the Fa may not have arrived yet, or there may be other reasons. This means they haven't become Dafa practitioners for the time being, but they are still different from everyday people. If the family environment is harmonious, family members will better understand the truth and they may help you assist Teacher in doing Fa-rectification. When some Dafa practitioners are being persecuted, they dare to speak up for you, protect you and support you in doing the three things.
Unfortunately, some practitioners haven't done well at trying to establish a harmonious relationship with their families, and as a result family members sometimes oppose us for cultivating in Falun Dafa. They interfere with us, don't support us, or may even help the evil to persecute us, and prevent us from doing well in the three things, so we sometimes suffer much interference and losses.
As the head of the family, I previously didn't help to make a harmonious environment for my family as I should. This was because I insisted that my wife and children listen to me. However, since becoming a Dafa practitioner, my attachments were revealed. I wasn't considering other people's points of view when there were disagreements, nor did I allow any discussion about issues. My thinking was that since I cultivated Dafa everything of mine should have priority and no one could interfere with me. One time, when I inappropriately disciplined my children, it created friction in my family, and I found myself singled out and alone. The atmosphere seemed comparatively relaxed, but it still wasn't right. After calmly studying the Fa, I began to realize that what I did was not in accordance with the Fa. Teacher stated,
"If when you're around ordinary people they see you as obsessed, and if nobody sees you as one of their own, then they'll all stay away from you, and nobody is going to give you a chance to improve your character. Nobody will think you're normal. How awful! So you've got to make sure you're aware of this. You've really got to handle yourself well." (Lecture Eight, from Zhuan Falun, 2003) (Official translation)
Since then, I changed the way I do things. When a Dafa practitioner lives with the family, they must first be considerate of others. I now frequently discuss things with my wife and children, and we have regular conversations with each other. I have also clarified the truth to them on several occasions. As a result, the atmosphere has changed for the better, and my family environment has become more harmonious. My wife and children now fully support me.
The day before Falun Dafa Day, fellow practitioners all agreed that we would post Falun Dafa logos wherever possible. I already had a bunch of logos that I obtained the night before. As I was about to go out at 10:00 p.m., my wife asked what I was going to do. When I told her of our plan, she became frightened and said, "Don't go, let them do it." I was not unhappy to hear her remarks, because I understood that all these years she had often been frightened and worried. But I carefully explained, "All the practitioners who are female or old ladies aren't afraid of doing it. How could a man like me hide at home? I think that a family like ours shouldn't be this way, right?" After a pause, she said, "Then, I will go and do it with you." I replied, "I am a practitioner, but you shouldn't force yourself." She said, "I am not forcing myself, I would like to go." I was deeply touched by what she said.
When we were outside, my wife became a little scared. I tried to reassure her, "What we're doing now is the most upright thing in the universe--saving people." Later, she became more courageous. So, we helped each other. She put on the glue and I posted the materials. Before long, everything we had was posted. On the way back home, even though she said she wasn't afraid, I could see she had was sweating, but she was happy.
The following morning, we lit incense and paid our respects to Teacher and did "Heshi" (pressing the hands together in front of the chest). When my wife did "Heshi," she had her eyes closed and saw Teacher sitting on a lotus flower. When she told us what she saw, we were all deeply touched. I believe that Teacher was giving her encouragement, as she was not a practitioner, and yet she was doing things for validating the Fa. My wife now does truth clarification work, hands out flyers, and advises people about quitting the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations (the "three withdrawals").
As the Fa-rectification draws closer, I must be diligent, not become relaxed, not be indifferent, not take it easy, and I must be passionate, so that I can honor my prehistoric vows. And within this very short period of time, I must hurry up and cultivate myself well, save more sentient beings, and become a true Dafa disciple during this period of Fa-rectification. Heshi.
November 28, 2008
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