(Clearwisdom.net) I would like to share some of my cultivation and Fa validation experiences. Please point out any shortcomings.

1. Clarifying the Truth and Saving Sentient Beings

Clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings is one of the three things that Teacher asked us to do during Fa-rectification. In ancient times, some cultivators went from place to place among everyday people in order to eliminate their human attachments. The process of Dafa practitioners clarifying the truth with a variety of people is a process of redeeming our own prehistoric vows, as well as a process of eliminating human attachments. During this process, many attachments, such as the mentality of showing off, the competitive mentality, zealotry, and fear, are exposed so that we can see and eliminate them.

As long as we are thinking of saving people, we will meet predestined people wherever we go. Some of these people we know but have not seen for a long time, such as our teachers, classmates, and friends. From this I could see Teacher's merciful arrangement. I remember how in one evening, I ran into a former elementary school teacher of mine while I was walking. I hadn't seen her for many years. After we talked for a while, she remembered me, and I told her about my experiences over the years. I told her about the fake self-immolation staged by the CCP, how Dafa is spreading in the world, and talked to her about withdrawing from the CCP. From my words, she got a certain amount of understanding about Dafa, but she objected at first to the idea of quitting the CCP, since she thought it wouldn't matter. I didn't know when I would see her again after that day, so I was determined to save her. We sat down after a short walk, and I sent forth righteous thoughts while talking to her. After about half an hour, she agreed to quit the CCP.

One day, I went to the countryside to clarify the truth. On the bus there, two passengers started to argue and then broke into a fight. They stopped only after many other passengers urged them to stop fighting. On the return trip, I took a private minivan. The girl who sold the tickets started to argue with her father on the phone. She was crying while arguing. Why did I encounter such things? Was it a hint to me that I needed to eliminate some attachments? I came to understand that it was my competitive mentality. During the past few days, I had argued with my daughter at home and fought with my colleagues at work. It was time to eliminate it. How merciful our Teacher is! Teacher saved us from hell, cleared away much of our karma, and gives us hint after hint to help us improve. Words can't express how grateful I am.

In the past, I paid too much attention to the quantity of my efforts. My zealotry surfaced if I succeeded in having more people quit the CCP during the day, and I would feel dismayed otherwise. This was because my heart was not pure. We should clarify the truth with a heart of no pursuit, which will ensure that we save more people.

2. Making Truth-clarification Materials

When I had cultivated for a year, we were encouraged to create more small materials production sites throughout China. At the suggestion of a practitioner, I started learning how to go on-line, and download and make materials. At that time, I didn't even take the time to finish reading all of Teacher's new lectures. I had heard from older practitioners about how dangerous it was to make your own materials. I had much fear in my heart, but I also knew that it was my duty to save people.

After I got the computer and printer, I was in constant fear. At that time, I kept reciting Teacher's words,

"So as a cultivator, what is truly remarkable is when you can be steadfast and have righteous thoughts so firm that nothing can sway you. Be solid and firm like diamond, or granite, and then nothing can affect you--evil will be afraid at the mere sight of you. If upon encountering trying circumstances your thinking can be truly righteous, then, when faced with the evil's persecution and when faced with interference, just one sentence of yours fortified with steadfast righteous thoughts can instantly make the evil disintegrate (applause), and it will make those who are being used by the evil turn and flee, it will make the evil's persecution of you dissolve, and it will make the evil's interfering with you disappear without a trace. One thought born of righteous faith is all it takes. And whoever can hold firm that righteous thought and go the distance will become a magnificent god forged by Dafa." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")

I had many attachments and did not understand the Fa. Several times when I was doing the exercises, my ten-year-old daughter saw evil beings from other dimensions wanting to grab me. One day when it was time for sending righteous thoughts, CCP agents came banging on my door. I told my daughter that this was the time for sending righteous thoughts, and we wouldn't open the door or answer the phone no matter what. We sent forth righteous thoughts for an hour, and they left.

A year later, I was able to make materials independently. One evening I started printing on a brand new printer, and after printing only two pages, the paper jammed and I couldn't be removed. I sat down and looked for my shortcomings. I remembered that my workplace had given me 50 yuan, but that money was not obtained fairly. Although it was not my decision and I was not the only person who had taken the money, I was not following the Fa. I returned the money the next morning. In the afternoon I took the printer to the store and everything was fine. I understood that I need to look within when problems occur. I need to maintain a pure heart when making truth clarification materials.

If things don't go smoothly when we are validating the Fa, we should recognize that a problem is occurring, look for our attachments, and improve ourselves accordingly.

My site provided enough materials for myself and several other practitioners. After the 2008 Shen Yun DVD was out, I got a DVD burner. The DVD's brought the beauty and wonder of Dafa to many people.


3. Studying and Reciting the Fa with a Calm Mind

A practitioner can save people well only when he cultivates well himself. By studying the Fa, I understood the Fa better. I felt so lucky to have become a Dafa practitioner during the Fa-rectification period. At the same time, I worry about so many people who do not yet know the true facts about Falun Gong and the persecution.

Because of my attachment to get things accomplished, I was so busy making and distributing Shen Yun DVDs that I studied the Fa less. As a result, sometimes my mind was not clear while sending righteous thoughts. Soon, 610 Office agents asked to talk to me, and my colleagues talked about me behind my back. One colleague once loudly blamed me in the office for talking about Falun Gong, and relatives reminded me of my dangerous situation. Looking at it all, I firmly believed that Teacher was watching over me, and I refused to acknowledge any type of persecution. But I often missed the opportunity for further clarifying the truth. I thought that I should talk to people one-on-one, but not to several colleagues at once. Once when a colleague faulted me, I said that it was not wrong to be a good person. But for the sake of easing the tension, I thanked her for her consideration, and said that I would consider what she had said. I lost a good opportunity to clarify the truth to her because I was afraid of losing face. I was shocked, though, when I read Teacher's lecture:

"As a Dafa disciple, everything of yours is formed by Dafa and is the most righteous, and it can only be that [you] rectify everything that is not righteous. How could you bow to the evil? How could you promise something to the evil? Even if it doesn't truly come from your heart, it's still giving in to the evil. This is bad conduct for humans, too, and Gods absolutely would not do such a thing. Even if a Dafa cultivator truly casts off his human skin during the persecution, what awaits him is still Consummation. At the same time, no attachment or fear could possibly enable you to reach Consummation. And any attachment of fear is itself a barrier that prevents you from reaching Consummation, and is also a factor in your being "reformed" toward the evil side and in your betrayal." ("Dafa is Indestructible" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)

Why did I compromise with what she said? I regret it deeply and also realized the seriousness of cultivation.

In order to better assimilate to Dafa and save people, I decided to memorize the Fa. In 2006, I recited Zhuan Falun once, but the second time, I was unable to finish. More recently while again reciting the Fa, more of the Fa principles became clearer to me. I saw more of my attachments to doing things, showing off, resentment, lust, problems following "no second cultivation way," being anxious, seeking comfort, not cultivating speech, and others. As I saw these, I kept correcting myself. After a while things became normal again. Then for a long while, I could not get up at 3:50 a.m. to do the exercises. After reciting the Fa however, I had no trouble waking up on time, and my mind was clear after getting up. I do the exercises, send righteous thoughts, study the Fa and then I am not tired at all.

My daughter had been quite sick on and off for seven years before she practiced Dafa, which healed her completely. A year later, she stopped practicing, since her initial purpose had been only to get rid of her illness. At that time, I did not have compassion and often blamed her for not progressing diligently. She started practicing Dafa again after she entered middle school. This time, she did so because she really knew that Dafa was good. We have very different personalities. She does things very slowly, and I am very fast. I am very clean, and she is messy. We often have conflicts. I had a hard time getting rid of my mentality of trying to change others and pointing out other people's attachments. During her vacation, the more I forced her to do chores around the house, the more she disliked it. The more I asked her to clean up, the messier she got. I complained more about her. Eventually she didn't even want to study the Fa or do the exercises. I realized that this was serious and looked inward. I noticed that I had strong emotions towards my daughter. I always thought since it was Dafa that had given her a second life, she should progress diligently. I didn't praise her when she did well. I didn't show enough compassion, and I often blamed her. The result was that she tried to avoid talking about cultivation with me. After I realized my own problem and began to eliminate this sentiment toward her, her cultivation started improving again.

Thinking back on the past five years, every step of mine has been under Teacher's protection and guidance. I see the wonder of Dafa and how Teacher has guided us. I am proud to be a Dafa practitioner during Fa-rectification. During this precious time, we can only repay our Teacher by doing the three things well, saving more sentient being, and progressing diligently.

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Category: Clarifying the Truth