(Clearwisdom.net) I am a teacher in the countryside. Although I obtained the Fa quite early on, I didn't always cultivate myself diligently. Here I want to share some of my cultivation experiences with fellow practitioners.
Assimilating to the Fa
The first requirement of cultivation is to study the Fa well. Human beings have unconsciously formed all kinds of notions and personal ways of thinking at very low levels, especially in such a badly warped society. To cultivate oneself is to change one's way of thinking--that is, to get rid of the human notions and the low-level way of thinking, replacing them with the divine principles of higher levels. We can only achieve this by studying the Fa, because only through Fa study can we find our attachments, get rid of human notions and assimilate to Dafa. In my understanding, this is how we cultivate ourselves.
In the last one or two years, I have spent a lot of time studying the Fa. Beyond reading Zhuan Falun and reciting the Fa, I have also downloaded the electronic versions of Master's teachings and saved them in my cell phone. Whenever I have time, I study the Fa on my cell phone, even if I can only study one paragraph.
I also often browse the Clearwisdom website and read the experience-sharing articles from fellow practitioners.
Looking Inward and Getting Rid of My Attachments
Human attachments are too many to count. As time goes by, we automatically become dependent on everything in this world and can't let it go, and then we further form human notions. I realized that all these human notions are in fact our attachments, and we need to get rid of every attachment we have. That's why cultivation isn't easy.
According to my understanding, there are several considerations in the process of removing our attachments. First, we need to understand that everything in the secular world is transient and doesn't last very long.
Master said:
"It has been said: 'When I come to this ordinary human society, it's just like checking into a hotel for a few days. Then I leave in a hurry.' Some people are just obsessed with this place and have forgotten their own homes." (Zhuan Falun)
All the tribulations we encounter have predestined relationships; nothing happens coincidentally. We shouldn't treat ourselves as ordinary people and shouldn't lose ourselves in human society. In this way, it may be easier for us to overcome the attachments.
Secondly, we should cultivate ourselves at the most fundamental level. According to the Fa, we know that the old universe is selfish, but the new universe is selfless and altruistic. This is the fundamental difference between the old and the new universe. All of our attachments came from caring about ourselves. If we don't get rid of the attachments related to caring about ourselves, we will not be able to enter the new universe. If we have the correct standpoint, we will think about things from the perspective of saving sentient beings and validating the Fa. If we don't regard our selves as being so important, it may also help to get rid the attachments.
Third, we should learn to look inward and cultivate every thought we have. Ordinary people judge things using the criteria or experiences that they obtained from everyday life. Dafa disciples, however, should judge and think about things from the perspective of the Fa and not let human notions take over. In our daily life, we need to keep Dafa in our hearts and compare ourselves to the standard of the Fa to find our attachments. If we do this persistently in everyday life, each attachment will be identified and eliminated regardless of how big it may be.
Sending Righteous Thoughts to Eliminate the Evil
In the past, I didn't take sending forth righteous thoughts very seriously. But one experience changed me. At one time about two years ago, I felt that my cultivation state wasn't right. I was impatient and impetuous, and got angry easily. I couldn't study the Fa with a calm mind and didn't want to do the exercises or send righteous thoughts. I just wanted to idle away my life as an ordinary person. Then one day, the police started to look for me and wanted to arrest me. Although the school I am working at stood up for me and prevented the arrest, the officers still stole many things from me with the excuse that they suspected me of handing out Dafa fliers in the neighborhood.
This greatly surprised me. I had not experienced such things at the beginning of the persecution, so I wondered why this situation appeared now, when most of the evil has been eliminated. The local practitioners sent righteous thoughts for me, and I felt that I was greatly strengthened as a result. That night while I was sleeping, I found there was something black beside me. After that thing realized that I had discovered it, it attacked my body like it was crazy. I felt that my whole body became numb and couldn't move, but my mind was very clear. I asked Master to save me, and I recited the Fa-rectification verses. In no time, that thing disappeared. The next morning I experienced a lot of changes: My mind was very clear and all the abnormal things were eliminated. By this time, I realized that this persecution occurred because my own dimensional field wasn't clean. Since this incident, I've never slacked off in sending forth righteous thoughts.
Now I can remember to send forth righteous thoughts at the four set times every day. I also send forth righteous thoughts at additional times of 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m., and if I forget to do so, then I add ten more minutes at the regular times to make up for it. Now I can reach a clear state of mind and focus my energy well.
Saving Sentient Beings
Most of the people I meet in everyday life are teachers and students. For the teachers, I often give them truth-clarification materials. Most of them have understood the truth, and some have quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
For the students, I try to integrate truth clarification into the lectures. For example, when I was teaching them about the structure of the throat, I mentioned that Liu Siying spoke in an interview after having a throat surgery. Through this, the students learned the truth about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation staging. When I was giving a lecture on the balance of the ecological systems, I spoke about the communist regime's nature to fight against heaven and earth, and how their damage to the environment has led to so many disasters in recent years.
To have the students quit the CCP, I often use a questionnaire format instead of asking them directly. For example, I asked them to write down their names on a piece of paper and to indicate whether they are Young Pioneers or members of the Communist Youth League. Then I told them about the importance of making pledges, that people have to be responsible for the pledges they made when joining the Young Pioneers or the Communist Youth League, and that only by withdrawing from these organizations would they be safe. And then I asked them whether they agreed with me or not. Sometimes I also incorporate stories that the students are very interested in, such as that people's lives are prearranged and that there are divine beings above us. Then I also let them decide whether they agree with me or not. By doing it in this manner, I have made it easier for the students to think about the prospect of quitting the CCP's organizations. Most of my students have quit.
The school I am working at is very far from the city, so I often ride a motorcycle to work. Every week, I also go to the countryside to distribute truth-clarification materials. My experience is that as long as we understand our responsibilities and maintain strong righteous thoughts, we can do well in saving sentient beings.
The above are my personal understandings. I welcome fellow practitioners to point out anything that isn't consistent with the Fa.
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Category: Improving Oneself
