(Clearwisdom.net) I would like to share my cultivation experiences with all practitioners.
Cherishing the Predestined Relationship with Dafa
I am 24 years old. I was born in Yanji City, Jilin Province, and lived in the home of a relative when I was in elementary school. Because my relatives were all Falun Gong practitioners, I developed an understanding about Master and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Within those three years, I watched Master's videos and listened to Master's lectures every day, which set a good foundation for my future cultivation.
After growing older, I gradually came to understand that Dafa was the foundation of the universe, and that we had been waiting for thousands of years just for today. I had been thinking before that I could wait until I was older to practice cultivation. I now feel regretful about that idea. A young person like me can easily be attracted by the material world due the attachments to fame, sentimentality, and material interests. Cultivation is to free us from the material world to become real Dafa disciples. I think that "age" to a practitioner is just a concept, and we should not pay too much attention to it. The main objective of a practitioner is how to assimilate to Dafa.
Practicing Cultivation is the Most Sacred Thing in the Universe
When I first heard of Dafa, I didn't understand what cultivation was. As I grew older and started to think about the purpose and objective of human life, I thought about Master and the book Zhuan Falun. After I finished reading all the articles written by Master, I finally realized why we should practice cultivation and what cultivation is. I now realize that we should not only be practitioners, but be determined and persistent practitioners.
I understand that the purpose of my life is to assist Master during the Fa-rectification period, not to simply work and live the life of an everyday person. Of course, the things that we do are not too much different than the things that everyday people do, but the fundamentals are completely different.
Cultivation is very serious. It involves not just reading the books, practicing the exercises, and doing things that Dafa disciples should do; we cultivate to eliminate attachments and assimilate ourselves to the universal principles, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It's the most sacred thing in the universe.
The time we began our cultivation doesn't determine the solidity of our cultivation. This depends on how much we assimilate to Dafa. As Dafa disciples, we should treat cultivation during this Fa-rectification period as the most serious thing in our lives. I think that all practitioners are my fellow practitioners. I would not differentiate anyone. We have the same teacher and the same Fa and should not be limited by everyday people's concepts.
Understanding Problems Using Rationality and Eliminating Attachments to Fame, Sentimentality, and Material Interests
I was a person deeply attached to fame, sentimentality, and material interests. Even Confucius taught the common people, "A person's life has been decided. Heaven's law determines how rich a person can be." As Dafa disciples, we have to let go of attachments without any hesitation. Our cultivation is the most sacred thing in the universe. How can we be controlled by attachments to fame, sentimentality, and material interests?
The entire history of mankind is established for Falun Dafa. We are practitioners of Falun Dafa. Why should we still be attached to the fame in the everyday people's realm?
As for material interests, physical and mental health can't be bought at any price. Fame and material wealth are not at all precious to practitioners. However, if we have let go of our attachments, it is not wrong to be famous or have wealth. As for sentimentality, I have met many fellow practitioners who were deeply attached to their parents or children. In the past I also was deeply attached to sentimentality. As Dafa disciples however, when we face decisions between the requirements of Dafa and the attachment to sentimentality, we should understand which one is more important. In our past lives, we've had numerous parents, children, relatives, and friends. Why should we still be attached to them? What's the goal of our cultivation? In order to return to our true homes, we have to let go of the attachment of sentimentality. Attachments to fame, sentimentality, and material interests will introduce tribulations for a practitioner. All practitioners should treat the problem seriously.
Being a Dignified Dafa Disciple in the Fa-Rectification Period
Almost all young practitioners grew up in the period of the persecution in China. As a young practitioner, I think personal cultivation and the three things should be carried out hand in hand.
It is the mission of a practitioner in the Fa-rectification period to study the Fa, practice the exercises, send forth righteous thoughts, and clarify the truth every day. These actions can't be replaced by anything else.
I found that I could maintain my righteous thoughts only when I studied the Fa and practiced the exercises every day. Only when I have strong righteous thoughts can I rationally clarify the truth.
It's necessary to study the Fa with rapt attention. Practitioners should study the Fa with attention focused on every word. Exercise gestures and pace should be as accurate as possible. If we don't pay attention to the details, our gestures could deviate or we could finish reading the Fa without knowing it. When we send forth righteous thoughts, our main consciousness has to be clear. We have to follow the requirements of Dafa at every moment. That is, we should maintain righteous thoughts and behave righteously at all times. If we can do this, our truth-clarification will be very effective.
When I clarify the truth, I care most about fully conveying the idea, and less about what method I use to clarify the truth. Educated young practitioners are very capable in using computers or the Internet to clarify the truth. They could use their knowledge learned in school to clarify the truth. The people around me are mostly young people who suffer from the CCP's atheistic education. When I clarify the truth to them, I use the perspectives of basic human rights and freedoms to explain that Falun Gong is being persecuted. Normally they can accept the idea if they are compassionate. I think that we should clarify the truth in an open and upright manner. As Dafa disciples, we should be sure of ourselves. When we meet people who hold very negative ideas about Dafa, we should be even calmer and clarify the truth with rationality. I think that the contents of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and Disintegrating the Party Culture really help in truth-clarification. Many Chinese practitioners who still possess the CCP's concepts should become familiar with the contents of the Nine Commentaries and Disintegrating the Party Culture and obtain information from our media.