(Clearwisdom.net)
Greeting fellow practitioners!
I am a new Falun Gong practitioner who began learning the Fa in August of 2009. I am a college student and cultivate alone. I would like to share my experience on clarifying the truth about Falun Gong, studying the Fa and cultivating my heart.
Clarifying the Truth to College students
I obtained the Fa when I was a sophomore. As I increased my Fa study, I understood that saving sentient beings is a Dafa disciple’s vow and mission. I tried to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to the people around me. In the beginning, I had the attachment of fear, and worried that others would report me. After talking with my friends about Falun Dafa, I kept reminding them to keep our conversations private. I also worried about how they thought of me after that, so the effect of saving them was not good.
I knew I did not have enough righteous thoughts and my human notions were hindering me. I started to memorize the Fa and I improved a lot. One time I clarified the truth to a student who was about to graduate. I asked him whether he believed that gods existed. When he said no, I felt this was going to be hard to continue. But right away I rejected this thought and just wanted to save him. I asked Master to strengthen me. Although I still had a little fear during the talk, he readily agreed to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. I knew Master was encouraging me to let go of worrying.
With Fa study, my cultivation state has improved. I became more wise and mature, and the effect of my clarifying the truth was getting better. I don’t worry too much anymore when clarifying the truth about Falun Gong. People would quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations as long as I stayed on topic. But when I had zealotry or was not applying the strict requirements to myself, the effect of clarifying the truth was not good. I believe that my poor cultivation state at that time was affecting the outcome of saving these sentient beings. Sometimes people know the truth, but they still refuse to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
In “Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa,” Master said:
“If you are to save me, you have to reach my level first, and you must have this measure of mighty virtue before you can save me. Without such mighty virtue, without having reached my stature, how could you save me?” So they would have you trip and fall, suffer, and eliminate your attachments, after which, with your mighty virtue having been established, you will have cultivated to that level and be able to save them. That’s how they want to have it.” (Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa)
I understand that if people do not quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, it was because I did not reach that high of a level. If I want to save more people, I needed to be diligent and raise my level.
Nowadays too many students have been poisoned by the CCP’s atheism. Many students read the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Community Party and know a lot about the subject, but they just refuse to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. One of the reasons for that is they no longer believe in Gods, Buddha’s and Dao’s.
So when clarifying the truth, I usually start with what atheism and theism are. I use the facts and accepted theories to show that atheism is wrong and foolish. Then I briefly describe the structure of the universe and help them understand that a human being is so tiny and insignificant, and life is so abundant and complex. I would then talk about the legends, and development of our five thousand years of Chinese civilization, up to the present day under the CCP’s brutal rule. Finally I’d come to quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Clarifying the truth this way makes it easier to eliminate the poison in a student’s mind systematically, and it helps them understand the meaning of quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Even if some do not believe it and do not quit the CCP now, he will know the way to escape disasters in the future. This form of truth clarification has one drawback in that it takes one to two hours to finish . In order to save more people, I try to talk to many people at the same time or talk briefly to each one.
Letting Go of Everything, Completely Assimilating to Dafa
Over a period of time I wondered how I could improve quickly in my cultivation. Master said: "But true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining." (Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.)
I enlightened that cultivators need to continuously assimilate to Dafa and let go of our various attachments and desires. We need to firmly believe in Dafa, and replace our human notions and self with the Fa. By the end of cultivation, our human notions, thinking, and old factors are all replaced by the Fa, and we will become a completely new divine being forged by this Dafa.
Master said:
"… for all that a person is doing in this world is merely enjoying the feelings and sensations that are brought to him by living the course of his life. My putting it this way is quite accurate. And why do I say so? Though people think that they are in charge of themselves, deciding what they want to do, the truth is, and they are merely pursuing certain feelings as a result of postnatally formed habits and attachments that stem from their likings. And that’s all it is. Whereas what’s really at work, leading that person to want to do something, are factors behind the scenes, which are utilizing the person’s habits, attachments, notions, desires, and such things" (Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference)
I understood that my vanity is brought about by attachments to the feeling and sensations acquired during the course of my life. They make me think that they are good and comfortable, but they are extremely low and dirty .
At the same time the bad beings are using those feelings to control you in this lifetime. For example, when a practitioner sees a picture of a beautiful woman, the attachment of lust will make him feel the enjoyment of beauty. If the practitioner stops and wants to look at it more, he then becomes the victim of that lust, and the attachment becomes much stronger. The more he wants to see the picture, the stronger the attachment becomes. It’s very dangerous for the practitioner if he does not realize this. If a practitioner indulges in the feeling even a little bit, the attachment becomes quite dangerous.
Master said: "So steel the will, and lift thy leaden leg,
Endure the pain, diligent, and cast off attachments;" (Climbing Mount Tai, Hong Yin).
To let go of the attachment, we need to use our strong will and deeply understand the Fa principles. Especially when facing a tribulation or making a choice, we need to choose between letting go of the attachment, assimilating to the Fa or choosing the current human interest. The difference in choice reveals whether we are diligently advancing towards consummation or choosing to be human.
Master said:
“Barriers are like mountains
How to transcend the mortal world" (Severing, Hong Yin Volume II)
When I enlightened to this Fa principle, a tribulation came to test me. My heart was moved when buying a cell phone. I wanted to buy a good cell phone and I’d spent a lot of time studying the disadvantages of a given cell phone before I bought it. I planned to buy it online, but could not make a decision. I decided to buy it from a shop. Without righteous thoughts I did not see the advantage of the cell phone. The appearance stems from the mind. As a result the price at the shop was much higher than buying it online. Also the components did not match, so I could not upgrade the software. My wish to have a good cell phone did not happen and this moved my heart. I faced the test of whether I could let go of the attachment to my own interests, and whether I could endure feeling wronged. Without righteous thoughts, in the end I chose to change to a new one
On the second day I switched to another cell phone, and I upgraded the software in the evening. I found the screen had bad dots on it and I hadn’t noticed the problem before I bought it. In that moment I could not tolerate this problem and my heart was moved again. I understood this was a test for me. I knew what I should choose, but it was so hard to do it. The bad dots on the screen materialized to remind me of the holes in my cultivation .
I decided not to do anything this time. I knew the result was caused by my attachments. Since it happened, I should not care about gain or loss. Letting go of the attachment is the most important.
Master said :
"I don’t emphasize any specific approach; I use various means to expose your deeply-concealed attachments and get rid of them." (Digging Out the Roots , Essentials for Further Advancement)
I looked inwards and found my attachment to the cell phone stemmed from my own feelings and preferences. I could not endure and worried about my loss.
I began to understand the Fa principle of loss and gain, and I needed to replace my notions with this Fa. I tried to make this process of assimilating to the Fa correct and clear. When the bad thoughts of feeling wronged manifested, I had to recall the Fa.
Master said,
"Forbearance is the key to improving one’s xinxing. To endure with anger, grievance, or tears is the forbearance of an everyday person who is attached to his concerns. To endure completely without anger or grievance is the forbearance of a cultivator." (What is Forbearance (Ren), Essentials for Further Advancement).
I knew my true self should think this way and soon my human attachment was dissolving and being replaced by the Fa. I really understood what it means to assimilate to the power of the Fa.
Master said:
"A person is like that wood chip, and this Dafa of the cosmos is like that furnace of molten steel. To assimilate a person, to assimilate one person, is just so easy." (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in New Zealand)
This made me realize that cultivation is not only to enlighten to the high level principles, but it is most important to cultivate diligently and let go of the human attachments without delay.
Master said
"What I think is: The only path that lies before you, the disciples of Dafa, is one of real cultivation. There is no other path." (What is a Dafa Disciple)
Strong righteous thoughts, a will of steel, and Fa study are needed to assimilate to the Fa.
Through Fa study I also enlightened that humans have a basic attachment, the desire of something. Because of this, people will act upon that feeling, which is directly connected to selfishness. Without any desire, without selfishness, a life will not moved by the low level things. When we let go of those things, we can truly be free of desire and we can cultivate to become a selfless, altruistic enlightened being.
I realized that the Fa rectification process is reaching the end. Who knows how long Dafa disciples have left to save sentient beings. It’s time to let go of all human notions and attachments and save more people, so that we can be worthy of Master choosing us to be Dafa disciples. We will not disappoint Master, who has mercifully saved us.
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