(Minghui.org) I have been practicing Falun Gong for 15 years, ever since I was 16 years old. Compassionate and magnificent Teacher has been beside me, protecting and guiding me. I know that Teacher has been watching over us for not only a few decades in this lifetime, but for many lifetimes since we began to descend to the earth. Teacher has been guiding us to obtain the Fa, cultivate, transcend mankind, and reach godhood. We Falun Gong practitioners have suffered just a little. It is Teacher that has suffered the most for us.
Teacher said,
"In offering salvation to people, there is no condition or consideration for cost, reward, or fame. They are thus far more noble than the heroes of everyday people. They do it completely out of their benevolent compassion." (Lecture Two of Zhuan Falun)
Teacher hopes to see us do the three things well, upgrade our cultivation level, reach Consummation, and return home with Teacher.
Cooperating with Fellow Practitioners to Validate the Beauty of Falun Gong
I started working for a private firm in 2009. The pay was not good, but there was not much to do, so I had a lot of time to do volunteer work to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. I thanked Teacher from the bottom of my heart. I knew I must treasure the good environment that Teacher had arranged for me and I must treasure the time. I had to cultivate myself well, save people with the time left, become a genuine Falun Gong practitioner, and assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification period.
There were three other practitioners at work. One was a man and the other two were mature women. The two ladies worked in the accounting and cashier department. We worked very hard and were honest and sincere. We tried to conduct ourselves according the standard of Falun Gong and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We made an impact on the work environment. As a result, our bosses and colleagues were pretty receptive to the truth about Falun Gong. Many of them have agreed to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and/or its affiliated organizations they were once a member of. In fact, our boss had a lot of respect for our faith in Falun Gong. Our boss never interfered when we clarified the truth about Falun Gong to our clients. Sometimes when he overheard our conversation, he would say, "Finish what you are saying before you start talking about work."
One day a policeman, who was also a client, came over. He was very excited and emotional at first and refused to listen. He made some bad comments. He raised his voice and began to argue. Then the two older ladies invited him into a room to avoid a scene and began to tell him about the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, about religious freedom, and about the popularity of Falun Gong outside of China. I kept sending forth righteous thoughts while they talked. When he left the room, he looked like a completely different person. He had a copy of the Nine Commentaries. He agreed to quit the CCP and its student organizations, and we parted on good terms. We were all very happy for him.
The fellow practitioner at the accounting department and I would print truth-clarification messages on the paper bills on pay day. Every time we entered the factory, the employees would greet us with a smile. Our boss had an increasing level of trust in us. Sometimes when he had to go on a business trip for a few days, he would ask us to look after his family. We looked after his child and clarified the truth to his child. His wife then asked us to do grocery shopping for her. She would ask how much she owed and paid us accordingly. She never doubted us. We touched them with our sincerity. We got along well, like a family. We were trusted with the company's insurance card, credit card, and even his identification. My boss really trusted us. I was required to stay in the office at all times, but the other three practitioners had to run a lot of errands for work. Once I finished my work, I would use my spare time to visit Minghui.org, download the names of the police officers that were assisting in the persecution of Falun Gong, write them letters, and post them when I had time. I sent letters, text messages and emails to save people by keeping them from persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
We never felt pleased with ourselves because of how much we had done. We never competed with each other on doing these things. We knew everything was a gift from Teacher. We only wished we could have done more. I learned to distinguish validating the Fa from validating ourselves during that period of time. When I think back about the period shortly after July 1999, I realize I did a lot to clarify the truth about Falun Gong, but I always thought about what "I" did. I wanted to do it all so that Teacher would approve of me. As I learned to cooperate with fellow practitioners, I gradually learned that everything was a result of teamwork. I learned to let go of myself. To send out a flyer with facts about Falun Gong, some practitioners had to write, some had to get them published on Minghui.org, some had to download and print them, and finally some had to distribute them. Only when we cooperate with each other will we be able to save people. Everyone plays an important role.
Have Faith in Teacher and the Fa; Prevail over the Persecution with Righteous Thoughts
After a practitioner from another town was arrested in the spring of 2010, two fellow practitioners and I were exposed and arrested. Another female practitioner escaped. It appeared that we weren't paying attention to mobile phone security and were tracked by the police. But I knew the root cause was a loophole in our cultivation practice. We were falling behind in studying the Fa and focusing only on doing truth-clarification work. The loophole caused so many practitioners to be arrested.
While I was incarcerated in the detention center, I went on a hunger strike, refused to being a slave, and searched inward. I found a lot of problems in my cultivation: I didn't concentrate when I studied the Fa, I focused on doing things, and scratched only the surface when I searched inward. That is how the old forces were able to take advantage. Once I identified my problems, I kept sending forth righteous thoughts and denied the persecution that the old forces had arranged. When I had time, I would clarify the truth to the people in the detention center. Some agreed to quit the CCP and its organizations. I also clarified the truth about Falun Gong to the guards there. They often asked me to their office so that they could learn more about Falun Gong. A female guard told me a day before I was taken to the forced labor camp, "We know Falun Gong is good. Keep it in your heart. Don't tell others. Practice Falun Gong secretly in the privacy of your own home." I told her to remember, “Falun Gong is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I was glad that she was concerned for my safety, but I had to speak up for Falun Gong because Falun Gong gave me everything. The guard said she understood and respected me.
Soon I was taken to a forced labor camp. An older female practitioner and I were put in the same group, but I was locked in an isolated room with only one table and one chair. I was watched at all times. I was not even allowed to go downstairs to the canteen. I ate alone in the room with absolutely no contact with any fellow practitioner. The person that watched us didn't want to spend time in the room, either. I was all alone. I had never been so alone. Time passed very slowly. I spent a long time sending forth righteous thoughts and memorizing the Fa every day, but I felt lonely sometimes. I resorted to singing songs written by practitioners. I had a terrible time. I was always crying. I had dreams at night where Teacher encouraged me to stand up and charge forward. But I felt listless and lacked self-confidence.
One day I saw a disciplinary staff employee carrying a copy of Touring North America to Teach the Fa. Then a fellow practitioner gave me a copy of "Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples." I felt very motivated. I started doing the Falun Gong exercises and studied the Fa in the room. Next I was allowed to go downstairs to the canteen. An elderly practitioner I knew asked me before she was released, "Do you dare to keep Teacher's articles?" "Of course I dare," I replied. She gave me all of her articles. I was very happy. I thanked Teacher in my heart! I knew Teacher was encouraging me. I thought, "I fear nothing with Teacher and the Fa."
I started studying Teacher's articles day and night. With three months I was no longer being kept isolated. I was able to spend time with fellow practitioners. They had the entire book of Zhuan Falun handwritten from memory and many articles. The inmates that were ordered to watch us helped us to watch out for the guards after we clarified the truth to them. As a result, we were able to study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts at set hours, and even memorize Falun Gong books and articles.
I decided to memorize Zhuan Falun five months later. I had noticed fellow practitioners had memorized Zhuan Falun, but I didn't persevere. Now I no longer had any excuse not to memorize Zhuan Falun. I found it difficult to concentrate at first, because I had to constantly watch out for guards and inmates. I had to memorize the Fa and work at the same time. I kept Zhuan Falun in my sleeve. I would read two sentences and put it back in my sleeve. I skipped the afternoon nap, slept less at night, and woke up earlier to find time to memorize the Fa. I upgraded quickly while memorizing the Fa. I eliminated attachments quickly. We also transcribed the Fa for fellow practitioners in other sections and passed them along while doing the dishes. When they got a new article, they would pass it to us. We also wrote down the persecution we witnessed or experienced, and fellow practitioners would send them to Minghui.org when they were released. Another practitioner and I protected Falun Gong articles. Every time prison guards searched our cells, we were able to hide the articles from the guards with our righteous thoughts and wisdom.
One day someone reported me to the guard when she saw me exchanging Falun Gong articles. The captain searched our cell, but she did not find anything because we sent forth righteous thoughts. Then she asked to see me in her office. I was not afraid. I kept sending forth righteous thoughts. She told me to admit it since she had an eyewitness. She had me standing there for a long time, but I would not admit it. I continued to send forth righteous thoughts. I was confident that fellow practitioners were sending forth righteous thoughts. She soon gave up and let me go.
While I was incarcerated, I studied Teacher's articles many times. I memorized Zhuan Falun and transcribed Zhuan Falun and other articles. I was finally released without compromising my faith in Falun Gong. I believe that I will ultimately prevail as long as I have faith in Teacher and the Fa. Teacher said,
"The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." ("Drive Out Interference" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Teacher Helped Me Catch Up with Fa-Rectification
When I was released in September 2010, I had absolutely nothing. But I quickly found a rental apartment with Teacher's help. I found a job, too. It was a small apartment of only 20 square meters. Life was difficult, but I was very happy. I found time to study all the Falun Gong books again within several months. I studied the Fa while doing things to validate the Fa the best I could.
When copies of the Shen Yun Performing Arts show were made available in 2012, several fellow practitioners and I bought a printer, CD-ROMS, and a CD burner to produce a large number of Shen Yun DVDs. I identified many attachments, but I managed to eliminate them once I searched inward. Only when we have a pure heart will we be able to do well in clarifying the truth about Falun Gong.
One day I accidentally cut the stickers for the DVD cover lopsided. I didn't think it was a big deal, so I used them anyway. I had a dream that night where a policeman asked to see me in the police station. Sheets of the lopsided DVD stickers were laid on his desk. He said, "Look at these. Let me tell you something. I will leave you alone if you do well. I will hunt you down if you don't do well." I shared my dream with a fellow practitioner the next day. We both realized that we had to treat truth-clarification materials solemnly. We must not do things in a rush. We must ensure the quality so that we can present the beauty of Falun Gong. It shows our sincerity in saving people.
Sending facts about Falun Gong via voice messaging was introduced to our area in March 2012. Several practitioners and I began to learn the technology, but we had different opinions at first. We tried to follow the instructions on Minghui.org. When we had problems, we had to find ways to solve them on our own. Sometimes the phone worked, but when it was passed along to fellow practitioners, it stopped working. Then those practitioners would blame us. I knew it had to do with me, but I still felt I had been blamed unjustly. I knew I had neglected to cultivate myself. We exchanged our thoughts and cultivation insights. We decided that we must do well. When a mobile phone failed to work the next time, we all knew we had to cooperate with each other. I was truly appreciative of fellow practitioners' help. I did the coordination work while the actual work was done by others. No one complained. We saw each other's designated work as our own. We occasionally had small conflicts, but we never held grudges. We would search inward, cultivate ourselves well, encourage each other, enhance our cultivation together, catch up with the Fa-rectification, and assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification. In the past two months I felt I didn't do enough in clarifying the truth, so I asked an elderly practitioner to take me with her when she went out to clarify the truth. This was really good for me. I saw my own problems and I learned a lot from her. I upgraded very quickly. I must catch up on clarifying the truth so that I can do better in distributing Shen Yun DVDs and software applications that prevail over China's Internet blockade.
Now that I know my problems, I know studying the Fa well and cultivating myself are key in saving people. Whenever we had time, we would study the Fa in a group. We would study the Fa calmly, search inward based on the Fa, cultivate ourselves and save people.
I now have a higher standard when I send forth righteous thoughts. A lot of fellow practitioners post articles sharing what they saw when they sent forth righteous thoughts. I did not have excellent celestial vision, but I could see sparkles. Sometimes I could see many sparkles. I knew those were bad things, so I would eliminate them quickly. It was very important to cleanse myself. I felt powerful energy when I sent forth righteous thoughts with several fellow practitioners. It was much more powerful than when I did it alone. I am not attached to seeing other dimensions. I believe in the power Teacher granted me. I try to focus and be free of interfering thoughts. I am confident in my ability to eliminate bad elements with Teacher's help.
Let Go of Self, Reach Selflessness
The Fa-rectification has come to an end. Everyone is diligently and solidly cultivating himself/herself in order to save more people. However, the old forces are still exploiting loopholes in our thoughts. We will not acknowledge the laws of the old forces. We are entering the new universe. How do we completely deny the law of the old universe? I had a bottleneck in my cultivation not long ago. I kept searching inward only to find that I was most attached to myself. I could not be selfless. It was the most severe problem of my cultivation.
With the help of Fa study, I am finally giving up pursuit in cultivation that was driven by my attachment to “self.” That was not real cultivation before. How would I be able to reach my true self? Although I have identified the problem and am working toward being selfless, I still have a long way to go. When a bad thought surfaces, I can identify it and deny it. Only when I stop being attached to self and attain selflessness will I be granted access to the new universe and reach Consummation.
I am no longer attached to time, my cultivation level, or how much I have done for Falun Gong. I just do what I am supposed to do. I know Teacher is giving us the best. There is no distance between Falun Gong practitioners on the final leg of the journey of Fa-rectification. We will save more people in the limited period of time remaining, leave no regret for ourselves and leave the history of our sacred relationship with Teacher forever in the universe.
These ordinary words cannot express my sincere appreciation and respect for Teacher. I can only try to do better in my cultivation.
Please kindly point out anything inappropriate in my understanding.
Thank you, Teacher!
Thank you, fellow practitioners!
Heshi!
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