(Minghui.org) I obtained the Fa in June of 1995. Looking back at those 18 years of cultivation, my understanding is to trust in Master and the Fa, and search within while comparing myself to the teachings of the Fa. There are still things I haven’t done well, and there are no coincidences on the cultivation path; everything has a reason.
Every day I carefully examine myself twice. Once is while standing in front of Master’s portrait, thinking about where I still have human attachments. The other time is every morning during the sitting meditation. While I still can’t achieve that state of having no distracting thoughts – a tranquil mind during practice – I can discern among these distracting thoughts which ones I need to let go. After eliminating the ones that do not meet the requirements of the Fa, and eliminating human attachments, my mind becomes clean and clear, and wisdom is also created, enlightening me to what I need to do next. A lot of times I cannot reach this state right away, so I increase the time of my sitting meditation. After the pain becomes intense, I become more clearheaded, as forbearance and tranquility can be obtained through suffering, and suffering can also eliminate distractions.
It seems that some karma has multiple layers that formed over a long period of history. Also, since Buddha nature and demon nature both exist in one’s body, I understand the need for persistence in cultivation to overcome tribulations. I believe that the cultivation path that Master has planned for me is the best. It is my staircase to the heavens, and there are standards for each step, with tests and tribulations for each level.
With so many details, it’s hard to explain all that has happened in the past 18 years. Fortunately, I often warn myself that I must not slack off in cultivation, and then when things suddenly happen, I can remain calm.
First, I want to talk about a recent car accident and my cultivation experience during this tribulation.
Around noon on January 30, the traffic light was red when I stepped off of the bus. A line of cars stopped for me, so I dashed across the main road. Just as I nearly reached the other side, a sedan came from a side road going very fast. The front bumper of the car hit the back of my legs and I fell back onto the hood of the car. The driver saw me and slammed on the breaks. The momentum sent me flying off the car and I landed more than 10 feet away on the side of the road. At this time, my head was clear, and I immediately thought, “I’m fine.” I got up and started walking away. After I got about 150 meters away, the driver who hit me and a bystander caught up to me. I didn’t stop and simply said, “I’m fine, you can leave.” They followed me for a while, saw that I could still walk, so they left.
I have cultivated in Falun Dafa for 18 years, and today I’m 78 years old. When this great tribulation came, seeking my life, my thought was, “I’m fine, you can leave.” After arriving at the location where we were preparing to promote the upcoming Shen Yun performance, I worked on putting together doorknob advertisements for Shen Yun for more than two hours. A fellow practitioner came to bring me some lunch. As I was eating, I felt dizzy, and had some nausea; I was sweating, and felt like I was going to pass out. At this time, I realized that my heart also suffered a shock. I set the food aside, and found a bump the size of an egg on the back of my head. There was blood running down my nose, so a practitioner asked if I wanted a bandage. I said no need; it will be fine once it stops bleeding. I was shaking when I walked, so the practitioner wanted to help. I said no need, I will walk myself. Then another practitioner asked if I needed a cane. I knew that this tribulation was a test, and I shouldn't seek anything, I couldn’t let human notions move me. Master used the caring hearts of practitioners to test me.
That night, my son heard about the accident, so he hurried over to take care of me. He asked if I could stand up. I said yes, and pushed down on the floor with my hands and stood up. That night, my legs swelled up to twice their normal size due to internal bleeding, I still managed to sit in the full lotus position for 17 minutes while sending righteous thoughts. I recalled that Master mentioned that a certain practitioner was able to sit in full lotus with a fractured pelvis; my tribulation was much smaller than hers.
I couldn’t fall asleep even at 1 a.m., 2 a.m., or 3 a.m. Then I thought, isn’t it just pain? I will make you even more painful, like Master said, “You are cold, I will be even cooler than you.” I pulled my legs up to meditate, and the pain really reached into the bones. The pain from meditating like that was even greater than the wound. When the pain reached its limits, I simply fell down and slept. When I woke up again I listened to the Fa. The second day, the bump on my head disappeared, but the back of my head, my internal organs, muscles, and hip bone all felt like they were in the process of deforming and reforming. I was careful to keep a positive attitude.
Because my first thought was righteous, the old forces couldn’t block it, and it is indeed a case of "After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!" Master saw that I reached the xinxing standard, and helped me. I gained new insights into Master’s Fa, such as what genuine cultivation is, true cultivation; remaining unmoved when faced with a major xinxing test; believing in Master and the Fa. That is when the miracles of the Fa will appear.
Eleven days after the accident, I was able to spend three hours outside at a gathering of practitioners. I lost 10 pounds in 15 days, but I was able to stand up the first day, and I paid for a debt of life and death. Nearing the end of cultivation, the experience of breaking through a barrier seems better to be shared then kept inside. How can the legs of a 78-year-old be this solid? This is a miracle of Dafa and righteous thoughts.
Three days after the injury, I felt a bit afraid of what might have happened. If I didn’t have that first righteous thought, didn’t leave the scene immediately while not caring to look for signs of injuries, then in half a minute, the driver who hit me and the bystanders would have called for the police and an ambulance. They would have carried me to the hospital to be examined and treated, and then all would have been too late. This is one difference between a divine being and a man; the critical thing is the first thought.
It was Master’s great mercy that helped me understand the Fa principles, and changed my notions. It also allowed me to safeguard my righteous thoughts at that critical moment, that resulted in the outcome today.
Today I wanted to share with fellow practitioners this sacredness and extraordinariness of Dafa, validated during such a dangerous situation. When climbing to the summit, we must not slack off, as cultivating that pure and righteous first thought is critical. Now I can do the sitting meditation for more than two hours each day, while every minute is more painful than the wounds, but karma is eliminated and my body is quickly purified. I’m now able to better reach tranquility, to be more forbearing, and my xinxing has also improved.
After the accident, I stayed at home for 10 days, suffering while sitting or lying down. Every bone and every cell was suffering. At this time I thought, so many people are helping to host Shen Yun, I can’t just stay like this at home. I will make steamed buns for those practitioners who are the most tired, and make them a good meal to eat. After spending the entire morning making the buns, I called a fellow practitioner to wait for me at the bus station. Then I took the subway and bus to deliver the buns. I worked from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., not giving up and was quite happy. I thought that a Dafa disciple is a selfless being, cultivating selflessness. Being able to put oneself aside is a sacred and meaningful thing to do. After doing all that, my legs felt much more comfortable than when I was just resting at home all day.
Master helped me as soon as I had a righteous thought. I said in front of Master’s portrait: Thank you, Master, Thank you, Dafa. This disciple will persist despite difficulties, honored by Master’s great benevolence, and will not let Master down.
Even a young man’s leg would have fractured with the impact I experienced, but my 78-year-old legs were fine. The legs were not swollen anymore three months after the incident; the only thing remaining is about a half-inch thick layer of rubber like skin. I realized that master added that layer right before I was hit to protect me. Eight words came into my heart, “Master’s grace can’t be repaid, and the Buddha Fa is boundless.”
About two weeks after I was injured, the Shen Yun mobile billboard truck had an accident while crossing a bridge and was bent at the middle, no longer operational. After hearing of this, I thought, as long as the poster itself wasn’t broken, I will fix it. This is a Fa-implement; I need to fix it. My injuries were not fully healed and I still couldn’t walk around very well, so doing work that required going up a ladder was difficult, and a bent steel truck would be hard to fix. However the poster damage was minor enough to still allow us to use it, so I made a wish that I would fix it despite all difficulties, and would fix it in a week. I sawed steel, cut out nails, and drilled holes while on a ladder. Even a storm didn’t stop me from working, and I didn’t let the leg pain bother me.
In only six days, fellow practitioners and I fixed the mobile billboard truck and saved a sentient being. The righteous thought of a Dafa disciple who walks the divine path is powerful. Whatever injury, whatever pain, we shouldn’t mind such things while saving people. When our hearts meet the standards, Master will do everything; what Master wants is that disciples have righteous thoughts. With righteous thoughts, we have divine abilities, all given by Master.
The principles of Falun Dafa are supernatural; only when the cultivator stays diligent in breaking through tribulations and hardship, can one taste the mighty power of righteous belief and righteous thoughts. The first thought must be righteous, then one must continue to break through oneself during the tribulations that follow.
Last night a piece of cloth stopped my electric saw. When I tugged on the piece of cloth, my hand hit the sharp edge and left a small cut; it bled a lot. A practitioner asked if I wanted a BandAid, but I said I didn’t need it. I wrapped the wound with a napkin and a piece of tape and continued working. The wound was healed the next day. Today’s Dafa disciples’ bodies are no longer human bodies, but our notions must also jump out of the human level, and must not be moved by human attachments. Master said, “Let go of ordinary people’s mentality; Obtaining Fa, one is already immortal” (“Saving Beings Far and Wide” from Hong Yin)
One can’t understand this level of the Fa if he can’t let go of human attachments.
I feel very happy that I can share with fellow practitioners of the Mid-USA region. It’s very fortunate that we will complete the last part of our cultivation together. Looking back, I realize that I have missed many opportunities and there are shortcomings that still remain, so I must continue to be diligent in genuine cultivation while looking inside.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, Dafa! Thank you, Fellow practitioners!
(Presented at the 2013 US Midwest Falun Dafa Sharing Conference)