(Minghui.org) When I recall the ten-plus years of walking my cultivation path, I feel a bit pleased, yet worried. I feel pleased because I have walked well on the path that Master has arranged for me, but worried because compared with very diligent practitioners, there is still a great distance between us. Since I started Dafa cultivation, I have always had one thought in the back of my mind, that is trusting Master and the Fa, and wholeheartedly following Master in Fa-rectification.
Obtaining the Fa “Accidentally”
The wife of a retired colleague at my company brought in two books in late autumn 1998. When I saw her, she was trying to spread the teachings of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) to the director of discipline at my company. She was telling her how wonderful the books and the practice were. She said one of the manager's relatives wanted to borrow the books. Because the manager was not in that day, she asked the director if she could leave the books with her until the next day. The director hesitated and I said out of curiosity, “Leave the books with me. I will return them to you tomorrow.” So, this elderly lady left me a copy of Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun (Volume II).
I managed to finish reading the books that night, and I was very moved by them. I was a lover of literature, and had read many Eastern and Western literary classics. But no books had fascinated me as much as these.
The next day, when the lady came back to pick up her books, she told me that Master's video lectures would be played in a building near the company, and said that since today was the last day, I should not miss the opportunity to go. Upon hearing this, the director of discipline didn't seem to be interested, but I was very eager to go. I called a few of my good friends before I got off work to see if they could go with me to attend the video lecture. As soon as we walked into the hall where the lecture was being held, I saw my neighbor, a lady who lived in the same building I did. I felt a bit surprised.
The lecture we listened to that night was the last one Master gave in Dalian City. We were very excited to see how young and good looking Master was, and yet he could expound on such high-level principles. The night after we finished the lecture, I had some physical reactions. My head began aching and my stomach felt cramped. I had always been a very weak person who was stricken with illnesses, and heavily relied on drugs to maintain my health. I grabbed a few bottles of different drugs and put them on the table, deciding which ones I was going to take. Right at that moment, my neighbor (the lady I saw at the video lecture) came up from downstairs and said, “The drain system of the building is down. We are having a meeting in my house to solve this problem. You are the only person missing for the meeting.” I hurried to join them.
I was the last one to leave after the meeting. I said to the lady, “I have had loose bowels and kept vomiting since I came back from the lecture.” She pulled me back from the door, closed it behind me, and asked, “You are now practicing Falun Gong, right? Master is purifying your body.” Skeptical, I asked, “Is it really that magical?” She said, “I have been practicing Falun Gong for six months. If you truly believe in the practice, without taking any drugs, I can guarantee you that you will be healed within two or three days.” I thought to myself, “Will my illness really be healed without drugs?” As I was wondering about this, I suddenly felt my head stop aching and I no longer felt nauseous. I said to the lady, “My head stopped aching.” She said, “If you believe in Master, he will take care of you.” I asked, “How do I learn the practice then?” She said, “I have several books. If you want to learn, I will lend them to you.”
I borrowed five books from the lady. Afterwards, I buried myself in Master's books. Just like Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“At present, no other person is truly teaching people toward high levels like me. In the future you will realize what I have done for you. Thus, I hope that you do not have very poor enlightenment quality. A lot of people want to practice cultivation toward high levels. This is now provided right before you, and you may still be unaware of it. You have been everywhere looking for a teacher and spent a fortune, yet you have found nothing. Today, it is offered to you at your doorstep, and maybe you have not realized it! This is an issue of whether you can become enlightened to it and whether you can be saved.”
After I started practicing Falun Gong, my friends and relatives were greatly influenced by the practice, due to the changes they witnessed in me. Eight people, including my mother, sister, and friends, subsequently took up the practice. Some of them experienced enormous changes just by believing in Dafa. For example, my sister's brother-in-law had uremia and a transplanted kidney. Because the kidney was not a good match, he was completely incapacitated. The doctor told him that he would only live six months. His wife hired a nanny to take care of him, and the nanny practiced Falun Gong. After the nanny recited Zhuan Falun to him, he managed to get up from the bed and move around by himself. The nanny later left the job for some reason, and my sister went to his house a few times to tell him about the supernatural powers of Falun Dafa. His health quickly recovered. Now he is able drive a car. He is still healthy after seven years.
My brother, who didn't believe in Falun Dafa, last year suddenly experienced terrible stomach pain. He went to the hospital and was diagnosed with gallstones. The doctor told him that surgery would be required to remove them. Because he had been laid off by his company and had two children to take care of, he had no money to pay for the surgery. He thought, “This time, I have to listen to my sister.” So I gave him an “amulet” (a talisman with the writing “Falun Dafa is good” on it). He silently recited “Falun Dafa is good!” and instantly the pain stopped. Two days later, he went back to the hospital and was told that the gallstones had disappeared. He now truly believes in Falun Dafa.
Passionately Helping Others and Clarifying the Facts to Save Them
The evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began using the state-run news media to defame and suppress Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999. I was very calm at the time. After studying Master's lectures, I concluded that the evil CCP was starting to persecute Falun Dafa, so I forced myself to become even more diligent and read Master's lectures more intensively every day. I also asked the lady living downstairs and several other practitioners from my company to study the Fa with me.
One day, the director of discipline came to see me. She told me that her boss wanted her to report to hime the number of Falun Gong practitioners in the company, so she asked me to do it. I told her sternly, “If you report us to your boss, you will have no peace from now on. Tomorrow, your boss will send someone to come to confiscate our books. The day after tomorrow, they will come to make trouble for us. In other words, you are pushing us towards the fire.” She said, “Could it be that serious?” I said, “Do you remember the Cultural Revolution? How many good people were framed and killed? I have a clear understanding of the CCP. Aren't you aware of its evilness?” She seemed to understand, and said, “I will just listen to you then. But please make sure you speak with the other Falun Gong practitioners first.” When I was finally asked to report the number of practitioners in my company, I wrote, “None.”
We established a regular schedule for Fa study and exercises, and went out to distribute truth-clarifying materials. One night, we went to an apartment building. It was so dark that we couldn't even see our fingers. As I plucked a sticker off of the backing paper, I saw a golden spark. Instantly, this experience warmed my heart, as I understood it to be encouragement given to me by Master. On another occasion, I went to hand out truth-clarification materials in a residence where the police and their families lived. As I was approaching the building, I saw three police officers near the staircases. If I were to turn my head and leave, they would become suspicious. Thus, I chose to walk straight forward to the staircases and through them, while sending forth righteous thoughts. After I finished distributing all the materials, the police officers left.
I remember Master said,
“Validate the Fa with rationality, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and save people with mercy” (“Rationality,” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
During the ten-plus years of validating the Fa and clarifying the facts to save sentient beings, I have gained much understanding and insight. Because I was in a leadership position in my company, I knew a lot of people, below and above me, and I often tried to clarify the facts to them face-to-face. The results were great. However, I also ran into some interference. One day, as I was clarifying the facts to five people in the office, one of the ladies said, “You have always tried to spread Falun Gong in the office. I really want to report you to the Public Security Bureau.”
Just like Master said,
“I said that just by remaining unmoved you could handle all situations.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Canada Fa Conference”)
I wasn't moved by her at all. As I was trying to reason with her calmly, the young assistant manager of the company said, “The CCP is very corrupt. Falun Gong is right.” The lady became speechless. Later, when this lady ran into some problems, I offered to help her. She was very grateful for my kindness. I had also tried to clarify the facts with her several times in a private setting. She finally agreed to withdraw from the CCP.
My company was later bought out, and all employees were laid off. In order to make a living, I found a job in the marketing department of a financial services company. Because I had a lot of contact with people, I seized every opportunity I could to clarify the facts to them face-to-face. The result was excellent.
I usually brought a few Falun Dafa amulets and a picture of an Udumbara flower with me to my workplace. In a Buddhist scripture, it says that when the Udumbara flower blossoms on earth, the real savior has arrived to offer salvation to all people. When customers came to me for services, I helped them enthusiastically, and then clarified the facts to them. I also asked them to quit the CCP.
I sometimes had to go door-to-door, to do marketing. I was not always successful in marketing the product, but I always clarified the facts to my customers. I usually started the conversation by talking about regular household trivia, our company's products, and then talked about the corruption of the CCP. I always tried to convince my customers to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, and tell them that Falun Dafa was being persecuted. I also told them that believing in Falun Dafa was acknowledging the existence of Buddha. They agreed with me.
I had the opportunity to greet my old directors, managers, and supervisors whom I hadn't seen for decades. I started by talking about my health. I then talked about the stone found in Guizhou City carved with the words “The Chinese Communist Party Perishes.” I persuaded them to quit the CCP and most agreed.
I also used the opportunity to go to food markets to clarify the facts to people. For example, I clarified the facts to a vendor when I returned him the money that he overpaid me. I returned the extra change to him by saying, “It mustn’t be easy for you to do business on the street. Since I practice “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” I won't let you lose anything. I then went on to tell him the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong and asked him to remember that Falun Dafa is good.
I sometimes used the example of my elderly mother to clarify the facts to people. I started by saying that when my mother was 76 years old, she was about to die, and we already had the funeral clothing prepared for her. I asked her to recite “Falun Dafa is good!” After doing so for ten days, she regained her health. She is 86 now and is still very healthy. She has not taken a pill for ten years. After I tell people this story, they are amazed by the power of Dafa. I have always seized every opportunity to clarify the facts to people.
Setting Up a Truth-clarification Materials Production Site and Fa Study Group, and Helping Fellow Practitioners Who Have Failed to Return to Cultivation
Before I established a truth-clarification materials production site in my home, I had always actively shouldered the responsibility of delivering the materials to other practitioners. I always wished to read and produce first-hand truth-clarification materials, but due to economic reasons, I couldn't do it. However, in May 2005, having my own production site became possible. When I was laid off from work, my company gave me some money. After paying off all my debts, I used the leftover money to buy a computer and printer. I did not know how to use a computer and I was 50 years old at the time. I felt that picking up computer skills was going to be very hard for me and I was very anxious. However, one day, I was awakened by a fellow practitioner who said, “Learning to use the computer is also the process of your cultivation.” I was subsequently able to gain some computer knowledge. I made truth-clarification materials for just a few practitioners at first, and I now supply materials to dozens of them. Although I sometimes feel tired, my heart is at peace.
When I delivered materials to some of the practitioners, I found that they were falling behind in their cultivation. One elderly practitioner had an attachment to money. She said she wanted to make a million dollars for her grandchild. She was always very busy running around doing so-called direct sales. Even the CD in her TV was about how to make more money. I had tried to wake her up but she didn't listen to me. One day, I delivered one of Master's new articles to her. She didn't want to take it, saying that it might be a sham copy. I advised her not to lose Dafa for money. She said, “Mind your own business.” Later, when she broke her leg, she almost collapsed. I have repeatedly tried to pull her back from the edge of the cliff and wake her up. Her leg is now getting much better.
Another elderly practitioner had started the practice shortly after the persecution began in July 1999. Because of fear, she stopped had studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. I had tried to help her come back to the practice a few times but she didn't do so. Later, an old illness of hers recurred, and taking drugs didn't help. I again tried to persuade her to return to Dafa. She promised she would, but she never returned to pick up the Dafa books. One day, she was hit by a truck loaded with 30 tons of cargo. When that happened, her mind was in a sober condition, and she thought, “Master Li is helping me. I won't have any problems.” Her bike was crushed but she was without any major injuries. Some who witnessed the accident said, “This old lady must be a believer in Buddha.” The only injury was a lump on her forehead. She didn't extort any money from the driver. After I heard about her accident, I rushed to see her, and brought her a copy of Zhuan Falun. I told her that Master saved her in the accident. I taught her the exercises and studied the Fa with her. She didn't take any drugs, and was completely healed within one month. Her relatives and colleagues also witnessed the supernatural power of Dafa.
There was once a very diligent elderly practitioner who went to Beijing to validate the Fa. She had been illegally arrested and detained in prison. After she was released, she went astray. I tried to help her but she didn't listen to me. She claimed she had achieved consummation. I didn't give up on her, and continued delivering materials to her. One day, I saw her on the street, and said to her that our encounter was no accident, as it was arranged by Master, who didn't want to give up on any practitioner. She was finally moved by my sincerity, and proactively came to my house to ask for Master's new articles.
Another veteran practitioner, who was busy running her business and making money, hadn't studied the Fa for over a year. One day, she was making a delivery to one of her customers and was hit by a car, then run over by a truck. People on the street were shocked by what they saw, and thought that she must have been killed. She then slowly got up from the ground. Her left hand had been crushed by the truck, and her head and feet were slightly injured. She then suddenly had the thought that she was a Dafa disciple. She didn't extort any money from the driver or go to the hospital. Her neighbors and relatives said, “If you don't go to the hospital, you will have osteonecrosis and tetanus, and it is very dangerous.” I went to see her several times to study the Fa with her. Through studying the Fa, she acknowledged her fault. Blood started to circulate in her left arm. Her wound festered because her daughter tried to clean it with tea. She had a dream one night about a red watermelon that was splashed with dirty water. She enlightened that she shouldn't use tea to clean the wound. When that thought came out, the wound stopped festering. A week later, she was completely healed.
For the past 13 years, I have always put Dafa first, and have never stopped studying the Fa, practicing the exercises, sending forth righteous thoughts, and clarifying the facts. Because of this, everything goes smoothly for me. However, I still feel I am falling behind in truth-clarification and sending forth righteous thoughts. I sometimes can't calm myself down during Fa study. I know that I have to improve more on this in the future. I have to study the Fa well, send forth strong righteous thoughts, and clarify the facts to save more sentient beings. I will walk the path firmly that Master has arranged for me, and fulfill my historic vow.
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