(Minghui.org) With my mother’s encouragement, I began Falun Dafa cultivation practice in 1997, when I was in the fifth grade. However, in 1999 the Chinese Communist regime began persecuting Falun Gong. Under pressure from authorities, relatives, and school, and due to the fact that I had not gained sufficient understanding of Dafa, I stopped cultivating. This was a shame, as I have wasted so much time that I could have spent cultivating myself and clarifying the truth. I have finally returned to Dafa, and I would like to share with fellow practitioners the experiences I've had during the two years since my return. I hope that other former young practitioners will also resume cultivating.
1. Returning to Cultivation
After I returned to Dafa in late 2010, I experienced different kinds of interference that seemed to be trying to stop me from practicing. I wondered at first why these things happened the way they did. For example, whenever I picked up the Dafa books, I felt tired, sleepy, or my mind was filled with troublesome thoughts. Consequently, I could not finish reading one page of the Fa, and even if I knew every single word, I would not understand what I had just read, even very short sentences. There was soon non-stop interference which kept me from studying the Fa. It seemed as if I could find no time to study the Fa at all. Luckily my determination to cultivate in Dafa helped me to continue studying the Fa no matter what happened. Things improved after I finished reading Zhuan Falun the first time.
Fortunately I remained determined to practice and did not fall into the trap created by the old forces, because I knew that it would have been even more difficult for me to return to cultivation had I stopped again. I would like to remind fellow practitioners who have returned to Dafa that no matter how bad the interference, we should not stop studying the Fa or cultivating in Dafa. Master told us,
“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” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
2. Clarifying the Truth
The first new lecture that I read after returning to Dafa was “Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference,” where Master said,
“Though a human being is only human, he is in fact a representative of higher planes. Thus, when a human being commits a sin against Dafa, the body of lives behind him that he represents, from top to bottom, will see all of its countless gods and beings of every variety completely destroyed, because this is the Fa-rectification of the cosmos. Mercy is offered before the great disaster arrives, but the Fa-rectification is pitilessly strict.”
Master’s words profoundly shocked me, and I realized that Dafa disciples have very important responsibilities. I now knew why I came into this world, and that I should waste no time in saving sentient beings. I then began using cell phones to play recorded messages to people to clarify the truth.
As soon as I returned to Dafa, I began to clarify the truth. Some practitioners thought that it was not appropriate for a new practitioner to clarify the truth right away, and I agreed with them to a certain degree. I felt that it was sometimes difficult for a new practitioner to do it well, and if I could not do a good job, the results could be negative. However, looking at the matter from a different perspective, we know that time is tight and we do not have time to wait. Master said,
“But do you realize something? Those who were originally meant to have been saved last year [by Shen Yun, but didn’t go], have lost the opportunity forever. That’s because Fa-rectification is unceasingly forging ahead, step by step, and when it arrives at one cosmic plane it is time for that level of people; when it reaches a certain heavenly kingdom above, or a certain layer of cosmic body, it is time for that group of people to come see [the show], and next time around [when Shen Yun performs], that seat will belong to someone else. Do you realize how many lives have been lost?!” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa – Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference”)
My understanding is that when the Fa rectification reaches a certain layer of cosmic body, the group of people in that cosmic body will be saved. The chance will never come again if it is missed, so we must do our best to save as many people as we can.
I felt as that as long as my heart was pure, I was up to the Fa's standards, and I behaved in accordance with everyday people’s circumstances, I would not have problems clarifying the truth. Master said,
“The old forces don't dare to oppose our clarifying the truth or saving sentient beings. What's key is to not let them take advantage of the gaps in your state of mind when you do things.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston”)
Using cell phones to clarify the truth is both easy and relatively secure. It is a good way to clarify the truth for new practitioners like me, or those practitioners who have recently stepped forward.
I also use currency bills with truth-clarifying information written on them. When I first began using those bills, I always sent forth righteous thoughts hoping that whoever I handed the bills to would not notice the words on them so that the bills could circulate in the market. With that thought however, I had unintentionally pushed those people away. Besides, if I had that thought, those who received the currency might refuse to accept it, or they would report me to the police. I had thus acknowledged the persecution. When I use the bills now, I send forth righteous thoughts directly to those who receive the bills, “You’ve come here to learn the truth, not to obstruct the Fa rectification.” Meanwhile, I cleansed the evil factors and beings that have been hindering them from learning the truth. They are here to be saved by us, hence by receiving our bills which contain truth-clarification information, and then putting the bills into circulation, they have been given an opportunity to learn the truth, as well as accumulate good returns.
3. Maturing in Using Technical Skills on Dafa Tasks
With Master strengthening me and fellow practitioners helping me, I set up a site in my residence to print truth-clarifying materials in February 2011, and have been making materials ever since with no major problems. However, whenever the printer broke down, we had to wait a long time for our technical person to come and fix it, as he had a very tight schedule. The time spent waiting was wasted, since we would not be able to print new materials if we simply waited. I believed that saving more people was our first priority. Relying on a single practitioner to handle all technical problems made it easier for the old forces to take advantage of our gaps. I knew I had the responsibility to learn the technical skills and do the tasks well.
I began learning the skills on the Internet, but there was a discrepancy between watching others fix things on the Internet and doing it myself in real life. During the process, many of my human attachments appeared, including fearing difficulties, longing for comfort, wishing to depend on others, and being impatient, as well as zealotry after I fixed something, and the desire to show off. On the other hand, I was full of grievances and strong desires to prove myself, since I insisted on fixing something stubbornly without stop. I was also attached to learning technical skills very earnestly. After reading Master’s lecture, I learned how to “take a step back, and then resolve it.” This was something Master taught us,
“When a problem occurs, it is because that person is stubbornly going against the Fa principles. Go and find where the problem lies, let go of that stubbornness, and sort things out. When you encounter something, the best approach is not to charge forward and contend with others, push your way to the front, and rush forward to chase down the solution. Let go of your attachment, take a step back, and then resolve it.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital”)
4. My Thoughts on Whether Young Practitioners Should Marry
Before cultivating in Dafa, I was strongly attached to all kinds of sentiments. I was dating someone when I first began to cultivate. However, as my xinxing elevated and my understanding of the Fa deepened, I gradually recognized the seriousness of relationships between a man and a woman. I subsequently felt that it was more and more difficult for me to continue our relationship.
Being a cultivator in Dafa, my thoughts and ways of dealing with things were very different from those of an everyday person. Whatever he pursued was exactly what I needed to let go of, whereas whatever I wanted was what he found inconceivable. If I married that man, I would have to balance our life together between a good marriage and cultivating in Dafa. It would have taken me a very long time, and I would not have time to harmonize the relationship with him. In addition, if I continued my relationship with him, I would have grown all kinds of human desires and attachments, which would have taken a long time for me to let go.
I would like to share my thoughts with young practitioners about whether we should get married. Those practitioners who are already married have a different environment. We still need to consider how our families and friends will feel about us, and we should avoid creating obstacles for ourselves when we clarify the truth to them.
We came here to assist Master in validating the Fa, not to enjoy human life. After coming to this enlightenment, I made up my mind that I would remain single for the rest of my life. Making that decision was not easy for me, because I had previously desired a relationship with a man, but now I had suddenly let go of all my sentiments and desires. It felt as if my heart had been opened, and my attachments were hence eliminated. I constantly studied the Fa and strengthened my righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference. I quickly passed that difficult test. I would like to tell fellow practitioners that studying the Fa was vital. Master 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,” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I spent almost all of my leisure time doing the three things. I no longer have the feeling of loneliness, and I am no longer attracted to the sentiments between a man and a woman. Whether it is going on vacations or going out on a date, nothing in this world can be compared with studying the Fa at home, which is the most comfortable for me now.
5. Rethinking Loss and Gain
The man I dated had often asked me to lend him money. He borrowed a total of 40,000 yuan from me. I never asked him for a receipt. When I looked for him, he did not answer my calls or return my text messages for several months. It seemed that he had disappeared. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that something was wrong, and I told my best friend about him. Shockingly, she told me that I had been cheated. I was saddened. I had given him my whole heart, but he lied to me in return. I felt miserable. When my family heard about this, things became even more complicated. At that time, I had almost no money to support myself, and I was on the edge of collapse. Following that incident, I began to have physical issues. I coughed, my throat hurt, I had a runny nose, and mucus blocked my throat so that I could not breathe. As a result, it was also hard for me to fall asleep at night.
A fellow practitioner later explained to me that I probably had owed that man some debts in my past life, and that was how I had paid him back. Even if this was not the case, and he had cheated me, he would have given me de. Looking at the matter from this perspective, I suddenly enlightened that since he did not owe me anything, what did I have to complain about? Master has explained to us clearly the relationship between loss and gain. Why did I forget all about that at such a critical moment? Master said,
“That’s because you still can’t let it go deep down, and you still don’t want to pay him the debts you owe, or even when you paid it back you are still unwilling to leave it at that in your heart. So you still want to add one more sentence to comfort yourself.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Eastern U.S. Fa Conference”)
When I was in conflicts and going through tribulations, I felt as if countless numbers of deceased objects in layers of dimensions were blocking me, and hence I was separated from and far away from the Fa. I tell myself now that when there is interference, I should look at the problems from a third person’s point of view instead of falling right into the trap. If I do, no matter how hard I try, I would not “have risen above and beyond emotion.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in New Zealand”)
The lesson I learned was that I must change my habit of talking about such things with my friend. Now that I am walking on the path of divine beings, should I, as divine being, ask an ordinary person for advice at critical moments?
I then understood the Fa, but my physical condition did not improve. Searching inside myself and sending forth righteous thoughts did not stop the physical discomfort. I did not find the root of the problem until three months later.
I had dated that man for about a year, and during the entire time I dared not to clarify the truth to him. After going through the tribulations, I believed that no matter what happened, he was still a person who had a karmic relation with me, so I should save him. I found the recorded message that best fit his situation and dialed his number. At the same time, I sent forth righteous thoughts to cleanse all the evil factors and beings that could interfere and prevent him from learning the truth. It turned out that he not only listened to the truth attentively, he listened to it for over 40 minutes.
When we met again, I took DVDs of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party to him. Thinking from his perspective, I told him, “You told me before that your colleagues are fond of making fun of the Communist Party corruption. Bring these DVDs home with you and watch them. After watching them, you’ll have more topics to discuss with your colleagues in the future.” He happily accepted the DVDs and began to tell me his understanding of Dafa. It turned out that he had read Dafa materials before. He told me that since over a hundred million people practiced Falun Gong, it must be very special. As a matter of fact, he had wanted to learn Falun Gong a long time prior, but was troubled that he could not find it. He later borrowed a Dafa book and also began to cultivate in Dafa.
This completely surprised me. From that experience, I noticed the human notion that I had established before, which had become an obstacle for me when I clarified the truth to people. I told myself that I should not let the notion slow me down. Master laid the foundation for us, and the only thing we need to do is to take the first step. I feel fortunate that I have taken the first step. Nonetheless, I came very close to destroying a person who was predestined to become a Dafa disciple.
Through this incident I discovered another attachment of mine--that I tended to use ordinary human mentality to measure people, and always troubled myself with the thought that since I treated him so nicely, why did he hurt me like that? Master said,
“That is to say, as a cultivator, you need to know what it is you are doing. You shouldn’t always confuse yourself with everyday people.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in New Zealand”)
I had used human notions to deal with these issues instead of changing myself with the standards of Dafa. After untying that knot in my heart, the physical discomforts quickly vanished.
When I was not attached to a certain thing, it was much easier for me to see other people having that attachment. If I watch TV now, I can feel clearly that the TV shows and programs are full of attachments for fame, profits, sentiments, karma, and other bad substances, which all flow towards me. Cultivators should constantly purify their bodies, so we not allow those bad substances to pollute us.
My understand is restrained by my level, so please kindly point out the appropriate parts.
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