(Minghui.org) Master said, “For some there is still time left, and for some their only hope is to sprint.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference”)
Time is of the Essence
Master said that some former practitioners returning to Dafa have little time left and must sprint to catch up with diligent practitioners. I am one of the practitioners who needs to sprint. Thus, time is of the essence.
I was born into a practitioners’ family and have been practicing and doing some Dafa work since I was very young. However, I never truly cultivated. I thought that doing Dafa work would be enough to be considered a Dafa disciple.
My family emigrated to Sydney, Australia from China five years ago. As time went by, I gradually became attracted to things in the human world, including video games. They not only wasted my time and impacted my schoolwork but also affected my cultivation. I no longer studied the Fa, did the exercises, or do any of the three things, which included helping people learn about Dafa and the persecution.
However, Master did not give up on me. He hinted in a dream at the end of 2015 that I had fallen far behind in cultivation because of my attachment to games. I started reading articles on the Minghui website and understood that Fa-rectification is approaching its end.
I now understand that Master has endured significant hardships to extend the time and thus give those that had fallen behind a chance to catch up. This realization spurred me on to return to the cultivation path.
I tried hard to resist the temptations from the human world and focused on Fa-study. It became clear to me that Master was pushing me forward. I could feel my xinxing improving from day to day.
Witnessing the Power of Dafa
I used to feel annoyed by classmates from mainland China and preferred to interact with Western friends because they had better attitudes and behaved better.
In a Chinese language class, the teacher often used materials published by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). My classmates could not differentiate between China as a country and the ruling party. All of this bothered me. Many of my attachments surfaced, including jealousy and competitiveness. After class, I tried to talk to my teacher and classmates about Dafa. Because I felt superior to them and lacked compassion, my Chinese classmates interrupted me and accused me of “not loving our country.”
For a long time, I could not break through that state. Later, I realized that whatever a practitioner encounters is not incidental.
Master said,
“If you did not have the attachment, the bad people would not appear, and the old forces would not have arranged it. This is just obvious. If you do not have the attachment, why would they arrange this? This would be equivalent to them making an unnecessary move, and that would have given me the handle to punish them.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)
Master also told us that any issue we faced meant that we may have a problem in that area and needed to look within. How could I argue with everyday people? I changed my mindset and viewed the issues as something that I had to address.
I discriminated against my classmates. I was narrow-minded. I did not display proper manners and speech and was not being considerate enough of others.
I decided to eliminate these attachments. Through Fa-study and controlling my bad thoughts, I felt my xinxing improve on a daily basis. I became more generous and open-minded.
Master said,
“… you are either being polluted by ordinary society or you are changing ordinary society. And that's for sure.” (Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005)
After I improved, I noticed that my classmates had also changed. I saw their strengths. They were hard-workers and very independent. They also seemed to be very considerate. I felt ashamed of myself. I also felt the power of Dafa and the strength of a cultivator. It can indeed rectify crooked elements within me.
Ever since, the atmosphere became more harmonious. The Chinese teacher no longer used any of the CCP’s materials. Instead, she talked more about the crimes committed by the CCP. Once, she even said during class that loving the country does not mean loving the Communist Party. Sometimes, I spoke about the indoctrination of the Chinese people by the Party, and my classmates agreed with me. I truly witnessed the power of Dafa.
Improvement Brings Praise
My major is carpentry, which required me to do a project before graduation. However, as I had wasted all my time on video games, I never learned much about the subject matter. Thus, I did not know where to start on my project. I was still an infant when it came to doing the three things, so I was deeply troubled.
I tried to study but could not concentrate. I thought that I should first cultivate well; my schoolwork would then improve, too. I realized that I was not willing to work hard. Yet, Master paved the way for me to do better. My agroforestry teacher helped me with my project and even praised me once I completed my assignment. I understood that it was Master’s encouragement because he saw the improvement in my cultivation.
My xinxing has improved significantly over the past year. Now, I truly understand what cultivation is. I still have many attachments to eliminate. I know that, as long as I’m not slacking off in my cultivation and Fa-study, I will do well the things I’m supposed to do.
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