(Minghui.org) Shopping at the farmers market yesterday, I saw the fruit vendor I met last year. He looked so different that I did not recognize him at first glance. A year ago he was thin and hunched over and had trouble breathing. The man I was looking at now was healthy, stood up straight, and his face glowed.
He was not busy at the moment, so we were able to catch up. He said he regretted that he did not begin practicing Falun Dafa when we first met a year ago. But he later ran into another practitioner and finally began to cultivate. He said he was now diligent and did the exercises and studied the Fa every day. His wife also believed in Dafa and was listening to Master's lectures in the evening and reading the Dafa books. Listening to his story, I remembered our encounter last year.
Missing His First Opportunity
I had encouraged him to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and he quickly agreed. He didn’t look well, so I asked him about his health. He said he had suffered from asthma all of his life and that it was likely hereditary because his sister died from it when she was young. He had been taking medicine for as long as he could remember and felt lucky to still be alive. When the weather turned cold, he suffered the most. I told him Falun Dafa could help and that I would teach him. He agreed to learn.
I went to his home that evening. He had not had dinner yet, so I told him to eat first. He said he would only be able to eat half of what was in his bowl. I encouraged him to finish it all so he would have energy to learn the exercises. We chatted pleasantly while he dined, and before he knew it, his bowl was empty.
I suggested we go to the fifth floor to learn the exercises. He thought it would take too long since he would have to take frequent breaks to catch his breath. I urged him on and said, “You can do it, just follow me.” He was happy when he made it all the way without a break.
I told him about the benefits of studying Dafa and how wonderful it is. He was excited, even more so when I told him that, at the moment you want to study Dafa, you already have a Master.
I taught him the first exercise. He learned quickly and did well. I told him that the first four exercises were easy to learn but that, to do the fifth one, one had to sit with both legs crossed in what we call the lotus position. I demonstrated it to him and he followed along. Surprisingly, he did it accurately. I felt he had a predestined relationship with Dafa.
I suggested that he could sit with his legs crossed when reading Zhuan Falun, and his health would improve. He was enthusiastic. I told him he should say, “Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance is good, Falun Dafa is good!” every day. I said I would bring him a copy of Zhuan Falun the next day. He had to get up early the following morning to go to the farmers market, so I finished up and left.
Excited by the events of the day, I could not calm down when I got home. I had a restless night thinking about him and his good inborn quality. I wanted to help him cultivate diligently. His improvement would validate Dafa’s magnificent power! Maybe it was my attachment of zealotry that soon led to a dramatic change.
The next afternoon, still excited, I took the book Zhuan Falun and the teaching DVD to his home as promised. His wife told me that he had gone to sell his peaches that he had not sold in the morning.
I stayed and chatted with her about Dafa and told her many stories of how people benefited from the practice. I told her I would return the next day.
On my way out the gate, I met the fruit vendor. He was unhappy and said that he would not study Dafa, that he would continue to take medicine every day. He explained that his peaches were the best, but today was the first time he did not sell them all. He blamed his misfortune on learning Falun Dafa the day before.
I was surprised and disappointed that he would blame Dafa. For a person with such a predestined relationship, surely this was interference.
Maybe in the future he would meet another practitioner and reconnect with Dafa.
That was a year ago! Now, looking at the man before me, I saw dramatic changes. I realized my attachment of zealotry and the mentality to validate myself were the reasons for the interference.
Master said,
“In other matters and in the course of cultivation practice, one should be sure to not develop the attachment of zealotry—this mentality can be very easily taken advantage of by demons.” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)
I did not follow Master’s teaching, which caused an obstacle in saving the fruit vendor. Master has always stressed studying the Fa, studying it well, and studying it with a calm mind. But I had studied the Fa in a shallow way, influenced by human notions. It was indeed a lesson! Fortunately, another practitioner with compassion connected the fruit vendor with Dafa.
I was able to identify my problems and eliminate them. In the future, I will remind myself to study the Fa more as Master has taught us. I must not allow any interference to take advantage of me, so more people can obtain Dafa.
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Category: Improving Oneself
