(Minghui.org) I am 55 years old and I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. I have been able to continue on my cultivation journey for more than twenty years because compassionate Teacher has been watching over me and taking care of me. I would like to share my story with you.
Cherishing Cultivation
When I first began practicing my husband often hid my Dafa books because he didn't approve of my cultivation. But I was quite determined. I did the exercises and read the teachings. Even when he beat me I persisted. Once he threw a piece of wood at me and it hit me on the head. He then kicked me and slapped me on the face. I wasn't moved and continued to practice.
In October 1999, I went to Beijing to clarify the truth and I was illegally detained in a labor camp for one year. While I was incarcerated, my husband had an affair which subsequently led to our divorce in 2004. I became a single mother and raised my daughter on my own. My life was not easy.
After I was released from the labor camp, I didn't continue studying the Fa or doing the exercises. But I conducted myself according to the standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
I returned to cultivation in 2006. I cherished the opportunity and began doing the three things by distributing truth-clarification materials, clarifying the truth face-to-face and saving people.
For more than ten years I traveled from one town to another, door to door, to clarify the truth and get people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations. Sometimes I went with another practitioner. Once we helped forty to fifty people quit the Party.
Putting “Doing the Three Things” First
In 2012, my daughter gave birth to a child. Her in-laws didn't want to help take care of the baby. So, she, her husband and the baby moved into my house. Taking care of the baby became my job which affected my doing the three things. Gradually, I was dragged into ordinary people's emotions. I became tired and developed resentment. I often got angry. Practitioners noticed the change in me and told me to look inside.
I tried to calm down to read the Fa. In the process of looking inside, I found that my cultivation environment changed due to my family situation. If I continued to be affected by human emotions, my cultivation would be in vain. After my grandchild began kindergarten, I read the Fa more, sent righteous thoughts and clarified the truth.
Because I spent less time helping my daughter and focused on saving people, she began complaining. I told her that all my illnesses were gone after I began practicing and that Master saved my life. I told her that I am a cultivator and want to fulfill my mission. I pointed out that I raised her by myself and helped to take care of her child, and that now it was her responsibility to take on the tasks. My righteous thoughts made her change her attitude. She agreed to take charge. I had more time to clarify the truth. On weekends, I went alone to remote areas to distribute truth-clarification materials, clarify the truth and help people to quit CCP.
Teacher said,
“This is what your life was created and made for.” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.” Yellow Team Translation )
I was deeply touched by what Master said. I understood that my life was given by Dafa and I must put doing Dafa things as my first priority. Every day, I went out to neighboring areas to clarify the truth in the morning, and by noontime I had to rush home to cook for my grandchild. Sometimes I was in the middle of clarifying the truth and because of time constraint, I had to run home. Wouldn't it be good if the child could stay at school for lunch? Thanks to Teacher who helped to make the wish come true. Soon, the arrangement was made. Later, I thought of the issues of taking the child home and helping him with his schoolwork. The thought brought the change: my daughter said she quit her job so that she could spend full-time with her child. Things went smoothly when my thoughts were righteous! I was able to do the three things with my whole heart.
For the last two years, another practitioner and I traveled to some remote areas where there were no practitioners to clarify the truth and save people.
I didn't know how to give people pseudo names when they agreed to withdraw from the Party. So when they agreed to quit, I asked what their names were and helped them register. When people hesitated, I would say my name is so and so, and my parents were so and so. What's yours? Almost immediately they followed my cue and gave us their real names. Therefore, the names we collected were mostly real names.
Cultivation Is Serious
In October 2015, one morning, I felt sick when I got up. Then, I vomited blood. I didn't pay much attention to it. I went out to clarify the truth as usual. In the afternoon I studied the Fa and sent righteous thoughts with a practitioner who was going through sickness karma. At night, I studied the teachings with others and then went home. When I was about to go to sleep, I vomited blood again. The following morning I vomited blood four or five times. On the third day, I vomited six times. Instead of decreasing, the amount of blood increased. My daughter wanted to me to go to a hospital. I said I was fine and my body was being cleansed.
I tried to look inside to find where I fell short. Lately, I clarified the truth in the morning, and studied the Fa in the afternoon and at night. Why was this happening? The other practitioners reminded me not to speak at too high a level but I ignored them. Sometimes I even quoted Teacher without remembering the complete sentence but added my own words, and I made it worse by saying this was the Fa taught by my Teacher. I realized that the problem was very serious. Teacher said,
“Be careful: A Buddha will be shocked by such wild statements, intentional or not. Don’t create obstacles for your own cultivation practice. You must also cultivate your speech in this regard. I hope you can understand.” (“Don’t Make Wild Statements,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
After I identified my problem, I stopped vomiting. This incident made me realize that cultivation is very serious.
In the winter of 2017, two practitioners and I went to a town to clarify the truth. We went from door to door. We gave those that agreed to quit the Party and its youth organizations a calendar and truth-clarification materials. By 11:00 a.m., we had helped forty people to quit the CCP. I met a classmate from my hometown, and she invited us for lunch. We stayed at her house for more than two hours. We heard that there were many products from my village in the town, so after lunch, we went to the market to buy some. We looked everywhere for noodles and tofu. We bought some and happily started for home. We even said, “Today was a great day! We saved people, ate lunch and even went shopping!” Once our complacency surfaced, the troubles started.
On our way home, the police stopped our bus at the entry point of a freeway. The three of us were arrested because someone reported us. We were brought to a detention center. While we were there, we recited the Fa, sent righteous thoughts and looked inside. We realized that our attachments made the incident happen. We felt regretful.
We tried to make up for what we didn't do well. The place where we were detained had all kinds of people who had committed crimes. The three of us divided up our tasks: One of us would clarify the truth, another would send righteous thoughts while the third person recorded names of people who agreed to quit CCP. Within four days we managed to get more than forty people to quit CCP. Everybody gave us their real name. On the fifth day we were released and went home. Teacher said,
“So whether it is good things or bad things you run into, so long as you cultivate in Dafa, they are all positive, to be sure.” (Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005)
Saving Sentient Beings with Sincerity
This summer, we clarified the truth to a retired teacher in his 70s. He said, “China is getting better. Why do you still object?” I said, “The CCP officials are greedy, and many indulge themselves in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. They arrest people that haven't committed any crimes, such as the Falun Dafa practitioners and they harvest their organs.” The man said he didn't believe me. Pointing to the practitioner who stood next to me, I said, “She's 65 years old, and I am 55. We were both arrested and put into prison.” He said he did not believe me.
I said, “We've benefited from Falun Dafa. When the persecution began and our Teacher was slandered, we went to Beijing to appeal but we were arrested. The CCP slanders Dafa and spreads propaganda on TV. For the past seventy years, the CCP has been deceiving the Chinese people with lies and through many revolutions. Each time thousands of Chinese people were killed. You're an intellectual and know our history, right? Yet you believe the CCP. Now the CCP is harvesting practitioners' organs which the whole world knows about. But sadly, Chinese people in China aren't aware of it. The CCP does all kinds of bad things and covers up the truth. Are you sure you still support the evil Party? Please withdraw from it to avoid being destroyed along with it.”
Then we took out some information and handed it to him. We wanted him to read it. He took it. After he read it, he agreed to quit the Party. Before we left, we gave him a copy of the book, The Ultimate Goal of Communism. He took it and thanked us.
Another time we talked to a government official. The moment I opened my mouth, he yelled, “Go away!” Seeing his unfriendly attitude, I turned around and was about to leave. When I got to the door, I said, “You know, it took me a long time to get here. I'm thirsty and hungry and I'm not asking you for anything. I just want you to know that Falun Dafa is very righteous. Please remember that Falun Dafa is good, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. I want to give you a calendar and a book. After you read them and understand the truth, you'll be blessed. Isn't that great?” His attitude changed and facial expression also changed. I continued to talk to him. He finally agreed to quit the Party. The practitioner who came with me also added a few words. He happily said thank you. He walked us to the door and accompanied us for quite a distance before waving good-bye. Indeed, we experienced what Teacher said,
“One only needs to worry about putting in the effort of practice, and the rest is in the hands of one’s teacher.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
There are many other examples. Throughout these years when we went out to clarify the truth, we all had sweet and bitter experiences.
When I am very righteous, I'm confident and am not afraid. Our lives are created by Dafa and we are so fortunate for being chosen by Teacher. We don't ask for anything from ordinary people. We only want to save more people.
Thank you Teacher.
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Category: Improving Oneself
