(Minghui.org) I lost interest in the entertainment of the ordinary world on the day I began practicing Falun Dafa. I stopped watching television and instead spent my time reading the Fa.
Encouraged to Cultivate
Master said:
“Did you know that in order to save you the Buddha once begged for food among everyday people? Today, I once again make the door wide open, and teach this Dafa to save you. I have never felt bitter for the numerous hardships I have suffered. Then what do you have that still can’t be abandoned? Can you bring to heaven the things deep down inside that you cannot let go of?” (“True Cultivation” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
As I read Master's Fa just after it was published, my face was covered with tears. Knowing that Master has gone through so many hardships in order to save us, we must be diligent in our cultivation.
I recall that one night I dozed off and saw a big, colorful Falun spinning in the southwest corner of the sky, so real and beautiful. It was exhilarating and made me laugh. My husband woke me and asked me what was going on. I told him about the Falun. I dozed off again and saw the same colorful Falun. My husband woke me again, saying I kept making a noise.
Twenty years have passed since that day, and yet the memory is still fresh. I was a new practitioner then, so I asked the coordinator what it meant. He said I was being encouraged because of my diligence.
During a period of time when I slacked off in cultivation I had a dream that Master came to my home. I was happy, and invited him in. Master sat down and began to write something on a piece of paper. I was unable to see what he was writing, but I sensed what Master had written, “The time for actual cultivation in studying Dafa is limited.” (“Awakening” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
After I woke up, I understood that Master was enlightening me, given my recent omissions in cultivation. I was not living up to Master's expectations. I now understand the meaning of what Master said, “Cultivation practice is not child’s play. It is more serious than anything of everyday people...” (“Practicing Cultivation After Retirement” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
Eliminating My Attachment
I love my husband, and Dafa is so precious that I wanted him to practice too. To make me happy, he followed me in doing the exercises. But he did not study the Fa, and he soon stopped doing the exercises with me. I was still new to Dafa and did not know much about cultivation. I was happy when he was practicing, but disappointed when he quit.
Master said:
“If a student does not want to do so from the bottom of his heart, no problems can be solved. Instead, tensions may arise. Tensions will intensify if this isn’t corrected, thus severely undermining people’s learning the Fa.” (“How to Provide Assistance” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
I let go of this attachment after learning this principle of the Fa.
My husband told me about a dream he had on the morning of December 24, 2015, “It was so real and scary. There was a big blast. People were running and hiding in a panic. I was carrying our child on my back also running, but there was nowhere to hide. Right then, I saw the words Falun Dafa on a plank flying up from the explosion in front of me. My only thought was that Falun Dafa could save me.”
I said, “That was a hint that Master gave you to encourage you to practice. Nowadays, human's morals have deteriorated to such an extreme. When the catastrophe comes, the extent of the terror will be huge! Master is so compassionate, using a dream to enlighten you and save you from the suffering! You should catch up.”
He began to study the Fa from that day on but he was not very diligent, still watching TV whenever he had time. I felt anxious whenever I saw him watching TV; I was unhappy and couldn't control my emotions. I urged him, gave him the cold shoulder, or made some sarcastic comments. He could not handle my attitude and went to stay with his brother for a while. I felt bad and did not know what to do.
With more Fa study I realized that coercion of cultivation was not true cultivation. I had to eliminate my impatience. Was I disturbed because of my feelings toward my husband? Will my behavior give me the opposite result? He had already obtained the Fa, and Master would take care of him. Everyone has his or her own fate!
Master said:
“You are unable to interfere with the lives of others, and neither can you control others’ fates, including those of your wife, sons, daughters, parents, or brothers. Can you decide those things?” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
I apologized when my husband returned from his brother's ten days later. I told him I should not require him to behave to meet my standards, and that I had not considered his feelings. I assured him I would correct my behavior.
I subsequently let go of many attachments, and my husband changed too! He stopped watching TV, studied the Fa more, memorized Lunyu, completed the exercises most days, and sometimes did truth clarification about Dafa to people.
Awakening People's Consciences
The mission of Dafa practitioners is to validate Dafa and awaken people's consciences. Every example of good behavior by a Dafa practitioner can create an opportunity for truth clarification. I would not be picky when shopping for vegetables, and I always paid full price without complaining. I let them know that I understood they were working hard just to make a living. They said it was rare to see such a nice person nowadays. I told them that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, and clarified the facts about Dafa. Usually they were happy to do the three withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
One morning when shopping for vegetables I heard a vendor say that she was very hungry. I purchased two large flatbreads for her. She was very moved, and offered to pay me, but I refused. She thanked me with a big smile. I told her I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, and conveyed the facts about Dafa. I encouraged her to remember, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She said she believed what I told her.
I am in my sixties, but when I ride the bus, I offer my seat to those older than I am, people with handicaps, and even children. I once offered my seat three times to others, and everyone on the bus was moved. When a seat became available one of the passengers offered it to me. She said, “You are so nice.” I told her that I practiced Falun Dafa, and we are taught to think of others. I told her why the so called “self-immolation” on Tiananmen Square was a hoax fabricated by the CCP in order to vilify Falun Dafa. I said, “Everything on TV about Falun Dafa is a lie.” She understood the truth, and quit the CCP.
Master wants us to clarify the truth, and I want to do my best so I keep truth clarifying brochures and Dafa amulets in my backpack. When I talk to someone about Dafa, I give them a brochure or amulet and ask them to tell their families what I told them. I focus on the quality of what I say rather than the quantity. If I got only one person to learn the truth, he would tell more people.
It has been eight years since I started using a cellphone for truth clarification. I started with short messages, followed by multimedia messaging, automatic dialing, and then direct conversations. Talking on a cellphone created good opportunities for cultivating my virtue. Some people appreciated hearing what I told them, while others swore. Even worse, some people cursed at me instead of listening when I told them how to keep themselves safe.
At the beginning, my mind was often disturbed and my heart started pounding. During the process of truth-clarification, I discovered many of my attachments, including resentment, a competitive mentality, and impatience. When people accepted what I was saying, my show-off mentality and zealotry would rise. I felt jealous when I saw that other practitioners were convincing more people to do the three withdrawals than I did. Through constant cultivation, I have been able to eliminate many of these attachments.
Practitioners, may we work together to improve ourselves, save more people, and fulfill our prehistoric vows!
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Category: Clarifying the Truth
