(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I work full-time for Sound of Hope (SOH), which keeps me busy every day. I also participate in various truth-clarification projects. Just when everything finally started going smoothly, the CCP virus (coronavirus) broke out and my life was suddenly disrupted. I realized it was a test. What should I do?
Look Inside amid Changing Environments
On January 25, 2020, I developed a headache. My entire body ached as if my bones were splitting. I had a sore throat and I had trouble eating or drinking. This lasted more than a week – a very long week.
Despite the pain I continued doing the three things. I gradually recovered a week later with Master Li’s help, and by diligently reading the Fa and doing the exercises.
I heard about the epidemic in Wuhan. Worried about my family and friends quarantined in China, I joined the truth-clarification phone call project and a texting project.
Since I seemed to be affected, I looked inside and found an attachment to ease and comfort as well as slacking off. I also found an attachment to the end of Fa-rectification. Thinking that I was already busy doing media and other Dafa projects, I did not actively participate in truth-clarification to people in China, even though some projects were very easy to do.
I realized that even though I was doing the three things, I felt no urgency when I did them. Looking further inside, I identified selfishness and that my heart to save people had weakened.
I also realized I was complacent while I worked in the media and on Dafa projects. I was content to participate but I didn’t do my best. I realized this pursuit of form was driven by an attachment to fame and personal gain, which failed to meet Master’s requirements of saving people with a sincere heart.
This realization was a wake-up call for me. I understood the similarity between my physical pain and the feelings described by the CCP virus victims. I felt that I experienced this so I could understand their pain of missing salvation, and for me to develop a sense of urgency in saving them.
Master said:
“Hanging in the balance at this dangerous juncture is nothing less than, for Dafa disciples, the wait of tens of millions of years; for our students, your sole, true wish for coming to this world; and for Master, whether he will manage to widely save sentient beings—including all of you—in this Fa-rectification.” (“What Does it Mean to 'Help Master Rectify the Fa'?” from The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
I came to understand that Dafa practitioners’ slacking off and pursuit of ease and comfort has caused a large number of sentient beings to miss their chance to be saved.
I decided that going forward, I will treasure every second of my life. I will cherish every person just like Master cherishes us, cherish every opportunity for saving them, and do this with a great sense of urgency.
Letting Go of Self at Work
My job is selling advertisements. From finding a lead to successfully signing a contract, experience tells me that the later I am in the process, the more challenging it becomes because it takes collaboration with various parties.
One of my clients provided wording for an advertisement and asked me to have it quickly produced and broadcast. But the production department returned it to me and suggested some changes.
I went back to the client to persuade him to modify the wording as suggested by our production department, but he refused. He said, “I like it the way it is. Other radio stations have broadcast it with good effect. Why can’t you use it?”
For everyday people, the customer has the final say. But as practitioners, we must give more care to our customers. There’s also the factor of cultivation and xinxing improvement in everything we do. The production department’s suggestions were very professional.
However, my client was determined not to make any changes.
Seeing how difficult it was for an everyday person to let go of what he thought was right and change, I saw my own problem. At work or at home, I tended to defend what I thought was right, even though it was usually wrong and based on my notions.
In reviewing the emails with this client, I realized I should not try to persuade or change him. Instead I should look within.
When I finally let go of my fear of trouble, fear of wasting time, and fear of being blamed, and when my only motive was for the client’s good, he suddenly said that our suggestions were very professional and he agreed to change the wording. Everything went very smoothly, and the client and I became friends.
In my understanding, everything goes through stages in its progression, and each stage involves different people. If each participant can complete their work successfully, free of reluctance or complaint, then things are easy and any obstacles can be overcome. In fact, miracles only happen when the participating practitioners have met the standards.
When problems arise in life or at work, or when projects run into obstacles, I follow the reverse timeline and examine the progression in depth. If I was not involved in the early stages, and if I had an unrighteous thought because I heard or saw something, I correct it. I negate any negative thoughts and firmly believe everything will be resolved by the Fa.
If I participated in the early stages, I identify anything that I did not do well or that did not conform to the characteristics of the universe, “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” correct it, and even reach out to the involved parties so that I can make up for it. Sometimes I don’t have to do anything and things are resolved.
Master said:
“What is cultivation practice? Actually not many people truly understand its real meaning. Cultivation is about fulfilling lives.” (Teaching the Fa in Washington D.C. In 2018, Team Blue Translation)
I enlightened that in the process of us fulfilling others, Master is perfecting and fulfilling us.
Persisting in Memorizing the Fa
My path of cultivation while working in the media has not been smooth. I struggled to balance cultivation, life, and work. As a result, I gradually slacked off. My performance suffered and I ranked last in the team.
Pustules erupted on my legs, and sickness karma began interfering with me. In addition, colleagues kept asking me about my performance, which directly exposed my “saving face” mentality.
Thinking my hard work wasn’t recognized, I became jealous and resentful. I examined myself, but only on the surface. I was anxious to get rid of the physical pain and stop my performance from dropping. I was looking inward with pursuit. Eventually, the pain became so unbearable that I was unable to work.
When things seemed to hit rock bottom, I was determined to let go of all human thoughts and just be a down-to-earth cultivator. I had memorized six lectures of Zhuan Falun before, so I resumed memorizing the Fa. I used small chunks of time, such as driving, waiting in offices, and taking the subway, to memorize the Fa.
Besides daily face-to-face Fa study with colleagues, I used all my spare time to memorize the Fa. Memorizing the Fa has become a mechanism in my cultivation, a way to assimilate to the Fa. Not only was the illusion of my sickness karma broken, but my performance went up.
Master said:
“Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master. It is good enough if you have this wish. It is the master who actually does this, as you are simply unable to do it.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
I finished memorizing Zhuan Falun, Hong Yin, Essentials for Further Advancement and some of Master’s new articles.
After I memorized Fei Tian College Lecture on Classical Chinese Dance, Master helped me understand that in the remote prehistoric ages, gods laid the foundation of using divine culture to save the world. For centuries, we reincarnated as literati and warriors, and our roles were part of the divine culture that gods had prepared.
Master cherishes all lives. I also learned to cherish the predestined relationship among fellow practitioners in the project.
Master showed me the meaning of divine culture. Divine culture is diverse and is inclusive, rather than exclusive. This helped me see that I selfishly protected my projects. It also allowed me to see the importance of each project's independent development as well as collaboration with one another.
Master taught me not to limit myself to sales experience, but to extract the essence of it and develop a unique way of media sales. I should do a good job in sales, be the best and excel.
Master showed me what this Fa meant when I memorized it:
“This is still nothing. When will the practice be good enough? Hundreds of one's energy channels must gradually become wider, with energy getting stronger and brighter. In the end, thousands of energy channels will join together and turn one's body into one without any energy channels or acupuncture points; they will join together to make one whole body. This is the ultimate purpose of opening energy channels.” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)
For several days I was surrounded by a layer of a large external energy mechanism. For the first time while I sent forth righteous thoughts I was surrounded by warm energy.
Several years of Fa-memorization has brought about changes in me from the inside out. My main consciousness is now stronger and stable. Memorizing the Fa enforces the mechanism of my being able to deeply look inside and constantly strengthens it, so I can automatically identify any human thoughts and correct them. Memorizing the Fa helps me cherish time and make good use of it in my busy life.
While I memorize, I sometimes get upset or sleepy and feel I can’t continue. When this happens I examine myself to see what human thoughts have been touched, and what I was stuck on. When my xinxing improves, I can resume memorizing. Sometimes Master shows me new principles and meanings.
I’ve come to understand memorizing the Fa and cultivation are closely related, and that only when one lets go of human thoughts can one understand the Fa and improve in cultivation.
Memorizing the Fa allows me to more thoroughly examine myself. For example, it helped me realize that new purchases, name brands, expensive things, and things obtained through hard work are more likely to cause attachments to personal interests and wealth.
Persisting Despite Stormy Weather
It seldom rains where I live, but as soon as we held important Dafa activities outdoors, it rained. Several times our event began with a rainstorm and ended with bright sunshine. I think this might be a test of our steadfastness. I enlightened that when Dafa disciples are holding events, our persistence despite storms is part of our cultivation.
My entire family participated in a recent outdoor group practice. It poured rain that day, but meditating in the rain, we all felt very tranquil and magnificent. The sky cleared up after the practice. On our way to the large group Fa study that evening, a big rainbow escorted us, and occasionally three rainbows appeared simultaneously.
One practitioner pointed out that not everyone could see the rainbow. I think the reason we saw it was to remind us not to forget our prehistoric vows. We also felt it was Master’s encouragement for our perseverance in the rainstorm earlier that day.
When I began practicing, I lived in the sinister environment in China, then I adapted to the busy lifestyle overseas. Now the entire environment is undergoing chaotic changes. I realize that every time the environment changes, it is a real ordeal to test if we practitioners can maintain a diligent cultivation state despite the changes.
Each test is different, but Master has already told us the answer in the Fa:
“Do not be interfered with by the chaotic manifestations of the murky human world. Practice cultivation in the way you did when you first began, and the Dao will be achieved! Be even more diligent as the end draws nearer!” (To the Taiwan Experience-Sharing Conference)
This concludes my understanding at my limited level. Please kindly point out anything improper.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Presented during the 2020 Sound of Hope Experience Sharing Conference)
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