(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I would like to tell you about my recent cultivation experiences while participating in Shen Yun ticket sales and in making calls on the global RTC platform. It has been a productive year for me with many xinxing improvements and breakthroughs. I am very grateful to Master for giving me opportunities to improve myself, collaborate with the team, and save sentient beings. Thank you Master for looking after me every step of the way.
I joined the Shen Yun Hotline and Live Chat team towards the end of 2019. I had committed most of my time to this project aside from my everyday work. It was a very rewarding experience, and I enlightened to many new understandings. With the coronavirus pandemic, I joined the global RTC platform. After so many years of feeling intimidated, I finally had my breakthrough in making calls to clarify the truth to Chinese people.
Diligently Fulfilling My Responsibilities
I hadn't been able to do much to clarify the truth on weekdays due to my busy work schedule. I also slacked off in my personal cultivation. I usually was not able to study the Fa or do all the exercises every day from Monday to Friday. I had to make it up during the weekends, leaving me very limited time for the third thing-clarifying the truth to save people. I finally had a breakthrough after joining the Shen Yun Hotline and Live Chat team with the encouragement and help of fellow practitioners. Since December, in order to take evening shifts on the hotline and live chat on weekdays, I had to adjust my usual Fa study time in the evenings. A team member encouraged me to move Fa study to the early morning, and helped me by phoning me the first few days. I then formed a small online Fa study group with a few other practitioners. We studied the Fa at 5:10 a.m. after sending righteous thoughts every day.
I felt really sleepy the first few days, but I persisted. It was an amazing feeling to get rid of my strong attachment to coffee. I knew Master saw my xinxing improvement and helped me remove the substance in another dimension. For years, I had to drink coffee in the morning and in the afternoon, otherwise my brain could not function. I would yawn continuously, and eventually my main consciousness just had to give in to caffeine. I knew caffeine sometimes did not even work on me as I still felt sleepy, and I knew my body was actually rejecting it as I did not feel comfortable after drinking it; however, I was addicted to it and could not resist the smell.
As Master said:
“In your body, a “you” is accumulated over time that bears the exact same appearance as you. However, it is composed of that thing and it controls you. Because it’s a very strong attachment that forms into your image, it is therefore so very strong that it can control your heart. This is because it’s formed by a very strong attachment.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference,” Team Blue Translation)
A few years ago, I experienced eliminating the attachment to coffee. For two weeks I could not drink coffee at all. After I was able to drink it, I gradually became addicted to it again. This time I just thought I did not need caffeine anymore because I got up early to study the Fa and do exercises, which filled me with great energy. So, I tried not to touch coffee. It was amazing that my strong attachment was soon eliminated. I had no desire to drink coffee even when I smelled it, and my body no longer craved it. As time passed, my body felt lighter and more comfortable.
After a few weeks, I realized that I needed to get up earlier to do exercises in the morning as well, so that I could have more time on the hotline and live chat shift at night. People browsed the Shen Yun website and were ready to purchase tickets even after 11 p.m.
I tried to get up earlier at 4:50 am, then 4:10 am, and then sometimes at 3:40 am, just so that I could take longer shifts at night. It was not a smooth process, and although I was not able to do it consistently, I knew I had raised my cultivation level. I was also finally able to stay up until the global sending righteous thoughts at midnight and then go to bed.
Although I sometimes felt sleepy while sending forth righteous thoughts, I persisted. On weekends, I tried to take the shift from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. so that I would not go back to sleep after doing the exercises. Looking back, it was such a precious time. My heart was on saving more people. The other practitioners in the team were all very diligent. We formed a strong energy field where we supported and encouraged each other to do better.
For the first time I overcame a notion I had for a long time, which was if I stayed up too late, I wouldn’t be able to get up early the next morning. The team lead discussed his understanding. He said if what we are doing is the right thing and it is for others, not for some selfish purposes, our cultivation state will not be disrupted, as Master is taking care of us.
One Sunday, after I worked on the hotline and live chat for quite a few hours during the day, we had our weekly team meeting that night. After that, I stayed up until 2 a.m. to write a sharing article. I did not feel tired or have any negative thoughts. In the morning I woke up at the usual time. I was able to get up, study the Fa, do the exercises, and start my ordinary work. It was an amazing experience. I was very grateful for Master’s strengthening. I knew in another dimension my diehard notion was like a huge iceberg, but it had been melted by Master’s mighty power.
Overcoming My Fear in Clarifying the Truth to Chinese People
Since I resumed my cultivation in 2013, I have not been doing well in clarifying the truth to Chinese people. The first two years, I went to the tourist site on weekends to clarify the truth, but I did not persist. Recently, since I spent most of my spare time on Shen Yun and other projects, I seldom had a chance to talk to Chinese people. There were few Chinese people at work. I developed so many negative thoughts and fears, which blocked me from getting close to Chinese people to the extent that I did not even start a conversation. I also made excuses for myself that doing Shen Yun and clarifying truth to the mainstream people was also doing the third thing; therefore, it was not a big deal not to clarify the truth directly to the Chinese people. I always knew this was a major loophole in my cultivation and I wanted a breakthrough, but I did not know how to overcome my fears. I felt so guilty when I met Chinese people but I did not have the courage to talk to them.
Our benevolent Master saw my heart and helped me get on to the global RTC platform after the pandemic started. Since February, especially in the past month or so, I finally had a breakthrough. Over the period of two months as I made calls to China, I overcame many attachments including fear, comfort-seeking, and dependence on others. It has been an ongoing process of learning to let go of negative thoughts, negative emotions, and keeping up righteous thoughts. Master has helped me every step of the way.
When I only knew a few facts at the beginning, Master encouraged me and arranged for people to listen to me and quit the CCP in just a few words. When I was interfered with by negative thoughts, the substance of reluctance, and fear, and could not pick up the phone, Master enlightened me to get on to the RTC platform and listen to fellow practitioners’ calls. After a while I would regain the courage and righteous thoughts and be able to pick up my phone.
When I needed truth-clarifying materials, Master arranged for fellow practitioners to send them to me. When I realized that I needed to clarify more truth about Dafa, Master let me hear other practitioners' successful stories. When I learned more facts, Master arranged sentient beings to listen to me using the materials I just learned. When I was lazy, Master had a fellow practitioner call me to remind me to be more diligent. When I did not know how to unravel people's emotional entanglements, Master gave me the chance to learn from more experienced practitioners. When I lost confidence, Master showed me that as long as I picked up the phone and persisted in making the calls, I would come across people with a predestined relationship. It has been such a wonderful experience! I cannot express how grateful I am to Master for giving me countless opportunities and for taking care of me along the way!
I would like to share a few things that I learned during the process. First, we need to cherish every number and keep strong righteous thought towards the person on the other end. I phoned one number 15 times for three days. Sometimes I could not get through due to poor signals. Sometimes he hung up on me. Sometimes he kept completely silent no matter how long I talked. Other times he talked to me in a dialect which I did not understand. For some reason, I did not give up on him. I kept phoning until the third day, he picked up the phone and started speaking in perfect Mandarin. His voice was loud and clear. I was so surprised but I knew it was him. I then explained to him a bit more, and he agreed to quit the CCP at the end. After that call, I felt so inspired and thankful that I persisted with Master’s help.
Another thing I learned is that we need to keep studying and collecting more materials to be able to clarify the truth from different angles to different people. While I realized the importance of learning new materials, Master reminded me of cultivating my xinxing in the process so that I could save more people. One day I had a long talk with a young man for over an hour. He asked many odd questions, and I tried my best to explain. In the end he did not quit the CCP. Afterwards, while I reflected on my conversation with him, I suddenly realized that he pointed out a few times I had conflicting messages. On the surface I did not make myself clear, but after I looked inside, I discovered my problem of exaggerating things, which came from the Party culture.
Not long after, I read an article on Minghui, “Ability to Clarify the Facts Is Acquired Through Cultivation”. Here I would like to quote a few words to share with everyone: “There are many reasons that have nothing to do with ordinary human abilities, it also depends on whether the listener trusts the practitioner enough to accept what is being said. Being trustworthy requires compassion, which practitioners attain through cultivation. Only when we identify and eliminate our attachments and demon nature, will compassion emerge and listeners trust us.”
Closing Remarks
Looking back on my cultivation in the last year, I found many shortcomings. I was able to maintain a diligent cultivation state when I was “pushed” by projects. I knew if I didn’t cultivate diligently, I would not be able to do well in the project and save sentient beings. The good cultivation environment also helped me a lot. However, once the project was done, I found myself slacking off since the end of May. Because of the pandemic, I have been working from home and I became less strict in my cultivation. I still need to improve my perseverance and willpower as a practitioner. I hope I can cultivate more diligently and help Master save more sentient beings in the future.
Thank you Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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