(Minghui.org) One day when I was worried, thinking about all the many things I had to handle, a practitioner phoned me. As we chatted she said, “You are very fortunate to be busy with things that you like to do. Please cherish this opportunity.”
Her words reminded me. Yes, I have been lucky to know Falun Dafa and practice it. Here I would like to share some of my experiences while working for Minghui.
Promoting the Minghui Report: The 20-Year Persecution of Falun Gong in China
When the Minghui Publishing Center contacted me to promote the book, "The 20-Year Persecution of Falun Gong in China," in Taiwan, I was a little hesitant: people in Taiwan speak Chinese, where can I find buyers for this big book in English? Plus, this is a book on cultivation and human rights. Would non-practitioners accept it? But I knew that it is a very good and important resource for helping people know about this persecution, so I needed to overcome the difficulty.
Master said,
“Every Dafa disciple aspires to become a true cultivator, someone who is steadfast and solid in his cultivation as he travels the path to divinity.” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.”)
Master also said,
“When you go to extremes, when you wish to cast off all sorts of [normal] things, when you discard your jobs, for example, in reality you are already in the midst of another attachment.” (Teachings at the Conference in Australia)
So, how could I avoid the old forces’ arrangement and walk my cultivation path well? How to be strict with my words and actions to meet the expectation of Master is something I had to figure out.
A Breakthrough
At one point the Tianti Bookstore in the U.S. asked me to follow up on an order. An engineer tried to order the book on Tianti’s website, but some information was incomplete. With other practitioners' help, I contacted the man. He said the computer froze half way through the ordering process, which resulted in an incomplete order. He later placed the order again. After reading the book, he found a nearby practice site and began to practice.
This really surprised me. I wondered who would read this book in English since the main language in Taiwan is Chinese. It turns out he works for an international IT firm and often reads publications in English. Plus, this book is on a serious topic – a record of the arduous journey of how practitioners have suffered for their faith in mainland China including detention, torture, and forced organ harvesting. This drew his curiosity. I listened as he was moved to tears, saying the practitioners who died in the persecution were like great martyrs in history. I was also moved to tears. So I decided to really put efforts into promoting this book.
I am also grateful to Master for giving me this opportunity to be enlightened. When we have attachments or human notions, Master gives us hints to look within and improve.
Letting Go of Fear
After discussing with Tianti and the President of the Falun Dafa Association in Taiwan, we decided to order 400 copies and have them sent to Taiwan. Although we bought them at a wholesale price, I was still worried about the cost. It would cost hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan Dollars after all. What if we could not sell all the books? It required a storage place, and the paper might deteriorate. For several days I was worried about the budget and could not find a solution. One night, I simply got up and began sending forth righteous thoughts and doing the exercises.
I suddenly thought: This is a great historical record that can help Chinese people – at least those intellectuals who read English – to know this important matter. It is something very important and noble. Even if it was hard to find financial support or sponsors, I would cover it. If I had enough money to cover the cost why was I worried? After all, as long as I have a place to stay and food to eat, other things are not so critical. The next day, I shared this thought with my husband who is also a practitioner. He agreed. Suddenly I felt relieved as if a large black substance had been removed from me. I became very calm and relaxed.
Interestingly, after I let go of the attachment to money, the coordinator of a medical team phoned and said four physicians would cover cost of the book. In the end, I was only responsible for the shipping fee. Several practitioners also helped me find places where we could donate the book. They included large libraries, universities, VIPs who can read English such as presidential secretaries, legislative members, city councilors, human rights organizations, medical associations, foreign businesses in Taiwan, and diplomats. All this would make the best use of this book. I realized that Master was helping us all along.
Master said,
“So just put in the effort needed and leave the rest to your teacher. The intent that you have to develop higher energy and make progress will suffice. It will be your teacher that does the real work, and it will be beyond anything you could possibly do.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Master also said,
“When a Dafa disciple's righteous thoughts are strong his existence in the world has a positive effect.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference.” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IV)
Master said,
“Those who do well will progress in a positive direction, while those who do poorly, or who don’t look within, will go in the opposite direction.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference”)
I understood that we needed to look at things positively. When we identify our loopholes and really work on them, Master will help us eliminate them. Thank you Master!
The Importance of Doing the Exercises
I have been working hard for a while. Sometimes I sat in front of the computer for more than 10 days straight. When my eyes were too tired I could not continue, but I was worried the task would not be finished. So I would take a break for my eyes, meditate and send forth righteous thoughts. As I meditated I could feel the rotation of Falun and the circulation of energy. After doing the exercises or sending forth righteous thoughts, my eyes were fine. After working a few hours, they were tired again. I would take another break, meditate and send forth righteous thoughts. I usually meditate several times a day, and I can feel the miraculous effect of meditating.
Sometimes when I wake up, my fingertips are numb. I feel this is a warning for me. One practitioner told us a story. After a young practitioner returned home from news reporting he said he felt very tired. Soon after he came home he passed away. I think it's not coincidental for me to hear this story. Cultivation is serious and we have to be alert at all times. We need to be strict with ourselves and maintain a good foundation on a daily basis. By doing all five sets of exercises, we can handle demanding work instead of running into issues.
Master said,
“As you know, in spiritual practice one is supposed to become “free of omissions.” If you have an omission, will they let you go to Heaven?” (“Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference”)
We really have to take it seriously.
Paying Attention to the Strengths of Other Practitioners
I am responsible for reviewing articles and pictures for a social media project. One practitioner objected after I changed his picture several times. He sent several group texts with anger between the lines. I felt uncomfortable reading his comments.
Master said,
“When you think that another person hasn’t done well, when you can’t get over it in your mind, you should think about it: “Why is my mind troubled by this? Does he really have a problem? Or is it that there’s something wrong inside me?” You should think about it carefully. If you indeed don’t have any problem and what he did is really problematic, you should tell him with kindness, and that won’t lead to conflicts. It’s guaranteed.” (Teachings at the Conference in the Western U.S.)
I realized my attachments must be provoked, otherwise I wouldn't feel unsettled. I decided to take a break and do the exercises. Afterwards I would take another look at the picture.
After I did the exercises I felt that the divine is looking at how we improve our xinxing, not who is right or wrong.
Master said,
“If you've got a good idea, well, you came up with it, you're being responsible to the Fa, and it's not important whether your idea is adopted or whether your approach is used. If another person's idea can achieve the same effect and you aren't attached to your own idea and instead you go along with his, then whether you've shared your approach or not, Gods will all see this and think, "Look, he isn't attached, and he's able to be so tolerant and broadminded."” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)
By considering the situation from the perspective of one body, I can let go of the notion of perfectionism. My own idea may not be better but improving xinxing is the key.
With kindness, I wrote a reply. I explained seven reasons why I changed this picture. The conflict was resolved and we could work together to make the picture better. After this article was posted, the effect was very good.
(Presented during the 2021 Minghui Website Fa Conference)
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