(Minghui.org) I would like to share my cultivation experience over the past few years. I started practicing Falun Dafa nearly 30 years ago, but I had always struggled to understand how to truly cultivate myself. In hindsight, I realize that was because I didn’t study the Fa well and failed to recognize the bad influence of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) culture and everyday people’s logic. I was frustrated when I didn’t improve in cultivation, something foremost for a practitioner.
But by memorizing the Fa and looking inward, I made a breakthrough recently and realized that I used to mistake doing Dafa work as cultivation and didn’t improve my xinxing solidly.
Cultivating Compassion in the Family Environment
I grew up to be selfish and capricious. I didn’t know how to be a good mother or a good wife until Dafa showed me how.
Master gave me a smart daughter, a little angel, but I didn’t cherish her. I treated her as my property and took a big detour in her education. Not only did I wear myself out, but I also hurt her badly. I was always very strict with her and forced her to follow my will from the time she was little. I lost my temper and composure when she didn’t do things as I wanted.
I didn’t take the time or make the effort to care for her as she grew up and needed me most. I used the excuse that I was busy with my Dafa work. I forced her to study the Fa, hoping that her problems at school would go away naturally as long as she studied the Fa well.
I realize now that I was such an irresponsible and selfish mother. My words and actions made my daughter rebel and shun cultivation, and our relationship became strained. It wasn’t until recent years that I began to realize that I did not follow Master’s requirement when it came to her education and that I harbored strong Party culture in myself. I listened to the audiobook Disintegrating Party Culture, which I should have done many years ago, and really benefited from it.
I now understand that Master is watching over our children’s cultivation. I should take care of my daughter’s needs, focus on her shining points, and praise and encourage her instead of concentrating on her shortcomings. I made an effort to change myself in recent years. I reflected on myself and apologized to her several times. She was able to open herself up to me and communicate with me. She is cultivating diligently now. Thank you, Master!
I used to be competitive and narrow-minded and had a bad temper and suffered from all kinds of health issues from the time I was little. My husband is also a practitioner. Our relationship has weathered many tests over the years, some good, some bad, but nothing changed fundamentally. With the mindset that I was right about everything and that I was capable, I always liked to argue with him over petty things. I was picky about what he did and did not trust him. I ended up deciding everything.
When I read Master’s poem “Yin and Yang Reversed” in Hong Yin III, which says, “Impetuous, sharp-tongued, and dominating,” I really felt that it was describing me. I knew I had done poorly.
After more Fa study, I finally began to see strong Party culture in myself. Most women in ancient times were virtuous and gentle and respected their husbands. I grew up surrounded by Party culture and had not learned true traditional culture systematically. I picked on my husband when we ran into problems and spoke to him disrespectfully. I know that was why I had a stuffy nose or a runny nose in recent years. I was frustrated about my cultivation state and was determined to correct myself. I knew the only way to do that was to study the Fa more.
I started to memorize the Fa but had to quit halfway several times. Without the Fa in my mind, I couldn’t use it to guide myself when things went wrong. I made up my mind the last time I tried to persist in memorizing the Fa no matter what. I joined a Fa memorizing group in early June and have kept it up to this day. I have discovered many of my shortcomings along the way.
Master said,
“The older generation and those who are more cultured can practice self-restraint and not stoop to arguing with others.” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I have read this sentence of the Fa many times but never used it to evaluate myself. I was determined to get rid of my hot temper and resentment. To do that, I have to build up my strong willpower to eliminate them as soon as they raise their ugly heads. Only when I follow the path arranged by Master am I truly listening to him.
The first thing I decided to do was to stop complaining about my husband’s swatting mosquitoes while doing the Falun Dafa exercises in the park. I told myself to let it go. Once when I heard him doing it again, I told myself to bear it even though it was hard for me to restrain my anger. Master’s teachings made me realize that doing that was suppressing my demonic nature and cultivating my Buddha nature.
Whenever I encounter a conflict, I remind myself to behave like a practitioner and assimilate to the Fa, so that I can achieve “Accomplishing is cultivating” (Solid Cultivation, Hong Yin). Memorizing the Fa reminds me to measure myself according to the Fa instead of being caught up in the grudges of ordinary people. I should not demand that others follow my standard but treat them with compassion.
Clarifying the Truth Face to Face
After I moved to Japan over 10 years ago, I often went to Osaka when I had time. I didn’t know how to talk to people about the facts of Dafa at that time. As I watched other practitioners doing it and learned from them, I gradually knew how to do it myself and built up a good foundation for clarifying the truth in the future.
Before the pandemic, I worked as a Chinese language salesperson in a brand-name chain store in Osaka on a busy street. Master brought many predestined people to me every day to hear the truth. The more people I spoke to and the better I clarified the truth to them, the better I did my job. I was the top salesperson of all the chain stores nationwide and twice ranked number one.
I built good relationships with my colleagues and considered others in everything I did. I clarified the truth to people only when the opportunities presented themselves. I felt I was surrounded with tranquility at work, and I treated every customer with heartfelt kindness. I tried to meet their needs and praised them sincerely. After I gained their trust, we would be more comfortable with each other. I then found chances to steer our conversations to truth clarification. Many times, both the customers and their companions agreed to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. I talked to thousands of people from 2016 to 2019, and most of them agreed to quit the CCP.
In April 2019, I quit my job. I then went to tourist sites in Osaka and worked with other practitioners to talk to Chinese tourists. I met predestined people every day and sometimes up to 30 people agreed to quit the CCP. Then the pandemic hit in February 2020, and there were no more Chinese tourists. I’m glad I seized the time before the pandemic to talk to as many people as I could.
Clarifying Truth at the Chinese Morning Market
Practitioners in Osaka have distributed the Chinese Epoch Times newspaper in the Chinese morning market on Sundays since 2005. A variety of Chinese breakfast foods and goods imported from China are sold at the market.
Some of the Chinese people there understood what we were doing. A small portion of them who had been watching NTD TV programs and reading the Epoch Times already knew how evil the CCP was, and many of them agreed to withdraw from the CCP after a short conversation with us. On the other hand, some people cursed at us, some disagreed with us, and some still had hopes for the CCP.
I have been going to the market on Sundays since the outbreak of the pandemic. I met an elderly man with a two-year-old girl. I learned after a short chat that he had come to Japan to visit his son and be treated for his lung cancer. When I told him about the health benefits of Falun Dafa, he took offense. I wanted to clear up his misunderstandings, so I began to talk about the staged self-immolation in Tiananmen Square. His son came over and stopped me.
Later, I met the whole family again. This time, I talked to his daughter-in-law. She told me that the hospital in Japan saved her father-in-law. I told her how I got rid of my illnesses by practicing Falun Gong and that many things they heard on the CCP’s media about Falun Dafa weren’t true—they were propaganda crafted to incite hatred.
I also told her more about quitting the CCP and she agreed to do it. I sincerely wished her peace and happiness and she kept thanking me. Then I spoke to her husband. His attitude completely changed and he was friendly. He told me that he was a CCP member and agreed to withdraw from it. I was touched to see his smile and real happiness coming out.
A middle-aged man had a stand selling deli meat. He had many misunderstandings and, initially, was not interested in listening to me tell him about quitting the CCP or anything about Falun Gong. Many practitioners went over to chat with him whenever we met on Sundays. Gradually, his attitude changed, and he treated us like friends. He told me one morning that he had already distributed many copies of the Epoch Times that morning. I was happy for him and said, “You are really making merit for yourself.”
A Chinese businessman said to me with great emotion one Sunday, “I really admire you people, your persistence in doing this all year round, diligently and earnestly. It would be great if you could work for our company. We need people like you.” I thanked him for his kindness. I felt that his words meant to encourage me to persevere in what I have been doing. Sometimes I had a hard time getting up early on Sunday mornings. But I knew people were still waiting for me to save them, and my sense of responsibility and mission kept me going, though sometimes I went a bit late. It always turned out to be a rewarding trip.
Conclusion
Thank you, Master, for your tremendous grace! I am lucky to be your disciple. My life is for the Fa and sentient beings, and I will save people nonstop. I will cultivate more diligently, fulfill my vow, and go home with Master.
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