(Minghui.org) I was nervous and didn’t know where to start when I was asked to write an experience-sharing article. But I knew it had to be a process of improving my xinxing by looking deeper inward so I could expose my existing loopholes.
I learned about Falun Dafa in Martinique in 2000 and quickly realized that this was the cultivation practice I had been looking for. During the first years of my cultivation, I diligently did the exercises, studied the Fa, participated in events, and passed out fliers to residents and tourists. I did that based on the impression that the Fa-rectification of the human world would come about in just a few years. Master had set standards for Dafa disciples. I always remember my state of mind at that time: positive, firm, and always letting go of anything so as to support Dafa validation projects. I was happy, because I had obtained the Fa, and I also thanked Master for choosing me.
I realized that the Fa-rectification of the human world would not arrive as soon as I had thought, and time passed, year upon year. I came to Marseille, France, in 2011 and immediately joined a few truth-clarification projects. The most important one was Shen Yun.
I had to admit that sometimes when I studied Zhuan Falun, it was like memorizing the multiplication tables. I read it with my mouth, but I was thinking about other ordinary people’s things, such as reminding myself to check emails and so on.
I realized that I had stopped absorbing every word of the Fa like a sponge absorbs water when I first began to cultivate. At that time, I could feel the power and effect of the Fa. But now it’s different when I study the Fa online, even if I’m so familiar with the Fa that I know what the next sentence is. Why did I lose the feeling of being immersed in the Fa that I had when I first started?
I looked inward to see what had been distracting me. I found that it was an accumulation of very common things among ordinary people: hobbies, art, family, and friends. Although I don’t take any individual matter very seriously, cumulatively they still take up a lot of space. I also found that I was not as active as before in clarifying the truth. I meet many people every day, but I rarely give them Falun Gong fliers. Sometimes I don’t even give out one a week. In the past, I used to clarify the truth every time I went out. At the time it was as natural as if it was in my genes.
Looking further, I again found the attachment of fear: fear of disturbing people and fear of being rejected. This is an arrogant and selfish attachment that is exploited by the evil. Taking the initiative to talk to people one does not know requires humility and compassion, different from the values I have been taught. I also found that I could do better when I cooperated with fellow practitioners in clarifying the truth, but I felt a little powerless when I did it alone. Clarifying the truth out in public was a real challenge for me.
Master said, “...we have said that one gets into trouble because one’s own values and mind are not correct or righteous.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)
After finding the problem, I am ashamed to admit that I found myself using the excuse “I work in a Dafa media project and I'm clarifying the truth on a large scale, so I don’t need to talk to people in person.” But that is not acceptable. I also heard a voice saying, “Don’t worry about those passersby—they should avail themselves of the Dafa media by themselves and then they will be saved.”
I denied this notion and asked myself what my responsibility was in the matter. I have to talk to them from the perspective of the Fa and that includes the thousands of passersby I meet every day who missed hearing the truth. Will I create significant karma for this? If they can’t make it up, will they have a future? Will there be another chance?
Master said,
“Dafa disciples, don’t forsake the magnificent responsibility that has been bestowed upon you in Fa-rectification, and even less should you disappoint those beings, as you are now their only hope for entering the future. For this reason, all Dafa disciples, students both new and veteran, should get to work and begin comprehensively clarifying the truth.” (Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World’s People, The Essentials of Diligent Progress III)
My understanding of “comprehensively clarifying the truth” is that I should clarify the truth to people I meet out in public and be responsible for them because they are waiting for me. And that is in addition to my participation in a media project.
I decided to make clarifying the truth a priority when I started writing this article a week ago. I re-formatted my brain to think that I go out every day to clarify the truth, then do other things such as meeting people, attending a meeting, and buying groceries. It is not easy to develop this habit, but Master is helping me take this step. Studying the Fa will strengthen me, and sending righteous thoughts will also open up new paths.
We clarify the truth in stores and when we are out and about. The latter is the most difficult situation for me. I have to go beyond ordinary people’s notions of social class and selfishness to put the Fa at the top. I’ve been trying to overcome these notions every day for a week, and Master is helping me. My mind also becomes more stable when I study the Fa.
Thank you, Master!