(Minghui.org) Since the beginning of the pandemic, many areas were locked down. In order to save people, we had to change our approach. Prior to the lockdown, we would leave truth-clarification brochures at people’s doors or on doorknobs. But since everyone was locked inside, it was even difficult to obtain materials from fellow practitioners.
A practitioner called and asked me to pick up a bundle of brochures at the entrance to her community. I then went to drop off materials at practitioner Ling’s residence. To enter and leave communities, we needed to show a pass and provide our phone number and address. I didn’t normally call Ling, but this time I did and said, “I’m at the entrance to your community and need to speak to you.” I put the truth-clarification brochures in a gift basket and gave them to her. It was during the Chinese New Year, so it didn’t look out of the ordinary.
The next few times we met up, I put the materials into small packages because large ones couldn’t fit through the fence. Afterward, Ling informed me there were two more buildings that needed materials. So I packaged brochures in a large cardboard box, and another practitioner helped her take them into the buildings. There were other practitioners who also helped distribute the materials to all the residents.
The Importance of Working Independently
In the spring of 2019, Ling asked if I had any paper currency with messages about the goodness of Falun Dafa printed on it. I asked around, but no one had any. So instead of always relying on others, I asked another practitioner if she could teach me how to make them.
Two practitioners brought a printer to my house and taught me how to print messages on bills, as well as how to upload the names of people who wanted to quit the Chinese Communist Party.
This process may be easy for someone younger, but it was tough for an older person like me. I didn’t know how to type, so I had to learn Pinyin from an elementary textbook. With Dafa and Master Li’s strengthening, I finally learned how to type Chinese characters.
Cultivating My Character
Ling would bring me bills to print messages on them in exchange for some that were ready to use. As time went by, I noticed something amiss. I counted the money Ling gave me and found that a 20-yuan bill was missing. I instantly remembered Master’s Fa about loss and gain, and reminded myself that I needed to improve my character or xinxing.
The next time Ling brought money over I didn’t want to count it, but I couldn’t help myself. I counted and realized there was one more bill than I expected. A week later, I told her about the extra bill and asked if she'd ever received less bills from me. I paid a lot of attention when putting the bills through the printer and thought there shouldn’t be any problems. However, she said there were times when she received one bill less but never told me.
Afterward, I checked the computer and found it had miscalculated the amount of money I was feeding the printer. So I had to count the money manually each time and not feel it was a chore.
We no longer have any issues over the number of bills we exchange, and we are both elevating ourselves in cultivation.
Changing My Notions
I used to wear reading glasses when knitting, but after I started practicing Dafa, I knew I shouldn’t. But this was a deeply ingrained habit. I then bought a nicer pair of reading glasses, even though it felt weird buying them. I would also reach for my glasses before I started hand copying the Fa. I realized this was a preconceived notion.
I stayed at home a lot in 2020 due to the pandemic, so I had more time to study the Fa and hand copy the Fa. I noticed that my husband would copy the Fa without the need for his reading glasses. Then it hit me: I shouldn’t wear my glasses either and I should elevate my xinxing instead. I tried taking off my glasses to hand copy the Fa, but my handwriting wasn’t as good as it was when I wore glasses.
Master said,
“I removed those for them, yet they still worry that the problem persists, that those things are still there. But this counts as an attachment, and it’s called doubt. And if they go on like this they might just bring those entities back again. So they should stop having doubts, and know that I eradicated those things for them during my classes. All of those things were removed.” (The Third Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I believe in Dafa and Master and changed my preconceived notions. I never wore glasses again. Sometimes, while studying the Fa at night, I was not able to see well. I would not attribute the issue to my eyes, however, but to the lighting in the room. So I moved to an area with better lighting, which solved the problem.
I also experienced the difference between righteous thoughts and ordinary thoughts. When studying or copying the Fa, fluid would sometimes ooze from my eyes. But I knew Master was purifying my eyes for me. After going through many instances where I changed my notions, I finally knew how to align myself with the standards of the Fa (Truthfullness-Compassion-Forbearance). I thank Master Li for his compassionate salvation.
We face numerous challenges in our daily lives and are constantly cultivating ourselves with each thought and action. Although ordinary people’s thoughts might emerge, I have Dafa and must follow the standards of the Fa to distinguish the real me from my preconceived notions. We must suppress our negative thoughts and firmly hold onto our righteous ones.
As a Dafa practitioner during the Fa-rectification period, I vow to do the three things diligently, stay humble, help Master to save more people, and walk steadily on the final leg of my cultivation journey.
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
Category: Improving Oneself
