(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1999 and I am the coordinator of a Fa study group. We have met for over 20 years and new practitioners keep joining. Currently, eight practitioners routinely come—the oldest one is 82 years old and the youngest is over 70. We read the teachings 3 days a week, and spend the remaining 4 days going out to distribute truth-clarifying materials or talk to people in person.
Always Being Responsible
When the persecution was most rampant, a practitioner who provided me with materials was arrested. This practitioner did not understand the Fa deeply and felt that he must be truthful. (“Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.”) He told the police where I lived. My house was ransacked by Domestic Security personnel and police officers. I was arrested and detained.
While I was held in the detention center, I personally experienced how miraculous Falun Dafa is. In the past, I was always afraid of the cold. It was early spring when I was detained and the ice on the floor had not melted. We were only allowed to wear slippers in the detention center, but I did not feel cold at all. The food was really bad. The cabbage in the pickled cabbage soup had not been washed, and the bread was especially tough. I recalled what Master said,
“...Eating, but caring not to taste-The palate’s attachments severed....”(“Abiding in the Dao,” Hong Yin)
The food did not taste bad to me and I even drank the soup. One inmate said with a sigh, “Wow, this old lady really enjoys the food.”
After leaving the detention center, I recalled my experience of being persecuted, and recalling the lecture that Master gave to the Changchun assistants, I realized that as the coordinating practitioner for this site, I should take up the responsibilities. From the initial weekly printed publications to the weekly publications saved in USB drives, from truth-clarifying materials to signs to be put up, from Dafa books to Master’s lectures every year, as long as practitioners needed them, I delivered them as soon as possible. I continued doing this for the past 20 years.
Last year, my city went through massive road renovations and the public buses suddenly changed their routes. I did not know that and planned to deliver some USB drives to a practitioner. I didn’t realize in time that the public bus was going further and further away from the destination, so I had no choice but to get off the bus. That month happened to be the start of the summer heat, and it took me nearly an hour to walk to the practitioner’s home. I said to Master in my heart, “I am created by Dafa so I have Master watching over me. Master, please help me so that I can endure the heat.” Miraculously, I really did not feel hot or tired when I arrived at the practitioner’s house.
Local practitioner Chen recently had some illness symptoms. She lost consciousness at home and was sent to the hospital by her family members. The doctor said she had late-stage cancer and her family forced her to be hospitalized. Due to the pandemic, the hospital had very strict visitation rules, so it was very difficult to see Chen. At that time, I just had a steadfast thought in my mind, “No matter what I must visit her. I must exchange cultivation thoughts with her face-to-face, strengthen her righteous thoughts and remind her of the Fa.”
Accompanied by her family, I got to see Chen. I brought her a Bluetooth device that had Master’s lectures. I told her, “This is just a test. The medicine does not have any effect on your body. You just have to be steadfast in one thought, that only Master can save you.”
After Chen went through the surgery, I went to see her again and told her, “What has been done has already been done. Don’t be upset. When we fall we just have to get up quickly. Do not be pulled down by guilt and regret. I would suggest you not undergo chemotherapy. This is a test of whether you can let go of life and death. Master is so benevolent, he will definitely take care of you. You just have to be steadfast in your righteous thoughts and do your best to pass this tribulation.”
After we talked, Chen’s righteous thoughts were very strong. When they sent her for chemotherapy, she pulled out the tubes and insisted on getting discharged. The doctor did not allow her to leave, so she said that she had no appetite and could not sleep. She insisted on leaving the hospital. Her family members could not persuade her to stay. Chen was discharged and went home. Practitioner Ding and I went to her home every day to read the Fa with her. We also exchanged our cultivation experiences and encouraged her to strengthen her righteous thoughts.
During the process of helping Chen, my body also went through some reactions. All the joints in my body just became painful for no reason. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the negative substances and extended the time I did the exercises. These symptoms quickly went away.
Chen’s family told me to persuade her to take the medicine and undergo chemotherapy. I told them, “I am a Dafa practitioner. Chen is also a Dafa practitioner. I cannot do this. I can only encourage her to pass the tribulation with her righteous thoughts.”
The other practitioners and I studied the Fa and sent righteous thoughts with Chen. Two weeks later Chen fully recovered. After she was discharged, Chen did not take any medication. She continued doing all the work that she needed to do, such as making meals and doing household chores. Apart from studying the Fa and doing the exercises, she even went out to clarify the truth.
Through this incident I understood that cultivation is very serious. Practitioners are a whole entity. When we help other practitioners, our own cultivation state must meet the standard. Being clear about the Fa principles gives us a strong foundation to generate strong righteous thoughts. Only in this way can we empower the practitioner to pass the tribulation.
Getting Rid of Attachments During Conflicts
Many of the elderly practitioners at our Fa study site are illiterate. They try their best to read Zhuan Falun, but most never read Master’s lectures given in other regions. I arranged certain time slots for everyone to read Master’s lectures from the other regions so that the illiterate practitioners could hear them. Our group has now read Master’s lectures given in other regions four times. During the process there were some small issues.
Anqi from our Fa study group often adds or misses words when she reads the Fa. When other practitioners point it out, she is not willing to listen. Bing sat near her. When Anqi mispronounced words, Bing corrected her twice. The first time Anqi was tolerant but when Bing pointed out another mistake, she reacted strongly.
She shouted at Bing, “I can accept what the others point out but I just do not want to listen to you!” I know that Anqi is not biased against Bing. It’s just that many practitioners also pointed out her mispronunciations a few times. Her displeasure built up and finally broke loose. Bing’s words happened to be the igniting factor that pushed Anqi over the edge. As a coordinator I need to maintain this Fa study environment. I told everyone, “Let’s all look within ourselves!”
After this incident Anqi stopped coming for Fa study and she even began talking about me to other practitioners. She said that I thought that my Fa study is quite good, but it is actually nothing but strong Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture!
After hearing these words, I thought: since she said this, maybe I really have such attachments which I did not realize. After examining myself, I discovered that I really still had the CCP culture. It surfaces when I notice other practitioners have problems, and I get anxious. Once I get anxious, my tone is unkind and I criticize them. I also have a strong ego. I want to lead every practitioner in the Fa study group well and push everyone to cultivate diligently. Actually, every practitioner is a particle of the Fa. We are all being taken care of by Master. When there is a problem, I just have to remind them kindly. The fundamental problem can only be resolved by Master and Dafa.
After I understood this, I told the other practitioners in the group, “Please point out my attachments. If I display any more CCP culture elements, please tell me directly.”
When conflicts touch my heart, I cannot immediately attain the state of looking within. This time, I was able to handle the conflict peacefully and rationally because such incidents had happened before.
I joined another small group of practitioners to study the Fa. There were a few elderly practitioners in the group who did not have much education. When they read Master’s lectures given in other regions, they could not read them fluently. This seriously affected the group. Under the suggestion of some practitioners, I decided to let the practitioners who could not read well, listen on the side. During the process, some practitioners felt that I pronounced words more to the standard, so when it was my turn to read, they would ask me to read a few more paragraphs. However, we did not expect this to stir people’s hearts. Some practitioners discussed me behind my back, saying that I thought highly of myself. I thought that I cultivated quite well and read well so that when it was my turn to read the Fa, I just kept reading. They even encouraged the practitioners who were listening not to listen to what I said, but to read when it was their turn to read.
When I heard these words I felt great turmoil in my heart. I felt wronged, thinking: Everyone only has two chances to join the group Fa study every week. Many of the less educated elderly practitioners are also hearing the lectures given in other regions for the first time. When they listen to all the non-fluent, broken sentences that are full of wrong words, they will not be able to understand the content of the Fa. Won’t that be wasting the group’s time?
The practitioner who criticized me treated me quite well to my face. She even complimented me, saying that my pronunciation was good. When I thought about this, the turmoil in my heart got worse. I felt that this practitioner is acting one way to my face, but acting another way behind my back. She totally did not abide by the “truthfulness” principle!
I reminded myself that I had to look within based on the Fa. I realized that the reason that I felt so sad was because of my attachment to saving face, listening to complimentary words, and my ego were all being touched upon.
If I had really attained the state of selflessness, the practitioner’s words would not move me. I understood that this happened to help me expand my capacity. It is because of these painful cultivation experiences that now when I hear Anqi comment about me, I was able to take the matter lightly. This is how amazing cultivation is.
On behalf of all the elderly practitioners in our Fa study group I would like to send our greetings to Master and express our gratitude. Master, you have sacrificed a lot for us! From now on, we must assimilate to the Fa more, abide by the requirement of the Fa, truly assist Master in rectifying the Fa and follow Master home.
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Category: Improving Oneself
