(Minghui.org) All practitioners attending our Fa-study group have been practicing Falun Dafa for over 20 years. Their ages range from 50 to over 90. We all steadfastly follow Master in our cultivation. Of course, the younger practitioners have done more when it comes to clarifying the truth, and distributing truth-clarification materials.
Some practitioners had little education, and could barely read. They could only recognize a few words before they began to cultivate. It often gave us challenges when studying the Fa, and clarifying the truth.
Given the challenges we face, I would like to share how I have taken helping other practitioners as my responsibility, and how I have tried my best to coordinate and help them.
I joined this Fa-study group in 2011. I noticed that some practitioners were struggling quite a bit with reading. When they read, they would not know or were unfamiliar with many words. This made their reading choppy and slow, and it would often take them a long time to read a single paragraph. Seeing this, I thought that I should help them even though this might take up a lot of my time and slow down my own Fa-study.
When practitioners encountered unknown words, I and others would pronounce the words and would sometimes explain their basic meanings. This extended our Fa-study time, however, I could study the Fa with peace of mind. This way, practitioners with little or no education could read the Fa with our help, and I would often encourage them during the process.
One practitioner can now read Zhuan Falun, the principal teachings of Falun Dafa, fluently, and her pronunciation is also accurate. Her reading is smooth and impressive. It’s truly remarkable!
During Fa-study, whenever someone didn’t understand the meaning of a word, they would ask me, and I would patiently provide an explanation they could understand and be satisfied with. Once, a practitioner didn’t understand a sentence in Zhuan Falun and asked others, but still didn’t understand the meaning. Based on my understanding of the Fa, I shared my perspective, and she accepted my explanation.
I had a rather impatient personality, but studying the Fa with these practitioners has been beneficial for me—it has greatly tempered my xinxing. After some time, I naturally adapted to their way of understanding and became more patient.
There was a long-standing issue in our Fa-study group. Some practitioners liked to chat about trivial matters, joking and laughing, not taking cultivation seriously. Some would come and go as they pleased, making a lot of noise when opening and closing the door, and moving around, disrupting others from focusing on Fa-study. Sometimes, when they encountered unknown words, it led to unrelated discussions, even small arguments, disturbing everyone’s focus and affecting the effectiveness of Fa-study. If a practitioner didn’t know a word, we could simply explain it, as there was no need to over-explain the meaning.
After joining this group, I shared the good practices of other Fa-study groups and reminded them: During Fa-study, we must be serious and avoid joking and laughing, and we shouldn’t talk about things unrelated to cultivation. Before Fa-study, we should prepare ourselves, so we won’t need to come and go during the session. If we absolutely must deal with something urgently, do it quietly to avoid disturbing others. We should focus on the Fa and avoid whispering among each other.
When issues arose during Fa-study, I would remind everyone of the seriousness of it, while also holding myself to these strict standards. After a period of time, everyone developed the habit of consciously adhering to these good practices, and the Fa-study environment changed. We now have an effective, quiet, and good Fa-study environment.
Some practitioners did not know how to look inward or view things from the perspective of the Fa. During our time for sharing, some talked about conflicts with their family members, which often led to arguments. One practitioner mentioned that her husband was always displeased with her, finding fault in everything she did and eventually not allowing her to speak. Whenever she did speak, her husband would get angry and even resort to verbal abuse. Another practitioner said that her husband, son, and daughter-in-law did not support her cultivation and dumped all the household chores on her—laundry, cooking, babysitting, cleaning, and so on—overwhelming her.
I shared my understanding, saying, “These phenomena are not just superficial, they often have deeper meanings. As cultivators, we should understand them from the perspective of the Fa and we must look inward. It could be that our righteous thoughts are not strong enough, leading to interference from evil forces. Or we may have some attachments that we haven’t let go of. Or perhaps we haven’t acted according to the requirements of the Fa and have omissions. These issues in cultivation would often manifest in our daily lives.”
Through diligent Fa-study and sharing, practitioners linked the conflicts at home with their cultivation issues and addressed them accordingly. One practitioner reported that her daughter-in-law now supported her cultivation, and when her son complained about her, her daughter-in-law would even defend her. Another practitioner said that her husband no longer opposed her cultivation and even drove her to distribute truth-clarification materials. Although household chores remained the same, everything was well-organized.
These sharing and others inspired us. Gradually, everyone learned to look inward, as we deeply felt the wonder and preciousness of studying the Fa and cultivation.
An elderly practitioner couple faced illness tribulations. The husband had a swollen prostate that blocked his urethra. After going to the hospital for an examination, a tumor was found in his bladder, and he underwent surgery. Meanwhile, the wife also developed gallstones, and due to the unbearable pain, also had surgery.
After hearing about their situation, I told them that encountering illness tribulations is a test for us cultivators. Dafa cultivators do not experience illnesses, as the manifestation of illness is an illusion. We should have faith in Master and the Fa, do well according to the Fa’s requirements, let go of the attachment to life and death, and be more diligent in cultivation. This would allow us to smoothly overcome the tribulation.
I told them about my personal experience. When I first started practicing Falun Dafa, I had a fever of 39.5°C (103.1°F) that lasted for three days. I was a very worried. After some hesitation, I established firm righteous thoughts, and let go of the fear of life and death. Immediately, I felt a sensation like an electric shock at the Mingmen acupoint (an acupuncture point in Chinese medicine), which quickly spread throughout my body, and the fever subsided instantly.
I said to the couple, “Don’t be afraid of death. Birth, aging, illness, and death are natural laws of life. With birth comes death. Now that we have obtained the Fa, what is there to fear?” They believed what I said made sense, and they strengthened their righteous thoughts of believing in Master and the Fa. They deepened their understanding of the Fa and eliminated their long-standing fear of death. I was very happy to see the progress of these two elderly practitioners.
After Minghui.org issued the call for experience sharing articles for the 2024 World Falun Dafa Day, I wanted to report what I had done in assisting Master in Fa-rectification. A practitioner happened to bring me her article, asking me to help edit it. Two other practitioners saw it and asked me to help them write their sharing articles. This was challenging and I had some concerns about it. However, no one else in our group could help at the time. I felt it was my responsibility, so I agreed. Yet, I was worried I wouldn’t do a good job.
The practitioners shared with me the specific things they had done in their cultivation, such as assisting Master in saving sentient beings. I was deeply moved by their firm righteous thoughts, sincere gratitude toward Master, cherishing this valuable opportunity, and their efforts to assist Master in Fa-rectification. I decided to abandon my laziness and help them write down their true lived experiences in cultivation. Through the sharing articles, I hoped to let the world understand the immense sacrifices and endurance that our great Master has made to save all beings. I also looked at the mighty virtue exhibited by the practitioners in their cultivation and assistance in Fa-rectification, and to show the world the greatness of our Master, Dafa, and Dafa practitioners. I was determined to do my utmost to fulfill the beautiful wishes exhibited by my fellow practitioners.
Time was tight, so I asked those who could write a little to write it themselves first. For those who couldn’t write, I asked them to record the content they wanted to share and then give it to me for editing and organizing. When I received them, I saw that some issues weren’t clearly explained. However, because I couldn’t get in touch with them promptly for clarification, I could only organize the articles based on available information.
When I started organizing these manuscripts, I didn’t know where to begin, how to organize them, how to express the main ideas, or what title to give. I was at a loss. So, I set this task aside, studied the Fa, read other practitioners’ sharing on Minghui.org, cleared my mind, and asked Master to give me wisdom. Gradually, I gathered my thoughts, found my direction, and managed to organize and write the articles.
I gained a lot in the process. I eliminated some attachments, such as seeking comfort, fear of hard work, eagerness for quick success, and dependence on others. I also strengthened my sense of responsibility and did my best to fulfill the tasks entrusted to me by other practitioners. I felt wonderful because I knew I was in the mindset of thinking of others first.
I know this is what I should be doing while coordinating and cooperating with other practitioners, studying the Fa and cultivating, clarifying the truth, and assisting Master in Fa-rectification. I have improved in cultivation, and I am very grateful for the opportunities to have provided some help to others over the years.
I would like to express my most heartfelt gratitude to our compassionate and great Master for his support!