(Minghui.org) I’ve practiced Falun Dafa for 15 years, and I’d like to share my recent cultivation experiences of eliminating Party culture.
Oblivious to Party Culture
I moved to Japan last March. The Party culture ingrained in me became particularly pronounced after I arrived, but I was oblivious to it. The other practitioners noticed something wasn’t quite right with me. I constantly felt like everything I did was wrong, yet I couldn’t pinpoint where I’d gone wrong. I thought I was behaving normally.
I got married this past August. My husband is Japanese, and our personalities are completely opposite. He’s slow-paced; I’m impatient. He’s meticulous; I’m careless. He does not overthink; I overthink everything. This stark contrast in our personalities started to show in our daily lives.
After we married, the first thing I needed to cultivate was my impatience. I read Master’s teachings, and I wanted to understand how people outside China live and think about problems, and how they are different from people in China who have been poisoned by CCP culture.
Impatient, Self-Centered, Self-Righteous
My husband told me about Japanese politeness and how to handle certain situations. I thought it all sounded good, but there were certain things I really didn’t want to change. I felt it was too hard to follow the rules.
When we went to take care of some business, the staff asked us to fill out a form before we waited in line. I disagreed, thinking I could fill out the form while I waited in line. The staff reminded me again, but I still refused to listen. I felt there was nothing wrong with standing in line while I filled out the form. Plus it was almost closing time and I wanted to hurry up and get it done. I’d done it this way before, so I didn’t listen to them.
My husband couldn’t accept this behavior, but he didn’t say any harsh words. He just sat there quietly.
I couldn’t follow a rule that seemed unnecessary and just stuck to my own ideas. When I later calmed down, I realized this was Party culture—I was arrogant, self-righteous, and unwilling to be managed, and I refused to follow the rules.
Once I realized this, I immediately apologized to my husband: “I was wrong. This is Party culture. I didn’t realize it was wrong. I hope you can understand. I won’t do it again. I’ll change.” My husband said, “Japanese people follow the rules; they don’t act like that. Recognize your mistake and change gradually—no need to feel pressured.” I know I was clearly in the wrong, yet he didn’t force me to change. What a kind and peaceful nature he has—the difference between us is truly vast.
Inconsiderate, Ungrateful, Resentful
My impatient nature made me hasty and inconsiderate. I always wanted to cultivate myself, but I also believed I had good qualities—like being “highly efficient” in my work. My husband has a calm and somewhat slow-paced personality, and he can’t handle it when I get impatient.
The people he grew up with speak gently to each other, so he finds my speech harsh and forceful. He often says, “Thank you” and “Sorry,” and is grateful for small things. I didn’t see the need to be like this. After we were married, I just regarded his help as part of his duty, which showed I lacked gratitude.
I tried to appear calm on the surface. Then he told me calmness requires a smile. I thought, "How can I force a smile when I’m holding in my resentment?" I just couldn’t manage it. I realized that, without inner peace, no matter how I try to cultivate, it’s impossible to achieve peace only on the surface.
I explained to my husband that Chinese pronunciation has rising and falling tones, and because of these pitch variations, Chinese people sometimes don’t sound calm—using that as justification for how I spoke. Later, I realized that Chinese culture is divinely inspired, and I shouldn’t view things this way.
I asked him, “Do your coworkers and everyone you meet speak so calmly?” I thought he’d say no, but he said yes. I was skeptical. Really? Then the problem must be with me. Everyone else is calm, but I’m not. I immediately looked inward. Party culture promotes being conflict and being dishonest. Wasn’t my superficial calmness also fake? I always want to express my opinions, refuse to listen to others, interrupt when they speak, and force my ideas on them—I insist that I’m right and they’re wrong.
My husband said again, “You always insist on your own way, always emphasizing your opinion and never listening to mine.”
Just as I was about to retort, I remembered what Master said,
“Some people are always stressing that they’re right, but even if you are right, even if you’re not wrong, so what? Have you improved on the basis of the Fa? The very act of using human thinking to stress who’s right and who’s wrong is in itself wrong. That’s because you are then using the logic of ordinary people to evaluate yourself, and using that logic to make demands on others. As gods see it, for a cultivator to be right or wrong in the human world is not important in the least, whereas eliminating the attachments that come from human thinking is important, and it is precisely your managing to eliminate those attachments rooted in your human thinking as you cultivate that counts as important.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan,” Collected Teachings Given Around the WorldVolume X)
I immediately apologized to my husband, and said, “I just remembered what Master taught. I was wrong—I shouldn’t have insisted on my opinion. What I thought was right might not actually be right. I feel ashamed: after fifteen years of cultivation, I still have so much to cultivate away and Party culture is deeply ingrained in me. If I do anything wrong, please remind me and I’ll change—but please give me some time.” My husband replied, “Don’t rush. Take your time. I have my own shortcomings too—sometimes I just don’t like to voice my thoughts.”
Consciously Eliminate Party Culture, Take the Fa as My Guide
After sharing and discussing with practitioners, I realized that throughout my cultivation, when conflicts arose, even though I recognized my own mistakes, I still believed the other person was also at fault.
I cultivated myself but I continued to resent others, yet I felt my character improved, my perspective changed, and I felt I saw things differently. After I realized this, whenever conflicts occur, I know I need to look within, and focus on others’ strengths instead of their shortcomings.
Through studying the Fa, looking inward and consciously eliminating Party culture, whenever I face challenging situations now, I first patiently listen to the other person’s opinion. When others speak, I listen quietly and I don’t interrupt them. When differing views arise, I put my own views aside, avoid superficial judgments, and refrain from seeing things from an ordinary human perspective.
Instead, I reflect on what Master teaches in the Fa, hold myself to the Fa’s standards, identify where I fall short, and observe how people in a normal society—free of Party culture—live their lives.
I am deeply grateful to Master for allowing me to remain in Japan, where I can cultivate and recognize my shortcomings. In future, I will strive even harder, cherishing the precious time Master has given us through immense sacrifice. I will diligently cultivate my heart and do the three things. Thank you, Master. Thank you, fellow practitioners.
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Category: Improving Oneself
