(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 2014, even though I’d heard about it a few years earlier. Looking back on the 10 years of my cultivation journey, I feel a profound appreciation for the experiences I’ve encountered and would like to share some of them with fellow practitioners.
I began a job as a caregiver for an 87-year-old bedridden woman in 2015. I took care of her wholeheartedly and, in the process, I was able to let go of selfishness and held myself to the standards of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Her family recognized my efforts, and we got along very well.
Soon afterward, for no apparent reason, I developed a fear of death. The thought, “I am going to die!” suddenly popped into my mind. I was so scared that I felt weak and couldn’t move. I called my sister and asked her to come help me cook and feed the elderly woman.
This fear lingered for half a year, and it even popped up when I was doing the sitting meditation. I would immediately collapse. I tried to deny this thought karma as soon as it attacked, “I won't die! You will die,” and sent righteous thoughts to eliminate it. The thought gradually faded away, and my condition eased a bit.
However, the thought still popped into my mind from time to time. It got to the point that whenever I heard someone talking about a funeral, I would be terrified; I couldn’t stand hearing anything related to death. But I made up my mind to break through this mentality.
In order to break through the fear, I had to study the Fa and send righteous thought more often. But with the caretaking job, I couldn’t. So I decided to leave the job. When I told the family that I wanted to quit, they tried hard to keep me. However, I still decided to leave because I didn’t want them to misunderstand my situation.
Six months later, I got another job working as a janitor in a gear factory. The job was simple and redundant, so I was able to recite Master Li’s poems in Hong Yin, Hong Yin II, and Hong Yin III at my break times.
Since I had just started cultivation practice and had not studied the Fa for long, the fear continued to attack me from time to time. When it attacked, I didn’t know what else to do, so I simply wrote out, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I wrote the phrases sometimes in public with only one thought in mind, “Help more people learn that Falun Dafa is good so that they can receive Dafa’s salvation.”
I went out whenever the fear attacked me, even in the middle of the night. I recited the phrases as I walked, and my mind became peaceful in the process. I could sometimes walk for two to three Li (1 Li = 0.5 kilometer). When I think back about it, I understand that Master gave me hints and helped out along the way.
As I kept studying the Fa, I came to understand that the “fear of death” was a substance, and the old forces used it to persecute me; they wanted to drag me down. This “fear of death” was a form of thought karma, and it came from following the principles of the old universe, which are based on selfishness. It breeds when one’s mind is unrighteous and disintegrates when one’s mind becomes righteous.
I realized that my going out to write the phrases was to help people understand the truth about Falun Dafa and to receive Dafa’s blessings. And since it was a righteous deed for the benefit of other people, the old forces dared not to interfere!
When I shared my situation with fellow practitioners, they pointed out that my “fear of death” indicated that I lacked firm faith in Master Li Honghzi and Dafa.
I also found that I had other attachments, including to family affection and leading a comfortable life. Through reading the Fa and sharing with fellow practitioners, I came to understand that Master has removed our names from hell; we are no longer subject to the jurisdiction of the Three Realms and are only under the jurisdiction of Dafa.
But why was I afraid of death? And why would I collapse whenever the thought “I am going to die” popped into my mind? What was causing the thought to come up? I kept looking inside for a reason.
I studied the Fa, cultivated myself based on the Fa’s principles, and sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference and reject the persecution. While clearing my dimensional field, I sent out this thought, “I am Master Li Hongzhi’s disciple. I only follow his arrangement. I don’t want or acknowledge any other arrangements. I want to eliminate all the factors of fear imposed on me by the old forces!”
I then recited the Fa-rectification formula, and my dimensional field became clear. As I kept doing so, my “fear of death” became weaker and weaker, and it is now completely gone. Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
Master has been watching over me and strengthening me. He also gave me hints to write out “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” when the fear attacked me. While writing the phrases, I eliminated this mentality and broke through the persecution of the old forces.
I now cultivate with a firm belief in Master and Dafa, and I’m working together with fellow practitioners to assist in saving people. Thank you, Master. Without your help and protection along the way, I would not have made it this far. I also want to thank my fellow practitioners for their selfless help.
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Category: Improving Oneself
