(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2020. Initially, I only knew to study the Fa, do the exercises, and have a healthy body. I did not yet understand that an essential part a Dafa disciple’s cultivation was letting go of attachments.
Through consistent Fa study and listening to fellow practitioners’ sharing, I gradually understood that the conflicts I encounter are opportunities for me to improve my xinxing}. I hereby report to {{Master and share with fellow practitioners some of my experiences in cultivating my xinxing and letting go of attachments in daily life.
Letting Go of Self During the Lipstick Incident
One Christmas Eve, my daughter, a non-practitioner, called and said she and her two daughters were coming to stay with me for a while. I agreed, but my heart immediately became unsettled. I live alone, and my days are centered around Fa study, doing the exercises, and work. Wouldn’t their visit disrupt my routine?
Then I thought about my daughter having to raise two children by herself, which is quite challenging for her. I realized their visit was an opportunity to improve my xinxing.
After the three of them arrived, tests followed one after another. First, I often ended up with leftovers every day that I could not finish. I like to eat millet porridge, but my granddaughters don’t like it. They wanted hand-pulled noodles and deep-fried dough sticks, and the flavor had to be the same as their mother’s. I constantly heard the girls arguing over seats and fighting over things. The air conditioner was on 24 hours a day, and there were other distractions.
My concern about trouble and impatience began to show. I said irritably to my daughter, “Running the air conditioner like this every day isn’t good for one’s health. You should teach your older daughter to be more considerate and learn to share with others. Food shouldn’t be wasted like this.”
My daughter has always been very filial and never talked back to me. She simply smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll pay attention to those things in the future.”
One day, the four of us went shopping. On the way home, I noticed my eldest granddaughter was holding a lipstick. I quickly asked my daughter, “Was that lipstick paid for?”
My daughter replied: “No! I don’t know when she picked it up.”
I said, “Let’s hurry back and pay for it. A little child shouldn’t behave that way. As the old saying goes: ‘Do not fail to do good just because it is small, and do not do evil just because it is small.’”
My daughter didn’t say anything, so I raised my voice and said, “Did you hear what I said? Turn around and go back right away!”
Unexpectedly, my daughter raised her voice and said, “Listen to the way you’re talking, everything sounds like an exclamation mark. Is that how a cultivator should speak?”
I was shocked. I looked inward and realized that, although I study the Fa every day, I don’t always follow the Fa to guide me when conflicts arise. I wasn’t meeting the standard of the Fa. My actions showed that I hadn’t studied the Fa well.
When we arrived home, the girls took a nap. I sat down, quietly sent righteous thoughts, and cleared my dimensional field. Afterward, I realized I have a strong attachment to saving face and maintaining my self-esteem. I always feel that my daughter should listen to me, without recognizing that she is also a sentient being. Her coming to my home might have been arranged by Master to give me an opportunity to cultivate and improve.
To protect myself, I often criticize and blame others, seeking their recognition and praise. I am unwilling to hear unpleasant words and dislike others pointing out my shortcomings. My self-centeredness is very strong, and sometimes it takes over.
After further reflection, I realized I still carried some toxic elements of Party culture, such as disregarding others’ feelings, speaking loudly, lacking the gentle softness of a woman, and not truly being sincere in my heart while seeking others’ approval. These attachments had gradually built up, yet I often thought I was doing things for the good of others, without noticing the human attachments that motivated me.
Digging even deeper, I realized that although I said on the surface that running the air conditioner was not good for health, and that leaving leftovers every day was wasting food and creating karma, deep down, I had a hidden attachment to protecting my personal interests. In cultivation, there are no trivial matters; one must cultivate the heart. I shouldn’t let these bad attachments block my path to returning home.
By looking within deeply and letting go of my “self,” I suddenly felt my heart had been cleansed and had become clear and pure. After my daughter’s nap, she said, “Mom, let’s go back to the shop and pay for the lipstick.” I said: “Sure. I was impatient earlier, and my tone wasn’t good. But I am a Dafa disciple, a cultivator, I can’t ignore my basic conscience over a small amount of money.”
When we went to the shop, my daughter said, “We came back to pay for the lipstick because my mother practices Falun Dafa.” The assistant repeatedly said, “Very good. Very good.”
Cultivating Kindness When My Granddaughter Bumps Her Head
When the younger granddaughter was playing, her head often bumped into the table, especially the sharp corners. Whenever this happened, she would burst into tears. At those moments, my daughter always gently stroked the little girl’s head while patting the table with her hand. Soon, the child stopped crying and was laughing again.
I told my daughter that everything has a spirit, and she should teach the children to be kind by planting seeds of kindness in their young hearts. My daughter replied, “Wasn’t that how you taught me when I was young?” I was speechless.
Yes, we lived under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party for a long time, immersed in its harmful culture. From childhood, we were indoctrinated with that way of life, filled with hatred and influenced by its ways of thinking and acting. Even our gestures, tone of voice, and facial expressions were filled with that culture.
This Party culture infiltrated every part of our daily lives, including how children are educated. Children’s words and actions serve as a mirror, reflecting the unkindness, arrogance, intolerance, and other negative traits hidden within our own hearts.
Master said,
“Compassion is expressed in this world through love and kindness, and these are qualities that those who practice Dafa should always radiate from within.” (A Wake-Up Call)
My cultivation in this regard has been far from the standard required by Master. After realizing my mistakes, I sincerely apologized to my daughter and corrected my words and actions.
My daughter said, “I feel that now, you often have a peaceful and kind expression. It seems your kindness has emerged because of your cultivation. Before, you often looked tired and impatient, which made people instinctively want to keep their distance from you. Dafa has truly changed you. If you write another experience-sharing article, please include this sentence: My daughter is very grateful to Dafa and to Master.”
When the youngest granddaughter bumped into the corner of a table again, her mother gently stroked the crying child and said, “Don’t cry, it doesn’t hurt.” Then she softly patted the corner of the table and repeated, “Don’t cry, it doesn’t hurt.”
The little one soon stopped crying and even reached out to gently pat the table. Her older sister came over, softly patted the corner, and said, “Don’t cry, it doesn’t hurt.” Sometimes she even added, “We love you.”
My eldest granddaughter stayed close to me all the time. Whenever I did the exercises, she followed along, imitating the movements. When she saw Master Li sitting in meditation, she became excited, pointed at the instructional video, and said, “Immortal, immortal.” Then she quietly sat cross-legged beside me, making hand gestures and softly closing her eyes.
After four weeks, as they were about to leave, my eldest granddaughter cried and asked for her grandma. I was moved by my family's affections. I felt a strong reluctance to part from them, and tears welled up in my eyes. At that moment, I suddenly realized, this is an attachment to sentiment. Such emotion is selfishness, not compassion. The children understand the truth about Dafa; it is the true purpose of their coming to this world.
Cultivating Honesty When Looking for a Parking Spot
After my daughter and granddaughters left, I kept busy with my cultivation and work. The child’s car seat was still in my car. One day, when I went shopping, I drove around endlessly looking for a parking space. Then I saw a parent-and-baby parking space right near the entrance. I thought to myself, “My car has a child seat in it, could I just park there and pretend I am qualified to park there? It would be convenient and save time, and no one would know.” But then I realized that it would be dishonest.
Thinking about the Fa, my righteous thoughts overcame my human notions. As a Dafa disciple, I must measure my words and actions against the principles of the Fa. I understood that someone who is untruthful is not even a good person, let alone a true cultivator. If I have not yet achieved “Truth” in my cultivation, then all the kindness and forbearance I once prided myself on were actually hollow and false.
So I rolled down the window, and like the other drivers, I patiently drove around, waiting for a parking spot.
Conclusion
I encountered many smaller tests, but I won’t discuss them here.
There are no trivial matters in cultivation, and the practice is very serious. If we do not examine ourselves using higher standards and raise our xinxing, we will miss the opportunities arranged by Master. We should have a grateful heart, appreciating everyone around us who provides chances for us to improve. When challenges arise, we should look within and rectify ourselves according to the Fa, so that situations will naturally change.
I also realize that every attachment I have affects the countless sentient beings corresponding to the vast celestial body I am connected to. Only by letting go of all attachments can these sentient beings be saved. The process of letting go of attachments is, in fact, saving the countless sentient beings of that celestial body. The limitless beings corresponding to my celestial body are all awaiting the return of their King.
Category: Improving Oneself
