(Clearwisdom.net) I began practicing Falun Dafa in May 2003. Over the last year, though I've experienced all kinds of hardships and tribulations, including both physical and other forms of conflicts and obstacles, what I felt most was Master's benevolence to sentient beings, the care and protection of the disciples, and the joy during my cultivation - something I cannot adequately describe with words.
Starting to clarify the truth by making phone calls
Since July 2003, I have attended a group exercise session every Sunday at a practice site. During that period of time I was only in the personal cultivation stage. Gradually I came to understand the concept of "Fa-rectification" through studying Master's recent lectures. I realized the responsibilities that a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple has: study the Fa, practice the exercises, send forth righteous thoughts, and clarify the truth.
From reading fellow practitioners' experience sharing articles on the Clearwisdom website, I found out about clarifying the truth by making phone calls. My first call was made to a police station. A policeman on duty picked up the phone. I could not hear his voice at all. At that time I did not yet know that this was the interference coming from the evil. Fortunately he could hear me. While I was shaking a bit and I was sweating, I completed several main points that I had wished to clarify to him. It was under Master's help that I, as a new practitioner, was able to successfully complete this phone call.
In the beginning, I obtained the phone numbers from the "Facts of the Persecution" section of Clearwisdom. But soon I found that almost all the people listed there had already been called by fellow practitioners to clarify the truth, and they were called more than once. Later, I collected the phone numbers from "Latest News from China" section.
One day, a fellow practitioner at my practice site told me that I could obtain more phone numbers from the coordinator of the telephone team. I was very happy. I was indeed so eager to get these numbers. Later, as I was experiencing tribulations in my personal cultivation, I studied the Fa and practiced the exercises at home. However, fortunately I was always able to obtain the precious phone numbers from the coordinator, and accordingly I could keep clarifying the truth to Chinese people by making phone calls to them.
Studying the Fa well is the fundamental aspect of cultivation
In the experience sharing articles on Clearwisdom, fellow practitioners shared that it's helpful to study the Fa (Law and principles) calmly for half an hour before making phone calls to clarify the truth. At that time I didn't treat this seriously, and thought that as long as I could reserve a certain period of time to study the Fa everyday, that would be fine. I thought that cultivation was cultivation while clarifying the truth was clarifying the truth, and that we should make full use of time to clarify the truth. In my subconscious, I felt that studying the Fa would take or even waste the time for truth clarification. (The time each day that can be used in clarifying the truth is very limited.)
One day, I had quite a long time that could be spent on making phone calls. I was very happy: this time I could make many calls. However, after I dialed over a dozen numbers, though most of the phones were picked up, none of the recipients would listen to me for over ten seconds. Another person would curse as soon as he heard the words "Falun Gong." I was very surprised: those were the same numbers that I dialed the day before; it was quite smooth yesterday. What was wrong today? I hung up the phone, became tranquil, looked within myself and tried to find the attachments that I had not let go of. At this moment, a thought came into my mind: study the Fa! I did not hesitate: I studied the Fa for half an hour calmly. Then I continued to make phone calls, and the effect was totally different.
In my later truth clarification through making phone calls, I gradually had a deeper understanding about studying the Fa with a calm heart: it is fundamental to cultivation to study the Fa well. Sometimes, when my individual cultivation status was not good, even I myself could see I was not in a good mental state. How can we achieve good effects while clarifying the truth in such a condition? But the Fa has such divine power that it can eliminate the bad things from Dafa practitioners.
Learning to send forth righteous thoughts
I got to know the concept of sending forth righteous thoughts from fellow practitioners when I attended group exercise, and later got to understand the connotation and methods of sending forth righteous thoughts by studying Master's lectures. But I was not very clear whether my way of doing it was correct. Every day when it was time to send forth righteous thoughts, I just sat with my legs crossed, held the hand gesture, and silently recited Master's Fa-rectification verses, I but did not know whether the effect was achieved. Furthermore, when sending forth righteous thoughts in the morning and at night, I often fell asleep, and when I woke up, over 10 minutes had passed. Though I was sitting there, my hand gestures had already deviated. Such a state lasted very long. I knew this was wrong, but could not make a breakthrough.
On a Saturday afternoon, before I started to make phone calls, I first sat down to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the various types of evil interference. My mindset was quite good that day. I became tranquil as soon as I sat in the meditation posture. After silently reciting the Fa-rectification verses, I felt my body in an open and bright field, and the area covered by the energy kept expanding. I indeed felt my whole body melting in the energy. When I went on to make phone calls, almost every call was picked up, and all the recipients would listen to me from the beginning to the end. One of the calls was made to the police department, and was answered by a lady. What made me surprised was that she said, "I've been waiting a very long time!" She asked many questions, and I gave her satisfying answers one by one. It was indeed that "The Buddha Fa is Boundless"!
Because of this successful experience, I soon made a mistake. When sending forth righteous thoughts before making phone calls, I attempted to pursue that special state, and the result was not good. Fortunately I quickly awakened, and did not make big mistakes.
Later, except for sending forth righteous thoughts before making phone calls, I also did so in the process of making phone calls. Each time when I did well in sending forth righteous thoughts, the facts were clarified well in the telephone conversation. Such a state lasted a very long period of time. I gradually felt how to correctly send forth righteous thought, and how to focus the powerful thoughts. I did not use a timer, but just controlled the duration by myself. In most cases my time was over 15 minutes, and sometimes even longer. After completing sending forth righteous thoughts, I could feel the "heavens clear and celestial bodies transparent."
Now when I review the process of my understanding of sending forth righteous thoughts, I indeed deeply feel Master's benevolence, and the precise and gradual instructions to us disciples.
The functions of sending forth righteous thoughts can be seen not only in truth clarification, but also in many aspects of my cultivation. Among the three things required by Master for Fa-rectification Dafa disciples, sending forth righteous thoughts is one of them. My understanding is: it is not only a thing for us to do, but also a treasure, a sharp sword, and a supernormal ability bestowed by our benevolent Master. In our process of assisting Master in the Fa-rectification and saving the sentient beings, in our process of cultivation, it eliminates all the dark minions and rotten demons arranged by the old forces; it eradicates all evil and interferences from various sources.
Letting go of attachments, clarifying the truth
Master has bestowed such a significant responsibility on Dafa disciples, to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. This is Master's greatest benevolence to the sentient beings and Dafa disciples. The path that Master is leading Dafa practitioners to walk is the most righteous cultivation path. In Master's article "Further Elimination of Attachments", Master has taught that,
"In being saved, only when you seek righteousness can your attachments be eliminated."
("Further Elimination of Attachments," Essentials for Further Advancement)
Our individual cultivation is also perfected in clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings.
I have indeed too many attachments. Every attachment Master mentioned in the lectures can be found in me. And when making phone calls to clarify the truth, these attachments will be exhibited one by one. Sometimes the attachments were so strong that I could not put them down. I had to hang up the phone to study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts, and stabilize my mindset in a good state. Then I picked up the phone again. On many occasions, whenever I found that the number could not be dialed successfully, or the recipient quickly hung up and would not listen to the truth clarification, I would search within. Each time I could always find my attachment. Then I would became tranquil and send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate these attachments. Sometimes I indeed can feel that these attachments being eliminated layer by layer. Now, these attachments exist, but I can feel that they are getting weaker and weaker, and now it is much easier for me to restrain them. I firmly believe that this is exactly the cultivation path that Master has arranged for the disciples, to temper ourselves and let go of our various attachments in the process of clarifying the truth and saving the sentient beings. I'd like to give an example with the following:
During one period the effect of my truth clarification through phone calls was very bad. I looked within and reviewed all the existing attachments but still could not find the key. For a very long period of time I could not make a breakthrough. Even in one case, an elderly lady picked up my phone and surprisingly said to me, "You better cultivate yourself well." I was still very puzzled. Where was the mistake? One day when I was dialing the number, a thought came up in my mind: save the sentient beings with benevolence. I immediately looked within myself following this thought, and the result shocked me. Indeed I was lacking benevolence in my heart. I' had developed a cold and indifferent heart when following the winds and waves in the everyday society in the past many years. Even to my family members and friends, I often could not face and care about them with genuine benevolence, let alone those whom I 'didn't know at all. If I didn't have even the basic benevolent heart and thought, how could I be called a Dafa disciple? Since then I made up my mind: I must save the sentient beings with benevolence. The following effects were very good.
Once I called a mayor in China. He was away for a business trip and his wife picked up the phone. I said to her that I wanted to report to the mayor that the local 610 Office staff violently beat a Dafa practitioner. She said to me, "I can hear that you are good person. Yesterday I also received a phone call from a Falun Gong practitioner, who said immediately after I picked up the phone, 'You please stop persecuting Falun Gong.' Who has persecuted Falun Gong?" Then she referred me to a chief secretary of the municipal government. I explained the case in detail that the practitioner was badly injured, and clearly clarified the facts of Dafa. I know that was Master's encouragement to me.
In my later truth clarification as well as my daily life and work, I also disciplined myself in treating all people with benevolence, and dealing with all the matters with compassion. After this period, even I myself could clearly feel the xinxing">xinxing">xinxing [heart or mind nature, moral character] improvement.
Being persistent
Making phone calls to clarify the truth has become an indispensable component of my cultivation. I would feel uneasy if I did not make phone calls on any day, and feel that I did not fulfill my responsibility as a Fa-rectification disciple. Meanwhile, I also enlightened to the understanding that when one has the wish to save sentient beings, Master will arrange everything well for the disciple, and it is guaranteed that one will have the time and opportunity to make phone calls to clarify the truth.
Though I've been clarifying the truth by making phone calls for a year, on many occasions that success rate was very low. I feel the main reason remains to be that my individual cultivation was not very solid, a lot of attachments had not been let go of, and mindset was not stable. Sometimes when several phone calls were made, I felt the effect was quite good, but then the attachment of complacency arose. Accordingly, the following phone calls were not good. Or sometimes while speaking of the facts, some odd thoughts would arise in my mind and I could not restrain them. The recipients seemed to know this, and immediately hung up the phone. Sometimes I could not help pursuing a high success rate, and it seems that was the benchmark of cultivation. The effect can be well imagined.
As a new practitioner, I still have a lot of attachments to let go of, and a lot of tribulations to pass. Whenever the phone calls were not made smoothly, I would look within, and it was for sure that a lot of attachments could be found. The appearance of these attachments did not shake my confidence in cultivation and clarifying the truth by making phone calls. On the contrary, I am pleased that I have been able to gradually weaken these attachments during the process of cultivation, and that my righteous belief in the Dafa and Master has been strengthened.
November 5, 2004
