Shared at the 2005 Washington DC Falun Dafa Conference

(Clearwidom.net) Greetings, respected Master and fellow practitioners. Today, I feel fortunate to share some of my cultivation experiences with you all. I wholeheartedly thank Master for giving me such a precious predestined relationship to cultivate and "assist Master as he journeys through the human world" and to progress through cultivation with my fellow practitioners in Washington, DC.

At one group Fa study, a practitioner mentioned that he did not want to write an experience sharing paper because he feared that upon reading it others would think he had not cultivated well. Still another practitioner said that he did not want to write an experience sharing paper to avoid the xinxing test that would come if he wrote one. I said that I did not want to write one because I felt that I did not have anything much to write. But later when I read the Fa, I thought, "Do I really have nothing to write? And, was concluding that there was nothing to write in line with validating the Fa, or with something else?' I recalled that one practitioner mentioned something during that same experience sharing: "During our process of cultivation practice, sharing experiences raises our xinxing and is an aspect of validating the Fa." So, I will share some things.

Recently, I saw the efforts of fellow practitioners to validate the Fa and my heart brightened. As Master says in the poem, "True Sayings," from Hong Yin II,

"Gods and Buddhas come to the world
Sentence after sentence, spilling out true sayings
Things of heaven, earth, humans and gods
True secrets are spread for Fa"

In "Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference," Master says:

"So as a cultivator, what is truly remarkable is when you can be steadfast and have righteous thoughts so firm that nothing can sway you. Be solid and firm like diamond, or granite, and then nothing can affect you--evil will be afraid at the mere sight of you. If upon encountering trying circumstances your thinking can be truly righteous, then, when faced with the evil's persecution and when faced with interference, just one sentence of yours fortified with steadfast righteous thoughts can instantly make the evil disintegrate (applause), and it will make those who are being used by the evil turn and flee, it will make the evil's persecution of you dissolve, and it will make the evil's interfering with you disappear without a trace. One thought born of righteous faith is all it takes. And whoever can hold firm that righteous thought and go the distance will become a magnificent god forged by Dafa."

I realized ever more clearly, that no matter what Fa-validating project we do, if we do not do it as a cultivator should, then our work will not have the power to save people. Furthermore, no matter how others think of me or what they say, and no matter how many projects I do, the most important thing is to do the three things well in the state of a cultivator. Even one thought or idea of ours is likely to determine whether other beings can be saved. Dafa gives me an ever more solid foundation of cultivation and helps me to hold my righteous thoughts and righteous actions at all times.

After the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published, I told my relatives in China about it. At that time, I had not yet read through the Nine Commentaries. One of my relatives became upset and said that I was involving myself in politics and that exposing the history of the Party meant that we opposed the Party. I stayed very calm and said that on the issue of politics she was just repeating the propaganda spread by the Party. She replied that I merely refuted her point but did not give any reasons. From her point of view, I had nothing to say. But we know that the Party is anti-universe, and that itself is the biggest reason to oppose it.

Later, I shared my experience with fellow practitioners, and was surprised to hear that when fellow practitioners introduced the Nine Commentaries to their families they spoke about gods, divine retribution, and prophesy about the future. Through this, I found that I had a problem: I did not believe 100 percent in the existence of gods. I shrunk at the thought of mentioning gods to my relatives. I did not truly believe Master's words and I did not truly believe in Dafa. When I read the solemn statement by The Epoch Times on the Nine Commentaries, I was shocked and apprehensive. It felt like many of my notions were being pounded out of me.

Afterwards, I recalled that this relative had accompanied me a while back to visit a Daoist temple to ask for peace. Believing I had found a good example to convince her of the existence of gods, I called her up to remind her of our trip. But she replied, "I do not believe in gods. The only reason I went with you to the temple back then was because I hoped it would help you reach psychological balance." I kept talking to her but she kept pulling me on to different tangents. I gave up again. When I looked at myself I found that I still did not truly believe in gods. When I mentioned gods, I spoke evasively. I felt that had I truly believed in gods being all around us, like the chairs here that I see with my flesh eyes, I would have spoken differently.

After this, I read through the Nine Commentaries - all of them, several times. When I read them the first time, I felt my thoughts clearing up dramatically and I was filled with righteous thoughts. I thought to myself, "Old forces, I completely understand you now. From now on, I will not allow my mind to hold you." Before when I worked on projects to validate the Fa, I often thought about how to avoid interference and avoid persecution. Now, I no longer trouble myself over the false existence of the old forces. If anything comes up, I just clear it up. If I see an attachment, I send righteous thoughts to eliminate it and at the same time ask Master for help - not to eliminate my attachment but to eliminate any delays it may cause in saving others.

Soon after, that relative called me. This time, I was confident and no longer anxious. When we chatted about daily life I sincerely listened to her. After listening to her, I said, "I have a wish. I hope you will withdraw from the Communist Party." She said, "If more and more people are withdrawing from the Party, why don't you announce exactly how many people withdraw each day?" I boldly and assuredly said, "That's wrong! Falun Gong has been persecuted for six years. It does not need any form to prove itself. The facts prove that Falun Gong cannot be eliminated by persecution. Why do we ask you to withdraw from the Party? We are truly doing this for you. Of the past cultivators, who took care of non-cultivators?" My relative asked, "If I use an alias to withdraw from the Party, will that be effective?" I helped her by saying, "Ancient people said, 'Gentlemen have their behavior and refrain from doing things.' You are doing this to be responsible to yourself. It is fine since Heaven knows, the earth knows, and you yourself know." She replied, "Then you can help me to withdraw." Later, my relative called me after a colleague laughed at the idea of people withdrawing from the Party. I told her, "What do ordinary people know? They just follow the crowd. You yourself know that you have made the correct decision."

Since then, I witnessed the power of righteous belief. Although I have not yet mentioned the word "god," I found when I read Zhuan Falun from the angle of saving beings, the book took on another appearance. I no longer always consider how I cultivate, but rather how I can save people and how to validate the Fa. It seems that this experience was the first time I truly went beyond the range of cultivating for myself.

Once, while doing a media project, I met a media company that supported the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In the past I would have been disinclined to talk much with the reporter. But now I thought I needed to create an opportunity to talk with this media company because I know it needs to be saved. I told the reporter that I worked for NTDTV and am also a Falun Gong practitioner. I asked him whether he had read the Nine Commentaries. He said yes, and then raised some questions: "The Communist Party does not believe in communism. So why do you comment on the Communist Party?" I told him that we comment on the Communist Party in order to save people - it's not for ourselves. I said, " The CCP has persecuted Falun Gong practitioners who cultivate Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance, which is a monstrous crime for which the CCP will be punished by the heavens. In the past, in Chinese traditional culture, monks were 'half gods' as long as they became monks. So many Chinese are withdrawing from the Communist Party in order to ensure their safety. Nowadays many people refuse to understand the truth and are hostile to Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance - such a good belief - because of the thoughts that the Party has engrained in them. Therefore we must make clear to them what the Communist Party is." When I talked about NTDTV's Chinese New Year Gala, he tactfully said that the programs were too distant from modern society. I told him why NTDTV chose to make the programs like that. I told him that Commentary 6 of the Nine Commentaries explains that the CCP destroyed traditional culture. I cited a concrete example of this for him, in that the CCP destroyed Buddhism and forced monks and nuns to marry and so on.

To speak of another experience, during the recent "Quit the CCP" parade in Chicago, I suddenly felt that I could speak Cantonese. Since I went to middle school in Guangzhou, I can speak it a little, but my ability to speak Cantonese has never been able to reach the level where I can express anything at will. But by having the heart to save people, Master gave me the ability to speak fluently that day. All good experiences about clarifying the truth with the Nine Commentaries that fellow practitioners had shared in previous experience sharing conferences appeared in my mind and I was able to use them at will. This is also the first time I mentioned the term gods to everyday people in a dignified way. I said, "Gods will extinguish the CCP because the CCP perpetrates every kind of crime. Though the CCP looks very fierce, human beings can never be higher than gods. In the recent tsunami disaster, several hundred thousand people died in a flash. Several hundred thousand of the CCP's troops are tiny in front of the gods. Withdrawing from the CCP ensures your safety." That person continuously nodded and thanked me. Several other people did not understand and said to me, "Only these several people are withdrawing. Do you know how many people in China are involved with the CCP every day?" Hearing their tone, I said with the force of justice, "Our goal is to save people, not to destroy the CCP. We can save a person when he or she withdraws. Our goal is not to have the number of people withdrawing become more than the number of people joining the CCP in order to destroy it. We are saving people." They were shocked. Some didn't say anything but I could feel that their hearts had been moved.

I now understand why I initially did not have anything to say to that relative's "Anti-Party" theory. Since at that time I did not have much mercy to save people, she thought that we opposed the Party. I discovered that every time I clarify the truth well and the effect is good, I was able to pass on information about Dafa and I could use words at will. Dafa gives me the solid foundation of cultivation so that I am not moved when I meet people who oppose me. Dafa gives me wisdom so I can figure out a person's deeper problem that goes beyond their words. Whether the effect of clarifying the truth is good or not depends directly on whether I am studying the Fa well or not. In order to save people, I have more motivation to study the Fa. I really feel that I am a god who is wrapped in a human being's skin.

Master said,

"Besides, exposing the persecution is not the ultimate purpose of a Dafa disciple's cultivation." ("Master's Fa Taught in the International Teleconference")

"So, no matter how agonizing it is or how hard it is, we're Dafa disciples, so we aren't going after anything of ordinary people, and you're clear about your ultimate goal: we want to achieve the Consummation of a cultivator. What we want to obtain is something ordinary people could never obtain." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003")

My current understanding of these words is that validating the Fa is the goal and significance of our existence as Dafa practitioners. In the future, we will be the kings of all levels of the universes. We will provide the environments for all kinds of living beings. Being able to be a Dafa practitioner during the Fa-rectification is the greatest fortune for a being. At the same time, we also shoulder the great responsibility entrusted to us by the universe.

Let us treasure this eternal, most fortunate gift together. Thank you, Master, and thank you, everybody.