(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings to Master and fellow practitioners!
I started practicing Dafa in Taiwan in November 2004. My mother, my younger sister and I started our cultivation path together. At the start, my art teacher gave us a lot of help and we were able to step onto the Fa-Rectification path quickly.
Before, I used to quarrel with my younger sister frequently, was selfish, jealous, and a show-off, etc. My biggest flaw was to want do things my way without any consideration for others.
When I was younger, I did not allow anyone to share my things. If anyone were to infringe upon my vested interest, I would not tolerate it and would frequently throw tantrums. I acted like a 'princess,' always seeking comfort and luxury. I would harbor bad thoughts whenever any of my friends had anything better than mine. I would think of ways to get hold of it or would ask my mother to buy it for my birthday. If my request was not being fulfilled, I would become sulky and disobedient, making the atmosphere at home unpleasant.
In areas where I was superior to others, I flaunted myself in order to gain praise and admiration. My mom was well aware of my shortcomings and we often had conflicts about them. However, after we started cultivation together, we faced the problems squarely by comparing our Fa study to our cultivation and by starting to improve ourselves.
From the start, I was very curious about Dafa. Under the guidance of my art teacher and Mom, I quickly mastered the five sets of exercises.
Through the process of Fa study and constantly overcoming tribulations, I gradually matured. Whenever a xinxing tribulation could not be overcome, Master would give me and my family a hint. For example, during the school holidays, when we were back in Taipei, while Mom was busy looking for Dafa books at the Yiqun Bookstore, my sister saw a Barbie storybook accompanying a CD that she had been longing for. She put it in with the Dafa books so my mom could pay for it. Reaching home, we couldn't wait to play the CD but no matter what we tried, the CD produced no sound. Mother then asked my younger sister to search inside herself as to why a brand new CD wouldn't work. My younger sister then told her, "Sorry, I will not do it again without your permission." Instantly I realized that Master was providing a hint to my younger sister.
Whenever I study the Fa, I feel embarrassed when I recall my past behavior and notions.
When attending Minghui School every Sunday, I know that there will be some tests waiting for me to surmount. For example, whenever we were sending forth righteous thoughts, there would be a junior or a baby that would start to make some funny noises. Then a junior practitioner would start to laugh, followed by another and another, until all of us started to laugh. The aunties would remind us to stay unaffected by such interference, but some kids would not listen, and they continued to laugh. When the noise maker saw that everybody was laughing, he would keep on making the funny noise. Somehow, turning around unintentionally, I saw a young practitioner sitting upright, eyes closed and not laughing. He was younger than I and yet he had disciplined himself so well. Why couldn't a bigger sister like me do well, too?
When this thought emerged, I felt it was not funny anymore and continued to send forth righteous thoughts. Not long after, everyone else quieted down and stopped laughing.
This time I became enlightened to the fact that 'First, I must do well myself, others will then follow suit.' Actually, I think the school is quite noisy, but it is a place where I can raise my xinxing level and study the Fa well. I feel that I am no longer like I was before, and that I have discarded many bad habits. Also, my mother always says that my sister and I are her reflections.
From now on, I want to keep improving quickly to become a better and better disciple of Master and progress steadily, together with everybody. Let us move forward diligently towards consummation and return with Master!
Thank you.