(Clearwisdom.net) As a new practitioner I used to envy those who had learned Falun Dafa early and followed Master during the most difficult period. I always thought my path was too straightforward. I never did anything that was magnificent or worthy of mentioning and thought I had not built-up my mighty virtue. This thought however, led to unnecessary tribulations.
One evening in January 2008 in a dream I was studying Zhuan Falun. It was a night with few stars. Suddenly I looked up and saw two rotten demons hanging on a rail outside the window. I paid no attention to them and continued studying the Fa. After a while a stream of white smoke arose, and those demons transformed into Taoist-like beings, and nodded and smiled at me. They walked up to me and said, "You study the Fa very diligently, and you have maintained your xinxing level. You have also passed every test in your dreams, but..."
Before they finished, I realized what they were going to say, so I said, "What is it? That I don't have enough mighty virtue?" They answered, "Yes, your cultivation environment is way too comfortable." I asked, "So tell me, what environment do I need to establish greater mighty virtue?" They looked at each other and smiled, and then I woke up.
Soon, disasters followed.
First, my son's eye was injured by his friend's toy gun. Although I used this incident to explain the facts about Dafa and I didn't ask the boy's parents for compensation, I had actually acknowledged the old forces' arrangement and willingly walked on a devious path while practicing cultivation amidst the persecution. I remember when the parents learned that Falun Dafa is good, I excitedly told a fellow practitioner, "This was a wonderful opportunity to promote Dafa, as otherwise they wouldn't know that Dafa practitioners are so kind." The practitioner didn't realize the implications and agreed with me.
The day after my son's injury, my husband was hit by a large salt transport truck, dragged more than 40 feet, and crashed to the ground. Everyone who saw it said it was over for him. The accident took place near our family store while I was cooking lunch, and the neighbors, who were hysterical, brought it to my attention. I was very calm and knew nothing would happen to him. I simply said in my mind, "Master, please strengthen your disciple's righteous thoughts so I can deal with this in an appropriate manner. Please do not let this cause any negative impact on ordinary people."
The result was that my husband had a sprained foot and nothing else. I seized this opportunity to explain the facts to the police and my husband's family and relatives. They were surprised and complained when I didn't want to blackmail the driver and demand compensation from the driver's insurance. I told them, "Master saved my husband's life, which is more precious than any material possession. We Falun Dafa practitioners cannot do that [ask for money]." They didn't say anything.
Two weeks later I learned that my brother, my only sibling, had passed away. It was like a thunderbolt that caught me completely off guard, but at the same time I firmly believed that he had gone to a good place. Seven days after he passed away he appeared in my dream and said, "Spirits entering the underworld must first pass a test about Falun Dafa before being given arrangements for their next life." I sang for him a song composed by a Dafa practitioner and told him, "If you keep kind thoughts, you will reap the fruits of kindness. Although you had regrets in this life, the seeds for good relationships in your next life have already been sowed. Don't pursue and you will gain automatically. Simply follow your predestined arrangements and follow Master!" My brother nodded and smiled. I also introduced Dafa to relatives at the funeral and asked them to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations.
Although I did what a Dafa disciple should do for the most part, these tribulations didn't make me realize that I was actually walking the path of austerity under the persecution arranged by the old forces. At this critical moment, great Master prompted me in my dream, as I was stretching up my arms in the first movement of the fifth meditation exercise. All of a sudden two people in front of me mumbled, "It's too easy for her. We have to add two sandbags on her arms." Immediately, two heavy sandbags were tied to my arms. After I woke up I recalled a dream that Master unfolded for me when my husband had the accident. I was flying and jumped on board a ship that was rising skyward. My husband, my son, and many strangers were sitting in the ship. I sang loudly, "Look, the golden vessel of Fa, full of sentient beings, is approaching the other side!" Suddenly someone scolded me in a stern voice and told me to shut up. I was confused. The voice was vicious. At the same time I saw an enormous, golden Fa vessel flashing past me right above my head. It was speeding forward. I woke up. Master, [please tell me] why did I not realize that I was on the wrong ship? I took so many detours. How many troubles I have caused you!
Yet, I brought all these persecutions on myself. Once I identified the dangerous human notions, I immediately negated them with righteous thoughts and completely eradicated all of the old forces' arrangements.
Now, when I re-read the article "Path" in Essentials for Further Advancement II, I truly understand that we should steadily and rationally walk the cultivation path that Master has arranged for us, and we should not pursue "mighty virtue" that other practitioners have established. We are like Master's gong, and we are doing different Fa rectification things on different levels. I used to expect that every practitioner should do as well as the best cultivators, regardless of their situation and xinxing level. Now I know that this was a grave mistake.
In the past, the old forces' imposed persecution and my human attachments have caused me tremendous hardships. Ordinary people used to say, "Look, you have had so many catastrophes yourself, and you are telling us how to stay safe?" That was because I had great omissions that the evil had exploited, which had a negative impact on sentient beings. Now that I have identified my faults, I am negating them with righteous thoughts. I have realized that a true Dafa disciple is a divine being who has both compassion and virtue, and who validates the Fa in this world. Only by steadily doing well with the three things in our cultivation environment can we truly walk the Fa rectification path Master has arranged.
Our family business is now flourishing and we have clients from all over the country. As we interact with people from many different backgrounds, we rescue sentient beings and also validate the mighty virtue of Dafa. Our neighbors often congratulate my husband, "Now that you have a wife who practices Falun Gong, the star of fortune is shining upon you brightly!"
I simply wish to remind fellow practitioners who have attachments similar to mine to be aware, and that we should together walk a righteous path. Due to the limitations of my level, I may have said things that are incorrect, so please kindly point them out.
Category: Improving Oneself
