(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings Compassionate and Venerable Master! Greetings Fellow Practitioners!
I obtained the Fa in March 1995. By a seemingly accidental chance, a veteran practitioner gave me a book "Falun Gong" (revised version). She said to me that I must sit properly when reading this book and shouldn't smoke while reading. At the time I didn't think much about what she said and just did what was required. When reading the book, I felt a strong energy current flowing through my body. I felt so comfortable and so magnificent. This was a feeling that I had never experienced and it was beyond description. This was indeed something I had been searching for in my heart. In the book I found the answers to many puzzles and questions that I wanted to know about and couldn't understand during my life of thirty-plus years. Here I can hardly describe with words the excitement and joy I had at the time of obtaining the Fa. I had only one thought at the time, which was that I must cultivate in this Dafa until completion.
I. Solid Cultivation
1. Fa Study
During the first month of my cultivation, I earnestly studied all the Dafa books and listened to all the audio tapes. I raced with the time spent studying. I spent every second and every minute possible in studying the Fa. Through continuous Fa study, I further realized that this Fa was not an ordinary Fa. It is the great Fa of the cosmos that can let practitioners return to the original true self and reach consummation.
I still remember the first time I went to a practitioner's home to watch the video of Master's lectures. As soon as the lecture was played, I sensed a harmonious and strong energy field, which in a short time made my mind enter into a state of anesthesia or if may I put it, into a state of hypnosis. My head moved back and forth under the current of this strong energy that was beyond my control. But I was very clear-headed and Master's every word was sucked in just like Master said in Zhuan Falun:
" A few individuals may fall asleep and wake up as soon as I finish my lecture. Why is that? It is because their brains have illnesses that need to be treated. One will be unable to stand it if one's brain is worked on. Therefore, one must be put into a state of anesthesia or become unconscious. Nevertheless, some people do not have a problem hearing me. Though they may sleep soundly, they hear everything without missing a single word. They will become energetic afterwards, and will not feel sleepy even if they go two days without sleep. There are different syndromes which all need adjustment. Your entire body will be purified."
After the initial first month's study of the Fa, I understood a bit more. Through personal experience and practice, I realized the miraculous and extraordinary power of Dafa. Whether I could understand it or not, I believed every word Master said without any doubt. I laid a solid foundation for my future cultivation through the initial first month of Fa study.
2. I Quit Smoking and Drinking
In the article "Solid Cultivation"in Hongyin, Master said:
Study Fa, obtain Fa,
Compare in studying, compare in cultivating,
Examine each and every deed,
Accomplishing is cultivating.
Since I had decided to cultivate in Dafa, only by doing everything according to the principles of Dafa could cultivation be a true cultivation. The first test I came across in cultivation was to give up smoking and drinking alcohol. At that time I drank one bottle of white spirit every other day. Except at breakfast, I drank with each meal. Just as Master said in Zhuan Falun:
"Some people love alcohol as much as their own lives. Some people enjoy drinking alcohol. Some people are already poisoned by drinking alcohol, and they cannot even pick up their rice bowls without drinking--they cannot do without a drink."
As soon as I started to study the Fa, Master immediately began to take care of me and rectified the abnormal states in my body. Smoking and drinking alcohol was definitely not a right state and needed to be rectified. When I smoked and drank again, I felt sick and uncomfortable. It was tasteless. I didn't think that I could quit smoking or drinking alcohol so quickly and easily. There was no suffering or hardship. It was inconceivable for someone like me who had a history of ten years of smoking and drinking and who had been addicted to alcohol and had been poisoned by it. Though this specific example I experienced the miraculous and extraordinary power of Dafa and it also strengthened my determination in Dafa cultivation.
3. Miraculous Experiences in Cultivation
One afternoon I was sitting in meditation beside a lake in a park. I sat there for a short while and then entered into a tranquil state (ding). I felt that my body and my legs were gone. I became lighter and lighter as I sat longer and longer. In the end I levitated up to ten meters high. I was so excited and happy. I truly realized that every word of Master is the truth of the universe. I was so lucky that I could cultivate within this great Fa.
At 7:00 a.m. one summer morning, when the sun was already shining brightly, after the standing exercises practitioners started to do meditation. The sun was scorching and burning our bodies. So practitioners scattered around and looked for shady places under the trees to do the meditation. But I didn't move and started to do the meditation. At the beginning I was very hot and it was unbearable. Fifteen minutes later I felt cooler and cooler as I continued sitting there, as if I was sitting in an air-conditioned room. I thought at the time that clouds must have covered the sun so that it didn't shine on me. When I opened my eyes, I was very frightened: the sun was up higher than before and shining brighter than ever. Why then did I sit there feeling so cool? Master must be encouraging me and let me have this miraculous experience. Influenced by my experience, practitioners came back to their previous spots to continue their meditation. I was very happy in my heart. This was done by Master and I as a disciple only had the wish to meditate.
One spring morning I went to the park at 6:00 a.m. to join the group practice as usual. Half-way through our practice, it started to rain. Practitioners began to leave. By the time the fourth exercise was finished, I was the only person left. It was still more than one hour to go before I my work started. It was too early to go to work. If I went back home, I felt it would be a waste of time. So I decided to do the sitting meditation, regardless of whether it rained or not. I started the meditation alone. It was very quiet all around. In the middle of my meditation the rain began to fall quite heavily. Deep in meditation, I let the rain fall. Wasn't it only rain? My heart wasn't moved and I didn't feel the rain falling on me. I didn't feel upset in my heart. I sat there calmly and comfortably for one hour. Then the rain stopped. To my surprise I found that I was not wet at all. My body was totally dry. I looked at the ground around me, and it was soaking wet. Only the place where I sat was dry. All the other places were wet. I was so excited. My excitement was beyond description. Master's fashen is everywhere and protects disciples. Once again I experienced the miracle and extraordinary power of Dafa. If it were not my own personal experience, I would not have believed that it was true.
II. Taking Hardships as Joy
In "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in New Zealand", Master said:
"As you continue to make progress, as you become clearer and clearer about the principles of the Fa, you will find that cultivation becomes simpler and simpler. Many things won't seem as complicated as when they were viewed from a human's perspective. Everything will be clear at a glance."
From this I understood the importance of studying the Fa well. By knowing this Fa principle, when facing an issue, I would not look at it in a complicated way. Rather I could see through the nature of things in an instant. When you come across tribulations, you can see through them with a glance. Next I would like to share with you the two xinxing tests I came across.
The following incident happened in my workplace in 1996. I was a bus driver then. Two drivers took turns to drive a bus in two shifts every day. That day I was on the night shift. When I finished the first return journey, the security inspector came to me pointing at the back wheel saying, "The back wheel hubcap was gone. You were responsible for that." "Was I?" I asked without thinking too much. He replied very positively, "I saw the hubcap was there when you took the shift. But now it's gone. Who else could it be?" I said to him, "Since you are so sure that I lost it, please deduct the money from my salary as I know compensation is required by the regulations." A fortnight later my pay slip showed that one hundred and fifty yuan had been deducted, ten percent of my salary. I didn't let it move my heart. I had almost forgotten all about it when the driver on the other shift said to me, "It was not you that lost the wheel hubcap." I replied immediately, "It was you then?" He said, "It was not me either." I asked, "It was neither you nor me. Then who was it?" He said, "I had a day off that day. So-and-so took my shift. It was him who lost the hubcap." I asked, "How come you were so sure that it was him?" He said, "I heard the security inspector publicly say that you were mean and never gave him any cigarettes, so this time he made you lose." Hearing this, I just smiled and said nothing.
Seeing my reaction, he said to me in a defending-injustice tone, "You should talk to the boss to correct the wrongs. If it is not for the money's sake, at least you shouldn't leave it as it is." I said to him calmly with a smile, "It doesn't matter. It is over now, just let it go. Please do not mention it in front of the boss or other colleagues again." My colleague looked at me with surprise and with a puzzled look. Then I explained to him: "Because I am practicing Falun Gong, Dafa requires practitioners to look inward whenever we come across a problem. Most probably I was not good to him in the past and owed him a debt. Now I have paid it back. It is only a natural thing to pay back debts." Hearing my explanation, he was more puzzled. I said to him, "Tomorrow I will bring you a book, Zhuan Falun. You will understand me after you read the book." In "What is Forbearance (Ren)?" in Essentials for Further Advancement, Master said:
"Forbearance is the key to improving one's xinxing. To endure with anger, grievance, or tears is the forbearance of an everyday person who is attached to his concerns. To endure completely without anger or grievance is the forbearance of a cultivator."
III. Elevating Myself in Cultivation in the Fa-Rectification Period
1. Letting Go of the Attachment of Fear
One day in 1999 I happened to meet a practitioner on the street. We shared a bit of our cultivation experiences. He told me how he clarified the truth to save sentient beings by distributing flyers and putting up self-stick labels. I had reservations about his way of doing things at the time. I thought he was getting involved in politics. I thought we should practice at home if we really thought Dafa was good. It was good enough that we told our relatives and friends of the truth of Falun Gong and the persecution, and it was unnecessary to go outside to do anything. The root of this thought was actually a selfish heart, a heart that was not willing to sacrifice for Dafa and a heart that only considered myself.
After I had read lots of experience-sharing articles on the Minghui website (the Chinese version of Clearwisdom), I was so moved by practitioners' selfless and righteous actions and righteous thoughts in order to validate the Fa and save sentient beings. It opened up my righteous thoughts. I made up my mind that I would learn from fellow practitioners and cultivate away selfish notions from the old cosmos. I would devote myself to Dafa and become a qualified Fa-rectification-period Dafa disciple.
I suffered terrible fear when I went out to put up the stick-on labels telling people the truth of Falun Gong. I was so frightened that I asked my wife (also a practitioner) to go with me to increase my courage. We specifically looked for the safest places to put up labels. Due to severe fear, we put up some of the labels upside down and in a hurry. We felt that evil elements were everywhere staring at us and nowhere was safe. We spent an hour but only put up less than ten labels. We hurried home with more than half of the labels left. The next day we were not that afraid and finished putting up the rest, and this time we did it a lot quicker. One's xinxing determines one's cultivation state. With Master's new articles continuously being published, I came to know how Fa-rectification-period Dafa disciples should walk the cultivation path righteously. Master clearly pointed out the three things we should do in the Fa-rectification period: study the Fa well, send forth righteous thoughts and clarify the truth. Studying the Fa well was critical. Only by studying the Fa well could we have strong righteous thoughts and then compassion would emerge. When we had compassion, we would see sentient beings suffering and would develop the wish to save sentient beings. When we had the wish to save sentient beings, we would take initiatives to tell people the truth of Falun Gong. So first and foremost we must study the Fa well.
With our studying the Fa more deeply, our understanding of the Fa became deeper. My notions about myself and the selfishness that developed in the old cosmos were decreasing and the heart of fear was reducing. When I went to tell people the truth of Falun Dafa, I was more courageous. The root of fear was the human attachment of selfishness and consideration for oneself. Cultivation was to let go of human attachments and intensify Buddha nature. When my Buddha nature became stronger, my attachment of fear became less or none.
2. Righteous Thoughts Demonstrate Divine Powers
A. Telling People the Truth of Falun Gong and Saving Sentient Beings
I always sent forth righteous thoughts before I went out to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. There were three advantages of doing so: one was to eliminate the interference of the evil beings and all evil elements in other dimensions; second was to let the knowing side of sentient beings accept the truth and thus be saved; third was to intensify my righteous thoughts and increase my sense of mission and responsibility of saving sentient beings.
At 4:00 a.m. one day I went out to distribute Falun Gong truth flyers after I finished sending forth righteous thoughts. I would try to put flyers in every shop on the street. We had distributed flyers to the residential areas nearby several times. Not long after we went out, a police car was driving slowly past. Two policemen were inside. There was not a single soul on the street. They should have seen me inserting flyers underneath the door of each shop one hundred meters away. But they didn't see me even when they were six meters away, they were restrained by my righteous thoughts.
When telling people the truth of Falun Gong and the persecution with a compassionate heart after I let go of the attachment of fear, what I considered first was not my own safety but how to save more sentient beings. This achieved a better result. I often went to the busiest streets to put up truth-clarifying labels on advertisement boards, telephone booths, newspaper display areas and power poles. But I found people who didn't know the truth tore them off soon after I put them up. I felt very sad in my heart. From then on before I went out to put up labels, I would send forth righteous thoughts and add one thought to it, namely, let the evil beings not see them but let predestined sentient beings see them. It was very effective. The labels were there at least three to five days, sometimes as long as one to three months. A big poster of half a A4 page stayed on a big advertisement board for 6 months. It was very eye-catching and people could see the contents clearly from the pedestrian path.
February 4, 2002 was the first "Falun Dafa Day" in our city. What should I do as a Dafa disciple to celebrate this day? After sharing with some practitioners, we decided to hang up big banners measuring 1.5 meter in width and over 10 meters in length. First we had to select a spot for hanging the banners. I spent several days on the bus looking for suitable spaces on the main streets and roads. Eventually I found two buildings that were suitable. The side of the buildings faced the main street with no windows on them. Another practitioner and I agreed that we would hang up banners at 4:00 a.m. on February 4. But I heard another veteran practitioner said before that date that her son worked in a court and had received orders from above that from February 3 all staff members from the city police department, the Procuratorate and the court would be going out to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from organizing any activities. Though the evil elements were still rampant, Dafa practitioners with righteous thoughts and righteous actions were not frightened. Practitioners came at the pre-arranged time. As soon as we went onto the main road, we saw a police car parked at the crossroad and three or four policeman were checking the passing vehicles and people. We walked toward the police while sending forth righteous thoughts. It appeared that the police didn't see us. We got in a taxi and arrived at the first target building smoothly. But as soon as we got out, we found that not far away three young people with red bands on their arms holding flashlights were coming towards us. It was too late to avoid them. We couldn't do anything but walk upstairs. When we got to the third floor, we heard footsteps downstairs. We quickened our steps and got to the top of the building and started to send forth righteous thoughts. With our righteous thoughts becoming stronger, the footsteps downstairs became weaker until they faded. After fifteen minutes, it was very quiet around us. We quickly hung up the first banner and came back to get the second banner. When we arrived at the second target building just beside the crossroad, we saw several policemen and a police car. But that didn't shake our righteous thoughts. When we successfully got to the top of the building and looked down, we found the police car facing us and a policeman sitting in the car. If he had looked up, he would see us hanging up the banner (the banner would open up in a delayed time). We were sending forth righteous thoughts while hanging up the banner and found that the evils' interference was pretty strong. We took some time in hanging up the banner, then left there and arrived home safely. One hour later we found that the second banner had not opened up automatically. I returned alone and re-hung the banner and this time it opened successfully.
Under the shining sun, the white characters on the banner "Falun Dafa is Good"with the red background were very eye-catching. This effectively subdued the evil and at the same time let sentient beings see the hope. Vehicles slowed down and drivers and passengers all turned their heads to look. Pedestrians stopped and looked up and some exclaimed: how marvelous Falun Gong is! Eight police cars and a big group of police came in succession within half an hour. From the fact that the evil mobilized so many police sources, one could come to the conclusion of how terrified the evil was at Dafa practitioners' righteous actions. Only one banner could frighten the evil to such an extent! How apprehensive and what cowards they were.
B. Breaking Up the Evil Persecution with Righteous Thoughts
One day I met two practitioners. We didn't realize that one practitioner's mobile phone was being tapped by the police. We were arrested and sent to the police station and then were transferred to a detention center the next day. Two days later a big group of police from the local domestic security division came and interrogated the three of us in separate rooms day and night without stop for seventy-two hours. They formed three groups with three police to a group. They took three shifts a day interrogating us and deprived us of sleep. I was made to sit on a cement stool for the whole time. They intended to destroy our righteous thoughts and righteous belief in Dafa through torturing us mentally and physically. They failed. Apart from telling them the truth of Falun Gong, I didn't answer any of their questions. Seeing that their interrogation didn't have any effect on me, they instigated the inmates to intimidate and threaten me, trying to force me give up my belief, not allowing me to practice the exercises or talk to people about Falun Gong. Facing the madness of the evil, I dismissed it with a smile. I thought to myself: what you say doesn't count but what Master says determines the result. Since I was there, I wouldn't passively put up with the evil persecution that was forced upon me. I would make use of this period of time to save sentient beings there.
Though the inmates there had committed all sorts of crimes in ordinary society, it was their predestined opportunity to meet me. I took every chance to tell them the truth of Falun Dafa. Because they were deeply poisoned by the evil CCP (Chinese Communist Party), in the beginning they didn't listen to me and attacked me instead. In order to save them, I had to go according to their attachments and break through their notions. At the same time I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil that prevented them from hearing the truth. Through incessantly clarifying the truth, sending forth righteous thoughts and using a compassionate heart and kindness, I let them know the truth gradually. When they came to know the truth completely, one of the inmates said to me, "Is it your Master that sent you to save us?" Every sentient being has his knowing side. These words came from the heart of their knowing side. I felt very happy for them.
During this period of time my schedule was very full. Every day I studied the Fa and memorized the Fa, practiced the exercises, sent forth righteous thoughts and clarified the truth. I had no time to think of work or family (I was the only bread winner of my family of three). I didn't even feel that there was any difference between the detention center or outside. I felt free in my heart. Twenty-plus days passed in a moment. I felt that I shouldn't stay there any longer because I had done what I should do and there were many things for me to do outside. I should get out of the detention center to do what a Dafa practitioner should do.
I clarified the truth to the police in charge of my case in my mind when I was sending forth righteous thoughts. I said to him, "I am a Dafa practitioner who is trying to be a good person according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. You should not participate in the persecution of Dafa practitioners. Otherwise it will not be good for you or your family. It is heaven's principle that good will be rewarded with good while evil be met with retribution. You will be blessed if you treat Dafa practitioners with respect. You should set me free unconditionally." After sending forth righteous thoughts in this way for two days, I clearly felt that my dimensional field was crystal clear. I was serene and compassionate inside. I said to myself with confidence, "This place can no longer hold me. I will be free within days." Sure enough, in less than one week, on the day that I was there for a whole month, they let me go home by putting me under home surveillance.
By strong righteous thoughts and righteous belief in Master and Dafa I left the demon's den. I again took part in the Fa-rectification activities. My experience again verified what Master said in " Dafa Disciples' Righteous Thoughts are Powerful" in Essentials for Further Advancement II :
"Actually, every Dafa disciple has abilities. It's just that the abilities do not manifest in the surface dimension, so they think that they don't have supernormal abilities. But regardless of whether they can manifest in the surface dimension or not, when a person's True Thoughts come forth they are very powerful."
October 13, 2008
