(Clearwisdom.net) I'm a young Dafa practitioner who began practicing with my parents in 1998. I am very happy that our compassionate Teacher has not given up on me, even though I haven't always been able to conduct myself with righteous thoughts. He continually picks me up whenever I fall.
I am writing this article to remind adult practitioners to raise young Dafa disciples well. They are not only your children, but also Teacher's young disciples, future great enlightened beings.
Prior to the persecution July 1999, I often joined Fa study groups and participated in group exercises with my parents. I was in the second grade at that time and only remember wanting to have fun. I knew Dafa was good and I wanted to be a good boy and follow the teaching of "won't fight back when you're beaten or sworn at." (Zhuan Falun, March 2000 Translation)
I did not know about the deeper meaning of the Fa, so when the persecution began and I lost the environment of group Fa study, I studied the Fa off and on. My parents continued to study the Fa, but when they got lax, so did I. After a while, no matter how much my parents pleaded with me, I still refused to study the Fa with them.
As time went by, I acquired a lot of bad habits due to my lack of Fa study and my inability to cultivate myself. When I was in fifth grade, I took money from my parents without their consent. When they found out, they became very angry at me and chased me around the house. I was very mad at them. I don't know how I was able to survive during those years.
One day, I suddenly realized that I hadn't read any Dafa books for five years. That night I dreamed that my father came into my room and said, "You haven't study the Fa for five years." I was scared. I intuitively knew it was Teacher who spoke those words.
Next morning I sat down in my parents' room and read Dafa books non-stop. This was unheard of in the past. Mother kept asking me what I was doing. I didn't even want to come out to eat lunch. I simply did not want to stop reading Master's Fa!
In junior high school, I slowly returned to Dafa and joined the local practitioners in validating the Fa. I was very motivated and enthusiastic. I clarified the truth to my teacher and good friends in my class. Although I was not able to elaborate much on the persecution, I did tell others, "Falun Dafa is good!"
Back then, I felt my cultivation was solid and I was very happy. Besides studying the Fa and doing exercises, I also went out to hand out fliers. Sometimes I handed out fliers and put up posters without my family's permission. When they found out about it, they demanded that I stop and even asked fellow practitioners to persuade me to stop. No matter what anyone said, I continued doing what Teacher requires of us. I sometimes felt a lot of bitterness in my heart towards my family.
After some time, my parents wouldn't allow me to go out at all. They even got mad when I went to fellow practitioners' homes. If I came home late, they would make sarcastic remarks like, "So you went out to toss some materials in letter boxes, eh?" I really felt bitter at that time.
There weren't many practitioners in our region who kept up with their Fa study and even with those that did, very few of them were diligent. There were only two practitioners who came out to clarify the truth on a regular basis. One of them lived far away and could only visit my local area at night, so I rarely saw her.
The other practitioner fully supported my Fa-rectification work but my family disliked her and called her an old woman. They said that we should not be seen together because our ages were so different. Sometimes they badgered me, saying, "Why don't you just go and live with her?!"
After a period of time, I got very busy with my schoolwork and studied the Fa less and less. Lacking righteous thoughts, I rarely visited this older practitioner's home. My whole cultivation slowed down. Only during the summer of my last year in junior high school, did I actively go out to clarify the facts.
When I explained the truth to my old friends, my family members grumbled, "You hardly stay home anymore!" When my family suggested that I look for a summer job, I agreed. I found a job close to home and worked every day until 9 pm. I not only forgot about my Fa-rectification duties, but I also became lax in studying the Fa.
After I entered high school, people around me seemed very complex. Without an environment for studying the Fa, I again became a bit lazy. As schoolwork became more demanding, I studied the Fa less and less.
In blink of an eye, I had graduated from high school and was preparing for college. One day, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't clarified the truth to my roommates. I was not sure what to say, as I had no information to support my views.
So I asked some fellow practitioners to provide me with some fliers. Gradually I returned to Dafa in 2008. I heaved a sigh of relief, grateful that I had made it thus far in my cultivation.
In the back of my mind, I still blamed my parents for not urging me to study the Fa, which is the reason why I couldn't keep up with the Fa-rectification process. But the truth is, I can't blame anyone but myself. It was I was who took a detour because I hadn't studied the Fa well. This is the main reason. According to the Fa, cultivation practice is not child's play, it is a very serious matter. We need to study the Fa more and be clear on the Fa principles. We need to know how to cultivate ourselves and follow what Teacher requires of us.
The big question that we all need to ask ourselves is "Do I really want to cultivate and if so, do I want to cultivate diligently or halfheartedly?" Your answer to this question is the demarcation line between an ordinary person and a cultivator, between a human being and a god. This is the line that I myself had to cross.
I now feel reborn. My view of the world has changed and I enjoy good health and a cheerful disposition. People around me, especially those who haven't seen me in a while, all say that I have changed a lot and that I've become a better person. I just chuckle inside because I know that the only reason I have been able to change myself is because I have Dafa in my heart.
Each practitioner must walk his own path well and do the things that he needs to do, like saving more sentient beings. Time is very short and saving sentient beings is urgent. Where would I find another ten years to waste?!
I want to spend more time studying the Fa so that I will be able to assimilate into the Fa. Just like one fellow practitioner put it: "If your parents cannot force you to study the Fa, then you need to force yourself to do it."
I vow to be more diligent in my cultivation and when I fall, I will get right back up instead of laying on the ground!
I hope that adult practitioners will take the time and effort to sincerely guide us young practitioners and provide us with a cultivation environment that will allow us to diligently walk the path of Fa-rectification.
Without guidance from adult cultivators, it will be very difficult for young practitioners to obtain the Fa and assimilate to the Fa. Once a practitioner stops cultivating, his whole life will be ruined. When parents raise their children well, all the sentient beings in the child's cosmic system will be grateful to you forever and you will receive boundless virtue!
Finally, I will be more diligent when interacting with fellow practitioners and try my best to remember what a supreme honor it is to be a Dafa disciple with boundless virtue. We all need to walk well on the path that Teacher has arranged for us and never give up cultivating.
Here, I want to thank the practitioners who helped me establish righteous thoughts, for without them, I would not have been be able to make it to this point. I also want to thank the Minghui/Clearwisdom website for helping me establish my righteous thoughts. Finally, I want to thank Teacher for His great compassion in providing me with an opportunity to wake up out of this maze of illusion.
