(Clearwisdom.net) Recalling the past ten years of cultivation, I have been firmly following Master and the Fa-rectification all the way. I could not have made it without Master's compassionate salvation and painstaking protection, particularly during a test of life and death. Dafa gives me firm righteous thoughts, allows me to break through old force arrangements, allows me to let go of the attachment to fear and death and to break free from humanness to walk the divine path.
I will discuss how I let go of self, firmly believed in Master and Dafa, helped fellow practitioners form Fa study groups, and how I was able to coordinate and cooperate with fellow practitioners. Please point out any shortcomings.
1. Trying My Best to Form a Fa Study Group
Over the last ten years, whether rain or snow, whenever I had copies of Minghui Weekly or other truth-clarifying materials, I immediately sent them out to fellow practitioners. I have held fast to Fa study, practicing the exercises, clarifying the truth, sending forth righteous thoughts at close range, working to rescue fellow practitioners, and discussing and sharing experiences with practitioners often.
* Forming Fa Study Groups and Meeting Master's Requirement
In 2004, I formed a Fa study group with four fellow practitioners who had been just released after being persecuted. I realized that the group Fa study helped the elevation of our group and helped us walk on the path that Master arranged for us. I also understood the importance of establishing a group cultivation environment. Later on our group was interrupted again by the persecution.
Master said,
"Each of you is like an Assistant, each of you is a particle of Dafa, each of you is immersed in and being tempered in the Fa, and each of you knows what to do." ("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
Reading this reminded me that I did not quite have a clear understanding of why we should form a Fa study group. I only focused on what I should do daily and did not give a thought to how to elevate as a group. After realizing this, I wanted to coordinate better and walk on the path that Master has arranged for us.
A woman who practiced Dafa in the past came back to our area in 2005. I went to visit her along with another practitioner. She said that she had not studied the Fa since the persecution began in July 1999, so I suggested we form a Fa study group. After a period of time, we improved greatly as a group and grew from three to six and then seven. As we became more mature in our cultivation, I suggested that we split up and have one group Fa study during the day and another at night. One Sunday, I visited a practitioner who works during the weekdays and suggested that we form a Fa study group with her once a week. We formed a five-person group and often discussed about how to bring more people who used to practice Falun Gong together and improve on the basis of the Fa. Each of us acted like an assistant and behaved how a particle of Dafa should.
Through group Fa study and improvement at the group level, we realized that we should form a Fa study group for those who had stopped Fa study, who had exercised at home and didn't dare to come out publicly, and for those who had not been doing the three things well, and had not kept up with the pace of Fa-rectification. We need to improve together and catch up to the pace of Fa rectification. I suggested that we hold a small-scale experience sharing meeting at my home. Many fellow practitioners came. Through sharing experiences, they came to a quick understanding about the importance of getting together as a group. Those who came all wanted to join a Fa study group. We quickly formed three to four more groups. Fellow practitioners improved well and went about looking for former practitioners and formed new Fa study groups.
With our effort, we went from having only one Fa study group to gradually developing two, three, four, and have now extended into the suburbs. The group members range from two to three people to up to six or seven. Some groups study the Fa in the morning, some in the afternoon, and the others in the evening. There were difficulties at the beginning; some would skip days while some were afraid that they were being followed. The veteran practitioners had discussions with them on the basis of the Fa, and shared experiences of how to study the Fa and how to elevate. Before we began, we always sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference. For example, one senior practitioner in his seventies had not contacted practitioners for a long time due to fear. Practitioners visited him, sent forth righteous thoughts, and had discussions with him. Then we began to have Fa study at his home. At first he said, "I cannot read well." I told him, "From today on, you will read well." He later asked us to visit him once a week. He improved quickly through Fa study and discussion. His attachment to fear subsided, and we held several small experience sharing meetings at his home. Now he is able to clarify the truth in public and help out practitioners.
We established Fa study groups all over our city. Some took two hours round-trip to get to. In order to help fellow practitioners and support Fa-rectification, I never cared about the weather or distance. I am very happy to see our Fa study groups blossoming everywhere.
Practitioners improved very quickly through group Fa study. Many practitioners also formed material production sites, printed materials, were able to get online and persuade people to quit the Chinese Communist Party, used cash with truth-clarifying information on it, burned CDs, and used cell phones to clarify the truth. I realized that the Fa study groups are like a bond, and when we need group coordination, we can quickly connect.
If I asked various groups to send forth righteous thoughts at close range, most of them could come at any time. We often go to prisons, labor camps, detention centers, police stations, the city government: anywhere we are needed. Later, fellow practitioners were able to initiate sending forth righteous thoughts on their own. Because of the efforts of the group, the labor camp in our area was shut down two years ago.
In order for more Fa study groups to keep up with the pace of Fa-rectification, I often invited the coordinators of those areas to attend different groups, to help each one step out of individual cultivation and join us in establishing and maintaining more groups. In the process, fellow practitioners not only improved themselves, but also helped others in the group elevate.
After several years I realized that if we want to help more practitioners to step out and form groups to do the three things well, then we must establish the environment of group Fa study. Each particle of Dafa is an assistant. When we are able to do this, we can truly become what Master said in Zhuan Falun,
"In the end, thousands of energy channels will join together and turn one's body into one without any energy channels or acupuncture points; they will join together to make one whole body."
Then we can bring all practitioners back to Dafa and save more sentient beings.
* It Is Our Duty to Help Fellow Practitioners to Improve
At the beginning of this year, several practitioners in our cities were persecuted. I was also harassed. One senior practitioner was afraid and told other practitioners not to come to his home again. When I visited him the first time, because he was scared and his daughter was there, I did not say much and left. When I visited him the second time, we shared that group Fa study is the cultivation environment that Master has left for us and we are walking on the path that Master arranged for us. I said, "Master wants you to catch up, and not lag behind. You are a veteran practitioner and were an assistant. You know many fellow practitioners. You need to find them and improve together, right?" Finally he agreed to have us to study the Fa at his home twice a week.
During the process of helping fellow practitioners join group Fa study, I met various practitioners that helped me cultivate away human qing, such as the attachments of treating people differently based on my personal preferences, being selfish, and various other human notions. I am a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple and am responsible for the sentient beings in this area. I will accommodate what Master has required and walk well on the path Master has arranged. Helping fellow practitioners who lag behind is not just helping an individual practitioner, because he represents an enormous cosmic system. Those particles in his system on the microcosmic level contain an even more enormous system, so we are actually saving more sentient beings.
2. Letting Go of Notions and Learning Computer Skills Well
I established a material site in 2006. With the help of a practitioner, I learned how to get online, print materials, put truth-clarifying messages on cash, and download MP4 files and burn CDs and DVDs. I printed about a dozen copies of Minghui Weekly, brochures, fliers, and DVDs weekly and sent them to other practitioners.
At the beginning, I used to think: Will this work? I am in my fifties and did not go through many years of school. I knew nothing about computer software, let alone being able to offer computer help to other practitioners. I was blocked by an old-universe notion, thinking it would be very difficult to learn.
At the time, we did not have any practitioners in our local area who had computer skills. Some discussed sending a highly educated practitioner to other areas to learn the skills and come back to teach. I thought I would go along with one who was educated, but due to scheduling, I could not go. I went home and looked inward, thinking it must have been because of my attachment to relying on others, as well as my lack of confidence.
I realized that I had to find a way: I must learn to use a computer and carry out a Dafa particle's power. I went to a practitioner who has a child who knows a lot about computers. I carried my computer to his home and asked the child to help me. He was delighted to teach me. When he showed me how to do one thing, and I remembered how to do it, I thought, "Wow, is it that easy to learn?!"
When I came home and re-installed the operating system on my computer successfully, I realized that I had really learned this and began crying. I was very grateful to Master. He gave me wisdom and also took away many years of accumulated notions. Now I no longer think that I am a slow learner, that I am not capable, that I do not have much education, etc. I am a Dafa disciple. Master gave me wisdom and I can do anything. One day a practitioner asked me if I knew how to make a spare copy of something, and I said I did not know, so he said that he would teach me. Step by step I learned how to do that, as well. From discussions with other practitioners, I also learned other software. At this point I just want to tell fellow practitioners that in whatever you do, do not let old notions stop you. Do not ever say you are not capable, have limited education, are a slow learner, etc. Whatever Dafa requires of us, we should learn and there is nothing that we cannot do. Because it is Master who is helping us, as long as we eliminate our old notions and let go of self, we will master the skill. Let us do what Master has asked and walk our own path.
3. Helping Fellow Practitioners Is Also Cultivating Oneself
When I realized how to help the material sites blossom throughout our city, I encouraged practitioners to learn computer skills and taught them what I learned. As long as they wanted to learn, I would teach them. I focused on the basis of the Fa when teaching, and encouraged them to walk their own path.
When I purchased computers for practitioners, sometimes someone would say, "I am afraid I cannot learn." I stopped them right there and told them that from now on, no one should say such things. Master granted us wisdom and we will all learn it well. After they learned, they began teaching others. The whole process reminded me of what Master taught us about what happened to the individual acupuncture points as we progressed in cultivation, "thousands of energy channels will join together and turn one's body into one without any energy channels or acupuncture points; they will join together to make one whole body." Now almost everyone knows how to get online and everyone is improving and cultivating to the realm of selflessness.
I study the Fa in the morning and help establish Fa study groups and sharing, and teach computer skills in the afternoon. I have overcome many difficulties and gotten rid of many human notions. I feel that this is what I should do, breaking through the old forces' arrangement and meeting Master's requirement. I focus on xinxing improvement and discussion on the basis of the Fa. I carry truth-clarification materials with me everywhere. I send out materials and clarify the truth whenever I have a chance. I also help fellow practitioners make recorded phone calls at night. I am always happy and have no resentment. Master's lectures often remind me, "The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference in 2002")
One day a sixty-year-old practitioner came to my home to learn how to use the computer, but she was not able to buy a computer. I told her that I had an extra one that she could use. She said, "Great, but I don't know anything about computers. It is my first time. Will I be able to do it?" I replied, "Yes, I was just like you when I started." I taught her to upload MP4s and how to copy and paste. I taught her one thing after another. She listened very attentively and practiced from 7:00 p.m. until midnight for two straight days. She would not stay overnight, and left on her bike on the icy roads in the snow each night, and came back the next night. After several nights she finally grasped the techniques and later began teaching other practitioners herself. I am so happy for her!
After years of Fa-rectification cultivation, I deeply acknowledge the difficulties Master faces in offering salvation and the devotion Master gives to Fa-rectification. Let us all cherish this opportunity. With righteous thoughts and actions, let us be responsible to ourselves and sentient beings, try our best to accommodate the group, and be diligent in our cultivation.
