(Clearwisdom.net) My celestial eye has been open since I was young, and I see wonderful images in other dimensions. After school, I enjoyed going to a Taoist temple nearby to play. The head Taoist was elderly and had a very long gray beard. He held a horsetail whisk and threw it into the air, producing many things. He liked me very much and asked: “You live on Penglai Road. Do you know where Penglai is?” I wanted to become his student. He said that he was too old, and that the Taoist temple would disappear. He also told me that the birthday of my Master would be April 8, in the Chinese Calendar, and that I shouldn't follow anyone except my Master. Later on, my family moved. After I grew up, I went back to find the temple, but it had been demolished during the Cultural Revolution. The head Taoist's whereabouts were unknown; I cried.
--- from the author
Greetings, Revered Master!
Greetings, practitioners!
I was 46 years old at mid-autumn in 1996. I finally began practicing Falun Dafa after I'd searched for Master for 40 years. During my past 15 years of cultivation, I've experienced numerous tribulations in both the human and heavenly worlds. I dedicate my entire life to “assisting Master in Fa-rectification”. I hope that it will be of some help to Master.
Starting Falun Dafa Practice
During the 1990s, I worked as an accountant, although I didn't have a diploma. I went to a company in Shenzhen to apply for a job. Many applicants had diplomas, yet the company hired me. I am simple and don't like office politics, and I was selected as an outstanding employee every year. One level after another, I was selected as an outstanding worker in Shenzhen. My work was very smooth, and I probably have good virtue. Another reason was that it seemed like I was protected by divine beings. I did not fight for anything, and got along with others very well. When I was hit by someone, I just thought that it was retribution for some bad things that I'd done to others before.
My mother bought many Qigong books and also taught me to practice Qigong, but I just couldn't get into it. My mother didn't tell me that she'd attended the first nine-day Falun Gong lecture series which Master gave in March, 1993. In mid-autumn of 1996, I went back to Guangzhou. My mother put a pile of books on the table. I saw the book Zhuan Falun - it was shining. I took the book and started to read from the end first (this was my reading habit). I read the brief introduction about Master Li, which mentioned that Master's birthday was April 8 in the Chinese Calendar. Aha, Master, I've finally found you. I quickly knelt down and said that I'd finally found Master. I cried. In my celestial eye, I saw that Master also cried.
“Mom, give this book to me, please!” “No, I wouldn't have one if I gave it to you.” (At that time, there was a shortage of copies of Zhuan Falun). I had no way to get my own book, and only got a copy of Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa from my mother. I read the book, and knew that I wanted to return to my original, true self. Master helped me cleanse my body that night.
After I went back to Shenzhen, I tried to find a Falun Gong practice site. On the first day at the practice site, I thought that I'd practice as long as the exercise music played, and I would practice two or three times a day. I could sit in meditation for a long time. Sometimes I sat in meditation for the whole night, yet I didn't feel tired even though I hadn't slept. I felt very happy that I'd finally found Master!
Cultivating My Heart
I always knew that this life wasn't for being human and enjoying life; I came for cultivation and to return to my true, original self. Master was very strict in my xinxing cultivation, even with trifling matters.
Once, my mother called my younger sisters and talked about some things in the human world. I couldn't sit there and listen to them talk, although I liked to listen. It wasn't good to listen to other people's phone calls, which would be disrespectful. I searched inward, and found my attachments to curiosity and being involved in others' affairs. After I found my attachments, Master helped me remove black substances and returned a white substance to me. I knew that I had to cultivate my heart and eliminate attachments – this was the key.
I went to a post office to transfer some money. Many people were waiting in line, and some people cut in front of me. At that time, I was eager to go back for other matters, but I knew that I needed to get rid of the attachment of impatience. I could not be too eager. Why did he cut in front of me? Probably because I owed him in my previous lifetime, and now I had to repay him.
I never haggled when shopping for vegetables, I just paid whatever they asked. I did have a bad habit - the vendors usually sprayed water on the vegetables, so I usually shook the water off when I bought vegetables, so that they'd weigh and cost less. Actually, this was an attachment to profit. One day, I shook off the water again, and immediately felt something wrong with my hand. After this happened many times, I stopped shaking off the water. This was meant for me to cultivate my heart. At that time, I didn't have a job or much money, but I was still paying the house mortgage. When my xinxing was in a good state, I bought whatever I wanted and always got things pretty cheaply. Another day, many people were shopping and I was waiting for a vendor to give me back 50 cents change. However, he didn't give me the change. I said to Master that I was wrong and that it didn't matter if he didn't give me the change, so I walked away. On these occasions, I was required to cultivate and eliminate my attachments to profit and money.
Master requires me to follow the Fa at all times. When I opened the book, I saw “Let each and every thing be measured against the Fa.” (“Solid Cultivation” from Hong Yin). The words “Each and every thing” became very big. I said to Master in my heart: “Master, I did not achieve 'Each and every thing be measured against the Fa'”. Sometimes, I opened the book and saw “Cultivate your xinxing without a moment's pause” (“Real Cultivation” from Hong Yin). The words “without a moment's pause” also became very large.
Before I started practicing Falun Gong, my daughter and I got along very well, but she didn't have a good relationship with her father. However, after I started practicing, everything turned just the opposite. My daughter became very mean to me. Once, she wanted me to teach her to play chess. I said: “You'll never learn how to play chess. I don't have time now, and I want to study the Fa.” She shook her fist at me. I knew that when someone was mean to me, it was because I'd done something wrong, so I decided to teach her. I wanted to beat her quickly, so that I could study the Fa sooner. However, the game was a stalemate. I found my attachments to fighting and loving to win. At that time, Master said to me through my daughter's mouth: “Go study the Fa!”
On one occasion, my daughter drew a line with a pen, and then asked me what color it was. I said that it was black. She replied that I was wrong. I searched inward, thinking in my heart: “Master, I was wrong. It is not black. It may be blue in another dimension.” I told my daughter my thoughts, and she then stopped arguing with me. Another time, she asked me where Master was; I said that he was in Changchun. She asked which direction - I said north. She argued with me again. I said: “Master, I was wrong again. Not north.” There are no directions in the cosmos, just in the human world. My daughter would not argue with me, as long as I thought from the viewpoint of the Fa.
Once, my daughter took all the clothes out of the cabinet. She held up my younger brother's clothes and asked me if it was for a man or a woman. I said: “It is your uncle's clothes; of course it's for a man.” She kept arguing with me. I said to Master in my heart: “Master, I was wrong again.” A human's Primordial Spirit could be male or female, and not necessarily the same as the human body. I got rid of my attachment to lust quickly, and did not have such notions any longer.
Once, my daughter tied me up, including my feet. I knelt on the ground and couldn't sleep all night. My mother was quite upset when she got up and saw my situation. My feet had turned dark, but I didn't complain. My mother said: “You don't have anything to say? How can your daughter behave like this?” She said to my daughter: “She is your mother. How can you treat her this way?” I thought that this was caused by my karma; she was helping me to suffer. Karma was transferred to her body, so how I could blame her? I should thank her. I knew that she would be good as long as I eliminated karma. Master said:
“I just said that the principles of cultivators and those of ordinary people are opposite. Human beings believe that a life of comfort is a good thing, while Dafa disciples believe that having everything be easy is a bad thing when it comes to their improvement and that discomfort is conducive to improvement.” (“Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005”)
“When the mallet strikes, one knows to advance wholeheartedly.”
During the course of my cultivation practice, my celestial eye has been open. Master has therefore been very strict with me. For instance, when my heart became a little moved while looking at those garish items while I went shopping, a mallet in another dimension would strike me. It was Master who was striking me.
Master always stays behind us, all the time, and I can see him. Master doesn't talk to me, but he has a mallet and he strikes my head with it. I didn't know this in the beginning, but came to realize it later.
Master said,
“When the mallet strikes, one knows to advance wholeheartedly.” (“Drum Tower” from Hong Yin Volume II)
Master has been watching over me to help cultivate my character. Whenever I'm not cultivating myself, I feel some pain somewhere. I am struck by a mallet or sometimes hit with a whip.
Sometimes, I couldn't handle myself well, and would talk back when somebody swore at me. Master would really strike me hard in that case. Later, I talked to Master, “Master, I did it wrong again. I have the attachment of being argumentative, and the fear of being wronged.” As I failed the test, I felt that I had wasted the opportunity that Master arranged for me. When would such an opportunity be arranged again, and could I do it again? As soon as I got home that evening, I couldn't help but cry. I said to Master, “Master, I missed this opportunity again. When could Master arrange this test again?” Well, the test would really come again. Somebody pointed to my nose and scolded me for no reason, and this time it was more dramatic than the last situation. However, I knew that it was a test, so I said immediately, “OK, OK - thank you, thank you.” Then I gave the Heshi gesture (hands together in an upright position) to the person. I like to do Heshi; people are pleased when I do Heshi to them. Then, that person no longer cared to talk with me and left. I ignored his attitude and merely thanked him in my heart. Master then told me that I swore at that person even worse in my previous life. Now, the debt has been paid, and it was simply wonderful!
Tribulations
I have encountered tribulations from other dimensions during meditation or sleep. After cultivating for only four months, I experienced a great tribulation. A demon from a very high level transformed into Master's image to interfere with me, and I was almost ruined. I was not able to pass this tribulation until early 1997.
The demon assumed Master's image and came to me. I greeted it: “Master.” He then asked me, “You've obtained the Fa. What are you studying right now?” I answered, “I'm studying 'Cultivation of Speech'.” “Read that to me.” I then started to read. He pointed out that I didn't cultivate speech when and where, so on and so forth, and how could I raise my level like that? I said that I would cultivate my speech. He said it wouldn't work and that I'd dropped to the very bottom, and had no opportunity to cultivate any longer. He also told me that I was so bad, and I owned this or that. I was really sad. I asked him when I would be able to cultivate. He said that this remained to be seen.
I didn't know that he was a demon, so I stopped cultivating. As long as I decided not to cultivate, Master really stopped taking care of me. The karma was returned to me. I felt pain all over my body. The demon also sent me to hell to watch how others suffer. It also asked me to suffer in order to pay my debts. The demon took me as its disciple and led me to suffer in hell. I was beaten very badly and had almost no strength. I suffered tremendously.
In early 1997, my mother asked me to go back home. My mind was muddled and I looked very fragile. My mother asked me what had happened. I said that Master told me not to cultivate and so I couldn't cultivate. My mother asked how I could be so silly. Many practitioners cared about me. They took Master's picture and hung it in my home. I knelt in front of Master's picture and said to Him, “Master, can I still cultivate? I really want to cultivate.” I cried as I spoke, “I have been searching for you for forty years, but you told me that I couldn't cultivate and that I'd fallen to the bottom, after I'd only practiced for four months. Master, can I cultivate?” Master shed tears. I asked again, “Master, can I cultivate?” Master nodded. I was so happy. Master eliminated a lot of karma for me.
In fact, Master said,
“If a master has great virtues - that is, if a master possesses great gong potency - this master can eliminate your karma. If a master’s energy level is high, he can eliminate a lot of your karma. If a master’s energy level is low, he can only eliminate a little of your karma.” (Zhuan Falun)
That demon was not capable of eliminating karma for me, so it let me bear all the karma myself.
When I saw that demon again, I told it, “You are a false master – this is a fact. The true Master did not tell me to stop cultivating.” The demon was very cunning and often assumed different forms. Whenever I saw it, I would ask, “Sorry, are you Master Li Hongzhi?” The demon left immediately upon hearing my question. Master saw this, and told me each time, “I'm Master Li Hongzhi.” He told me this every single time. How compassionate Master is. The demon no longer came.
(To be continued)
