(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, our great compassionate Master!
Greetings, fellow disciples!
Cultivation has reached the final period. Have we walked this last journey well? My understanding is that we must study the Fa well and solidly do the three things well. Hence, we can save more people with a clearer mind, be more rational, and be more responsible.
I. Walk on the Path Master Arranged
I have been a junior high school math teacher for 30 years, plus taking a “chair class” every year (which means being responsible for one class over all). After cultivating Falun Dafa, I followed the principles, treated everyone with compassion, and worked diligently. My improvements laid a good foundation for clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings in the current period. My family and friends, school administrators, students' parents, and students all respect me. Even when they could not accept what I had to say completely, they still maintained a good attitude. In the past few years, my friends and family have all quit the Chinese Communist Party and/or its affiliated organizations, and some started to cultivate. My school administrators and colleagues all quit as well. No one was left out, because I kept track. When a new person was employed, I made sure to help that new employee to withdraw as well. I even spoke to students who were not in any of my classes. I did my best to make sure no one missed the chance to be saved.
At the beginning of March 2011, the administrators at my school decided that no new students would be accepted this semester. That meant there would be no new students to clarify the truth to, since everyone in the school had already been saved. What could I do to help save people this past semester? My principal told me that the county special education school needed one teacher, but no one wanted to sleep in the school overnight. He said, “We think you have patience and treat students very well. Could you consider accepting this job?”
I know there are no accidents on the path of cultivation, that there had to be people there that needed me to help save them, and that Master arranged for me to go. I had to do well.
II. Hurry to Save People by Putting Down All Notions
My job consists of six long shifts per month. Each shift is 27 hours. I sleep at the school, and a parent works with me as class mother. We have more than 20 students from 10-18 years old, they are mentally retarded, deaf, or mute. Some do not know how old they are, do not sense warmth or cold, and possess hardly any short term memory. Only two or three can basically understand what the teachers are saying.
I thought, “Even though they are so special and may be hard to save, I will still not leave them out, because Master arranged me to do this job.” I increased my Fa study time, looked inside and found my biggest attachment: fear – fear that parents would report me. In my past years of clarifying the truth, no one has ever reported me. However, these special students might say anything in any situation. I know this “fear” is not me, but the bad substance preventing me from clarifying the truth was “selfishness.” Master taught us in “Drive Out Interference” in Essentials for Further Advancement:
“The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.”
Master taught us in “Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference:”
“...while saving sentient beings, don't forget to cultivate yourselves.”
“If you don't cultivate yourselves well you won't have mighty virtue, what you say will not be in line with the Fa, and then you can't possibly save sentient beings. When what you say has no mighty virtue and no power, it will have no effect, and the evil will capitalize on that.”
Therefore, while studying the Fa, I cleared out this fear with righteous thoughts. When cleansing my own problems, I also sent forth righteous thoughts to my students for a long time, eliminating all evil elements blocking these sentient beings from being saved.
I tried to clarify the truth to my assistant, the mother who stayed at the school. To my surprise, she told me she understood the truth, because she also read Dafa books. “Falun Dafa saved my life, otherwise I would have already died or gone insane. I was afraid to defame Dafa, since I have two mentally retarded children.” I encouraged her to formally enter Dafa cultivation so that we could diligently advance together and save more sentient beings to repay Master for His salvation! It was truly Master's arrangement!
We cooperated very well. Most of these kids are disliked at home. Their parents could not handle them and then pushed them onto their grandparents. We truly cared for them, helped them with personal hygiene, bought them snacks with our own money, always positively encouraged them, and patiently taught them life skills. The children soon knew I truly cared about them and that I never was unkind them. Always during my shift, they surrounded me in a big circle. Some held my arms, some held my shirt, and they followed me wherever I went. They are so cute! “Maybe he’s retarded in this life, but he won’t be in his next life, his master soul isn’t retarded.” (Zhuan Falun)
The first thing we did was to tell stories of divine culture. I told them to listen carefully, and if anyone could retell the story, they would get a reward. Two of them could retell 70-80%. They loved to watch the traditional culture cartoon stories produced by Dafa disciples, and they asked so many questions. Later, I started talking about the truth of Dafa, played Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs, and played many children's programs downloaded from Dafa disciples' websites and songs. Finally they began to have a little bit of an understanding about Dafa. Although a few children still cannot recite, “Falun Dafa is great, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great” by themselves, I will never give up on them.
Recently, a 16-year-old boy with cerebral palsy joined our school. He opens his mouth so widely when he talks, no one can understand him. He always put one arm behind himself and the other always right against his chest. He eats with his mouth only, all other actions are by feet. I took care of him and taught him to recite, “Falun Dafa is great! Zhen-Shan-Ren is great!” I also pulled his arms open gently, while telling him, “Arms are parts of the body; they should listen to my directions. When I ask you to stretch out, you should follow.” He loves me doing this to him. After I further talked about the truth of Falun Dafa, I asked him several times, “Do you want to cultivate Falun Dafa?” He answered each time happily, “I am willing.” I let him listen to Master's recordings, then taught him the exercises.
Recently we've persuaded the students to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party Young Pioneers one by one. It's been very hard. Some think the red scarf is good no matter how many times you tell them the truth. Some would say to you anywhere, “Teacher, I will not wear the red scarf, the red scarf is not good.” But in the end, they all quit.
Once the principal said to me, “The students here are different from what you had in regular school. Please be very careful. The teachers are fine with what is going on, since you've already talked to them all, but parents may report you to the education bureau, and then we would be in trouble.”
I knew he'd learned what I did. I told him, “I am helping these lovely children become smarter, and their parents will thank us sincerely. Please don't worry.” I study the Fa even more diligently than before, I have strengthened my righteous thoughts, and I am openly and steadily saving sentient beings.
III. Clarifying the Truth to Parents
A few days ago, a parent came to the school. We clarified the truth in detail to her and helped her withdraw the CCP and/or its affiliated organizations. She borrowed a copy of Zhuan Falun before leaving and said very happily, “I will read it carefully.” Parents often visit the school and are allowed to sleep over. I never leave a single one out and always save them one by one. Sometimes, together we teach their children, “Falun Dafa is great! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great!” The rest of the children also recite following us. One child asked for some Dafa materials for his grandma to listen to during summer vacation.
Looking at these lives being saved, tears often cover my face. Only Master knows from how high these lovely lives have come down. Master will not leave a single life behind. Although I've only taught these kids for a few months, some of them have obviously gotten smarter. I firmly believe I will do better and better under Master's care.
I've cultivated away some attachments in this time period, such as worry, fear, impatience, and blaming others. Master's recent three lectures shook me deeply. I found I had a problem before with Fa-study. Sometimes I could not calmly study the Fa, resulting in not being effective in saving sentient beings. I am still far from Master's requirements in many areas. If I want to save more sentient beings, I must study the Fa well, cultivate myself well, genuinely look inside, rectify every thought, put down my “self,” cooperate with the one body, and follow Master home.
Heshi!
