(Clearwisdom.net)
Rectify our state of mind
I used to have some incorrect thoughts about attending Fa conferences. I always had an attachment to seeking help by listening to other practitioners' sharings to improve myself. So each time I read emails that encouraged practitioners to submit sharing articles, I would feel that the message was for those practitioners who had cultivated better than I, and I never thought that I should also cultivate myself in the process of writing an experience sharing paper. Due to such thoughts I have missed precious opportunities again and again.
In fact, each time we have a Fa conference, it is not that by entering the conference hall we show that we are cultivators; instead, our attitudes and understandings about Fa conferences are part of our cultivation. My understanding is that each Fa conference is a precious opportunity for Dafa practitioners to validate the Fa through submitting sharing articles. Each Dafa practitioner's cultivation records precious history, which is permeated with Master's enormous endurance and sacrifice. The process of writing a cultivation sharing paper is also a process by which one can further cleanse and rectify oneself, a process to validate the greatness of the Fa and that of our revered Master.
When I have an attachment to selfishly improving myself, I have already based myself in personal cultivation instead of validating the Fa. After I rectified myself, I came to the understanding that every practitioner should submit his or her cultivation sharing to the Fa conference. Or to put it another way, my understanding is that a Fa conference is like a periodical test for each practitioner, so every practitioner should submit their test paper. Of course, the coordinators cannot possibly accept everyone's sharing, but if we understand that our goal is not focused on whether or not our submission is accepted, then we are being responsible to the Fa and we are truly cultivating.
How to regard the hurricane
This year, due to a hurricane, the date of our Fa conference was changed, and the large-scale outdoor assembly and parade activities were also cancelled. Many practitioners from various places could not arrive in New York as planned. I would like to share some of my understandings about some of the things we experienced.
According to the principles of the old universe, when human beings accumulated a certain amount of karma, gods would use disasters as a form of retribution and warning. However, Master's Fa-rectification aims to save all beings who entered the In-Triple-World with righteous faith in Dafa as their starting point. Hurricane Irene hit New York during the Fa conference weekend. My understanding is that this was destructive interference from the old forces out of jealousy. The old forces saw that we Dafa practitioners could assist Master in Fa-rectification and establish mighty virtue, so they felt very jealous and ferociously interfered with us, using the excuse that in certain aspects we have not cultivated well. They were trying to test Dafa disciples in a destructive way. Our benevolent Master has again and again endured enormous suffering in exchange for more opportunities for Dafa disciples to become mature in their cultivation.
Our revered Master cherishes us more than we do
On August 26, on our way to the Fa conference, we learned that the date for the conference had to be changed, and the buses from Toronto could not set out as scheduled, either. As soon as we boarded the bus, we started to send forth righteous thoughts and gradually I could feel very a strong energy field. It was so strong that I could not feel the existence of my body in this dimension and it felt as if my whole body had melted away. The four wheels of the bus were like hot wheels and were steadily running fast ahead, giving off fire-like energies.
Before we began sending forth righteous thoughts, we discussed and decided that we should send forth righteous thoughts for the Fa conference to go ahead as scheduled. At 6:00 p.m., the global time for sending forth righteous thoughts, the energy was especially strong. In the process, my divine side sent forth a very strong thought: “The will of our revered Master is the highest of heaven in the whole universe. Any being, no matter how high you might be, you should comply with our Master's will, as this is the only way for you to enter the new universe.” I felt this firm thought was so strong that it could split a mountain. When I sent forth this thought, some high beings in other dimensions understood what I meant and they dropped their weapons to show that they wanted to comply with Master's wish, and they did not want to continue interfering. Then I sent forth another strong thought: “In my dimension no beings are allowed to go against the wish of our revered Master. If any being still interferes, then I will use the ability Dafa has bestowed upon me to completely eliminate it.” With my firm faith in Master and in Dafa, my righteous thoughts, strengthened by Master's boundless mighty Fa power, went straight to destroy the “demons' den” that created the hurricane. The process was extraordinarily wonderful.
At dusk on August 27, our bus was driving on a New York City street during the violent storm. We kept sending forth righteous thoughts every hour on the hour. I felt that in other dimensions Master was enduring enormous hardship for Dafa disciples and was withstanding the evil that was pressing down.
Our bus was advancing in darkness against the ferocious storm. I sat upright and kept sending forth righteous thoughts. I vaguely heard a practitioner say that we seemed to be driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street. I blurted out, “Be steady and calm. There are Falun and Master's fashen on top of our bus protecting us. Tears ran down my face out of gratitude for Master's merciful protection.
Monday, August 29, was a bright, sunny day. On our way to the conference hall, I saw heavenly troops and commanders guarding the conference hall and gods from very high levels waiting to welcome revered Master to teach the Fa. While sitting in the conference hall, the layers of my body that had been cultivated well listened to the Fa attentively. The wonderful feeling was beyond the ability of human language to describe.
After Master finished teaching the Fa, I no longer sat relaxed, and I listened to every sharing very attentively. I told myself not to move around or even drink anything and to just carefully listen to every single sharing. Through fellow practitioners' experience sharings I could feel the greatness of Dafa and Master and I was encouraged to be more diligent in the Fa.
Our revered Master cherishes us more than we do ourselves. Only by cultivating solidly and doing the three things well can we be worthy of Master's enormous sacrifice and merciful salvation.