(Minghui.org)
Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am grateful for the opportunity of the 9th China Fahui on Minghui.org to report to Master and share with fellow practitioners about my experience and understandings on how to form a Fa-study group, validate the Fa, and save sentient beings during our cultivation.
1. My Understanding of Forming a Fa-Study Group
Form Fa-Study Group, Eliminate Old Forces' Separation of Practitioners
I live in a small town where my wife and I are the only practitioners. The other nearby practitioners all live in small villages in rural areas. After the CCP launched the persecution in 1999, we could not get together easily. I understood it was the old forces trying to separate us and that we should eliminate the problem using righteous thoughts. Since it was not easy to meet with each other, how could we work together to eliminate the old force arrangements? I shared my understanding with the practitioners nearby and we agreed that we should form a Fa-study group and practice sites for the practitioners who lived relatively close by. We should return to doing things the way we did when we first acquired the Fa. We should study the Fa and walk the path arranged by Master. So we decided to use my home as the Fa-study and experience-sharing site, since my home was in the center of the town.
Our Fa-study group started at the beginning of 2008. We had group Fa-study twice every month. At 1 p.m. after we finished sending forth righteous thoughts, we studied the Fa for an hour and a half and shared our experiences for an half hour and a half. We also sent forth righteous thoughts every hour. In the first half of the year, we also did the exercises. We followed Master's exercise video to rectify our movements and for Fa-study we studied Master's new articles and Zhuan Falun. Most practitioners in the countryside did not have a complete set of Master's new articles or Zhuan Falun, so the group Fa-study remedied these shortcomings. To improve in experience sharing, we also read fellow practitioners' experience sharing articles from Minghui Weekly.
By forming the Fa-study group and sharing cultivation experiences, the practitioners all began to rectify some general problems. Some movements of the exercises were not precise, and our hand positions when sending forth righteous thoughts had some deviation, plus we thought we had to recite the verses constantly.
Since we did not have clear understandings of the Fa principles, we had strong attachments to protecting ourselves, and it was very hard to harmonize the group. Yet, being dedicated to forming the one body, we improved. Our rectification as a group affected the old forces, and they tried very hard to stop us. It manifested with some practitioners getting very busy or forgetting to come to Fa-study. A whole range of excuses entered some practitioners' minds, with some thinking it was the same as studying the Fa alone at home, or they did not get anything out of the group Fa-study. Or some did not like to listen to certain practitioners sharing, and some thought it was not very safe to study the Fa together due to their fear.
When I saw this situation, I first denied all the old forces' arrangements and interference by eliminating them. Then I looked inward and I found I had the attachment of wanting a quick result. I wanted to push the practitioners to understand the Fa rapidly and I had the attachment of exclusively being in this role. When I spoke, I suppressed and criticized the practitioners, and I spoke too much. I also liked to explain practitioners' own understandings. When I found all these attachments, I cultivated myself constantly to eliminate them. I shared my understanding with fellow practitioners and we understood based on the Fa that the group Fa-study and experience sharing can eliminate the old forces' separations among us and we can then harmonize what Master wants. Our Dafa disciples can improve together as a whole. When the practitioners had a better understanding of the Fa, we all looked inward and found the state of our Fa-study group indeed exposed our selfishness and human notions. The selfishness was exactly what the old forces tried to bring out in us. We had to get rid of the selfishness in order to harmonize the whole body.
Over the years, practitioners in our local area have all rectified themselves through a deeper understanding of the Fa principles and harmonizing with the group. No matter how thing may have changed, we were not moved and never stopped our Fa study once. We have walked our path diligently up to this moment. We also formed a few nightly Fa-study groups and we have been sending forth righteous thoughts at midnight for many years.
In the second half of 2008, we also formed a Fa-study group with the next village 10 kilometers away. We went through many tribulations to do this. I always attended their Fa-study and experience sharings. Their district also has done very well for many years.
Harmonize One Body to Save Sentient Beings More Effectively
After we formed one body, we started up all kinds of projects to save sentient beings and many ways to clarify the truth in different settings. Some practitioners made phone calls all year long to clarify the truth. Some often went to the judicial system to clarify the truth and urged them to release the practitioners who were illegally detained. Some posted stickers and posters on city walls. Some handed out information about Falun Gong and the persecution in public. Besides clarifying the truth in our local area, we also organized the nearby districts, towns, and counties to distribute materials on a large scale, which had a very good effect in saving sentient beings. These activities served to harmonize the whole body.
Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts Together Displays Divine Power
Once a senior practitioner suddenly became unconscious. When we heard the news, we immediately organized sending forth righteous thoughts in turn as a group. Since the senior practitioner had her third eye open at a lower level, I was able to communicate with her main spirit while sending forth righteous thoughts. I told her main spirit that she should not be attached to a certain level and she needed to come back to fulfill her historic responsibilities. I also told the old forces that our Dafa disciples are one body. Although the senior practitioner had thoughts that were not within the Fa, we denied them and did not acknowledge them. We declared for her that we only walk the path that Master arranged for us. We also eliminated the old forces' persecution. With fellow practitioners' righteous thoughts, the practitioner woke up the next day. This experience convinced her family members and locals in our area that Falun Gong is great.
A practitioner from our local area went to the provincial capital to work. At night he and another practitioner went out to clarify the truth, but the police arrested them. His wife was also a practitioner. She did not contact the local practitioners in that area and went to the police station on her own to ask the police to release her husband. She then disappeared. Her family contacted the practitioner in the Fa-study group and together they realized they should go to the police station to get her released.
First we realized that, by going to the police station on her own, the wife had deviated from the whole body. Without the group, there was no power of righteous thoughts. This time the practitioners who went to rescue the practitioner kept in contact with the practitioners at home. Wherever they went, they sent forth righteous thoughts. At the same time, we firmly believed that we could find the wife practitioner so that she could come with us. We sent forth righteous thoughts for a long time, and we communicated with the practitioner's main spirit using divine powers. We also asked Master to strengthen us to use divine powers to find the practitioner and get her out.
After sending forth righteous thoughts for a long time, I felt the practitioners had been released. That same day, her sister and brother-in-law came to my home and told me happily that her sister was out of prison. She had been arrested by the police. A few days later, her husband was released from prison. We are truly grateful to Master.
I experienced that when we are harmonized and cooperate with each other, we can walk righteously on the path Master has arranged for us and Master can help us do anything.
2. Dissolving the “Promise Card” Campaign
For a while, the evil “promise card” targeting Falun Gong appeared in our local area [Everyone is supposed to sign the CCP “promise card,” promising to reject “evil cults,” specifically Falun Gong.] We sent forth righteous thoughts on a large scale, posted stickers, and clarified the truth. We stopped the “promise card” campaign from poisoning people.
My wife (also a practitioner) told me, “You’ve prevented the 'promise card' from poisoning people, but did you know your son signed the card?”
I did not panic. Instead, I looked inward and turned this into a good thing. I immediately went to the leader of the residents' committee with my wife. I gave him the truth-clarifying letter explaining how the “promise card” poisoned people. I also clarified the facts to him. He said he knew Falun Gong was good but his superiors had ordered them to do it. He returned the card my son had signed. I told him that I mainly wanted for him understand the truth of Falun Gong and to not harm others and himself. He promised me right away.
After I left his home, I asked each household I passed, one by one, whether they had ever seen such a card. They said they never had. I told them the CCP used the card to slander Falun Gong and asked them not to sign it. They all agreed. I also persuaded those who had not quit the CCP to withdraw from it and its affiliated organizations. Two days later, someone told me, “No one on this street signed the CCP card.”
At night, I shared my experience with the practitioners from a few villages. We understood that the evil used the “promise card” to persecute everyday people. We need to increase the strength of sending forth righteous thoughts, as well as clarify the truth to the local residential committee. We need to prevent the “promise card” campaign from deceiving people and poisoning them.
The next day, I shared with a practitioner who lived in town and used to be a village cadre. I asked her if she would go back to her hometown and clarify the truth to stop the “promise card” campaign. That afternoon, we went to her hometown, sending forth righteous on the way there. First we saw the village head. We told him why we had come and asked whether he had ever seen the “promise card.” He said he had not. We told him the “promise card” was used to slander Falun Gong. He said the village security director was in charge of this responsibility. While we were talking, I saw he had a truth-clarifying flyer on the cabinet. I asked him whether he had ever read the material before. He said he was too busy. I said it was a predestined relationship for him to have it. I asked him to read it and said that he would benefit from knowing the truth. Then I clarified the truth to him. His daughter and he both agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its organizations.
Upon leaving I asked him whether the Party secretary of the village was at home. He said he’d gone to a meeting. Then we went to the security director's home. But he was not at home, either. So we clarified the truth along the road. We used the “promise card” as a topic to clarify the truth and persuade people to withdraw from the CCP. The effect was good.
When I had worked with this practitioner before, I saw that she did not clarify the truth very well and that she had not truly stepped forward. But that day she clarified the truth very well. Later we went to a card-playing establishment to clarify the truth and encountered a lot of resistance. Someone even threatened us. I was not moved and said were doing this totally for their good and it was their choice whether to listen or not.
When we were ready to go, an old man rushed out of the place and angrily said, “You are very bold. You dare to talk about Falun Gong here in daylight.” We were still not moved. We walked away and looked inward at the same time. We found we had complacency and I had the attachment of evaluating the other practitioner. After we found our attachments, we sent forth righteous thoughts together to eliminate the evil. We only do what Dafa disciples should do.
We tried again to call on the security director and another cadre in the nearby village to clarify the truth about Falun Gong and the “promise card.” They all promised they wouldn't do bad things and agreed to withdraw from the CCP. Just when we were about to leave, the village Party secretary returned from his meeting. We clarified the truth to him and persuaded him to withdraw from the CCP. He also said he wouldn't sign the “promise card.”
So we cooperated and exposed the real intent of the evil “promise card.” We also clarified the facts along the way and persuaded over 20 people to withdraw from the CCP and its related organizations.
3. Cultivating in the Home Environment
Once, my three-year-old granddaughter had a high fever. My son and daughter-in-law were worried. Many suggested we should take her to the hospital. I asked them to recite, “Falun Dafa is good.” They said they had. I asked my granddaughter to recite it, too. They said she refused to. My wife asked me to hold her. I held her and went to the practice room. I asked her to recite, “Falun Dafa is good.” She refused. I knew the old forces were interfering with her and creating the illusion of illness. I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil. She grabbed my hands and shouted, “Falun Dafa is good!” We stood in front of Master's photo. I said we could burn incense for Master because she liked doing that every day. She said, “Burning incense for Master.” I said, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She repeated it naturally. Then she also recited, “Tempering the Will” from Hong Yin. All this happened within a few minutes. Then I took her to her parents and by then her fever had disappeared and she went out to play again. Everyone present thought it was a miracle. This validated Dafa.
One day my wife told me our youngest son and daughter-in-law were divorcing. Our daughter-in-law's whereabouts was unknown, and she had turned off her cellphone, too. My wife asked me what to do. I was not moved. I said it was almost 6 p.m., time to send righteous thoughts. I looked inward. Which of my attachments reflected this thing? My son's family was usually very happy. I often praised them and their financial situation. I also worried about their safety. After I found the attachment and got rid of it, I sent forth righteous thoughts to deny the old forces' interference and persecution. I asked my wife to tell my son to call his wife, since she had turned her phone back on. When my wife called my daughter-in-law, she really had turned on the phone and answered the call. I briefly spoke with her, and then I contacted my son and asked him to pick her up at her current residence. The couple reconciled right away.
Master said, “The cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master.” (Zhuan Falun) I understand that whatever we encounter in life is all related to our cultivation. As long as we consider ourselves practitioners and rectify ourselves, all illusions will disappear.
Not long ago, my eldest son picked up my youngest granddaughter from kindergarten on his bike. My granddaughter accidentally got her heel caught in the spokes, and her heel was injured rather badly. I saw that she was in a lot of pain. I did not say anything. My wife said, “Let her grandpa hold her.” I said, “Let's all calm down. I cannot cure illnesses.” My daughter-in-law calmed down and said, “I’ve heard a lot of truth clarifying about Falun Gong. Although I have not studied the Fa or done the exercises, I try to cultivate my xinxing. I should also look inward when things like this happen. Mom, you are also a practitioner. We should look inward together.” It sounded like Master used my daughter-in-law's mouth to enlighten us. While we were talking, my granddaughter fell asleep. The kindergarten teacher came over and said, “The injury is severe. Let her stay at home for ten days.” I said, “She'll be OK. She'll have recovered by tomorrow.” My granddaughter played outside the next day and went to kindergarten as usual the day after.
If we can always keep the state of a practitioner, we can validate the Fa. While our family members benefit from it, our cultivation environment at home can also get better and better.
4. Using Truth-clarifying Couplets to Save Sentient Beings
The Chinese have a tradition of posting couplets. They post couplets to celebrate the New Year, getting married, moving, and birthdays. New Year couplets are kept for a year. If we can put truth-clarifying messages in the couplets, they will help save sentient beings.
I was unlawfully detained for six years. Since the 2007 Chinese New Year, I have been posting truth-clarifying couplets on my front door. Our family's shop was in the center of the town. My wife told me that, in the past, practitioners sent us truth-clarifying couplets and she posted them on the door. But the police always tore them down after the 15th day of the Chinese New Year. I said that the truth-clarifying couplet was meant to save sentient beings and that no one could tear it down. After that, no one came to tear down the couplets.
Actually I did not know how to write couplets, but I had the wish to do it and I wanted to use this format to save sentient beings. When I had the wish, I believed I could do it well since I am a Dafa practitioner. With the heart of saving sentient beings, I started to write the couplets for our practitioners on a small scale. When there was not enough content, I learned how to write them by myself. If the rhyme was not correct, I asked for help from a practitioner who had the cultural knowledge to modify it. I compiled the couplets every year and the practitioners thought it was effective. In time, more practitioners asked for them, and even everyday people asked for them. I could create a few hundred couplets every year. Since practitioners are from all kinds of professions and we needed to accommodate everyone, the contents of the couplets vary widely.
I wanted to do a good job composing the couplets, so, often while burning incense for Master, I said, “Master, please help me and enlighten my wisdom.” Practitioners are different from everyday people. Since I had the thought of saving sentient beings, compiling the couplets was not difficult. Sometimes while I was in meditation, couplets appeared in my mind. I sent them to the Pure Insight website. The first time, 17 couplets were published and the second time, 7 couplets were published.
I think as far as we can include the truth about Falun Gong in the couplets, they can have the effect of validating the Fa.
Once a few practitioners from the county town had just moved in and had a housewarming. Their relatives and friends, including people from the county government departments and the local 610 Office, asked me to write some couplets without emphasizing the truth-clarifying too much. I told them the only thing they needed to do was to have the thought that the couplets would save people and I would know what to write. Later the practitioners cooperated together to send forth righteous thoughts and put up the truth-clarifying posters. During the housewarming, the guests thought the couplet was very good. It had a very good effect of validating the Fa.
A good couplet not only needs to have good contents, but also must be written attractively. I thought it was better to use the Lishu font. I’d never written in Lishu, but I was interested in it. A practitioner in our local area was an amateur painter. He is good at painting and calligraphy. I asked him to teach me how to write Lishu. But when he taught me, he wrote in semi-cursive script. I asked him to write Lishu for me, but it seemed as if he did not hear me. I wondered if maybe there was an attachment I needed to get rid of. After my repeated requests, he finally wrote two Lishu couplets. But the couplets did not match what I had in mind. I also found I had anxiety. If I did things the way everyday people did and studied calligraphy, it would take a long time. I understood I should let go of any human notions if I wanted to do Dafa-related things well as a practitioner. Only righteous thoughts can achieve a supernatural result, and I need to walk my path of validating the Fa. I did not have time to practice calligraphy. I can only become mature during Fa-validating. So I used the Lishu font in the Dafa books as a model and wrote directly on the couplets. My understanding improved and maybe I achieved the Fa's requirement on my level, because Dafa gave me the wisdom and the energy. My calligraphy truly had the appearance of Lishu.
Every day I wrote couplets and looked inward. I considered myself a practitioner all the time. While I rectified myself, my calligraphy improved every day. Practitioners are truly different from everyday people. Soon I could write very good Lishu. I am not trying to validate myself as it is really the miracle of cultivating Dafa. Without Dafa I am nothing. I wrote this in order to validate the Fa. When we truly cultivate ourselves and consider ourselves as practitioners all the time, we will feel Dafa's miracles every day. If we do not truly cultivate within the Fa, Dafa's miracles and divine power won't be displayed.
Conclusion
I've shared my understandings on harmonizing the one body. As I wrote this, I was interfered with physically and in other areas, which made me a little hesitant. Then I suddenly understood why the old forces interfered with me. It was because they only focus on personal cultivation and are afraid when we form one body. So they tried very hard to interfere with me. In reality, based on my experience sharing with the practitioners from nearby areas for the past many years, I also saw that our countryside practitioners found it difficult to form a unified whole. So the interference firmed up my righteous thoughts that I must finish the article to share with fellow practitioners, eliminate the evil, harmonize the group as a whole, and validate Dafa.
Above are just my personal understandings of the Fa. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners！
