(Minghui.org) Greetings, Revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996, however, I didn't know how to look within for over ten years. I appeared to be diligent on the surface. During my personal cultivation period – before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong, I did the exercises, studied and recited the Fa daily and tried to utilize every minute. However, I didn't cultivate my xinxing well and didn't know how to look within. Oftentimes after I finished doing the exercises, if someone said some irritating words, I would explode with a bad temper. I felt troubled; why couldn't I maintain my xinxing? I promised to control myself the next time, but it was the same when I ran into another problem.
I was no longer that diligent in cultivation in recent years. I had less contact with other practitioners, didn't do the exercises or study the Fa every day, and didn't do much face-to-face truth-clarification. I had a big ego and was afraid of being criticized by others, so I didn't talk to others much. I had more and more human notions since I was lax on Fa study, but deep in my heart, I felt a sense of urgency and some emptiness. I knew that Dafa was deeply rooted in my heart and I couldn't live without Dafa. This feeling became stronger and stronger. At the end of 2011, I realized that Teacher was giving me hints. I went to see the practitioners I knew and joined their Fa study group. Immediately after Fa study, they got into their cars and used mobile phones (sitting in the car) to call people to advise them to quit the CCP and affiliated organizations. Under Teacher's kind arrangement and fellow practitioners' help, I started using a mobile phone to clarify the truth and help people quit the CCP.
The process of advising people to quit the CCP involves looking within and enhancing our own xinxing. We may run into all kinds of people in this process. For example, some people quit the CCP immediately after listening to the truth; some cursed us, some hung up, and others even threatened to report us to the police. We must study the Fa well, keep strong righteous thoughts and pure hearts, and have enormous benevolence - then we can help people to quit the CCP.
On my second day of calling people, a person started cursing loudly at me right after I started explaining why people needed to quit the CCP. I didn't know what to do since I hadn't anticipated this. The person hung up after cursing at me. Many attachments surfaced; I had a very big ego and my years of cultivation hadn't completely eliminated it. I didn't want others to say bad things about me, not to mention being cursed at like this. I went home and laid on the bed, having no appetite for dinner. I told my husband who is also a practitioner, “I will call him again tomorrow.” Seeing that I was immersed in strong emotions, my husband suggested, “Please look within first. Is your attachment to competition stirred up by that person?” I calmed down and studied the Fa. Teacher's Fa resolved my grievance and resentment. I looked within, measured myself by the Fa, then realized that I hadn't cultivated well. I didn't do well on forbearance, not to mention benevolence. I realized that Teacher's enormous mercy and compassion for us provided today's opportunity to save sentient beings. My mind expanded and my body felt light. I knew that Teacher had taken out the bad substances from my body, borne that for me, and pushed me forward. From then on, I studied the Fa every day, and read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and other truth-clarification materials. Under Teacher's strengthening and fellow practitioners' support, I'm now able to keep clarifying truth to the listener until he agrees to quit the CCP - as long as he doesn't hang up. Sometimes, a person quits the CCP and will also help his family to quit.
One time, I dialed a phone number and the person hung up right after I started explaining the facts about Falun Gong. I dialed again, and he asked, “Do you know what I do?” I said calmly, “It really doesn't matter what you do. Whatever you do is to serve the people. Am I right?” He calmed down a little bit, “I am the Director of the xxx Bureau.” I replied: “Since I am able to talk to you, this means that we have a good predestined relationship. I hope that you cherish this relationship and also cherish your life.” I then explained why people should quit the CCP, what Falun Gong is about and how wonderful Dafa is. I talked about the CCP's corruption, the real truth of Wang Lijun's case, the CCP's nature of abandoning people who are no longer useful, and the law of karmic retribution. I kept talking for over twenty minutes and knew that Teacher had strengthened me. He kept saying, “Yes, yes, I know, I know.” In the end, I said, “Let me create a pseudonym for you to quit the CCP. How about 'Defu (Obtaining Good Luck)?' Making a wise decision today, you will obtain a wonderful future.” He agreed.
Another time after I just mentioned quitting the CCP, the person started heavily cursing me. My first thought was that I should not be moved by his attitude. I said calmly with dignity, “Sir, please calm down. There is a saying, 'If you want others to respect you, you first need to respect others.' If your child is next to you, how will your cursing influence him? Even children in kindergarten know that they should be polite when speaking, right?” My words affected him and he calmed down. I said calmly and benevolently, “Sir, I made this call in order to explain how to save your life when the catastrophe comes.” I provided details about the law of karmic retribution, why heaven wants to eliminate the CCP, the hidden-word stone, the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, and the CCP's corruption. My voice trembled when I talked about that the children in rural, poor areas who can't afford to go to school. He suddenly asked, “How old are you?” I replied: “I'm sixty years old this year.” In the past, listeners would sometimes ask for my age, and wouldn't believe that I was sixty, because my voice sounds young. He said: “Is that true?” I responded: “I cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I won't tell you any lies.” I then explained that Falun Dafa practitioners not only become fit and healthy, but also find internal peace. Our teacher told us to be considerate of others in everything and to cultivate into unselfish enlightened beings, which are better than ordinary heroes. Suddenly, he said, “Elder sister, can I ask you a few questions?” I was moved by his switch to a respectful term; “Sure.” I answered his questions patiently. He was very satisfied and said sincerely yet regretfully, “Elder sister, I am a CCP member. I want to quit.” He then asked me to call back later when I had time. “Sure,” I replied. This conversation last for 30 minutes.
This phone call gave me many things to think about. From cursing at first, to calling me “elder sister” later and not wanting to hang up, the change was shocking to me. I realized that just explaining the truth about Falun Dafa was not enough. We need to use our wisdom to untie the knots in people's hearts and to have great benevolence and forbearance to face sudden insults and personal attacks, so that we won't be moved by others - but save them instead.
Now, I remain calm no matter who I talk to on the phone. For those who slander Dafa, I clarify the truth sternly and righteously to bring them back. I keep a practitioner's mindset, follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to speak to their knowing side, help them change their notions, understand the truth and quit the CCP. I have prepared many truth-clarification materials, and use different materials for different people. Also, the tone of voice is important. From my phone conversation experience, I find that it is more effective to use different tones when talking to people of different character. For example, if I determine that the person is open-minded, my voice is more outgoing; if the person is more serious, then my tone is more solemn; if the person is a daring and resolute lady, my voice becomes a little high-pitched with happiness; if the person is a soft, gentle lady, I speak in a quiet, lower voice. Of course, the most important key is to live by practitioners' standards and to study the Fa well, in order to have stronger righteous thoughts and the Fa's mighty power in our words. Many fellow practitioners all feel this way - everything is done by Teacher; we just have this wish to save people.
Teacher said,
“As for you, disciples of Dafa, the closer it gets to the end the better you should walk your paths, seizing the day to cultivate yourselves well. After doing a whole slew of things, you might find, if you look back upon them, that all of it was done with a human mindset. When it is a human being doing human things, and things are not being done with righteous thoughts, there won’t be any Dafa-disciple mighty virtue in those things. In other words, as gods see it, that’s just fooling around—not mighty virtue, or cultivation—even though you did do it. Then wouldn’t you say it was done in vain? You must study the Fa well, for that is the fundamental guarantee that you return to your position.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference”)
I follow Teacher's Fa to cultivate myself and continuously look within. Now I feel that looking within is a very fortunate thing. Additionally, fellow practitioners are a mirror for us to enhance. I have contact with only practitioners in our Fa study group. They all have their sides that have been cultivated well. Many times, I find that their strengths are exactly my weaknesses, which helps me to find my attachments and get rid of them. I hope that all fellow practitioners seize this opportunity fully to enhance ourselves, to better observe other practitioners' good things, find our own gaps, cultivate ourselves well, and look within when running into problems. When a conflict arises, even if it appears that we are right, there must be attachments for us to eliminate.
For example, one rainy Sunday, I said to my son, “Let's go call people to quit the CCP (he'd drive while I made the phone calls).” He replied: “I'm busy this morning. How about this afternoon?” I answered, “Didn't you know that I have a Fa-study group this afternoon?” He countered: “Then we can do it this evening.” I asked, “Why don't you have a sense of urgency? Today is Sunday and it's raining. People will surely have time to listen to us now.” However, my son insisted that he was busy that morning. I was angry. Just then, Teacher's poem appeared in my mind:
“As a cultivator
One always looks for one's own faults
'Tis the Way to get rid of attachments most effectively
There's no way to skip ordeals, big or small
[During a conflict, if you can remember:]
'He's right
And I'm wrong,'
What's to dispute?”
(“Who's Right, Who's Wrong” from Hong Yin III)
I thought that there must be some attachment for me to eliminate, otherwise this wouldn't have happened. I looked within, and from different perspectives, yet still felt that I was right because I wanted to save people. However important my son's activity was, it couldn't be more important than saving sentient beings. Finally, I found my attachment. Since my son was busy, why did I want to force him to go with me? Did I think about others first, as Teacher told us to? Wasn't it selfishness, thinking only about what was good for me and not consider his feelings? After identifying these attachments, I calmed down and felt that I was being raised up as these attachments were being eliminated.
Today, I shared my experiences regarding looking within. I am not saying that I cultivate well. Compared to those practitioners who do cultivate well, I'm still far behind. I just started with the real cultivation practice of looking within and still have many attachments to eliminate. I will study the Fa more and seize every minute to cultivate diligently, and do well the {{three things} that Teacher told us to do.
Thank you gracious Teacher for giving me everything! All I can do is be diligent, diligent, and more diligent!
I put both hands together to heshi, and bow to Teacher!
I was a little rushed in writing this article since I started it late. Please point out my gaps!
