(Minghui.org) I graduated from college this year. When I was very little, I followed my grandparents and started practicing Dafa. At age 5, I was able to do the exercises with my grandparents and went to the group study site to study the Fa. In my first journal entry at age 7, I wrote: “In the afternoon, I practiced Falun Gong. The exercise is very good.” In my immature, but neat handwriting, this was my first recorded memory of Dafa. At age 9, my grandma took me to a local Fa study group for young practitioners. In the morning, little disciples gathered together to do the exercises. In the afternoon, on the green grass by the ocean, we studied the Fa together. The memories of these beautiful times stay fresh in my mind.
Sadly, after the persecution of Falun Gong began, lies and propaganda spread all over. After leaving my grandma, I stopped cultivating while I was still in elementary school. My memories of Dafa were almost lost. My days in elementary school and middle school were very dark. When I was at this low point, my grandma moved in with us and let me watch truth-clarification DVDs. She also helped me obtained the precious book Zhuan Falun. Since then, I have studied a chapter of Zhuan Falun every day. Although I was not very diligent, I learned to look at myself according to the Fa. I could feel clearly that everything that happened during the day could be predicted from the Fa, and every day's reading pointed to the attachments that I should let go of. I could feel the improvement of my levels then, and every day was different, as my human notions were gotten rid of little by little. I grew under Master's protection.
Sometimes I thought to myself, “Why would I chose to be born at this time? Why would I grow up in the period of Dafa spreading?” The answer was very simple: this is part of my vow and was a choice made without any regrets. In fact, I also have the same responsibility to help Master with Fa-rectification. All Dafa disciples are one body. It doesn't mean that everyone has to do the same thing, it means that everyone does his or her job well and validates the Fa according to their own conditions.
Making and Distributing Truth-Clarification Materials
Not long after I came back to cultivation, I heard that a fellow practitioner who had provided truth-clarification materials to my grandma had been arrested. As a result, my grandma lost her source of materials. Master doesn't leave any disciples without help. By chance, I received a truth-clarification email sent by a practitioner that contained the software to break through the Internet firewall. Since that day, I have been able to get on to the Minghui website independently. I read the Minghui Weekly every Friday and often shared what I learned about the Fa with my grandma. I would copy Master's latest teachings and give them to my grandma immediately. My Minghui web connection was never interrupted.
The fellow practitioner was released from the detention center and again provided truth-clarification materials to us. However, truth-clarification DVDs were lacking in our region. Materials provided by fellow practitioners were mainly on paper, very rarely electronic. I realized, now that computers were very popular and almost every household had a DVD player or computer, that we urgently needed DVDs with software to break through the Internet firewall. Also, colorful visual images would appeal to people directly. It was amazing: as soon as I thought about making truth-clarification DVDs, my family wanted to copy some photos and decided to ask my relatives to help us to add a DVD burner to our computer.
In fact, it is Master who is doing everything. Once we have the heart to save sentient beings, Master will help us make arrangements accordingly in other dimensions. I learned the techniques and used them in saving sentient beings. I downloaded teaching materials about how to set up a material center, and studied them whenever I had time. I was in the last year of middle school with a busy schedule, but I managed to learn many techniques on the weekends. I bought some blank DVDs and envelopes and bags from the wholesale markets when I went out. I printed instructions on how to use the DVDs on the outside. I sealed the DVDs in envelopes and distributed them on my way to school, house by house, mailbox by mailbox. Because I was in a school uniform, it was very convenient for me to enter high end communities. I would smile to the elderly people in the communities after being there many times. They would also say hi to me, and asked, “Are you off from school, young man?” I know that all sentient beings are waiting to be saved.
Thinking about it now, I feel it was quite miraculous. I was able to study the Fa and copy the Fa every day during that busy time, and to learn the techniques to make truth-clarification materials, and also managed to go to different places to distribute the materials. I did that for four years. This little material center was just myself. I worked alone and distributed materials alone. It helped me to build a good foundation to teach fellow practitioners to set up small production centers.
Because I didn't have a printer, I wrote my handmade bookmarks and distributed the truth-clarification notes in bookstores and libraries. Once I was not focused when I was setting down the bookmarks, chatting with my classmates on my phone while I was distributing them. I was spotted by a clerk and was sent to the local police station. After my family picked me up from the station, things changed at home. My parents, who were not practitioners, saw many Dafa books and truth-clarification materials in my room, and got extremely nervous and worried that the police would come to search us. They forced me to transfer all my materials. It was a big lesson for me.
I enlightened that I should not feel depressed because of that. After sharing with local practitioners, I felt that I should overcome the tribulation. I made up my mind, “I am a Dafa disciple, I have to walk on the predestined path no matter what.”
Now that I have begun college, I have my own computer. I was thinking when I bought the computer, "This is my Fa weapon, it is not a toy for entertainment." Actually, that was a promise to Master. However, I didn't fully keep my promise after I bought the computer. I learned new techniques and started to make materials, but I also chatted and watched everyday people's news, and even played games. I was also attached to taking photos and saved many photos in my computer. After I had owned the computer for six months, one day, after I made a copy of some of my study materials, the computer stopped working. My heart sank, and I remembered that there were still many Dafa materials inside. I cried out to Master in my heart. I sent forth righteous thoughts and turned on the computer. Miraculously, it worked, and I made a copy of all the Dafa materials. After I turned it off, it could not be turned on anymore. After I sent it for repair, everything in the computer was gone. All my photos were gone. I enlightened that it happened because I didn't keep my promise. When I bought the computer, I promised Master that I would use the computer as my Fa weapon, but I used it to satisfy my attachments. I also enlightened that Dafa disciples should be good to their tools, because they also come for the Fa. It is a sacred honor to be a tool for a Dafa disciple, and we should never let down a sentient being.
Once a big local material production center was destroyed, and many practitioners lost their source of materials. Another time we needed to produce large quantities of Shen Yun DVDs. I thought about it for a whole day and decided to stop waiting, depending, and asking, and bought a printer: A true flower could now bloom in my home. I bought the printer with my grandfather. I also bought a new DVD burner for myself. I no longer had to rely on fellow practitioners and made truth-clarification materials independently. The process of making truth-clarification materials is also the process of cultivating.
My main responsibility was to copy and print DVDs, and I needed to be careful at every step. The process of printing is a reflection of my cultivation state. Once, I brought the DVD burner to a fellow practitioner's house to print. The road was quite bumpy, and my DVD burner was shaken around quite badly. I had a thought that was not righteous, “The machine is very old. I don't know if it will still work after being shaken like that.” After that, it really did not work properly. It took 20 to 30 minutes to print a single DVD, when it used to take 10 minutes. I sat down and sent forth righteous thoughts with a fellow practitioner. I also communicated with the DVD burner and corrected my previous thoughts. I made it clear to the DVD burner that it was our Fa weapon, it had mighty virtue to make truth-clarification DVDs, and it would work well for certain. After sending forth these righteous thoughts, we went to bed. When we started printing the next day, everything was back to normal. Thank you, great Master! Righteous thoughts come from the Fa. As long as we believe in Master and believe in Dafa, miracles will happen.
Editing Materials and Writing Articles to Clarify the Truth
I found that there was a big need for more local truth-clarification materials, especially on some neglected topics. I realized that I could contribute by learning more about how to produce them. There were many truth-clarification projects that needed young disciples to participate. It happened that I was required to complete a newspaper editing job at school as the project leader. That was a chance for me to learn layout design and editing. I discovered that it was not very difficult. Sincerity and compassion are required for making truth-clarification materials.
I started to plan how to design different materials intended for different types of people. I began to write truth-clarification letters for different types of people and design materials for people in different fields. I designed different flyers. I have designed several types of truth-clarification materials and sent them to the Minghui website. Some were published and some were not. For the published material, Minghui editors carefully selected and edited and removed unnecessary parts and replaced others with appropriate material. Several times after seeing the changes fellow practitioners made, I was moved to tears. I strongly felt that all Dafa disciples are one body, and everyone is quietly helping each other to fill in the necessary gaps, so that it becomes a whole body, and increases the power.
Later on, after gaining more experience, I volunteered to edit flyers about local events. I collected information on every incident of persecution that happened locally, and included it in a flyer. I deeply appreciate the editors of Minghui Weekly and editors in other regions. They have published many powerful Fa-validation articles in truth-clarification flyers, and many times I can simply use theirs. Everyone's selfless sharing has helped us to save lots of manpower and materials. I will learn more from what fellow practitioners have shared about editing flyers and will continue to improve myself and will try to independently investigate and confirm more local news.
I have liked to write since I was little, and felt a responsibility to write about the persecution since I started to cultivate. Master has given me this holy pen, not for me to enjoy fame or personal gain, or to express my emotions, but to expose the evil and validate the Fa. I started to write truth-clarification articles and letters and edit local materials and do whatever was needed. Writing is also a miraculous process. When my starting point is right, I can write quickly and powerfully with clear structure. However, when I write with all kinds of notions, it will take much longer and the article is less effective. There are lots of words with little solid content.
Sending articles to Minghui is also a process of purifying myself. After submitting the article, I often check to see if it is published, and that is an attachment to fame. After seeing an article is published, I will be happy, and that is the mentality of showing off. I will feel low if it is not published and start to doubt myself. Lots and lots of attachments are exposed in the process. After eliminating these attachments time and time again, they become much weaker, and I don't care too much about my articles. I read my articles carefully after they are published, and find areas in need of improvement, so that I can write better next time. Fellow practitioners at Minghui have given me huge help. I noticed that every word and every sentence have been carefully checked and become very clean and solid, and I can see room for my improvement each time. The more I write, the more I feel what I should write about. Sentient beings around the world are held back by all kinds of notions. It will be worthwhile to write an article even if it can help one person answer one question in his heart--it is what the sentient beings are waiting for. When I have the heart to save sentient beings, I feel more wisdom from Master. The raw materials are very easily collected. And my ideas also come easily. The purer my heart, the better the article.
Of course, Dafa disciples who can write should not limit themselves with writing cultivation experience sharings or commentaries. There is one important responsibility for Dafa disciples in mainland China and that is to expose the evil and the persecution. This is also a step that we should take forward. For a long time, I admired reporters and editors outside of China, and felt that they had so many good topics and raw materials. However, I ignored the fact that the main body of Dafa disciples are in China. No matter where the Dafa disciples are in the world, what they are doing is to expose the persecution that is happening in China, and since I am right in the middle of it, why shouldn't I use my position in China to write firsthand articles?
We have walked through all the windy and stormy weather. Although there are lots of unsatisfactory things, we can feel Master's guidance and protection all the time. As long as we steer our course according to the Fa, Master will guide us through. Now the environment is more and more loose, but we can't let up in our efforts. There are many things that we can do and many things we can improve. What I have written reflects what I have walked through. Master said,
“You have already made it through the hardest part of your cultivation, so walk well the final leg of your journey, and cherish the path that you have covered! It hasn't been easy, and you have made it through unprecedented ordeals. You need to treasure that. The glory that lies in the future is the mighty virtue that you establish in your efforts to validate the Fa, and everything that awaits you will be the very best.” ("Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference")
Every time I read this sentence, I get very emotional. We have no reason to ease up, even more so for little disciples who have grown up in Dafa. We should cherish this precious opportunity more, and use every condition that Master has created for us, and play a greater role in the future within the limited time.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!