(Minghui.org) When I was still a new Falun Dafa practitioner, I wondered, “How do I achieve enlightenment?” Master said:
“… if you assimilate yourself to this characteristic you are one who has attained the Tao ...” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
Master’s teaching told us that immersing oneself in Falun Dafa’s principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the way to enlightenment.
Since taking up Dafa, this is the principle I measure my every action against. I would like to share some of my experiences with the cultivation of Forbearance.
I asked myself, how do I endure the pain of the hour-long sitting exercise? The answer is that I tolerated the pain because I wanted to cultivate Forbearance. Without Forbearance, I would not be able to continue cultivation.
Sitting in the lotus position had always caused pain in my right ankle. The pain sometimes got so bad that my body shook. However, I would continue with the fifth exercise until the music ended.
We have a weekly group Fa study at a practitioner’s home and sometimes I would spend the night at their home if it got too late.
My neighbor noticed that I didn't return home some nights and reported me to our landlord, saying that I was “making easy money at night.”
Upon hearing this, I was furious. Then, remembering that I am a Dafa practitioner and should live up to the principle of Forbearance, and considering the other practitioners’ safety, I chose not argue with my neighbor. Consequently, we spent the next three years living peacefully under one roof until she moved.
Last June I went to visit my parents, and because I used to work as a hairdresser, I gave my father a haircut.
My father was home alone. My mother soon came back from my brother’s, carrying some bags. She was very angry, and accused me of not meeting her at the bus station to help with the bags. She also said that they didn’t need me to cut their hair, and told me not to come back, etc. I listened quietly and did not argue back.
Two months later, my mother called and told me my father’s feet were swollen and he had to go to the hospital.
I went to visit them the same day and stayed for two weeks. During that time, I tended their vegetable garden and harvested their sesame seed. My mother was so touched that she called me her “good daughter.”
If I had held a grudge against my mother and not helped out when they were in need, our relationship would never have mended. Cultivating Forbearance helped me.
Master said:
“Forbearance is the key to improving one’s xinxing.” (“What is Forbearance (Ren)?”, from Essentials for Further Advancement)
There is an elderly married couple in our city who practice Falun Dafa. The husband constantly nags at his wife, saying that the vegetables she bought are not fresh, she is not a good cook, the rice she cooked is either too much or not enough, too hard or too soft, etc.
The wife just listens and tolerates all his criticism. Their home has been our base for making Falun Dafa booklets and where we have held group study for more than ten years.
Besides Master’s protection, I believe it is also because this elderly woman harmonized her environment with Forbearance, her xinxing is high and her path is straight, that our Fa-rectification project progresses smoothly.
