An Octogenarian’s Cultivation Path

(Minghui.org) Greetings, esteemed Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

I began practicing Falun Dafa on July 9, 1995, and I am 83 years old. Before I started practicing, I suffered from lumbar disc protrusion, serious gynecological conditions, and many other diseases. I was hospitalized many times to no avail and I was often bedridden and depended on my family. As I lay in bed I often asked Heaven, “Why am I so miserable? Why?”

Fortunate to Find Dafa

After I began practicing Dafa, all my diseases disappeared in just 2 or 3 months. Through studying the Fa, I found answers. I understood that my suffering was the result of the karma I created during my lifetimes. Master compassionately bore the hardships for me to lift me out of hell, used Dafa’s principles to purify my soul, and cleansed my body again and again so that I have such a healthy body today.

People often ask me how old I am. When I say 83, they reply, “You’re in such good health and don’t seem 80 years old, but more like 60 or 70 years old. You walk as quickly as a young person!” I tell them this is all because I benefited from practicing Falun Dafa. I use this topic to spread the truth to save sentient beings. I tell them that Dafa can make people strong and healthy and also improve their mental and moral qualities to become better people. I often use my experiences of benefiting so much from practicing Dafa, as an example to tell people the extraordinary nature of Dafa and the incomparable greatness of Master!

Persistent in Studying the Fa and Doing Exercises; Resolute in Cultivating Dafa

Once I began practicing, I diligently studied the Fa and did the exercises. Before the persecution began on July 20, 1999, I did exercises for two hours starting at 5 a.m. daily, and I listened to Master’s recorded lectures for two and a half hours each night. Fellow practitioners would share and exchange ideas with each other and compare their cultivation progress. At that time, I was in a really good cultivation state. I felt I improved very quickly and I was truly happy.

On July 20, 1999, the former CCP (Chinese Communist Party) head Jiang Zemin launched the extremely evil and cruel persecution against Falun Dafa practitioners, and our cultivation environment was destroyed. Practitioners split up into small home sites to study the Fa together at night, clarify the truth during the day, distribute materials and pamphlets everywhere, and put up small self-adhesive signs with contents like “Falun Dafa is great, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great.” I squeezed in time to memorize Zhuan Falun.

In October 2007, at the age of almost 70, I came to live with my son in Canada. My grandson was ten days old and my son had to work, so I had to take care of my grandson and his mother, who underwent a cesarean section. The household chores were tedious. In this new, unfamiliar environment where I did not speak the language, I had to practice alone.

When I left China, out of concerns for safety, my children did not let me bring anything related to Dafa. They said it was all available in Canada. After I arrived here I discovered that was not the case. My son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, who all practice Pure Land Buddhism, encouraged me to convert to Buddhism. My son said, “How nice would it be for our whole family to go to Buddha Amitabha’s Paradise of Ultimate Bliss?” I told him, “That is impossible, since I am a Falun Dafa practitioner.” We each held our own views. Conflicts have arisen from this, and inevitable arguments occurred from time to time. 

Master said, 

“Tense situations with others will come up unexpectedly for those of us who practice. How can you be prepared, then? If you can always be compassionate and calm, you will handle the issues that arise in your life well since you will have a buffer, in a sense.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

Following Master’s teachings, I took this tribulation as a good opportunity for me to improve my character and eliminate my competitiveness, attachment to feeling aggrieved, and tendency to be unforgiving. Every day, I recited what Master said,

“Be resolute cultivating Dafa, the mind unstirredClimbing in levels is what’s fundamentalFaced with tests, a person’s true character is revealedMay you Consummate—a Buddha, Dao, or God” (“True Character is Revealed,” Hong Yin II)

My son saw that I was not moved and that he could not change me, so he gave up.

My son no longer used Buddhism to interfere with me, but without the guidance of Master’s teachings, how do I cultivate? I did not know how to use a computer, so I asked for books every day. Only later did they agree to help me find the Minghui website and taught me how to find Zhuan Falun online, then I could study the Fa. However, there were only two computers at home, and my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson all needed to use them, so I had less time to study the Fa. I thought as long as I copied down the Fa from the Zhuan Falun book on the Falun Dafa website, I could always have the Fa to study.

With my mind made up, I took advantage of the time when they were at work, or when my grandson was sleeping, and at night when they were all asleep, to copy Zhuan Falun. It took me six months. 

Master told us,

“You should read the book more, read the book more, and read the book more—you must read the book repeatedly.” (Teachings at the Conference in Switzerland)

Now, I have memorized Zhuan Falun eleven times. I read one lecture of Zhuan Falun and other teachings every day with fellow practitioners. It is difficult for me to memorize the Fa. I cannot remember it and easily forget it, but I am determined to memorize it. I felt that memorizing the Fa was the only way to understand the principles and the deeper meanings behind the words, which was much more rewarding than reading through it.

Besides learning the Fa, doing the exercises is also a major part of our practice. Since I started cultivating, I have been doing exercises at night for two and a half hours a day, and I do all five exercises in a row. Doing exercises at night is quiet and free from distractions. After I am done, I’m awake to send forth righteous thoughts, and this does not affect what I have to do during the day.

Breaking Through Notions to Clarify the Truth 

Master said, 

“...both new students and veterans alike, should let go of their longstanding human attachments and start to seize the day and comprehensively save the world’s people.” (“Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World’s People,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress III)

As Falun Dafa disciples during the Fa Rectification period, it is our mission and responsibility to follow Master and save sentient beings.

After coming to Canada, I did not know how to contact local fellow practitioners. But I could not continue to be entangled with family matters. I had to find a way out. To familiarize myself with the environment, I followed my son when he went out to buy groceries.

I found The Epoch Times newspapers in a supermarket, so I took one home and read it. There was an exercise site listed in the newspaper, and I was overjoyed - I finally found practitioners after so many twists and turns!

At the exercise site, I met many fellow practitioners. From then on I could participate in local activities to spread the Fa and clarify the truth. 

Master said,

“The only path that lies before you, the disciples of Dafa, is one of real cultivation. There is no other path.” (“What is a Dafa Disciple,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)

I came to this unfamiliar place and I did not speak the language. With the help of fellow practitioners, I was able to do some things to clarify the truth. I handed out pamphlets, CDs, and newspapers on stopping the CCP’s harvesting of Falun Dafa practitioners’ organs. I hung flyers on doorknobs and participated in gathering signatures to expose the evils of the CCP. When I encountered Chinese people, I clarified the truth and advised them to quit the CCP to save those people who were destined to be saved.

In the process of doing these things, I eliminated quite a few of my attachments. For example, I was afraid to talk to Westerners due to my strong attachment to fear, jealousy, fear that others would disregard what I say, and many other notions.

In particular, when I collected signatures on a petition to condemn the live organ harvesting I did not know a single phrase in English. I thought I should first break through the notion that I could not learn another language at my age.

Several elderly practitioners who participated in collecting signatures did not speak English. With the enthusiastic help of younger practitioners, I worked hard and learned a few phrases such as “Hello,” “Thank you,” “Sorry,” and “Please sign.” Those who spoke good English also patiently helped us to translate the English on the signature sheet into Chinese, so that those of us who did not speak English could understand the sheet’s content. This increased our confidence. 

Through many efforts, we made a breakthrough in collecting signatures. In the beginning, only a few people signed each day. Then, the number reached more than 50 to 60. I was so happy that I was finally able to save people on my own. At this time I discovered my attachments of being overly enthused, being attached to the work, complacency, showing off, seeking fame, and others. These attachments are very bad, and a cultivator needs to remove them. 

Now, we are collecting END THE CCP petition signatures, exposing the harm done by the CCP virus, and helping people recognize the evil nature of the CCP. The winters in my city are very cold, but I still go out to collect signatures every day no matter the weather, even when the temperature is minus 20 degrees. At the height of the pandemic, I went out every day to do what a Dafa disciple should do, which is to save people. I sent forth righteous thoughts at all four times during the day, and at additional times when I had time. I also sent forth righteous thoughts or repeatedly said, “Falun Dafa is great, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great” in my mind while walking outside and I asked for Master’s blessing in saving people.

I had some touching experiences while collecting signatures during the pandemic, and I would like to share a few of them:

1. Once while I rode the light rail train, a middle-aged Western man got on and sat beside me. I thought, “Maybe this is a predestined person.” I took out the signature board and asked him to sign, but he shook his head and waved his hand. I asked Master to save him, then I politely gave him materials to read. He not only signed, but after seeing that I do not know English, he hurriedly used his phone to translate “I wish you good luck” in Chinese and showed it to me and said goodbye before getting off the train.

2. Another time in the city center, a young lady was waiting for a bus and I asked her to sign, but she shook her head and refused the materials I offered her. I stood two meters away from her and sent forth righteous thoughts, waiting for predestined people. Two or three minutes later, a middle-aged man came forward to sign. He kept saying something loudly and excitedly while signing. Although I couldn’t understand him, I could see that he appreciated and supported what I was doing, and he said goodbye to me after signing. The girl who did not want to sign immediately came over and signed. I realized that since I did not speak English, it was Master’s expression through this man’s words that allowed this girl to see and hear, and woke up her understanding side. She was saved, and at the same time Master encouraged me.

3. While in the park across from city hall, a lady in her twenties was sitting at a table drinking a beverage. I went up to her and asked her to sign the petition. As she signed, I handed her truth-clarification materials and a little lotus flower. She took them and burst into tears with excitement. I realized that it was her understanding side that had awakened, and she was thrilled to be saved. 

Conclusion

Under Master’s compassionate care, I continue to do the tasks that a Dafa disciple should do. With the selfless help of fellow practitioners, I was just putting things into action. In the future, I want to work hard to cultivate myself, remove my attachments, abandon my false self, and resurrect my true self. I will listen to Master’s words and save more people! 

Thank you, Master, for your compassionate care! Thank you, fellow practitioners, for your selfless help! 

This is my understanding at my current level. Please kindly point it out if I have any wrong understandings.

(Presented at the 2021 Canada Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)