[Singapore Fa Conference] Cherishing the Precious Opportunity to Cultivate

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

I began practicing Falun Dafa 24 years ago. I am overwhelmed with emotion when I think about how fortunate I am.

Finding the True Fa

Even when I was young I wondered about life and looked for a true cultivation practice. When I was 16 years old I suffered from serious insomnia due to the stress of schoolwork. I was afraid that my future would be gone just like that. Someone gave me a book about Buddhism. It was somewhat helpful, and when I was 18 years old, I began practicing Buddhism. However, I noticed that many Buddhists were pursuing things instead of truly cultivating, including monks. I also researched and looked up things like yoga, qigong, other Buddhist practices, Taoist practices, Tantrism, etc.

In 1998, I found the book Teachings at Conferences in the United States at the Popular Bookstore. This was the first book of Master’s lectures that I read and what Master said answered many of my questions. I understood why things happened and I realized that Falun Dafa is a true cultivation practice. At that time, I did not know how to do the exercises or where I could learn them.

In October 1998, I saw an advertisement in a newspaper about the free Falun Dafa nine-day class and I decided to attend. The first night of the class, I looked up into the sky to see the bright moon hanging high up there and an inexplicable warm feeling welled up in my heart. I thought to myself, “I finally found my Master!”

After I began practicing, great changes happened to me physically and mentally. I felt as though I was reborn. My health problems, such as insomnia, asthma, skin problems, and getting tired easily, quickly improved. I felt very light and relaxed when I walked. I had a bad temper, and whenever I got angry, it was very hard to appease me. After I began doing the exercises, if I got angry, my anger quickly faded—like a lit match when it’s blown out. My complaints and resentments faded so much that whenever I ran into a conflict, I no longer bore a grudge and quickly set it aside. In the past, I was obsessed with computer games. After I started cultivating, I gave up this hobby. I had read Buddhist books for years, but my notions did not change much. But after I practiced Falun Dafa, the changes were obvious. I felt very fortunate. I decided that I must cultivate steadfastly.

Awakened by Tribulations

Despite having cultivated for so many years, I did not keep up with doing the three things diligently. A sudden illness tribulation in 2018 jarred me awake like a hammer on the head.

My parents passed away relatively early, so I was very close to my siblings. In 2018, my sister decided to get a divorce. I thought about the three children she had to raise and that her health was not good, so I was worried about her. I also wanted her to practice Falun Dafa. As these thoughts preyed on my mind, my mental stress increased. I also started to feel very tired at work. One day, I suddenly felt that I had no strength and I could not walk even a short distance. Not only did I walk very slowly, I felt like I might collapse at any moment. I had never experienced anything like this before, so I decided to take two weeks of medical leave from work.

My wife, a fellow practitioner, encouraged me to do the exercises and send forth righteous thoughts. At first, I had trouble standing and had to lean against the sofa to do the first four exercises. I increased the length of time I sent righteous thoughts. I began sending them for at least half an hour at each of the four times and sometimes extended it to 45 minutes. I felt the effect was good. After a few weeks, I felt fine.

This fake illness display woke me up, and I became serious about my cultivation. I started to do the exercises every day and I read the Fa seriously. After this incident, I got rid of a lot of things that I was once attached to. I’m no longer so attached to the computer and news on the internet. I am also less attached to family relationships.

Then, in October 2019, I was in a car accident. That day, I was hurrying to the Fa conference in Malaysia as I’d been already delayed a day due to my work. My wife was waiting for me in Kuala Lumpur. It was noon. I was driving too fast and crashed into another car. I was not injured, but my head was bleeding. The bleeding stopped on the way to the hospital in the ambulance. They ran many tests on me at the hospital. I thought in my heart that I am a cultivator so I would have no problem and there was no need to be admitted to the hospital. I insisted on being discharged. After I was discharged at midnight, I did the exercises. Unfortunately, I missed the Fa conference.

After going through all these tribulations, I realized that cultivation is very serious, and I cherish even more the time that I am given to cultivate.

Practicing During the COVID Pandemic

At the start of 2020, a practitioner invited my wife and me to go online to read the Fa. I did not realize that this was Master’s arrangement for us to attend group Fa study and the exercises during the COVID lockdown, which happened soon after.

We began reading the Fa at 9:30 p.m. every night and we have done so ever since. From the initial two to three participants, the group grew until there are now more than 10 practitioners. Everyone in the group also went through a cultivation process.

When it’s time to read the Fa, we naturally put down everything we are doing and join Fa study. If we have to miss Fa study, we feel as though something is lacking.

There have been many xinxing tests among the practitioners in our group. Some read fast while others read slowly; some mispronounce the words while others tend to show off how good they read. Some practitioners are irritated if certain practitioners keep correcting them.

When others first corrected me, I was not happy about it. But after changing my mindset, I was thankful. I felt that perhaps I was stagnating at that level.

When a practitioner does not come to Fa study for some time, I think about the person and wonder if they are really busy or is there is something that they’re unhappy about. During this process of getting to know each other better, we gradually understood that we must be very compassionate when we correct someone. If our tone is not good or we are not compassionate enough, conflicts may arise. The situation is getting better now. Everyone is gradually maturing and we are reading more clearly and slowly. New practitioners from China and Vietnam are also joining our group.

We also started an online exercise group in May 2020. The session starts at 4:20 a.m. every morning, and we do the second exercise for an hour. We send forth righteous thoughts in between the fourth and fifth exercises. The session ends at 7:15 a.m. after we complete all five exercises. To date, we have held this group exercise session for over two years.

I am in charge of playing the exercise music. Although this sounds like an easy task, the stress during the initial stage was great. I was unfamiliar with the computer programs, had problems with the WiFi or music files, and overslept because my alarm clock did not go off. Sometimes I still feel tired and want to go back to sleep and my mind wanders. I think about the interpersonal relationships and conflicts I have at work. Sometimes when this happens, I’ll have problems with my computer. I’ve realized this is caused by my xinxing. After my xinxing improves, the situation changes.

The other practitioners sometimes ask why the music doesn’t sound so good that day. At first I complained and asked why didn’t someone else play the music then. But now I am no longer moved by such remarks. This is a chance for me to accumulate mighty virtue so I should cherish the opportunity and even thank them.

Sometimes, my wife and I need to go overseas so we need to find someone to take over playing the music for a while. This job might seem easy, but when one really does it, he will know how stressful it is. When the music suddenly stops and we don’t know why, we investigate and keep adjusting and trying. This responsibility also forces me to be regular about doing the exercises. Through the process, I benefit a lot. I felt that the energy in my body is getting stronger and stronger. For the first two years, I still felt tired at work and I wanted to take a nap. Now, as we enter the third year, my body is stronger and I have more energy.

After the lockdown ended, we resumed our group exercises at the park every Sunday morning. This allows more people to come and learn Falun Dafa

Bringing Falun Dafa to Homes

My occupation is to check the quality of construction, so I have many chances to enter homes and interact with people of different backgrounds. I bring small lotus flower keepsakes with the words, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” written on them.

Ever since I have been keeping up with studying the Fa and practicing the exercises every day, my job has seemed to get easier. In the past, I often met homeowners who were not satisfied, which made my job difficult. Now, the quality of construction is improving, and I feel that my work is becoming less stressful. Every time after the job is handed over, I am the last to leave. When the homeowner is satisfied with the work, I take the opportunity to present them with the small lotus flower keepsake as a small gift and tell them about Falun Dafa. Many of them are very pleased. They say that the lotus flower is pretty and usually ask for one more. Every small lotus flower is sacred, pure and precious, and carries with it energy that can save people. I have distributed many small lotus flower keepsakes like this.

Of course, there are also people who did not accept them. Some want to know more about Falun Dafa and I stay and chat with them. There are also people who ask for informational materials, and some want to attend the nine-day class. When I enter a household, I take note of their decorations and see what they read and what they believe in before I start to talk about Falun Dafa.

There are also many opportunities to eliminate my attachments. Once, I put my work permit in the pocket of my pants and forgot to display it on my shirt. The homeowner was not happy and scolded me in front of everyone, “Who are you? Why did you enter my house?” I quickly explained that I was there to check the quality of the construction and I showed him my permit. As the people present were all my subordinates, I was a bit embarrassed. Looking within, I felt that I was not very polite when I spoke to him. I should have introduced myself. This was also a chance for me to get rid of my attachment to saving face. Later, the homeowner was very satisfied with our work and even apologized to me, saying that he was sorry for misunderstanding me that day.

One coworker left early every day, and others had to do his work. Initially, my heart was a little moved. But whether is he here or not, I should complete my job well.

When I later spoke with him, I found out that his wife had cancer for 10 years and then died. Three of his arteries are blocked and the doctor said that he has only three more years to live. Over the past two years, my coworkers have had all sorts of problems with their health. One was diagnosed with kidney cancer and resigned; another resigned due to problems with his intestines. Two coworkers were also diagnosed with cancer.

When the pandemic was spreading quickly, most of my coworkers contracted COVID. I am one of the only ones who did not get the virus. I seem to be the healthiest despite the fact that I am already 63 years old. I am full of emotion when I see that people are immersed in hardships and all sorts of illnesses—which generally start appearing when a person is over 60. That makes me feel even luckier that I am able to practice Falun Dafa.

Eliminating My Attachment to Personal Gain

Because I was born into a poor family, I was used to being frugal. I could not bear to spend money and felt that it should be spent on meaningful things.

At the end of April this year, Malaysia opened its borders. My wife and I had originally planned to go back to our old home in Malaysia to visit relatives during the Malay New Year. But my wife’s brother-in-law unexpectedly passed away, and we had to change our itinerary and go to Kuala Lumpur for the funeral. Shortly after we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, I received the shocking news that a former classmate died in an accident on his motorbike in Singapore. That classmate was my age, and we left Malaysia together to come to Singapore more than 40 years ago. His house is in Johor, Malaysia, which is near Singapore. When his wife called me to seek my help in arranging his funeral, I thought that she was not familiar with Singapore, so I immediately called a Singapore practitioner to ask for his help. I also tried to hurry back to Singapore.

This practitioner helped arrange the funeral, including many small details. He spent a few thousand dollars and told me that there was no need to reimburse him since we were all friends. I am moved by Dafa practitioners’ selfless realm of not being attached to money. Such a vast difference between practitioners and non-practitioners! I really learned a lot from this. My classmate and his wife had two daughters. One no longer lives at home while the other is autistic. Thinking about their sad situation, I decided to cover the costs.

After settling my classmate’s funeral, I returned to Kuala Lumpur to meet my wife and prepared to book the tickets to return to my hometown. Because it happened to be a long holiday, the electric train tickets were expensive, so I did not book them. The next morning when I woke up early to try again to book the tickets, they were all sold out. In the end, we had to take a bus back. And not only that, the bus tickets were even more expensive! Then, to add insult to injury, there was a traffic jam on the way, and a trip that should have taken eight hours lasted 14 hours. On the way, we also did not dare to eat or drink for fear that we would have to go to the toilet. If we’d taken the electric train, there wouldn’t have been any traffic jams and we would have gotten there in good time. From this incident, I learned that we sometimes need to spend money. I was greedy, hoping to get cheaper tickets, but in the end, things were worse. Not only did I have to buy expensive tickets, but we also wasted a lot of time. I was attached to money, but I ended up losing even more hoping for petty gains.

After the funeral, my wife and I invited my classmate’s wife out to eat, hoping to clarify the truth to her and at the same time help her in whatever way we could. We brought information about Falun Dafa and Dafa books with us. At first, she thought that we were there to ask to be reimbursed for the funeral fees. She explained that she’d just finished paying the medical bills and asked us if we could give her some time to repay us. We told her that we were not there to ask for the money, we were just there to see how she was doing. She was very touched and her eyes were full of tears.

The above are some of my cultivation experiences. Kindly correct me if there is any room for improvement. Thank you, Master, for giving me this opportunity to cultivate! I have not done enough of the three things that Master asked of us. I hope that I can do them well from now on and save even more people. I want to cultivate myself well in this limited time left so that I will not leave any regrets behind and also return home with Master.

Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!

(Presented at the 2022 Singapore Fa Conference)