[India Fahui] Overcoming Family Hardships and Introducing the Fa Online

(Minghui.org) Greetings Revered Master, and fellow practitioners!

I am a practitioner from Mumbai. My husband started practicing Dafa in 2001. I took up the practice a few years later after observing the improvement in his health and mindset.

Before obtaining Dafa, I used to take life as it came, whether it be happiness, ordeals, sickness, and so on. I was short tempered and strong headed. I never thought deeply about life or planned for the future. I used to pray and do a few religious rituals, but did not know much about spirituality or meditation. 

After my second son was born, I started suffering from various ailments such as back pain, spondylitis, thyroid and blood pressure. Doctors prescribed medicines and told me to continue taking them for the rest of my life. For me, it was a very depressing phase. My husband encouraged me to learn Falun Dafa exercises and read Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa. My situation was as mentioned in Zhuan Falun:

Master said:

“Some people do not have very good inborn quality, but their home environment is very good; many family members cultivate. Some of them are also religious believers and believe very much in the matter of cultivation. In this environment, one can be made to believe in it, and this enables enlightenment quality to improve.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)

Though, I used to study the Fa sometimes, do exercises, and participate in Dafa group activities, I remained at the superficial level. Though my enlightenment quality was poor, Master gave me hints many times. Once I saw Master in my dream. He was wearing a black suit and sitting on a chair. He said to me, “You are coming with me.” I felt Master’s mercy. I started having deeper faith in Master and the Fa. 

I underwent body purification many times and my old attachments and notions started to fade away. I also did not realize when I quit medicines thereafter. I had fully recovered from my ailments.

Tempering through Hardships

A few years of my life were really difficult, and they tested me both mentally and physically. My husband was transferred to another city and I had to handle the home and kids on my own in 2016. My mother-in-law, who came to visit me, suffered a stroke and was partially paralyzed. 

After a few months, I got news that my mother had suffered a heart attack and passed away. My siblings were devastated, and my father became bedridden and fell into depression. I brought my father to stay with me. It took him eight months to come out of the trauma and start walking again.

After my father recovered and returned to his hometown, that was still not the end of it. The next test was even harsher. My younger sister was diagnosed with late stage liver cirrhosis and needed a liver transplant. I had to leave my family for extended periods and stay with my sister, who was in another city, and take care of her kids. I was emotionally drained, and my health also deteriorated. Luckily, after a few months, my sister received a donor and her liver transplant was successful, though it took her a few more months to recover. 

If I look back, the above phase was a major emotional tempering for me. During this period, group online Fa study and sharing with fellow practitioners helped me to stay focused in cultivation and develop forbearance.

Working on the Webinar Project

After my younger son’s class 10 exams were over in March 2020, I was thinking of participating in outdoor activities to share Dafa with people. Around that time, the COVID-19 pandemic frightened people, and lock downs were declared in Mumbai. This came as a shock to me as it was no longer possible to organize any outdoor activities. 

On March 20, 2020, Masters’ new article “Rationality” was posted on Minghui. 

Master says: 

“Those among Dafa disciples who are not diligent or have gone to extremes, hurry and set yourselves straight; study the Fa and cultivate yourselves sincerely because you are amid the gravest danger. Genuine Dafa disciples all carry energy and are themselves beings who eliminate karma and eradicate germs. They are the envoys of salvation at the end times, and they all know to be rational in saving people and clarifying the truth.” (“Rationality”)

I discussed with fellow practitioners and realized that time is limited, and we have to do our best to reach out to as many people as possible. 

During the pandemic period, people were afraid, depressed, and confined to their homes. They were looking for ways to calm their minds and improve their immunity. I thought of online webinar format for introducing Falun Dafa exercises to people. I was not technically very sound but learned with help from other practitioners. One practitioner suggested a video Conferencing app for webinars. A few practitioners offered to assist in the demonstration of exercises. Thus, we started our webinars in Hindi (the most spoken language in India) and English.

While interacting with participants during the webinar, I felt that people were waiting for this opportunity. Many people expressed their gratitude for introducing Falun Dafa to them. Many said they had received a Falun Dafa flier earlier, but could not learn, and now they got this platform to learn the practice.

Now, apart from Hindi and English, webinars are being held in Bengali, Kannada and other languages also. We are organizing follow up classes and group reading sessions as well. The response has been very good. This project has helped us to reach millions of people, and tens of thousands have joined our webinars to learn about Falun Dafa and the exercises. 

India is a large country with a huge population. I firmly believe that webinars and social media can play a significant role of reaching a large number of people.The webinar project has been a team effort from all participating practitioners, including those involved in promotions, presentation, teaching exercises, organizing Fa study sessions, etc.

During this period, I also realized that if my mind is righteous, Master helps in every way. During meditation or sending righteous thoughts, many times I get new ideas to implement. Some practitioners would help in one way or another. I always feel it was Master who is doing everything. If I lose focus and take it as a daily routine, somehow I will face interference. Hence, we need to be very righteous and focused.

During this project, I experienced many xinxing tests. Practitioners from India and abroad started praising me. I started developing this attachment and felt happy when someone praised and felt let down when criticized. And it used to haunt my mind the whole day. I thought I was open to criticism but could not find the reason for this interference. 

I prayed to Master and in the evening, came across this passage during Fa study :

“For a cultivator, all the frustrations he comes across among everyday people are trials, and all the compliments he receives are tests.” (“A Cultivator is Naturally Part of It,” Essentials for further advancement)

I immediately realized where I was going wrong. All my emotions melted away and I thanked Master. Now, I remember these phrases whenever this kind of situation arises.

While I was doing online exercises and studying the Fa with new practitioners, this process eventually helped me to do regular practice and reading. My health improved and my focus and reflexes also improved. I feel light and energetic. My outlook towards life has also changed.

I am thankful to Master for not giving up on me despite my innumerable shortcomings.

The above is as per my limited understanding. Kindly point it out if something is not appropriate.

Thank you Master, and fellow practitioners!

(Presented at the 2023 India Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference)