(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master, and hello, fellow practitioners.
I began my cultivation journey at the beginning of 2003, and I’d like to share some of my experiences while overcoming xinxing tests. I hope to encourage myself and fellow practitioners.
Master said,
“Those ordeals and the suffering, no matter how great or harsh you find them to be, are good things, because they take place solely on account of your cultivation.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume VIII)
When I encountered xinxing tests, I gained a deeper understanding of Master’s teachings. Another practitioner got angry with me over something, but I held my temper and didn’t argue.
Later, in a group sharing, the practitioner mentioned the incident and said she realized she harbored feelings of complaint towards me, and through this conflict, she improved her xinxing. However, I felt wronged, thinking that she placed all the blame on me when she recounted what happened. I realized I had a strong attachment to saving face, and although I kept quiet, I was suppressing my feelings of frustration.
The next morning, during a Fa study session with practitioners in a media project, a practitioner shared her understanding after reading Master’s teaching “Stay Far Away From Peril.” She said that when she read the text, she thought to herself, “I have no complaints toward Master.” At that moment, she remembered what Master said in, “Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan”:
“When you butt heads with that person, it actually equates to butting heads with me.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume X)
The practitioner said she immediately understood that her complaints toward others, when examined deeply, were actually complaints toward Master. They stemmed from her reluctance to improve when she was given opportunities to raise her xinxing. Instead, she harbored resentment.
As I listened to the sharing, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I felt a warm energy flow through my body, washing away all my feelings of grievance. My heart was filled with gratitude for Master. I realized that Master had painstakingly arranged this opportunity for both of us to improve our xinxing and eliminate the karma we accumulated over lifetimes. I am deeply grateful for the assistance my fellow practitioner offered on my cultivation journey and for Master’s compassionate salvation.
Reflecting on my cultivation journey, I realized that many times, when I encountered conflicts, I only endured on the surface, but I was moved. This superficial endurance was connected to my human personality—since childhood, I disliked arguments and preferred to keep the peace, even if it meant taking a loss. This allowed me to maintain harmonious relationships.
However, in my heart, I didn’t truly acknowledging others’ perspectives or admit my mistakes, which led to an accumulation of resentment. This behavior fell far short of Dafa’s standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
Another practitioner once pointed out that I often say one thing while thinking another, and I knew this was a flaw of mine. It showed that I was not being “truthful” and I hadn’t fundamentally aligned myself with Dafa.
Of course, recognizing one’s shortcomings is only the first step. Completely eliminating them is a gradual process. In my experience, when negative thoughts arise, we don’t need to become overly anxious. As long as we can reject them, distinguish that they are not our true thoughts, and study the Fa with our hearts, Master will help us eliminate these degenerate elements.
I often look down on fellow practitioners, which is an expression of jealousy. Even though I know this mindset is wrong, it still occasionally surfaces.
This year, I had an experience that deeply touched me and gave me a new understanding of the sacred connections between fellow practitioners.
I was diligently doing the three things, but I became numb and sluggish, and felt that my xinxing was not improving. Instead, I relaxed and let my guard down and once again became addicted to watching dramas and videos. Even though my true self felt anxious, I didn’t have enough righteous thoughts to completely free myself from the attachment to watching TV.
One Sunday, after the group exercises, I was about to leave when a practitioner suddenly called me over and offered me a Shen Yun Zuo Pin (Shen Yun Creations) card. I hadn’t interacted with this practitioner much before, so I was puzzled as to why she was giving me the card. She explained that since I came from China and couldn’t go abroad to watch a live Shen Yun performance, she wanted to give me the card so I could see some of the past performance pieces online. She also asked me with great concern if I had a job.
This practitioner thought I was having financial difficulties, so she wanted to give me the card so I could watch some Shen Yun performances. I am very grateful for her kindness. I told her that I had a job and thanked her for the card, and that I would give her the money the next time I saw her.
Afterward, I went home and logged onto the Shen Yun website. I saw that there was a symphony orchestra performance, so I clicked on it. When the majestic and grand Shen Yun music started playing, I immediately felt as if it penetrated my entire body, enveloping me in an energy field. I listened to one piece after another, feeling completely captivated.
After finishing my work every day, I listen to a few pieces performed by the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. Although I’m an amateur when it comes to music, I feel that Shen Yun’s music is very rich, layered, and has a profound meaning, which moves me in an indescribable way.
I also watch Shen Yun’s dance and short drama programs. In one program, the stage backdrop showed the image of Master, who looked at me with compassion. My tears immediately flowed—I felt like a lost child finding their family. The feeling was a mixture of sadness and joy. In my heart, I told Master that I would definitely cultivate well and return home with him.
After watching Shen Yun programs for a few days, I found that I no longer had the desire to watch TV dramas. I realized that the fellow practitioner’s gift of the Shen Yun Zuo Pin card was not a coincidence. Master saw my lack of righteous thoughts and that I was trapped in attachments, so he arranged all of this. I am deeply grateful to Master and the practitioner.
This experience also made me realize that every Falun Dafa practitioner is incredibly precious, and there is a sacred bond between fellow practitioners. My feelings of looking down on practitioners and jealousy are manifestations of selfishness and evil thoughts from the old universe. Master wants us to cultivate into beings of the new universe—selfless and putting others before ourselves.
Master wants us to practice the exercises and study the Fa together, and form one body. I realized that when each disciple integrates into this whole, we can help and encourage each other, and progress together. Perhaps an unintentional action of yours can greatly benefit others.
Speaking of forming a whole, Malaysia has very good conditions, with a place for group Fa study and group practice on weekends. However, I noticed that some local practitioners haven’t participated in Fa study and group exercise for a long time.
Some practitioners from China were very enthusiastic and cherished the environment of group practice and Fa study when they first arrived. But after being here for a while, some stopped participating. If it’s because they seek comfort, that’s not right. We all know that in the high-pressure environment in China, practitioners lost the environment of group practice and study, and they study the Fa together under pressure. Now that we are overseas, we should make good use of this free environment.
A practitioner told me that practicing at home is personal cultivation, while practicing outside and spreading Dafa is fundamentally different. It’s part of Fa-rectification cultivation and has different effects in saving sentient beings.
I agree with the practitioner’s understanding. I also experienced this when I practice at tourist spots. Although I practice alone, when facing Chinese tourists, I can clearly feel a strong energy field, with Master strengthening and clearing the interfering factors in the entire space field of the tourist spot, eliminating the evil beings and factors behind the Chinese tourists that hinder them from understanding the truth and being saved.
While I wrote this sharing article, other practitioners were studying the Fa and sharing at the meeting place. Due to some reasons, I could not go, so I could only study the Fa online with everyone. Even so, I felt that the quality and focus of my Fa study are much better than when I studied alone at home, with fewer distractions. Other practitioners’ sharing is also very beneficial to me.
I believe that participating in group practice and Fa study should not be done with a heart of seeking. If you feel that you haven’t improved by participating in group Fa study and practice, and therefore stop participating, I think it’s very pitiful. Cultivation is about gaining without seeking, and you may have gained something without realizing it. Moreover, group practice and Fa study are Master’s requirements for us, and as practitioners, we should unconditionally follow his teachings.
Therefore, I hope that both local practitioners in Malaysia and practitioners from China can harmonize as one body, participate in group practice and Fa study, and unconditionally harmonize what Master wants, forming a whole, and better saving sentient beings.