(Minghui.org) I only began to practice Falun Dafa in May last year, despite having read the book Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa, more than 20 years ago. I remember thinking that it seemed to be a good qigong practice although very different when compared to other types of qigong. I didn’t realize just how profound and how high level, Dafa cultivation really is. I was in my early 30’s and prioritized wealth and fame. I was driven and wanted a successful career.
But, my life didn’t go exactly as I planned. Over the past two decades, any effort I put into getting myself ahead of others ended up in vain. At my darkest and most desperate moment I thought of Dafa and reached for the copy of Zhuan Falun that had been collecting dust on the shelf. I opened it to the page that showed Master’s picture and tears ran down my face. My heart was filled with deep emotion, so I decided to read it from cover to cover. I felt hopeful for the first time in a long time.
My many human notions and attachments prevented me from recognizing how extraordinary Dafa was once already. I had judged the practice from an ordinary person’s perspective. How could I see the true meaning of this profound Fa with an ordinary person’s mindset? But, this time, I saw clearly that my only purpose in life was to cultivate in a righteous Fa and return to my true, heavenly home. I realized that this is the only way to end all suffering. This is the only path.
It’s a shame that I wasted 20-plus years of my life pursuing money and status. It took me so long to realize the most precious things in life are not material possessions but time and the Buddha Fa. These two things cannot be bought with any amount of money nor exchanged with any goods. I made up my mind to cultivate and let go of my attachments. I finally became a Dafa practitioner.
Studying the Fa
I study Master’s teachings daily and also do all five sets of the exercises every day. I send righteous thoughts at the four set global times. About a month after I took up the practice, I decided to copy the Fa to gain a deeper understanding of the principles. A practitioner gave me some lined paper specifically for copying the Fa. Each day, after finishing my morning chores, I hand copy Zhuan Falun until 10 a.m. Feeling much respect, I write each stroke carefully.
In the process of copying and studying the Fa I became more clear about the Fa principles and found many of my attachments.
Giving Up My Attachment to Afternoon Naps
I used to take two-hour naps after lunch every day. After I started hand copying the Fa I came to realize it was a waste of my time. I have already wasted more than 20 years and now is the time to catch up in cultivation. How could I still nap for two hours a day? I have to change this habit and put into action what Master taught us, “In cultivation of the Buddha Fa, you should strive forward vigorously.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
Only by studying the Fa diligently can I keep a righteous mind. After lunch I started to either study the Fa or read the Minghui Weekly, a periodical published by the Minghui website. At first, I was tired and sleepy. There were a few times when I wished I could just lie down and take a nap. Then I remembered what Master told us, “The ancients have a saying, “Having heard the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening.”” (“Melt Into the Fa,” Essentials For Further Advancement)
I thought, “In ancient times those who obtained the Fa could give up their lives. How do I even begin to strive forward if I can’t even let go of my attachment to the afternoon nap?” I persevered and eventually overcame this hurdle.
I am so fortunate to have obtained the Fa of the universe, therefore I should strive to live up to the standards of Dafa set by Master, in handling everything and at all times. I should not hang on to the mindset and standards of an ordinary person.
Giving Up My Attachment to Self-interest
When my mother passed away in August 2023 at the age of 80, I received almost 100,000 yuan in inheritance, but my two older sisters got nothing. My mother’s reason for it was that both my sisters had stable jobs and had been investing in their retirement funds. I, on the other hand, didn’t have anything and would not receive any social security benefits when I retire. I had not started cultivating in Dafa at that time and accepted the money without thinking about it.
It occurred to me shortly after I took up Falun Dafa, “I should live by Dafa’s standards and shouldn’t accept all the inheritance money. Whether I’ll have money or not when I retire depends on my life path and nothing can alter it one way or the other. The money should be divided evenly between all three of us.” I divided the money and gave my sisters each a share. My oldest sister only took 10,000 yuan and insisted that I keep the rest—she is just such a caring and selfless person. I ended up giving my middle sister a bigger share.
Many thanks to Master and Dafa for helping me get rid of my attachment to self-interest.
Distributing Falun Dafa Fliers
Two months after I took up Dafa cultivation, I decided it was time to start helping Master save sentient beings. When I told local practitioners that I wanted to help they told me that as a new practitioner, it was better for me to focus on Fa study first. I didn’t give up, “Even if I don’t talk to people about Dafa in person, I can still distribute fliers and put up posters.” Concerned about my safety, the practitioners hesitated and didn’t provide me any Dafa truth-clarification materials until much later.
Reading the Minghui Weekly really helped me understand the importance of truth-clarification and my responsibility as a Dafa practitioner. Fellow practitioners’ experiences inspired me. It no longer concerned me whether I am a practitioner of the Fa-rectification period or of the Fa-Rectifying-the-Human-World period. As to the question whether I can measure up to the standards of Fa-rectification, my answer is, “Of course not. But I have already obtained the Fa, so have no excuse to not fulfill my sacred vow of saving sentient beings.”
When reading Minghui articles and periodicals, I learned that in 25 years of resisting the persecution, practitioners have paid a tremendous price, some even lost their lives. Each and every practitioner has overcome tremendous difficulties and walked a great path. However, I have nothing to show for it. I decided that I needed to do something and help with saving people.
I bought blank poster-size stickers and wrote the auspicious phrases “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” on them. I included a message to let people know that quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations can ensure one’s safety. Below the message, I provided the web address where they could go to officially denounce the CCP. I made two dozen self-adhesive posters and put them up in different areas of the city.
After using my “homemade” truth-clarification posters for a few weeks, the local practitioners saw my determination and started providing me with printed posters and truth-clarification booklets. A couple of months later, they increased the number of booklets I received each week.
I distribute about 40 truth-clarification booklets each week, some posters, and sometimes other materials. It’s far less than what some practitioners do, but I take it very seriously and cherish each and every booklet I give out. I send righteous thoughts before heading out to distribute them and ask Master to strengthen me. I focus on communicating this one thought to sentient beings, “Master told me to save you. If you read this, you’ll be saved.”
Sometimes I can’t calm my mind when sending righteous thoughts but I try my best and keep sending righteous thoughts at the four set times. I understand that Fa study is crucial to our cultivation so I increased my Fa study time. I’ve memorized Hong Yin and Hong Yin II. I spent four months and copied the entire book of Zhuan Falun. In the evenings, I study Master’s recent articles and lectures given at different conferences. I have read all of them once and am currently going through them for the second time.
Taking Care of My Father Helps Me Improve
I live with and take care of my elderly father who often gives me xingxing tests. I remember one time, he sent me a text message that said, “I can’t quit the CCP. If I did, we wouldn’t have any income whatsoever.”
I believe it was a test to see whether I could stay resolute in my faith. It was also a test to see whether I could let go of my attachment to self-interest, fear, and impatience. I think deep down, my father knew Dafa is good. Though he didn’t quit the CCP and its youth organizations, he was observing and changing his position back and forth.
By studying the Fa, I learned that nothing that happens to me is coincidental—it must have something to do with my cultivation. It is likely that I needed to get rid of a notion or an attachment. I looked inward and examined myself whenever my father said or did something that bothered me. When I found my shortcomings and attachments, I worked on getting rid of them. I knew Master arranged for my father to help me improve.
Clarifying the Truth to Friends
When it comes to clarifying the truth in person, I lag far behind veteran practitioners who obtained the Fa early. I was eager to catch up and save sentient beings, but I needed a big breakthrough. Most of my family, including myself, quit the Party more than a decade ago. So when I started talking to people about Dafa, it was mostly to my circle of friends.
I first thought of my two good friends who lived in another city. It just happened that I was ready to sell one of my apartment units in a different city. This was the perfect opportunity to visit them. I traveled to the city where my apartment was and found a real estate agent to represent me. On my trip home, I made a stop at their city and paid my friends a visit. It had been years since we last saw each other—I couldn’t help but notice the huge difference in their appearances because of age. They, however, were shocked to see how radiant and energetic I was, not at all the miserable person I used to be.
I told them how I started cultivating Falun Dafa and how much it had helped me. Both learned the truth and agreed to quit the CCP and its youth organizations. I told them to recite the auspicious phrases, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” whenever they have time. With compassionate Master’s help, these two lives were saved. Also, in less than a month, my apartment unit was sold.
My Big Breakthrough
My 83-year-old father had a cerebral hemorrhage before Chinese New Year earlier this year. He was in critical condition and taken to the emergency room. I asked Master to strengthen me as I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate all negative elements and communist ideology in my father’s dimensional field.
All beings, including my father, have been Master’s family at some point in history, therefore the evil forces are not allowed to persecute him. I reminded my father to recite “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” which he did continuously. He sometimes recited these auspicious phrases out loud or wrote the characters with his finger on the comforter.
A patient in the ward asked me, “What is your father writing on the comforter?” At that moment, I remembered a practitioner once shared about clarifying the truth with the patients and their families when a family member of hers was hospitalized. Master must have arranged this opportunity for me to clarify the truth—this is the perfect way to break the ice and bring up the topic to a stranger.
So I told the patient what my father was writing and clarified the truth to him. Soon I was talking to all the patients in the ward and their families about Dafa and helping them quit the CCP. I told them how my father recovered from critical conditions multiple times because he recited, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” Dafa saved his life. Even the doctors were amazed that my father, the oldest patient with the most severe symptoms initially, was still alive when a few younger patients had already passed away.
After learning the truth, the patients started shouting in unison, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” Their families and even the nurses joined in. It was such a touching moment. These patients recovered quickly and were discharged one by one. During my father’s stay, I helped more than 20 people, including patients, their families, and some nurses, quit the CCP and its youth organizations.
A few people started listening to audio tapes of Master’s seminars in Guangzhou City. A few patients recited the auspicious phrases every day and clarified the truth about Dafa to their friends and families. They collected names of people who agreed to quit the Party and gave me the list so I could help them make the official withdrawal. I was so happy to see people truly understand the truth and be saved.
My Father Finally Agreed to Quit the CCP
My father has been steadily recovering. He’s stayed at a rehabilitation hospital for the past three months. I hired a nanny for the day and I work the night shift taking care of him. Both of my sisters still work so it’s hard for them to take time off during the week. My oldest sister comes on Saturdays to give me a break.
Many nights, I had to get up more than a dozen times to help my father. Sometimes as soon as I was going to sleep my father needed me again. Whenever I become impatient, I remind myself that I am a cultivator and my father is helping me improve my xinxing. It has helped me get rid of my attachment to comfort, my tendency to get things done quickly, and my lack of attention to details.
I am working on increasing my tolerance and compassion so I am kind to my father at all times. Think about it, if I can’t even be nice to my own father, how am I going to save sentient beings with compassion? I have to be strict with myself and live up to the standards of a Dafa cultivator. Although my days are busy, I utilize small pockets of time to study the Fa. Only when I study the Fa well can I show self-discipline.
Over the past year, I’ve become convinced of Dafa’s extraordinary powers and Master’s immense compassion. Two months after I took up cultivation, my menstrual period resumed despite having stopped many years ago. My gray hair turned black. I look youthful as if I am in my 20’s. People are truly surprised to see such a great transformation in me. I tell them it was all because of Dafa.
Friends and family who have learned the truth about Dafa started reciting “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” My father, after witnessing the extraordinary changes in me, is no longer skeptical—he now truly believes that Falun Dafa is good. He finally agreed to quit the evil CCP and its organizations. He wanted to use a nickname for the withdrawal at first, but later changed his mind and decided to use his real name.
The most important thing is that my realm has truly improved over the past year. I am no longer affected by ordinary people’s attachments and their pursuit of fame, self-interest, and sentimentality. These things can no longer move my heart. I know I have to study the Fa more and always examine myself. I will hold myself to the standards of the Fa and do the three things diligently.
I still have a long way to go in cultivation but I will do my best to keep up with the progress of Fa-rectification. I will follow Master’s lead and will not let Master down. I will fulfill my sacred vow, completely relinquish fear so I can better clarify the truth in person and save more sentient beings.
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Category: Improving Oneself
