(Minghui.org) It has been three decades since I began Falun Dafa cultivation practice. How time flies! The rapid passage of time is merely a matter of measurement and transition. In the very last sentence of his book Zhuan Falun, Master Li Hongzhi said:
“I hope that after going home everyone will make the best use of his or her time for genuine cultivation.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
I asked myself: Have I followed Master’s words in my actions? Do I treasure every single day of my cultivation?
Enduring Suffering in the Human World
My earliest memories date back to the age of six, a time coinciding with The Great Chinese Famine. Before I could even begin to grasp the beauty and happiness of life, I was suddenly deprived of food. For a young child, this posed an immense challenge.
Reflecting on my life, I recalled always heeding my parents’ words and teachings, and treating both my elders and other people with courtesy. I was considerate toward my siblings, never fighting over food or drink and never crying or making a fuss even when there was nothing to eat.
It was during that very year that I had a dream that I would never forget. In the dream, I was high up in the sky, appearing as a little girl, watching a massive sphere roll down toward the human world. I saw it traverse the path between two mountain ravines as it descended to Earth, eventually vanishing from sight. That dream has stayed with me throughout my life. What was it trying to tell me then?
After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power and implemented land reform, my father’s family became a target for persecution. When I was 14, my father’s eldest brother was labeled a “Rightist” during the Anti-Rightist Campaign and sent to the countryside for “re-education” for over 20 years. Due to the family’s so-called “historical issues,” my parents, siblings, and I were impacted during the Cultural Revolution, facing discrimination and prolonged political persecution. All this shaped me into person that was reticent, withdrawn, and solitary.
In those turbulent times, I lived in fear of being bullied, which led me to form many notions and attachments—patterns of behavior that were difficult to change. Prolonged repression caused me to develop serious ailments, such as thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count) and rheumatism, despite my youth. I was in the prime of my life, yet I was very skinny and had a poor complexion.
The suffering my family endured due to the hardships inflicted by politics left me with a heart too fragile to bear any pain. I remember when I was in my second year of junior high, the school organized a screening for teachers and students about the persecution of Wu Han, the Deputy Mayor of Beijing, during the Cultural Revolution. As soon as the film began, I lost all my composure; I rushed out of the theater, sat on the curb, and wept uncontrollably. No one could understand the trauma and pressure the CCP’s political persecution had imposed upon me or the deep hatred I harbored for the Party. We were an honest, kind, and law-abiding family that adhered to traditional values, and I simply couldn’t understand why we were subjected to such discrimination.
Amazing Life Transformations After Cultivating Dafa
I returned home to visit my parents in October 1995. I was surprised to find my mother beaming with joy. A former soldier who had lived through various political campaigns, she was decisive and quick to scold—and I had always been afraid of her. Years of stress and the influence of Party culture indoctrination had left her with a stern, cold expression. Yet, seeing this change in her, the apprehension that I was about to be scolded vanished completely.
“Mom,” I exclaimed, “you’ve changed! You seem happy and content.” She told me excitedly that she had begun to practice Falun Dafa and how wonderful Dafa and Master were. She asked me to go with her to the exercise site, then handed me the book Zhuan Falun. I carefully put it in my backpack.
Later, as I began to read, I, who usually skipped around while reading, was completely captivated by this book. I finished Zhuan Falun in one shot. It felt as though my soul had been purified. I turned over and gazed up at the ceiling, a deep sense of reverence for Master welling up within me—this book was truly magnificent. My heart was filled with joy, and all my sorrows and worries disappeared.
And so I began my cultivation journey. By studying the Fa and doing the exercises, I’ve gone through great transformations. For instance, my ailments all disappeared before I even noticed. Ever since I began practicing, Master has constantly enlightened me. Many miraculous things have happened, and they continue to happen. I remember another vivid dream in which I was out on the open sea near a city. There were reefs and whirlpools, turbulent waves, and crystal-clear water. I walked across the surface of the water just above the submerged reefs. I understood this to mean that as one cultivates, one will run into trials and tribulations that must be overcome. It was also to test my attitude toward Dafa and my cultivation state.
In the 1990s, a wave of corporate bankruptcies left large numbers of workers unemployed. Deprived of their livelihoods, they struggled to make ends meet and access medical care. This was a period marked by a sharp decline in moral standards, rampant official profiteering, and a proliferation of social ills and chaos. I, too, lost my job in 1997, a position that was once comfortable and stable, offering a reliable paycheck.
Naturally introverted and a person of few words, I embarked on a new career path. The new job was extremely challenging. The workforce of nearly 70 people was a great mix of individuals with widely varying moral standards. It was an environment rife with fierce competition for business, fighting, verbal abuse, and a chaotic blend of the good and the bad. Working in such an environment truly served to temper my character. I kept Master’s teachings in mind, treated myself as a practitioner, and focused on being a good person.
I carried a copy of Zhuan Falun in my purse and took it out to read whenever I had free time. I learned how to do my job well and my introverted personality began to change. This laid the foundation for my future efforts of talking to people about Falun Dafa cultivation. If I didn’t know how to speak properly and was afraid to face people, how could I possibly communicate information about Dafa to others and help Master save them?
Dafa tempered me. Due to my outstanding performance at work, I was highly regarded by both management and staff. I was promoted from regular sales to an after-sales service role with a decent salary. Thank you, Master!
Helping People To Know the Truth About Dafa
Cultivation is a very serious matter. Cultivating Dafa is the most righteous and wisest choice a person can make. The persecution that started on July 20, 1999, has been a major test and a rigorous trial for all. Since childhood, I have lived through political hardships brought upon my family, enduring relentless harassment from local authorities and the constant spread of slanderous propaganda. I neither believed nor paid heed to the narratives spread by newspapers and television and firmly believed in Master and Dafa.
One day, community management representatives and several police officers came to ask me, “Are you going to Tiananmen Square in Beijing?”
I replied, “I am free to go wherever I please. No one has the right to interfere. I haven’t been to Beijing, although I really would like to go.”
They became anxious and urged me not to go, warning me that it would be bad for me, and so on. At the time, I was working and had a young child at home. I was busy raising the child alone and unaware of what was happening in Beijing. I later learned that a large number of practitioners had gone to Beijing to appeal to the government and clarify the facts about Falun Dafa. Only then did I realize why the officials had tried to stop me from going to Beijing.
Due to the CCP’s slander and propaganda, many people believed the lies and harbored hatred for Dafa. This deprived the people of an opportunity to know the universal law of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. As a Dafa disciple, I knew I had to cultivate myself well and assist Master in saving them.
While sharing the truth, I ran into people with many different attitudes about Dafa and practitioners. Some showed their concern and appreciation for Master and wished him good health. Others thanked practitioners for helping them quit the CCP and its affiliates and cautioned them to pay attention to safety. As I was talking with one woman, she said it felt as if energy was going through her and that it was truly miraculous. She said to me firmly, “I’ll quit the CCP. I believe Dafa and Master are good!”
As I continued to talk to people about Dafa, I gradually let go of fear, and my xinxing has improved. One time, I went with Ms. Liu (alias) to clarify the truth. We ran into an elderly man in his 80s who had practiced Dafa before. When I talked to him about Dafa and helped him to quit the CCP, he immediately became very excited. He said Master had been to the factory where he used to work to spread the Fa. Upon hearing that, I also became excited. I called Ms. Liu over and asked about his situation. We learned that, after the persecution began, his Dafa books were confiscated. He had also lost contact with other practitioners and consequently had no access to any Dafa books. So Ms. Liu set up a time to meet and brought him several Dafa books. He was very happy when they were able to meet.
Continuing on My Path and Keeping My Promises
I’ve practiced for three decades. I recently asked myself if I have truly treasured every day of my cultivation? Have I eliminated those notions formed in the human world? I realized that, no, I have not.
While visiting Ms. Han (alias), a former childhood classmate, our conversation turned to a girl we remembered from our middle school days. This girl was tough and abrasive and formed cliques with other students, demanding their total compliance to her wishes. She ostracized anyone who didn’t fall in line and mocked them. I have a gentle, unassuming nature and was terrified of such bullying; yet, I never yielded to her demands. Deep down, I detested people like that—I couldn’t stand them. That was long ago, yet the competitive mentality and resentment forged during those turbulent times remained deeply buried, and the memories were still vivid. During our conversation, I noticed that Ms. Han spoke much differently about our classmate than I did. She also told me that my notions were wrong and that I should not harbor such malicious thoughts and feelings.
After I left, I wondered why she said I was wrong. As a practitioner, one uses the Fa to measure one’s every thought and action. One also needs to evaluate everything in the human world with the standards of the Fa. Those notions formed over time, including resentment, are attachments we need to eliminate.
My understanding is that the emergence of our attachments is brought about by the notions we have formed. Master’s Fa has been a wake-up call for me. The principles of the human realm are the reverse of true principles. Living in this world, it is easy to view things with worldly logic. However, to snap out of humanness and walk towards divinity, one must be diligent about abiding by Master’s Fa and looking inward. After Ms Han and I talked about the past, I realized that those experiences had become roadblocks on my cultivation path. By cultivating solidly, I ought to be able to let go of them and eliminate them completely.
I am now clear that the dream I had when I was six was to tell me that I had come to the human world to obtain the Fa and that I shouldn’t forget about the promises I made to Master Li Hongzhi, my teacher. We took off our divine halos and descended from a sacred heavenly realm to the mortal world to assist Master in rectifying the Fa. The Fa-rectification is coming to an end. We should treasure the tremendous sacrifices that Master has made for Dafa practitioners and all beings, walk well the final leg of the path toward divinity, and do well the three things a practitioner should do.
Thank you, Master!
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