(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I read Zhuan Falun once in 1996. However, due to my poor enlightenment quality, I did not study the Fa in depth and only superficially knew that Falun Dafa was good and could bring benefits to people. Therefore, whenever I did not feel well physically, or life was not going the way I’d like, I would ask Master for protection. I did not realize the true significance of the reason Dafa was introduced to the public. However, benevolent Master did not give up on me and instead gave me so much. The words “Falun Dafa is good” also took root in my heart.
Over the next dozen years or so, my health condition remained poor. I sought help everywhere conventional doctors to alternative doctors; and from both traditional Chinese and Western hospitals of varying sizes. I eventually had surgery. However, I was still no better following the surgery. I then went to my mother’s place. A Falun Dafa practitioner who lived nearby learned of my situation and said, “Look, you have consulted both conventional and alternative doctors and also had surgery, but you are still the same. How about you sincerely recite the two phrases, ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ There definitely will be miracles.” I thought to myself, “I’m already in such a poor condition, whether I recite it or not. Why not try it with a sincere heart?”
Then I recited the two phrases sincerely and let every cell in my body recite along. Every character appeared in my brain. After two months, my condition improved, so I returned to my own home and began to live a normal life.
With Master’s arrangement, I later met a practitioner and then started studying the Fa with other practitioners. After studying for a while, I soon enlightened to some Fa principles. However, I used to measure other people’s behavior, but did not require it of myself. Mei, from our group saw that I did not know how to cultivate and worried for me, so she often used different methods, words, or questions to give me hints. She really put in a lot of effort for me, but I still did not enlighten.
In June 2011, I was about to leave the area to live with my husband in his hometown. Before I left, a practitioner told me, “Remember that if you need anything, be sure to go to another practitioner.” Here I’d like to thank fellow practitioners for their selfless contributions and help. I knew it was also Master’s advice. Master truly worried so much for such a dull-witted disciple like me.
After arriving in my husband’s hometown, I kept thinking that I should find practitioners as soon as possible. Near the home of my husband’s elder sister, I saw truth-clarification couplets on the door of a family home. I then found fellow practitioners and joined their group. Since then, I began to understand cultivation. Below I share a few cultivation stories.
Taking Sentimentality Lightly
One day, when my baby child was sleeping, I couldn’t help it but kiss him on the cheek because he looked so cute. When I got up, I had the thought: “This is sentimentality, and humans are soaked in it.”
This summer, my child was going through training in a soccer class. One very hot day, I went to watch their training. Although it was very hot, and the kids were drenched in sweat, they still had to practice making shots. My heart ached, and this sentimentality flooded over me. With Master’s hint, a line appeared in my mind: “This is also a way to eliminate karma.” The substance that made my heart ache disappeared, and I instead felt happy for my son.
My husband works hard and does not indulge in flowery talk. He would do his best to help anyone in need. He never complains, no matter how painful or tired he is. However, I felt sorry and upset for him, and was jealous and resentful of other people which was also sentimentality toward him. I felt upset because I was worried that if he was too tired, he would not be able to do work for me. How selfish of me! My husband is an independent being, and he has his own predestined relationships. After understanding this based on the Fa, I also took sentimentality lightly.
When our son was little, whenever we bought him toys, he would be excited over them for a few days, and then they would become trash. So we would buy new toys for him. After a while, I felt a bit uneasy inside and thought it was a waste. He again to buy toys for him, but I was unwilling. My husband, however, asked me to buy them. I was unhappy and said, “Whenever we buy them, he does not play with them properly, and they all end up being thrown out.”
My husband insisted that I buy them and even gave me 400 yuan ($60). I asked him with a smile, “Spend all 400 yuan on them?” He said, “Yes, spend it all.” I then asked myself in my mind, “Why do I not want to buy them? Because I’m afraid of spending money.” I then had a thought: “Buy them. Buy whatever the child wants today.”
I then took my child to the supermarket with the money from my husband to let the child pick. He ended up picking two toy cars that he liked, which cost a total of 20 yuan ($3). After we left the supermarket, I suddenly felt very light, as if I was about to float away while walking. There was, with an indescribably wonderful feeling in my heart. I realized that Master was encouraging me and letting me truly feel the wonders of cultivation.
At that time, I was not thinking that “I have to cultivate away this fear of spending money.” I simply asked myself a question and then felt relieved and wanted to buy toys for my child. This was, in fact, Master helping me go forward! I now know that because I wanted to look inward, and after this one thought, Master helped me and removed my fear of spending money, guiding me forward on my cultivation path.
A few years ago, when our apricots were ripe, my husband picked some for me, and I took them out to sell. One customer stopped his car and approached me, asking, “How much are the apricots?” I said, “10 yuan for 4 catties ($0.29 per lb).” Because he was a distance away, he misheard it as, “Four yuan for one catty ($0.46 per lb).”
He said, “It’s not easy to find such an opportunity. This is the time to eat apricots. It’s not expensive.” I sold them to him based at the price of $0.29 per lb. After he left, a thought came to my mind, “I sold them far too cheap. He would’ve bought them if I sold them at $0.46 per lb.” I then said to myself, “How can I think like this? This is an attachment to gain.
Master taught us, “... you should trade fairly and maintain a righteous mind. (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun).” I felt that this attachment to gain was becoming less, it had dropped down to a deep place and kept on falling, until it slowly disappeared. I felt indescribably comfortable and delighted.
Clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings are one of the three things that Dafa disciples are required to do. When I first started face-to-face truth-clarification, and was about to step out, I clearly felt a tangible thing standing in my way. It felt difficult to step out of the door, and I also felt a pain that is hard to describe. I felt this way every time.
But I kept going. When it was difficult to step out, I insisted on stepping out. I did not know about sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it, but I did not care about it or think about what it was. I simply insisted on going out. Soon it was gone before I knew it. (I did not know about sending forth righteous thoughts at the time.)
Around 2020, my husband and I returned to our countryside home to participate in local elections. I clarified the truth to a few villagers. As we were leaving the village entrance, a car that was for so-called “cracking down on organized crime and gangs” passed by on its way to the village. At this time, my dimensional field was filled with the substance of fear. My heart was pounding, and I was worried and even asked my husband, “What’s that car for?” He said, “Who cares what it’s for?”
I had the thought, “Is it for me?” I slowly collected my mind and thought, “What do I do now?” I then kept reciting Master’s words from “What’s to Fear?” Hong Yin II.
Gradually, my dimensional field cleared up and brightened. When it was completely cleared, I found my anxiety quite laughable. I also had a thought, “What does it have to do with me?” I knew this was Master’s compassionate hint.
A few years ago, my husband’s sister-in-law passed away. While she was ill, she complained to me that her son (my husband’s nephew) did not want to spend money for her to seek medical treatment. I said, “Give your money to him and you go seek treatment together.” She said, “I already gave my money to him.” I then started to think lowly of him.
As a result, whenever I had a spare moment, my mind would start churning, “How can this child be like this? Your mother gave you all her money, and you do not need to spend your own money. How could you be so unfilial? Your grandparents do not give us money, but when they are sick, we still take them for medical treatment.” I came to my senses after my mind had churned for a few days.
One day, my mind began churning over this again, and I said to those thoughts, “What does whether he is filial or not have to do with me? That’s their karmic relationship.” Since then, those thoughts have stopped appearing in my head. After careful thinking, I realized that the thoughts were all reflected from my jealousy and attachment to feeling good about myself. Behind it also was the attachment to showing off. I no longer have the attachment of thinking lowly of the nephew. Instead, I feel that it’s difficult for him since he lost both parents at a young age.
Recently, a young practitioner joined our group. Because it was summer and the weather was hot, the young practitioner brought water and a small fan to use. During Fa study, the practitioner drank water and used the fan. This actually moved my heart, and I thought, “Master lectures for 2-3 hours without taking a sip of water, but you...!”
I continued to think and immediately realized that I was wrong and was already looking outward. I asked myself, “What moved me? It is jealousy, the attachment to feeling good about myself, and the attachment to showing off.” After I rectified myself in accordance with the Fa, the thoughts naturally could no longer stay in my field.
I realized that we must first confirm if we are truly cultivating. This point is very important. If we only think that Dafa is good, but have not understood cultivation, it could easily lead to roundabout paths or delays in passing tests when we encounter tribulation. Human attachments are also like a gang, as an attachment does not exist alone. Whenever one attachment is exposed, if we keep looking, we will find strings of attachments behind it.
There are also attachments to comfort, attachment to liking to hear good words, and the fear of not being recognized by others in my dimensional field that have not been removed. I am still far from Master and Dafa’s required standards. I will listen to Master’s words and study the Fa more. When I encounter issues, as long as I’m able to look inward, have enough righteous thoughts, and assimilate to Dafa, my attachments and karma will vanish without a trace.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Selected submission for the 23rd China Fa Conference on Minghui.org)