(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in my second year of high school. Although I have not cultivated for very long, Master Li has compassionately removed many bad substances from my body, enabling me to improve my xinxing and helping me to understand the Fa principles at each stage of my cultivation.
I would like to share my cultivation experiences, the process of improving my xinxing, and the joy I have experienced throughout this journey.
My family does not practice Dafa. My mother is a Buddhist, so I was exposed to some Buddhist stories and teachings during my childhood. I learned principles such as good deeds will be rewarded, and evil deeds will be punished, the cycle of reincarnation through the six realms, and accounts of miraculous experiences. Through this, I believed from a young age that heaven and hell truly exist.During my primary and high school years, my mental state was often poor for various reasons. At times, I experienced discomfort in my chest and found it hard to breathe. Sometimes, my body felt so heavy that I could not even stand up. I often had the feeling that some evil force was trying to drag me away.
I once considered seeing a psychologist, but after observing people around me still struggling with their mental illness without any improvement, I abandoned the idea of seeking treatment.
Internally, I often felt completely lost. Each day, the same questions kept circling in my mind: Why do people live on this Earth? What is the purpose of human existence?
A fortunate coincidence occurred when I was in my third year of high school; Niaosong Arts High School held a Falun Dafa experience-sharing conference. The students shared how, after practicing Falun Dafa, they had not only had their illnesses healed, but it also helped them understand the true meaning of life. Their sharing was sincere and deeply moved me.
These experience-sharing articles were displayed in the school’s hallway, and I often returned to read them. Cultivation seemed truly fascinating, and my curiosity about Falun Dafa gradually grew.
It amazed me that, after spending three years at Niaosong Arts High School, I felt as though I had just heard Falun Dafa for the first time. I had never truly studied Zhuan Falun seriously. In fact, I had even resisted it. During the school’s scheduled group Fa-study sessions, I would either fall asleep or let my mind wander. Even after we finished reading Zhuan Falun, I realized I had no idea what I had just read because I had never taken it seriously.
This was the first time I genuinely wanted to understand Falun Dafa. I believed Master saw my sincere desire to cultivate. Around that time, a classmate shared her cultivation story with me, which made me even more curious about Falun Dafa.
I wasn’t good at understanding things, and it often took me a long time to grasp even a single sentence. I also had never enjoyed reading books. But for the first time in my life, there was one book I genuinely wanted to read: Zhuan Falun. I made up my mind and said to myself: “I am going to study Master’s book with sincerity.”
I began reading Zhuan Falun line by line, taking in each word slowly and carefully. Whenever I came across something I didn’t understand, I would pause and think it through, determined not to miss a single sentence of Master’s teachings. I soon realized that my experience of reading the book was completely different from before. The more I read, the more I loved it. Through studying the Fa, I truly understand the meaning of life: where human beings come from and where they are ultimately going.
Master said:
“One should return to one’s original, true self; this is the real purpose of being human. Therefore, once a person wants to cultivate, his or her Buddha-nature is considered to have come forth. Such a thought is most precious, for this person wants to return to his or her original, true self and transcend the ordinary human level.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
It was different from the previous time, when I read this paragraph of Master’s Fa this time, my heart was filled with immense gratitude. I said to myself: “I have finally found the righteous cultivation school!” For me, who had been living in despair, this was truly the most fortunate and heartwarming thing. I knew that I had come across the greatest blessing of my life, the opportunity to cultivate Falun Dafa. The feeling of finding the true meaning of life was beyond what words could express.
From that moment on, the evil forces that had weighed me down—leaving me physically and emotionally exhausted and driving me into despair—never came back. I knew it was my compassionate Master who had been protecting me and helping to eliminate an immense amount of my karma. A profound transformation took place in my body and mind. My heart was filled with gratitude.
I started living by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, measuring everything I encountered in accordance with the Fa. As I gradually let go of one attachment after another, my heart grew purer with each passing day. While doing the exercises, I felt increasingly comfortable, light, and at ease.
Even in the bitter cold of winter, I felt a warmth throughout my body whenever I practiced the exercises, as if spring had blossomed all around me, filling me with joy. I even felt the breeze and air were fresh, pure and peaceful. I truly understood what Master said, “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
For a time, my family frequently argued, complaining about each other in front of me, which greatly affected my mood, and instead of looking inward and examining myself, I gradually developed resentment toward them.
One day, I could no longer contain my feelings and said to them, “What do your arguments have to do with me? Why do you always take your anger out on me and keep saying hurtful things to me?” At that moment, I felt deeply wronged. I couldn’t understand why they would vent their emotions on me like that. My notions and attachments surfaced, making it difficult for me to remain calm.
Master said:
“Many students understand only that doing the exercises and studying the Fa are cultivation. Yes, with those you directly engage the Fa. But as you go about truly cultivating yourself in your day-to-day life, the society that you come into contact with is your cultivation environment. The work and family environments that you spend time in are both settings in which you are to cultivate yourselves, are part of the path you must walk, are what you must handle, and handle correctly at that. None of these should be glossed over. When you have made it to the end, [a question would be]: how did you travel the path that Master arranged for you? When all is said and done, these things have to be taken into account. And in the course of your cultivation these things have to be looked at. So you shouldn’t neglect anything.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2006 Conference in Canada,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume VII)
I immediately became rational after reading this and realized that I had not followed what Master taught about handling things correctly, nor had I truly demonstrated compassion. Whenever something happened that did not go according to my wishes, I chose to avoid it. As a true Dafa disciple, I should walk every step of my cultivation path well, without any ambiguity.
I also realized that the trouble I encountered, even a small issue, should be handled properly, because every test is an arrangement by Master to help us improve our xinxing and let go of attachments. I then apologized to my family and truly recognized that I was wrong. Since then, they no longer sought me out to complain about each other.
I now understand that the conflicts among my family members, in fact, were actually for improving my xinxing. Looking within is so powerful.
Be Serious on Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts
Sending forth righteous thoughts is one of the three things that Dafa disciples are required to do well. At first, I didn’t take sending righteous thoughts very seriously. I merely went through the formalities, and sometimes, when laziness arose, I didn’t even want to do it. I thought to myself, “It doesn’t seem to have any effect when I send righteous thoughts. I can’t see anything, so it doesn’t seem to matter whether I do it or not.”
Master said:
“Precisely because in this physical dimension we have this pair of eyes, people receive a false impression and are prohibited from seeing things.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)
I understood that I shouldn’t judge things based on its appearance, nor should I use ordinary human ways of thinking to understand matters at higher levels. If I keep thinking that I can’t see, then I truly won’t be able to see. I then changed this human notion.
One evening, while sending forth righteous thoughts, I held my palm upright and silently recited the formula, and I suddenly felt a big chunk of murky material fly out of my head. My whole body entered a state of tranquility. I felt a powerful energy in my palm, and my body was incredibly light and felt truly wondrous and sacred.
I came to truly understand that every practitioner is supported and strengthened by Master.
Master said:
“Actually, when you can truly be tranquil, one thought is more than enough to shake Heaven and Earth, there is nothing that it can’t do, and it’s as if it immediately immobilizes and restrains everything covered by your domain; you’re like a mountain, and you instantly restrain them.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume III)
That was exactly how I felt at the time. No evil could approach me. After that, my ability to send righteous thoughts slowly improved.
One time, while I was doing the fifth exercise, I faintly saw the Falun rotating rapidly. I thought it was just an illusion, but the Falun remained visible for quite a while. It was the first time I had witnessed something that could not be explained by modern science, and I was quite excited. I became attached to that feeling of joy and strongly wished to see Master. However, when I tried to see it again the next day, I couldn’t see anything.
I realized that I was too easily affected. Cultivation in Dafa is an extremely serious matter, and if one is not careful, it is possible to go off track. Moreover, as a true Dafa disciple, one should not be attached to what one sees. Improving one's xinxing is the key to genuine improvement. Everything is arranged by Master.
For a time, I would suddenly experience sharp piercing pains in my heart. At first, I thought that perhaps my heart problem is due to a hereditary condition in my family, but I quickly reminded myself that I am a cultivator.
I began to look inward and discovered an attachment of jealousy that I had been unwilling to admit. Caring deeply about my academic performance, I became anxious whenever I failed to make progress. My grades lingered at the same level, while others continued to make breakthroughs. In those moments, I felt both anxious and inferior.
I realized that I had developed a deep inferiority complex. I believed that I was not as capable as others and that I had no particularly outstanding qualities. Looking back, I now see that this mentality is connected to jealousy.
We are all part of Master’s family. When something good happens to others, I should sincerely feel happy for them and send my blessings, rather than thinking only about my own success or failure, or whether I have done well. I realize that I have not truly considered others.
Amazingly, as I gradually let go of my various attachments—especially my strong attachment to self—I felt as if a heavy substance in my heart was dissolving. The pain in my heart disappeared. Thank you, Master!
While writing this sharing, I also discovered another attachment: fear. I worried that my sharing wasn’t good enough, and I feared how others would think of me. I kept having the thought of giving up on writing my experience-sharing article. I even thought it would be better not to write it at all. That night, however, after I read Master’s poem, I changed my mind.
“Make the wish to save all beings,Assist Master with the journey in the world;Aid me in turning Falun,Fa forms, heaven and earth move.” (Hong Yin)
I understood that assisting Master in rectifying the Fa is the obligation of Dafa disciples—I must not back down.
When I joined a painting training class, I felt as though my abilities were gradually declining. No matter how I painted, I couldn’t seem to make any progress, which made me really frustrated. I believed that I could break through my limitations, but I could not move forward. I felt stuck, and the works I created were never in the state that I was satisfied with.
I was too attached to achieving results quickly, rather than focusing on how to complete the painting well. My desire for quick success was extremely strong. Because I painted daily with this mindset, my heart became increasingly tense and anxious, which greatly affected the quality of my work and made it even more difficult for me to concentrate. Only then did I realize that improving my xinxing was most important.
Through this process, I once again discovered my feelings of jealousy. Seeing others making progress left me feeling unbalanced and anxious. We are all family under the guidance of the same teacher, so when others make improvements, I should genuinely feel happy for them and offer my best wishes, rather than only focusing on my own success or failure. When I recognized this negative attachment and began to release it, I felt an incredible sense of relief!
Throughout my cultivation journey, I have often encountered thoughts urging me to give up. However, as long as I keep the Fa in my heart, these difficulties no longer seem insurmountable, and in the end I am able to reject and overcome these negative thoughts. When I truly understand the principles of the Fa taught by Master, all worries and troubles suddenly seem so insignificant. What I experience is a deeper sense of true happiness and joy. I feel that I am an extraordinarily fortunate being.
I am deeply grateful to Master for allowing me to come to Niaosong Art High School, where I obtained Dafa and was given the opportunity to develop my painting skills. Thank you, Master, for always compassionately guiding and enlightening me. I will fulfill my mission and do the three things well.
I would also like to thank my fellow practitioners for their selfless help. Whenever I encountered difficulties, they spent time sharing and encouraging me. I still have many shortcomings. On my future cultivation path, I will be more diligent and genuinely cultivate myself, let go of all of my attachments, and follow Master back home. I will not miss this once-in-eternity predestined opportunity that has been waiting for us throughout the ages.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!