Our Belated Gift

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Liaozhong

(Clearwisdom.net) Having been through tests of life and death, and having experienced many hardships, local practitioners and I have walked our paths thanks to Master's protection. During each stage of Fa-rectification, we remind each other and encourage each other. Although our journey has not been smooth, we share a feeling of confidence.

Each of us came to regard the Fa as teacher during tests and when we were not sure what to do. Through Fa-study, sharing and looking within, we have caught up, one after another, and everyone is striving to go forward.

We have felt the hardships and realized the seriousness of cultivation. We have experienced Master's immeasurable gracious salvation, embodying Master's ardent expectations for us and the immeasurable hardships He has endured for us. Just as Master said,

"I have not only borne an incredibly great deal for you, but also, along with this, constantly given you hints for your improvement, looked after you for your safety, and settled the debts that you owed at different levels so that you can reach Consummation." ("Drive Out Interference" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)

We find that human language is inadequate to express how we feel about all this--Master has given us so much.

In the last few years of cultivation, I have played a role to pass on information among local practitioners, and Dafa has given me wisdom. I understand that my responsibilities and obligations are not limited to relaying information and material to fellow practitioners, but to place it into their hearts and minds. I pass on messages between practitioners and make sure communications are smooth. I relay feedback to those who take care of truth-clarification materials, and at the same time pass requirements and wishes from those working on materials to others. There is only one goal in my mind, that we improve and raise our level as one body. This is my biggest wish.

For a period, though, a few practitioners have failed to share with other practitioners for a long time and fallen behind in their Fa-study and in keeping up with the Fa-rectification progress. Their cultivation also seems to be half-hearted and slack. I felt very concerned about them, thinking of the Fa-rectification progress to date and that every Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple should know very clearly what state of mind they should keep. How could they fall into everyday people's mindset and forget the pledge they had made in history?

I thought the only way to correct this was to immediately study the Fa together. Only by looking within and getting rid of our attachments one by one could we catch up with the Fa-rectification progress and diligently advance together. But due to my own xinxing problems and other practitioners' attitudes, the idea was never put into practice and it was eventually dropped. Sometime I thought, "Let it be - everyone is cultivating for oneself - not for me, not for Master. It is all right as long as they are still in the Fa." When I calmed down, though, I found that this was a selfish thought. Wasn't this also something I should eliminate in my cultivation? Master told us the new universe would be free of selfishness. Where is my kindness? Am I being responsible to fellow practitioners?

Master mentioned a number of times in his teachings,

"The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference" in 2002)

Suddenly I came to realize that we all began from the same start-up line. We made our pledges and came down with Master for the sake of sentient beings. These few practitioners have temporarily lost themselves among everyday people. What are my reasons for not awakening them?

I called fellow practitioners from the bottom of my heart, telling them, "You cannot afford to wait and rely on others any longer. We came together and we should return together. We must not disappoint our Master and the sentient beings in the universe. Compared to practitioners in nearby regions, we still have much to catch up in our cultivation and improving as one body. Fellow practitioners working on materials get the materials ready as early as possible, yet other practitioners linger in various numbed mind states, due to fear, waiting or relying on others." Some practitioners complained and did things their own way. There were all sorts of attachments and lack of coordination as one body. We were in a state of disunity though the majority of practitioners were diligent in their cultivation. In cultivation, every one of us is supposed to be a responsible person and coordinator. We must cultivate ourselves well! Beginning with ourselves, from now on and in our immediate surroundings we must not forget about our fellow practitioners.

With Master strengthening us, we all came to gather in the morning market and decided to study the Fa together. Before 6 o'clock on April 8 (Chinese calendar) a number of practitioners gathered as arranged. We established our Fa-study group with the power of strong righteous thoughts and pure minds and in unprecedented serenity and harmony.

We know in our hearts that no matter what we do and how much we do, nothing can repay what Master has done for us. We will take solid steps on our journey of Fa-validation and do the three things well. We will advance diligently and not fall behind, and will improve and advance together. We will harmonize the cultivation environment around us, remind each other and fulfill our pre-historic pledges together.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/5/25/128739.html

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