(Clearwisdom.net) Both my wife and I were lucky enough to start practicing Falun Gong in 1996. Soon after, my wife's long-term illnesses disappeared. I also experienced the extraordinary phenomenon of Falun Dafa. Our two kids, one eight and one five, have both been very healthy since we began to cultivate and they never have to take any medicine. My whole family is bathed in the immense grace of Dafa. No words can express our gratitude to Teacher. We should steadfastly do the three things so as to save more sentient beings. Otherwise we will let our Teacher down and will not deserve his merciful salvation.
What follows is my understanding of cultivation, which I would like to share. Please kindly point out anything improper.
Study the Fa well to increase harmony
In August 2002 I was illegally arrested. After I had been detained in the county detention center for more than three months, I escaped with three other practitioners. To avoid further persecution, for more than 15 months we were homeless. We did not return home until April 2004. Since there is a lot of farming work to do in the countryside, and I needed to work in order to support my family, I did most of my Fa-validating work during the night.
Even though the authorities have made cultivation very difficult in my area, many practitioners still can keep in touch with one another. We all realized that to study the Fa well and to form a united group is a fundamental means of ensuring our ability to do the three things well. Therefore we hold small Fa conferences regularly to help us realize our shortcomings in cultivation. We started Fa study groups in different villages, taking care to make sure that we can all safely attend. We formed a united group to expose the persecution and save sentient beings, and the results have been very positive. We didn't make it clear who should be the coordinator: anyone who was willing could be a coordinator. I attended all the Fa conferences and activities regardless of who was organizing. I did not take into consideration whether the organizer was efficient or not. As long as something can help save sentient beings, it will have my support.
In my opinion, a Dafa practitioner should form the right notion of selflessness and altruism in cultivation. This means that we should cooperate harmoniously to become one body unconditionally. Because it's the Fa we are harmonizing with, it's not right to participate in activities organized by one practitioner and not to participate in activities organized by another practitioner. Haven't we "made the wish to save the sentient beings and assist Master with the journey in this world?" ("Assisting Fa" in Hong Yin Translating Version B) How are we going to complete this journey? By letting go of all human notions that have been formed, actively validating the Fa to the sentient beings, and truly playing the role of a Dafa practitioner.
Cultivate myself when coordinating
In October 2006, our local Dafa coordinators made efforts to contact practitioners with whom we had lost contact and we held a Fa-conference in the hope that we could better work together as one body. In order to better coordinate, the whole county was divided into several sections with different persons responsible for the activities and events of different sections. Another practitioner and I were the coordinators for one town.
New Tang Dynasty Television broadcasts its programs to Mainland China through W5 satellite and Asia-Pacific No. 6 Satellite and has had a great effect in suppressing the evil CCP. In March 2007, in order to promote NTDTV, we learned how to install satellite dishes. We installed the devices mainly for practitioners. Then the coordinating practitioner with whom I was working with encountered problems and I had to take care of this section on my own. I did almost everything, from distributing copies of "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" to transporting our truth-clarification materials, by myself. Sometimes I would also ask local practitioners to help. Even though I was a little tired, I had no regrets.
Rain or snow, whatever the weather, it was usual for me to travel three or four kilometers to take practitioners what they needed. During this process, many of my human notions and attachments were exposed. I learned to look inward to identify my faults whenever there was a problem. But sometimes when conflicts occurred between other practitioners and myself, I still used my human notions and fussed at my fellow practitioners. So when they said something not very nice to me, I didn't show my unhappiness superficially, but I was affected and I couldn't get over it.
Neither of us wanted to compromise. After several days a veteran practitioner reminded me, "You need to increase your capacity and tolerate every practitioner." I also knew that I should improve myself, but I still couldn't let it go.
One night I had a dream. In my dream some beggars came to my house when I was not at home. My house was big and there were many people in it. All of the beggars were quite young. One lady was carrying a child in her arms. As soon as I saw them, I was angry. I said, "You are all very young and there are many things you can do for yourselves. Why do you have to be beggars?" They smiled at me, as if they were saying that they would stay and would not leave no matter what. Then they entered my house. I told myself that, as a practitioner, it would not be right if I resented giving them some food, yet I did not want to do it. I could clearly see that my family wanted to offer them food, but they dared not without my permission. One of the beggars, a woman, said, "Today only some of us came. There are more than 200 others and they all want to come." I said, "More than 200 of you?! No way!" I told my family that anyone who gave food to the beggars would not be allowed to have any food him or herself. The woman heard what I said and turned to find her people. Other beggars, holding sticks in their hands, began to drag me out. I knew they were going to beat me. I reminded myself that, as a practitioner, if they beat me, I could not hit them back. But if I got bruises due to this, how would others see me?
I woke up from my dream very worried. I enlightened that Master was giving me a hint, because the number of the practitioners that I coordinate is also more than 200. I said in my heart to Master, "Master, I was wrong. I should enlarge my capacity." At that moment, I could feel that my body became bigger and bigger. It actually became very, very big.
Later on, through studying the Fa, I changed my attitude. I focused more on the strengths and less on the shortcomings of other practitioners, and things began to change. I was enlightened that no matter how many things we've done for Dafa, it is not cultivation. The crucial thing is to get rid of our human desires which are not pure and to improve our xinxing during the process of doing Dafa work.
Keeping Strictly on the Path of Fa-Rectification Cultivation
Ever since I became a coordinator, besides studying Fa well, I participate in group practice every morning. I pay great attention to the quality of my righteous thoughts when I send them. Only when I cultivate myself well can I do all the Fa-validating work well. Cultivation is a very serious matter. Though I am very busy validating the Fa, I've never thought about spending the money that practitioners give me for making the materials on myself. I spend only my own money if I go out. Cultivation means to give but not to take. The evil old forces will use any human heart that is not righteous to take advantage of us and to persecute us. If we want to deny the persecution and the old forces arrangements, we need to walk correctly on the path of Fa-rectification cultivation and not give the evil any excuse for persecuting us and the evil will be eliminated automatically.
Having righteous thoughts when problems occur
During the Olympic Games this year, the CCP "illegally detained" and arrested many practitioners. All the villages in our area assigned certain people to keep an eye on practitioners. Under the circumstances, some practitioners stopped visiting other practitioners. Some refused to accept Dafa materials. Instead they stayed at home without realizing that they had been manipulated by evil forces.
My first thought then was that, whether on account of the Olympic Games or for any other reason, what the evil CCP did had nothing to do with me. Nothing is worthy of disturbing me in validating the Fa and saving sentient beings. No one can control me. My body would be controlled by no one other than myself.
Then one village official found me and said, "People from the upper ranks came. I solved this problem for you as long as you do not go to Beijing." I asked, "I can do what I want to do, right?" The official said, "Do whatever you want to. Just be careful." I said, "I have nothing to hide. Don't worry." I was thinking, "I will go wherever I want." This made me realize that it's very important to have pure righteous thoughts when things happen. Master said, "We'd say that a good or bad outcome comes from one thought. The difference in one thought leads to different results." (Zhuan Falun) Therefore we should always send righteous thoughts. If we do, and eliminate the evil forces behind things, there will be no interference.
Closing remarks
Looking back at the past ten years of cultivation, I have a deep understanding that Master is beside us all the time. Without Master's compassionate protection, I can do nothing. Every step forward that I've made was because Master was leading me. It's not that I've improved my xinxing to the right level that has helped me through. It's Master having pushed me to the level that has made me realize everything. Only when we assimilate ourselves into the Fa, fulfill our vows, and help Master save sentient beings can we really be deserving of the title "Dafa practitioners of the Fa-rectification period." I don't feel that I do things for Dafa or for fellow practitioners. Deep in my heart I feel that what I do is my duty and my mission. This is what I should do. During the whole process I cultivate myself and get rid of all my notions so that my divine side can come forward and I can treat fellow practitioners and sentient being with the compassion of a divine being. Only by cherishing each and every opportunity to communicate with fellow practitioners can I see my own shortcomings and get rid of them so that I can play my part as we improve and elevate as a whole body.
