(Clearwisdom.net) I have practiced Falun Dafa for eleven years. Looking back on my cultivation journey over the past ten-plus years, whether it was in the peaceful individual cultivation period or the Fa-rectification period, it was accompanied with trials and hardships. There is not only joy from deep in my heart, but also hurtful bitterness, and even deep regret. I am writing this down to sum up my experiences in order to find my shortcomings and improve myself and at the same time, to share with my fellow practitioners and encourage each other.
Fortunate to Obtain the Fa in 1997
One day in February 1997, my wife told me that she had learned a kind of qigong. After a few days, she brought home a copy of the book Zhuan Falun. I immediately felt it was something special. When I opened the book and browsed through the contents, the two words "cultivation practice" caught my eye and my heart was moved. This was a book about cultivation! I read the book for the first time with great eagerness. I felt that this was what I wanted and I decided to start cultivation.
But, back then I was very busy with my work. I would go to work at 5:00 a.m. and returned home at 10:00 at night, so I decided to start my cultivation practice after retirement. Several days after that, my wife brought home the book Essentials for Further Advancement. As soon as I opened the book, the article "Practicing Cultivation After Retirement" greeted my eyes.
Master said,
"One's lifetime is limited. Oftentimes you plan things quite well, but do you know whether you will have sufficient time left for your cultivation? Cultivation practice is not child's play. It is more serious than anything of everyday people--it isn't something to take for granted. Once you miss the opportunity, when will you be able to get a human body again in the sixfold path of reincarnation? Opportunity knocks but once. Once the illusion that you cannot let go of disappears, you will realize what you have lost." ("Practicing Cultivation After Retirement" - Essentials for Further Advancement)
After reading that, I changed my mind and decided to start the practice right away. No matter how busy I might be, I had to find time to practice. I then started the cultivation of Falun Dafa and became a Falun Dafa practitioner. I learned the five sets of exercises from reading the "exercise diagrams" in the book. I got up at 4:00 a.m. Every day. After I finished exercises one through four, I went to work. After I returned home at 10:00 p.m., I did the fifth exercise.
After practicing Falun Dafa for less than a month, one day I suddenly had a high fever. I managed to finish my duties at work and then went home and got into bed. The high fever lasted the whole night but I still went to work the next day. Since my whole body was suffering, I went to the office clinic and had my temperature checked. My body temperature turned out to be normal. I suddenly enlightened that this was Master purifying my body! Two days later, my body felt light and comfortable. Since then, my health has undergone a dramatic change: the more than ten illnesses I had all disappeared. Even the coronary disease and the stomach disease that constantly threatened my life and which I had suffered from for more than 30 years miraculously disappeared. When I started to practice Falun Dafa, I never intended to have my diseases cured through cultivation, but I have achieved a healthy body free from illness. Maybe this is "not striving for but to be contented!" After my wife practiced Falun Dafa for less than two months, the diabetes and nerve neurodermatitis, which can't be cured with everyday methods, miraculously disappeared as well. It's inconceivable - truly amazing.
I decided to share my wonderful experiences of cultivating Falun Dafa with my former classmates, colleagues, leaders at work, my family members, and friends, and to spread the goodness of Dafa to the sentient beings in this world. On holidays, I went to street markets in the city and countryside with my fellow practitioners to demonstrate the exercises and promote the Fa. We also printed a large number of "brief introductions" to Falun Dafa to give out to the general public. The leader and the deputy leader at my work had also both obtained the Fa. (It's a pity that they gave up the practice due to fear after the suppression started.)
As the number of practitioners grew, we established a practice site at a small park near my home. Every morning at half past four, I took the tape recorder with me to the practice site. I continued to do this until July 20, 1999, when the persecution of Dafa began.
Fa-study and Cultivation Practice
Master has repeatedly told us to study the Fa and study the Fa well. So I kept on reading Zhuan Falun again and again. At my job, when most people were reading novels or newspapers or chatting with each other, I was usually reading my Dafa books. My health underwent a significant improvement; my view toward this world also made a fundamental change.
Gradually I was able to take fame and self-interest lightly. Once my immediate boss at work decided to promote someone to be the deputy cadre. The result of the public opinion poll showed that I got the most votes. The Organizing Department had a talk with me and asked me to take on the position. I recommended someone else. At the end of the year evaluation, I was evaluated "excellent" for three consecutive years, which meant that I could have gotten a pay rise, but I gave that opportunity to my colleague. My work unit had to elect a talented person at the provincial level and the leaders were thinking of choosing me, but I gave the opportunity to others. Someone said that I was dumb, but I was happy with my life. I am always strict with myself according to the requirements of Dafa, and am not greedy. Everyone thinks that I am a good person.
In November 1999, I resigned from my job so that I could have more time to study the Fa and do the exercises. Sometimes I could finish reading Zhuan Falun once in two days. Every time I finished reading Zhuan Falun three times, I read Master's lectures at different places around the world as well as other articles. During that period of time, I memorized Lunyu, Hong Yin, and most of the articles in Essentials for Further Advancement. I have copied Zhuan Falun twice and Essentials for Further Advancement and Hong Yin three times each.
On December 19, 2000, seven or eight people from the County Public Security Bureau, the State Security Bureau and the 610 Office, broke into my home, searched everywhere, and took me away. I was locked up in the detention center for a month, then transferred to the county brainwashing center. After spending more than 50 days there, I was sent to the notorious Wangcun Forced Labor Camp. I was persecuted there for 15 months. I returned home on March 10, 2002.
During that period of time, I took a huge detour in my cultivation, which will remain a deep and permanent regret. After I carefully examined myself, I found a few problems within me: I didn't truly study the Fa with a tranquil mind. I was only concerned about the quantity of my Fa study, but failed to improve my understanding of the Fa. That is to say, my fundamental attachment was still hidden. What was my fundamental attachment? It was the attachment to consummation, wanting to escape from this secular world, escape from the conflicts of this world, and no longer suffer reincarnation. The ultimate purpose of cultivation was for me, and was, therefore, selfish. I was thus taken advantage of by the old forces, as they found an excuse to test me because I had the attachment of reaching consummation.
I fell down but listened to what Master said about not stopping after making mistakes, and Master didn't give up on me, either. A practitioner from the countryside sent me a handwritten copy of Master's lectures and articles published around 2001. In the spring of 2003, my wife and I moved from the country town to the provincial capital. We quickly contacted the practitioners in the provincial capital. Since then we have had a source of truth-clarification materials so we can do the three things that Dafa disciples should do in the new environment. My wife and I naturally formed a Fa study group. We have a fixed time to do our Fa study and exercises that is not to be altered under any circumstances. As the Fa-rectification pace pushes forward, we have established a family materials production site. We study the Fa, do our exercises, and send righteous thoughts together, as well as prepare truth-clarification materials together. Our home is our practice site, our Fa study group, and also our materials production site. We encourage each other and improve together.
Sending Righteous Thought to Eliminate the Evil, Clarifying the Facts to Save Sentient Beings
Sending forth righteous thoughts is one of the three things that Master requires Dafa disciples to do.
We thus must take it seriously and do it well. When Dafa disciples just started to send righteous thoughts, I missed participating in the global sending righteous thoughts many times. Especially the righteous thoughts time at midnight. Most of the time I couldn't get up at that hour. Even when I participated, the result was not good as I wasn't able to have a clear mind. After continuous Fa study and improvement on the understanding of sending righteous thoughts, I have basically been able to participate in the global sending righteous thoughts times four times daily. Apart from those times, I also send righteous thoughts at 7:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. And 10:00 p.m. regularly.
I can't see anything when I send forth righteous thoughts, but I believe the immeasurable power of sending righteous thoughts is eliminating the evil, helping stop the persecution and saving sentient beings. During these recent years, my cultivation path has been relatively smooth. That is because I have been taking sending forth righteous thoughts seriously, and my own dimensional field was thus purified.
Assisting Master with the Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings is Dafa disciples' great prehistoric vow. Clarifying the facts is the master key for resisting the persecution, restraining and eliminating the evil, ending this persecution, and saving sentient beings. During these eight long years of being persecuted, I have been clarifying the facts to people in many different ways.
On July 20, 1999, when the evil started its unbridled persecution of Falun Dafa, and in order to tell the true story about Falun Dafa to the government, I rode my motorbike for more than 10 hours under the baking sun and the stormy rain, with my wife (over 60 years old) on the back seat. We traveled a great distance to Beijing in order to validate the Fa.
In 2001, while I was in the detention center, one chief had a talk with me in order to "transform" me. I told him about the great improvements in my physical and mental health. When I told him that I rode with my wife to Beijing, he was greatly shocked and found it unbelievable. He said, "If Dafa is that good, you can practice at home. What did you go to Beijing for?" I told him, "When parents are defamed, shouldn't the children step forward and say a few fair words? We cultivate 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance,' and we behave in an open and dignified manner. When Dafa disciples dare to go to Beijing and dare to call out 'Falun Dafa is good' on Tiananmen Square, this means we are bold and assured. Let me ask you, which corrupt official would dare to shout, 'I am a corrupt official' on Tiananmen Square? Which thief would dare to call out, 'I am a thief' on Tiananmen Square?" The chief had nothing to say. Finally, he said, "I'd better leave quickly, otherwise I will be transformed by you instead!"
In March 2001, the county 610 Office sentenced me two years of forced labor because I used my home as a materials production site and also financially supported Falun Gong. The Party secretary of the Politics and Law Committee threatened during the meeting, "So, he has money. Discharge him from the public employ and stop his salary."
In the spring of 2005, though my wife and I didn't understand anything about computers, with fellow practitioners' great help, we broke through all the obstacles and various notions and established our family materials production site. With fellow practitioner's patient instruction and help, I quickly learned how to visit the website and download and print materials. Soon we were able to print the "Minghui Weekly," the weekly newspapers, and various truth-clarification pamphlets successfully. I usually take care of visiting the website, downloading truth-clarification materials, and printing and buying needed materials, while my wife takes care of bookbinding. We formed an assembly line. Our supply of materials basically meets the needs of nearby fellow practitioners. In these more than two years, with our benevolent Master's protection and with fellow practitioner's help, my wife and I have been able to work harmoniously together with righteous thoughts and righteous actions, and we have been able to walk our paths smoothly.
After the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published by The Epoch Times newspaper, Master published his new article, "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World." I realized that the Fa-rectification has reached a new period. It resulted from the change in the celestial phenomena. My wife and I made our announcement to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. We also persuaded our families to quit the CCP. Since then, when we clarify the facts to people, we also speak about quitting the CCP. At first, we found it quite difficult to clarify the facts about Falun Dafa while asking people to quit the CCP. But after reading many sharing articles on the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, we learned a lot from fellow practitioners as well as our own experiences. Eventually, we were able to combine these two things well when clarifying the facts.
I haven't done well in clarifying the facts and saving sentient beings in comparison with those practitioners who have done well. Fortunately, there are still chances for me to do better. I must make the best use of my time to do better.
