(Clearwisdom.net) Below are my personal cultivation experiences during the Fa-rectification period.
Establishing a Good Cultivation Environment at Home
There are six people in my family--my husband's grandmother, his parents, my husband, our child, and myself. I conducted myself according to the standard of a practitioner and did my best in taking care of everyone in my family, including doing all of the household chores. I was also responsible for buying clothes for all three of my in-laws. For me, the most important thing about my clothes is that they look neat and clean. Other than that, I did not mind what I wore. When it came to buying clothes for my husband's grandmother and his parents, however, I paid attention to what I bought. If their clothes looked nice, people would praise me. Subconsciously, I still had the desire for fame and the attachment to my reputation. But at that time, I did not realize it was due to my limited level of cultivation.
I often bring leftover food to work for lunch. At the department store where I worked, some of my co-workers would ask me, "Why are you doing this?" I would tell them, "I have parents and a child. I cannot just throw away the food that they do not finish." In ancient times, people called this kind of left over food as "good fortune left over." As a practitioner, I knew this level of truth.
Shortly after I started practicing Falun Gong, my mother-in-law developed from lung cancer and coughed up blood. Blood would often spatter onto my clothes and face when I took care of her. My family and I took care of her for over two years until she passed away. Then, in 2004, my husband's 91-year-old grandmother suffered from a blood clot in her brain, quadriplegia, and loss of speech. My husband and I told her to frequently say, "Falun Dafa is good." We also played Teacher's lectures on the tape player for her to listen to and helped her sit up to do the sitting meditation exercise. Five months later, she could speak again and could eat and put on clothes by herself. She could also walk slowly to the restroom by herself. My husband's grandmother was in this improved state for over two years until she passed away. Her improved health condition manifested the miracle of the Fa.
Afterwards, my father-in-law handed me 800 yuan and said to me in tears, "Child, this is not a lot of money. But please take it as compensation for buying all of the necessities for your grandmother." I stood up and said, "Father, I understand where you are coming from. But some things cannot be measured with money. I took care of her to repay her for taking care of my husband when he was young. As a practitioner, I hope to show you that Dafa is good and that the propaganda [by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)] on TV is false." My brother-in-law and sisters-in-law who were present said in tears, "We all know Dafa is good."
When it came to doing trivial household work, I went from not wanting to do it at the beginning to being able to do it without worrying about it. I no longer think about wanting to do it or not. I just do things based on whether it will benefit others.
After the persecution began, I only distributed the truth-clarification materials that I got from other practitioners. In 2004, under Teacher's arrangement, I established a materials production site and group Fa-study at my home. I could also help other practitioners involved in making truth-clarification materials by buying supplies in large quantity and storing them at my home. My husband and I often share our experiences and understandings with each other and with fellow practitioners who visit us. I have gradually cultivated my speech and actions according to the Fa and gotten rid of several attachments, including the competitive mentality, the attachment of wanting to change others by imposing my views on them, and the attachment of avoiding conflicts with the excuse of "I am a cultivator and cultivators do not argue with everyday people." Looking back, I should really thank my elder brothers and sisters for giving me the opportunity to improve my xinxing. Most of them have now quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. In my opinion, to take good care of and to harmonize one's home environment is a form of saving sentient beings.
How to Treat the Three Things
Studying the Fa well lays a solid foundation for us to save sentient beings and to have righteous thoughts and righteous actions. We can also see our shortcomings when we do the three things.
In the beginning, when I clarified the truth to my relatives and friends, I became overzealous. The more I talked to them, the more excited and superior I felt. Thus, they were unwilling to listen to me, but they still pretended to listen out of basic etiquette. Also, I could not clarify the truth to the fullest extent. So when they quit the CCP and its associated organizations, they only did it out of fear and to avoid catastrophe. This situation showed my shortcoming--I could not improve in clarifying the truth because of my attachment to zealotry and the mentality of showing off.
After looking inward, I realized that I also had the attachment of validating myself and the attachment of focusing too much on the number of sentient beings I saved. When I studied the Fa I tried to not think of myself and my own feelings. Instead, I remained tranquil in my heart. Each time after I clarified the truth to someone, I would look inside for various attachments that were exposed and immediately get rid of them. I then realized that anything, no matter if it is good or bad, is a good thing because it exists for us to validate the Fa. I no longer limit myself to finding attachments for the sake of finding attachments. Now I no longer emphasize my own feelings or my personal gains and losses. I no longer treat saving sentient beings as a job. Several times now, a thought has arisen in my mind, "Among those people who have quit the CCP, can you still find which sentient being was saved by you?" Following this way of thinking, I realized that practitioners around the world are utilizing all opportunities to save sentient beings and to validate the Fa. It is a collective effort by all practitioners and it manifests the magnificence of Dafa. I feel fortunate to be a practitioner and also to be entrusted the heavy responsibility of saving sentient beings.
