(Clearwisdom.net) As Fa-rectification continually pushes ahead, less and less time is available for us to walk the divine path; every Dafa practitioner should think it over seriously: How does one walk their path well in this last remaining period of Fa-rectification? How does one let go of all human attachments and assimilate to the characteristics of the universe while cultivating oneself and saving sentient beings? It is also the path that all future great enlightened beings will have to take.

During the past ten years, we have accumulated many experiences and lessons in cultivation. In this world of delusion, under the protection of our compassionate Teacher, we have walked through this turbulent time one step after another. Our experiences and lessons have taught us that in the Fa-rectification period, our cultivation path is very narrow. We must walk steadily and righteously to forge a pure path of return. Teacher said,

"Validate the Fa with rationality, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and save people with mercy" ("Rationality" from Essentials for Further Advancement II )

I would like to share my cultivation experiences in the Fa-rectification period.

Let go of human attachments while safeguarding Falun Dafa

When the evil was the most rampant, Luo Gan, one of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official leaders responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, came to our city. Between two traffic lights at the entrance of a certain community, there was a banner bearing slogans slandering Teacher. It was very prominently positioned and was poisoning sentient beings. After I saw the banner, I discussed with several practitioners about how to get rid of it. Some practitioners were in favor of doing something about it, while others were opposed due to fear.

Finally, several practitioners and I made a decision: We are Teacher's disciples, so we by no means will allow such evil slogans to exist. That same night, we rubbed out the slogans with black ink. The banner was very high up, so we used a long wooden pole to reach it. We came back happy. The following day a practitioner saw that the black ink had been removed and the slogans were again in view. We went there again that night and painted over the slogans with red paint. We came back happy again. The third day, we saw that the officials had the slogans up again.

That same night we prepared again. This time we planned to burn it with gasoline and cloth. As we were approaching the spot, an idea suddenly came to my mind. We put down our tools and searched around to check if there was anything unusual. When another practitioner and I stood under the banner, we saw shadows that looked like seven people in the bushes nearby. I said to the practitioner in a low voice, "Keep calm. Let's walk back slowly." Later, another practitioner said he heard someone who was hiding there say, "Let's catch them," while another person said, "Hold on. Let's observe them for a while." We were very depressed and went back home.

The following day I discussed with several other practitioners about this matter. They said that I shouldn't go there in three days in a row, because the officials must have planned to arrest us. The practitioners suggested I wait for a while. No one was in favor of my going again or gave me any other suggestions. Upon returning home, I thought about it carefully and felt that we could not allow the evil to defame Teacher. Moreover, many people passed by that area every day and were being poisoned by those slogans.

I called the practitioners who had gone to erase the slogans with me previously. We discussed possible reasons for our failure. In our discussion, every practitioner said that he/she was not calm and had many human thoughts while erasing the slogans. We identified our shortcoming: We had regarded what we were doing as an ordinary thing. We hadn't adequately reflected how the evil elements in other dimensions were playing a role.

From then on, we paid more attention to sending forth righteous thoughts with our pure hearts and eliminating the evil elements and interference. We went again after sending forth righteous thought at midnight.

This time I stood about 40 meters away from the duty office, sending forth righteous thoughts to the person on duty inside, as fellow practitioners were obliterating the slogans with black paint. If the person on duty had looked up, he would have seen us immediately. He didn't look up, but sat there flipping through the newspaper. Finally he turned off the lights and went to bed.

As soon the slogans had been painted over, a police car hiding in the dark not far away sounded its alarm. I pushed my bike while sending forth righteous thoughts with one palm erect. I walked straight towards him. There was a policeman inside the car. He was sounding the alarm while patrolling a building close by. It seemed that he was trying to call his partner. When he saw me standing in front of his car, he tried to start the engine, but it just wouldn't started. He bent over the steering wheel and stared at me with fear in his eyes. We were at a standstill. I thought: "What am I doing here? Since fellow practitioners have left safely, I should go now." I rode my bike home.

Later those several practitioners told me that they had gone to a safe place and sent forth righteous thoughts to strengthen me. They said that I would be all right and come back safely for sure. The following day, the obliterated slogan had been covered with a piece of red cloth. When the wind blew off the cloth, the black paint showed and looked ugly. Several days later, they took down the banner along with the steel cable. Since then, they have never hung up anything else there.

From this event we all realized one point: we must stand up for the Fa principles while validating the Fa. Cooperation as one body will generate huge Fa power. Trying to solve the problem with human notions will only invite a great deal of trouble in ordinary society. Because all these things have been arranged by beings from higher levels, how can we solve these problems with human methods? Only by eliminating the evil elements in other dimensions can we truly safeguard Dafa.

Letting go of the attachments to fame, self-interest, and sentimentality

In this world of delusion, from time to time we unconsciously let up in Fa study and exercise practice. Wherever I work, I validate the Fa and clarify the truth about the wonder of Dafa and the cruel persecution of Falun Gong. However, as practitioners, we all know the importance of Fa study. If we study the Fa less, we won't assimilate ourselves into the Fa very well. As a result, we are subject to viewing things with human notions, which are easily taken advantage of by the evil. The manifestation of interference for such practitioners brings much trouble and renders time insufficient to validate the Fa.

My attachments to fame, self-interest, and sentimentality developed gradually, without my awareness. I am a chef. When others said that my cooking is good, I was quite pleased with myself even though my expression never changed. I developed an attachment of zealotry, but it was covered up by my surface ambivalence. People thought my xinxing was good, because I was not upset in the face of honor or disgrace. When others criticized my cooking, I felt awful and always tried to find an excuse to defend myself. Wasn't this an attachment of vanity? I didn't care how much money I spent on my good friends, but I did not feel well when I did so for a person who seemed unrelated to me. For a period of time, my xinxing level was very low in regard to such minor things, and my human attachments were very heavy, which prevented me from improving in cultivation.

When I recited the Fa very attentively, I identified at once my attachments to fame and self-interest as well as other attachments. How disgraceful these human thoughts are in the eyes of practitioners! When the Fa principles echoed in my mind, my heart was shaken. This time I truly identified these earthly, filthy things and had enough confidence to remove them.

Teacher said that many attachments come from sentimentality. Human beings live for this, while as practitioners, we should give it up. I noticed a very common phenomenon. Some male practitioners had a very serious attachment to lust. They often unconsciously looked at women up and down when they saw them pass by. I did not feel good about this. Sometimes I wanted to point it out, but I didn't do so for fear of putting them in the position of losing face. I felt even worse when I saw such things happen again and again.

One day, I suddenly looked within about this. Why did I see such things happen from time to time? Why did I feel bad about it? Why did I feel uncomfortable? Teacher taught us more than once to look within even when two other people have conflicts with each other. So why did I see this? I must have some attachments that should be removed. When I thought about this, I was awakened suddenly. I wondered: Did I have such an attachment? I dared not think any further when I realized this. Was I the same as an ordinary person? What would ordinary people think about Dafa practitioners if they knew I was such a person? All gods in the cosmos are watching everything on this tiny speck of dust in the cosmos. Was I undermining the sacred image of Dafa disciples?

Changing their human notions while getting along with family

My wife was very obedient before I practiced cultivation. If I said one thing, she didn't say the opposite. She became quite different after I started practicing Falun Dafa. From time to time she helps me improve my xinxing, especially in this Fa-rectification period. When I was arrested and held in the detention center, she was afraid. She knew that the CCPdefamed and slandered Dafa, but due to the intense pressure, she did not dare to oppose the CCP. Instead, she sought to persuade me to quit practicing. Despite this, I never wavered in my belief.

My wife knows that my belief in Dafa surpasses my concern for my life and everything. She supported me in distributing truth-clarification materials before I was arrested. But after I was released, she set a rule for me: "You can practice as you wish at home, but you cannot go out to distribute materials." One time she tore the materials into pieces while the practitioner who sent me the materials was at my home. That fellow practitioner felt very awkward and left. I didn't lose my temper at the time. It made my heart ache when I saw that practitioner hurt and the materials torn into pieces.

I calmed down and thought it over. I could not create an environment of cultivation at home by ordinary means. Instead, I would have to change my home environment by following the Fa, rectifying myself, and assimilating to Dafa. I should create an environment of saving sentient beings and validating the Fa. From then on I was strict with myself and practiced cultivation in an upright and dignified manner. In daily life, I considered my wife in every respect. In validating the Fa, I held righteous thoughts and nobody could interfere with me. The interference from my wife was vanishing, too. Finally, she never asked about it. However, sometimes we couldn't get along well in dealing with trivial things at home. Sometimes I was very angry. I was so angry that I myself was scared. It seemed that getting angry easily was my weakest point. I was like this for a long time. I tried to figure out the reason from the standpoint of Dafa: "Why am I always in such a state?" Finally I figured it out: It was the big exposure of my demon nature. Why did I have so much trouble and so many conflicts with my wife? Actually, Teacher was helping me get rid of my demon nature!

I am very friendly with others outside of our home. Why couldn't I tolerate my wife at home? I observed my own behavior and figured it out. Outside, I had to conduct myself with a high standard because I am a practitioner. But I was cultivating only my surface. I was so familiar with my wife that I didn't give her much thought and had taken our closeness for granted. That was the most truthful exhibition of my xinxing. I was so bad! My behavior at home and outside the home were not consistent! Because my xinxing had not truly improved, how could I transcend that state of cultivation?

After I saw through to my truthful xinxing level, I monitored my behavior strictly. When I ran into a conflict with my wife, I tried to control my emotions and recited Teacher's articles by heart. In the meantime, I looked within to identify my mistakes and human attachments. I looked within all the time. Gradually, our conflicts became fewer and fewer. My cultivation environment at home also improved. Of course I have never given up trying to guide her onto the path of cultivation. I definitely believe that Teacher will save her.

Letting go of human attachments in ordinary work

Since I graduated from school, I have worked everywhere. I learned cooking and changed my job frequently. Sometimes I worked in a state-owned company, sometimes in a privately-owned hotel. During the past several decades, the CCP has turned China into a world full of sin and venom. It's really difficult to be a good person. Before I practiced Falun Dafa, I was a typical kind of person, contaminated by the dark side of society. After I became a practitioner, merciful Teacher taught me the significance and goal of life. Teacher purified my soul, enlightened my righteous thoughts, and led me onto the path of return.

I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1995. I felt that I cultivated well within only several years. My xinxing level was very high at that time. I could lay down almost everything. However, since July 20, 1999, when the CCP started to persecute Falun Gong, also the time when the Fa-rectification was approaching, I found that many of my human attachments surfaced at work. For instance, in the dining hall of a state-owned company, ordinary people were concerned solely for self and often stole things from the company. When I saw this, I was not balanced. I felt that the supervisors should know that others were stealing from the company while I did not. I then felt that I deserved special attention and maybe be given some awards. When the company assigned benefits to employees, I thought that, since I had made the most effort, I should get the most. But others that didn't work got more benefits, and this upset me. When I was criticized by my supervisors, I felt very bad and resentful. I always felt that my work performance was excellent, but my supervisor was always critical of me. When my assistants didn't work well with me, I always criticized them severely and showed no tolerance.

While studying and reciting the Fa, I identified my shortcomings. I noticed that I always compared myself with others and with my own past, but I couldn't be strict and measure myself with the high standards of Dafa. These human attachments could not be seen from the surface. I didn't fight or quarrel with others, so nobody could figure out my problem. However, when I read the Fa and looked within, I found that all these human attachments tied me like cables and prevented me from reaching the state of practitioners during the Fa-rectification period, as Teacher requires of us.

As a Dafa practitioner, I should be serious about Dafa and myself. However, when these human attachments gradually developed, I was not even aware of them. I started to look within only when conflicts occurred frequently. Then it's too late because the image of Dafa practitioners has already been tarnished. Only when we are purified and stable-minded can we change our environment of cultivation and make people look at us with new eyes. That's our groundwork for saving sentient beings.

The above is my experience sharing about cultivation during the Fa-rectification period. If you find anything inappropriate, please point it out compassionately.