I started practising Falun Gong in 1997. I spent two nights finishing reading Zhuan Falun (Falun Gong's main text) for the first time. I thought, "Teacher was so right about how karmic retributions come swiftly!" I was having a hard time with a xinxing test at the time. I interpreted that xinxing test as paying off the karma I had created through doing bad things and bullying others. I returned home a week later from my boarding school. One day my mum was preparing to go out in a hurry after dinner. I asked her where she was going. "I am going to practice Falun Gong exercises in a park." "I am going with you!" That is how I started practising Falun Gong. I had just turned 18.
– The author
1. Beginning My Falun Gong Cultivation Practice
I majored in graphic design in college. It was a low-pressure major. Professors would give us six to eight weeks to complete a design. It usually took me one to two weeks to finish. Then I would use the rest of the time to study the Fa.
I would study the Fa on the bus or while sitting on my bed after dinner. I could finish about four lectures of Zhuan Falun a day. Sometimes I would even have time to study other Falun Gong books such as Essentials for Further Advancement. I would get up at 4 a.m. to do the Falun Gong exercises. I didn't want to disturb my roommates' sleep, so I would go out on the balcony to do the exercises. At first I was a bit scared because it was very quiet at night except for the sounds of the wind in the mountains and feral cats howling at night. Then I would remind myself that Teacher would protect me and I was no longer afraid. I would also do the exercises when I didn't have a class in the afternoon or when my classmates were napping. I have practised on top of the campus buildings, as well as in bamboo groves.
I was more diligent in studying the Fa because I was worried I might not pass the final test if I didn't study hard enough. I managed to memorize all of Teacher's articles, as well as Zhuan Falun. I made rapid progress in my cultivation practice as a result. I was a college student at the time, so most xinxing tests or Teacher's reminders usually took place in my dreams or during conflicts with my classmates. I had the habit of looking at Teacher's photo in Zhuan Falun. When I was more diligent, I felt Teacher smiling back at me. But when I failed to pass a test or maintain my xinxing, I found Teacher looking solemnly at me. I eventually realized that I mustn't be attached to my dreams, so I got rid of the habit of depending on Teacher's photo or my dreams. Teacher once blessed me with a celestial vision, a celestial hearing and the power of divination, but those capabilities were beyond my control. They disappeared swiftly.
2. Maturing While Validating Falun Gong
I was a sophomore when the Chinese Communist regime began to persecute Falun Gong. After I finished doing the exercises in a park on July 21, 1999, I heard another practitioner saying that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was about to persecute Falun Gong practitioners nationwide and that we must express our opinions. I decided to join them when they planned to go to the provincial government to peacefully appeal for Falun Gong!
a. Peacefully Appealing to the Provincial Government
Once at the provincial government office, we saw many practitioners standing orderly in lines on the pavement yet leaving enough space for people to pass. I joined the line and stood there quietly as well. Soon several large trucks arrived. A group of soldiers carrying rifles and shields got out of the trucks. They blocked both ends of the road and made a formation with their shields up facing us. I was terrified. Then I heard someone shouting, "Young practitioners, please stand up and shield the elderly ones and children behind you!" I was young, so I joined the other young practitioners and moved to the front. It was my first encounter with the government. I was trembling with fear, yet I told myself I must not step down. There were fellow practitioners behind me!
A soldier shouted via a microphone. I cannot remember anything he said. I only remember that after he shouted, the soldiers shouted slogans while moving towards us. They were very rough. They pulled us apart and dragged us away. They even pushed some practitioners down. This lasted for about 30 minutes. They took some practitioners away in cars. Next I saw many buses packed with practitioners leaving the scene. I didn't know what had happened. I got on a bus myself.
The bus took us to an elementary school playground where a group of police officers were waiting for us. Once there, they started interrogating us one by one. The policeman that interrogated me was later assigned to monitor Falun Gong practitioners in the area. We might have a predestined relationship. I kept on clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to him over the following years. He too has witnessed how Falun Gong practitioners have never given up being good people although they are persecuted for their belief. He once commented, "It is boring to monitor Falun Gong practitioners. I asked them to write a guarantee to practice Falun Gong only at home, but they wouldn't do it. We arrest practitioners every day, but they insist on practising Falun Gong. If I arrest a thief, I can arrest him in broad daylight. If I arrest a Falun Gong practitioner, I will be condemned. Did you really think I wanted to arrest Falun Gong practitioners?" He was eventually transferred to another department.
But back to the day he interrogated me at the elementary school. I suddenly remembered a poem in Hong Yin:
"Fame, gain, emotion—cultivate each away,
And ascend to the Firmament at Consummation,
See the human world with eyes of compassion,
Then are you freed from the spell of delusion."
("Success from Consummation" from Hong Yin)
All of sudden I realized that I would be "freed from the spell of delusion" as long as I maintained compassion. I immediately knew what to do.
I kept smiling kindly at him and answering his questions in a friendly manner. Yet he couldn't figure out what to ask me. It was not until an officer from the 610 Office came and yelled at him that he started asking for my name, address, and other personal information.
Teacher said,
"When an evil-minded person is thinking of something bad, this person might change his mind due to the powerful effect of your field; he might then no longer want to commit the wrongdoing. Perhaps a person wants to swear at someone. Suddenly, he may change his mind and will not want to swear. Only the energy field from cultivation practice in a righteous way can produce this effect. Therefore, in the past there was this saying in Buddhism: 'The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities.' This is what it means." (Zhuan Falun)
Perhaps my field had an impact on him and suppressed him from interrogating me.
As soon as I returned home, someone called for my dad and told him that my mum and I had gone to the provincial government. My dad was terrified and really admonished my mum and me. This is how I tried to safeguard Falun Gong for the first time.
b. Validating Falun Gong on Tiananmen Square
On July 22, 1999, all of the CCP's mouthpiece media, including TV, radio, and websites, started running hate propaganda against Falun Gong. They ran the propaganda around the clock. I felt terrible! While I was lying in bed, I suddenly felt Teacher gently pat my shoulder and tell me, "Persevere in your faith in Falun Gong!" Tears immediately flooded my face. I ran and told Mom what had just happened. I felt instantly clearheaded after Teacher's encouragement. Indeed! Falun Gong has done nothing wrong! I have done nothing wrong to believe in Falun Gong! I practice Falun Gong! What is there to be afraid of?
When I returned home again on October 22, 1999, Mum told me that the police officer assigned to watch us had just left. He had asked her, "Will you continue to practice Falun Gong? The government is about to classify Falun Gong as a cult!" I told her, "Mum, I am going to Beijing. I must speak up for Falun Gong." She agreed. I called a fellow practitioner and borrowed 3,000 yuan to pay for the trip. I hid my plan from my dad. (I went to a boarding school, so my dad thought I had decided to return to school early.) Several other practitioners and I bought train tickets to Beijing. I left for Beijing the next day for my first trip to Beijing to speak for Falun Gong. The weather in Beijing was particularly cold that October. The evening temperatures dropped below freezing. A few dozen practitioners shared accommodations in a house. They all came from different parts of China. There weren't enough beds, so we all slept on the floor. There weren't enough quilts, so we covered ourselves with our coats. I ran into Mr. Gao Xianmin from Guangzhou there, but I didn't expect that he would later die in police custody.
On October 27, 1999, we heard on the radio that Jiang Zemin, former chairman of the CCP, called Falun Gong a cult. We decided to go to Tiananmen Square the next day to speak up for Falun Gong.
The sky was clear on October 28. It was very cold. There were many police officers monitoring Tiananmen Square. Several practitioners and I decided to demonstrate the peaceful Falun Gong sitting meditation before the national flag of China. We had just sat down in meditation for a brief moment when the police approached us. "What are you doing? Aren't you practising Falun Gong? Arrest them all!" We were put in a police car and taken to a police station, where we were met up with many other practitioners. The police station was horrible. I kept hearing the sounds of policemen admonishing and beating practitioners. We waited for a long time before the police took us into a room. They asked us for our names, but we did not answer. They then told us to put our arms up and stand with our heads against the wall. They made us stand like that for a long time. But I didn't feel any pain. I even helped hold up an older lady on my right and a young lady about my age on my left.
After I was transferred back to Guangzhou, the police notified my parents to come pick me up. My dad was devastated. He showed up at the police station sobbing and crying. He begged me to give up Falun Gong. He told me that our family would fall apart if I don't give it up and that he didn't want to lose his wife or daughter. I felt so sad because I had never in my life seen my dad act like that. Yet I remembered that I practised Falun Gong and Teacher had done so much for me. I could not let Teacher down. I also remembered a story Teacher once told about a cultivator who lost his chance because he could not let go of his attachment to family. I could not ruin the chances for the sentient beings in my world on account of my father. I told my dad, "I must practise Falun Gong."
I prevailed over the test of sentimentality that day.
The police put my mum and me in separate cells in a detention centre the next day. I clarified the truth about Falun Gong to a drug addict. She had a dream that night of a beautiful bird perching in a tree. The detention centre is a closed environment. Despite whatever crimes they were in for, many inmates were very lucky to learn the truth about Falun Gong and began practising. They chose a great future for themselves during the most severe period of persecution against Falun Gong.
c. Maturing While Validating Falun Gong
I rarely had the chance to live at home for a few years following July 20, 1999. I spent a lot time in detention centres or guesthouses that were makeshift prisons for Falun Gong practitioners. I seized every opportunity to clarify the truth about Falun Gong to those who incarcerated and hurt us. They would yell at at us first, but once they understood what Falun Gong really is, they all ended up being friendly.
Once while I was incarcerated, I met a man and a woman who would not stop insulting Teacher and Falun Gong. They also complained that we wasted their vacation time. I pretended not to hear them and started conversing with another practitioner. I said, "Do you remember that one time So-and-so insulted Teacher and Falun Gong and ended up having the most terrible migraine? It was so painful that he had to stop the interrogation. There was another person who ..." All of sudden the man and the woman became quiet. I looked back at them only to find that their faces had turned grey. The other practitioner and I looked at each other and exchanged a smile. It worked! Before they left, they purposely showed us the record book. "See? We didn't write down anything. We only wrote, 'Everything was normal.' We have nothing to do with your detention here. We have done nothing."
Every time I faced persecution, I used the opportunity to clarify the truth. Oftentimes inspiration would come from nowhere. When my mentality was good, I found myself blessed with supernormal capabilities. One day I was arrested while doing the exercises in public with other practitioners. The police accused me of being the organizer. They put me in custody and began interrogating me. I had an audiotape with Falun Gong exercise music on it. I couldn't afford to have the police find it. I thought, "You will not see me with the tape!" I handed the tape to my mother right in front of the police, but they didn't see it. My mom took the tape home safely.
The first few years of the persecution were very tough. Yet I continued to study the Falun Gong books and conducted myself according to Falun Gong's teachings. I rectified myself when I identified a problem. In retrospect, I have completely transformed. Sometimes when I practised Falun Gong during those times, I could feel gong growing rapidly on top of my head.
d. Spreading Falun Gong for 30 Days in a Detention Centre
In July 1999, the police broke into our home and arrested me. They accused me of "planning" to go to Beijing to speak up for Falun Gong. Once in the police station, I was locked in a dark room so small that I couldn't stretch my arms out. I was locked inside for ten hours without food. I was not allowed to use a bathroom. Yet I was not scared. I did the exercises and recited the teachings of Falun Gong. I was allowed to use the bathroom at around 7 p.m. when my dad arrived at the police station, again sobbing and crying. He was allowed a quick glance before the police put me in a car to drive to a detention centre. When the police were waiting for the transfer to the detention centre, one officer commented while smoking, "Well, how do you feel about being in a detention centre for practising Falun Gong? You could have a good life. You were a college student, but you've now been expelled. Why do you want to practice Falun Gong? Once inside the detention centre, you will never get out." I responded, "I have done nothing wrong. Falun Gong is not a cult. It is you that are wrong to put me in a detention centre." He smirked. I thought, "Since I am sent here, I will spread Falun Gong here. I must conduct myself like a Falun Gong practitioner so that they will know what Falun Gong really is!"
There was a chain at the entrance to the detention centre. Usually the guards lifted the chain for the inmates to bend under and enter the door. I am a Falun Gong practitioner. I didn't think I should be treated like a criminal. I refused to comply. I said, "I am not a criminal. I did not commit any crime. I will not bend over." The guard looked at me in surprise and unhooked the chain. I walked with dignity into the detention centre. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep right away. I somehow sensed that everyone else had to take turns staying on watch. I didn't get a chance to ask. I slept through the night. That night I dreamed of taking care of a group of children. I realized that I should clarify the truth about Falun Gong as patiently as if I were teaching children.
I learned the next day that this was a place for "newbies." All inmates were sent here before being transferred to different cells. There was a high level of mobility. I saw inmates pointing and talking about me, but I ignored them. When I didn't get upset, they decided to approach me. A man who looked like a ringleader approached me. "What is so hard about lying to the authorities and writing a guarantee to stop practising Falun Gong? Why are you so stupid to risk jail time? We are supposed to be here because we have done bad things. You are so young. Why are you so foolish? If you want to be a good person, be a good person outside of jail. If the government does not let you practice Falun Gong in public, just practice at home secretly. They asked you to keep it inside your home. Why must you end up here?" Another inmate said, "Indeed. We were told yesterday you might commit suicide, so we had to take turns watching you. So much trouble for us!" I knew it was a good opportunity for me to clarify the truth. I said, "You really needn't watch me. I will never commit suicide. My Teacher has taught us that it is sinful to commit suicide. No Falun Gong practitioner will attempt suicide. I have been practising Falun Gong for many years. I have felt everything Teacher has taught us to be true. Teacher healed our illnesses and made us healthy. It is such a wonderful practice. How can we stay silent when it is wrongfully classified as a cult?"
I began promoting Falun Gong. I refused to comply with any regulations for inmates and won their respect. I refused to squat or memorize prison rules. I persevered in doing the exercises and reciting Falun Gong books. The inmates had enormous respect for me and would defer to me when they quarrelled. "Will you look at how good a Falun Gong practitioner is!" They made a birthday cake out of biscuits for my birthday. They even wrote on the cake and sang happy birthday for me. That was my 21th birthday. I still remember that birthday. A group of killers, bandits, and drug dealers celebrated my birthday in a detention centre! They must have gone out of their way to do this for me because they respected me for the way I conducted myself as a genuine Falun Gong practitioner.
I was transferred to another cell because I refused to comply with the prison rules. Yet I knew the actual reason was that it was time for me to clarify the truth to inmates in another cell. There were few people here because it was a cell for inmates with highly communicable diseases. There was a woman in her 50s and a young lady. The first evening there, the young lady would stop me as soon as I started doing the meditation. "It's a cult! Don't practise it!" I replied, "It is not a cult!" Then she ignored me. I thought, "I will do it tomorrow."
I got up the next day and did the exercises next to the bathroom. The young lady looked at me on her way to the bathroom. I thought, "If you try to touch me, I will clarify the truth to you." I was surprised that she just looked at me and didn't say anything. She returned to sleep. I was puzzled.
After she woke up, she approached me and said, "You may do the exercises. I feel much better when you practice Falun Gong here. I won't stop you any more." I asked her why. She said, "I used to dream about being chased and killed every night. After you got here, I dreamed about soaring in the sky! I even dreamed of the Monkey King and Monk Xuanzang (also known as Tang Sanzang or Tang Tripitaka Master)." I asked to describe her dream in details. She said, "I dreamed of Monk Xuanzang riding a white horse and his disciples travelling on a radiant trail that began with a radiant ladder. It was so radiant that I hid in a hole in a tree by the road. Monk Xuanzang told me to hurry up and catch up. I told him that the ladder was too bright for me and asked him to dim the light a little. Once the monk dimmed the light, I got on the ladder. Once on the ladder, I was able to fly. I flew in the sky. I was so happy!" I knew immediately it was Teacher's hint for her to practice Falun Gong. I grabbed her hands excitedly and said, "Congratulations! My Teacher was giving you a hint to practice Falun Gong! It was His arrangement for me to come here to help you start!" She considered it and then said, "Okay!"
She was very predestined. I made use of all our free time to teach her the Falun Gong exercises. I also wrote down Falun Gong articles that I had memorized. I also recited Zhuan Falun for her. But I told her, "Because we are in very special circumstances, what I share with you is what I remember and understand about Zhuan Falun. Once you get out of here, you must get a copy of Zhuan Falun and study it yourself!" For ten days in that cell, I taught her the five exercises and prompted her to memorize many Falun Gong articles. We are about the same age, so we addressed each other as sisters. Teacher would give her hints in many different ways. For example, she would dream about taking examinations. Teacher would also give her hints to follow Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and let go of the attachments to fame, self-interest, and sentimentality. She would tell me every morning what she dreamed of the previous night. I would share with her my understanding of Falun Gong's teachings. Once she understood it, she would apply it right away. She made rapid progress. After that, even if she dreamed about being hunted, Teacher would appear and protect her. She continued to dream about flying. She would even wake up with a smile. Several times the articles I recited for her were almost found by prison guards. It was a close shave each time!
I was often interrogated. Each time she saw the prison guard calling for me, she looked worried. I always comforted her, "It will be okay. I am a Falun Gong practitioner. Teacher is watching over me. There is no need to worry. I will be all right." Sometimes I would relate what went on during the interrogations, particularly what they asked and how I responded. We both upgraded our cultivation level through such exchanges. I felt very gratified watching the new practitioner make rapid progress each day. Teacher is so compassionate. He does not leave any predestined person behind. Teacher will find ways to find them and offer them salvation.
One day the middle-aged woman asked the young lady, "She practices Falun Gong. Teacher will take her with Him when she reaches Consummation. I will soon be transferred to prison. (She had been sentenced to death with probation as a long-term drug dealer. She would soon be transferred to prison.) How about you?" The young lady considered, "I will be all right. I thought about it. I didn't kill anyone. I will be sentenced to two years of prison at most. Once I serve my time, I will go find another Falun Gong practitioner and get a copy of Zhuan Falun. Then I will start a fruit stand. Don't worry. I have Teacher watching over me. No need to worry." She had been practising Falun Gong for only ten days in such a tough environment, yet she manifested so much faith in Falun Gong! I was very moved. It is true that late starters catch up fast!
After the young lady learned the five exercises and memorized some of Teacher's articles I had recited for her, I was transferred to another cell. There I continued to promote Falun Gong and clarify the truth. Every inmate came to me and told me what was on their mind. I would provide my understandings based on Falun Gong's teachings and advise them to stop doing bad things or else karmic retribution would await them. I told them that in this life or the next we will reap what we sow. They were all very impressed that I, only in my 20s, could help solve their problems. It was all because I practised Falun Gong.
One day while everyone else was watching TV, I sat in a corner to recite Zhuan Falun and Teacher's articles. All of sudden I could no longer hear any noise from the TV or any chitchatting. I heard only my own voice reciting the Fa. It was then a prison guard knocked on the window and notified me that it was time for me to go home. I returned home after 30 days in the detention centre.
3. A New Cultivation Environment
I immigrated to the United States in 2006. I didn't know any local Falun Gong practitioners, so I called The Epoch Times. Once I found fellow practitioners, I started distributing The Epoch Times newspaper, attending Falun Gong experience-sharing conferences, and attending peaceful protests against the persecution of Falun Gong in front of the Chinese consulate. I had finally returned to a cultivation community. I even met our revered Teacher for the very first time at the Falun Gong experience-sharing conference in New York in 2008!
I joined The Epoch Times' sales and marketing department last year. It was the best decision I made last year. I get to work with fellow practitioners. When we talk, we share our understandings on the Fa. When we have conflicts, we all know we need to identify our own problems and upgrade our xinxing. The greatest benefit is that I can attend activities organized by fellow practitioners any time I want. I do not earn less because I changed careers. I realized that it was a notion that fame and wealth can only be obtained via “regular” work. If we believe in such a notion, then it will become the truth through our powerful will.
Take the education exhibit in Los Angeles last year as an example. We hardly had enough exhibitors before August. Another media hosted a similar event at the same time and it was held a week before our exhibit! We started to send forth righteous thoughts together. We tried to cooperate with each other the best we could. We ended up having enough exhibitors in three weeks. Our event was successful.
Teacher said,
"Whether you’ve done well or not; whether or not you’ve been susceptible to being persecuted; whether or not you’ve handled things correctly and to what degree you have been persecuted—all of this is directly connected to how you have walked your path and how you have thought about things." ("What is a Dafa Disciple")
I realized that we were able to attain success because we reinforced our righteous thoughts and cooperated with each other unconditionally. Once we attained the state required of Falun Gong practitioners, we were able to prevail over all interference. All ended well because our minds were right.
I have a bad temper. But Teacher said,
"Someone says: 'It’s really hard to be tolerant, and I’ve got a bad temper.' If your temper is not good, you should change it, for a practitioner must be tolerant." "It is to see how you will deal with this issue and whether you can endure it. If you can tolerate it and yet it preys on your mind, it is still not good enough." ("People with Great Inborn Quality" in Lecture Nine of Zhuan Falun)
For the sake of reminding myself to control my temper, I wrote in a place only I could see, "Do not seek fame. Do not fight over self-interest. Do not lose my temper. Do not forget why I have come here."
I wrote them so that I could constantly remind myself. When I felt I could not pass a test, I would look at these words. Now I can restrain myself from saying things I might regret later when I run into a situation. I might be in the right, but the words might hurt fellow practitioners. Venting my feelings might make me feel slightly better instantly, but it would have a long-term impact on our working relationship. If I endure it at the time, I will feel nothing after a while.
I also found that every Falun Gong practitioner, regardless of his or her age or status, is very proud and better than others. Perhaps I think so because I am very proud. On the other hand, we have all been kings in different heavenly paradises at different times and we may have been kings in different times in history. The pride of a king might be deeply embedded in our bones.
Teacher said,
"Let me tell you, no matter how well you've cultivated, as long as you still have everyday people's attachments, those are what demons can use, and when you're not paying attention they can be used at any moment. So as a Dafa disciple, you should try your best to restrain those everyday people's attachments, try your best to prevent them from having an effect, try your best to walk a righteous path, and try your best, in all environments and with everything that happens, to conduct yourself in an open and dignified manner, to be tolerant and broad-minded, to be able to understand others, and to be able to consider all perspectives. Then, I think you might be able to do a lot of things well. Acting this way is not compromising!" ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston" from Teaching the Fa at the Conference II)
Teacher said,
"When you are working together and experience friction, it is because of human attachments. That is part of one’s cultivation state and process, and absolutely not because someone is truly no good." ("What is a Dafa Disciple")
I realized that we should learn to be more humble. We should learn to think from each other's perspectives and be more considerate in order to cooperate with each other better, to avoid being exploited by the old forces and to assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification. Nowadays I can usually maintain my xinxing in the face of a conflict and handle things calmly and with rationally.
4. Promoting Shen Yun brings about great gains
One day I heard some practitioners talking about another practitioner who didn't share experiences, and rarely attended activities. They called those types of practitioners, "practitioners who don't step forward." They also said that they're probably the next batch of Dafa disciples. At that moment I figured, “Ah, so I was previously counted as a practitioner who doesn't step forward.'"
Last year, I really was genuinely involved in the promotion of Shen Yun. In the process of promoting Shen Yun I found that on the surface it was what we Dafa disciples felt obligated to do. We went everywhere distributing pamphlets, setting up promotional booths, and promoting Shen Yun through various channels. According to an everyday person, we were superb! In actuality, cultivators don't pursue worldly loss and gain, and what we gain doesn't manifest in this dimension. Just take me as an example, in promoting Shen Yun I've really gained a tremendous amount.
Firstly, I enlightened to a higher meaning of "The Buddha Fa is boundless." And that is, higher level energy can restrict all lives at lower levels. A Buddha, to the lower level beings, has boundless Fa power and has unlimited ways of doing things. However, it must be that the xinxing criteria and mighty virtue reach that level. Such power is acquired once the xinxing and mighty virtue reach that high a level. Teacher said,
"Dafa disciples go about their lives alongside ordinary people as part of the illusory ordinary society, and are really susceptible to drifting along with the tide in their way of thinking, at least in some regards. If you can’t manage to conduct yourselves according to Dafa when you do things, can’t manage to think things over with righteous thoughts, or are not on the Fa in dealing with problems, then you are an ordinary person. There isn’t any difference, then. Your appearance is ordinary, the setting in which you lead your life is ordinary, and your job is ordinary. Even if you are involved in Dafa disciples’ projects, in the heavens above there are no such things as television stations, nor do gods have newspapers. Those are forms in ordinary human society. If you don’t use righteous thoughts to guide yourself, and if you cannot manage to conduct yourself and look at the world and others according to the standard of a cultivator, like a Dafa disciple does, then you are the same as an ordinary person." ("What is a Dafa Disciple")
I enlightened that everyday people facing other everyday people have no restrictive power. If one wants to have restrictive power when dealing with everyday people, it's a requirement to arrive at the xinxing standard at a level higher than that of everyday people – the xinxing standard of Dafa disciples. So, if you bump into a certain difficulty, it's certain that you have a problem. Once you finds the reason, enlighten to it, and correct yourself, then you will definitely be able to overcome the difficulty. That is because, at that moment, we're not at the same level as everyday people. Our one thought acts as a restrictive force on that everyday person.
Once when meeting with a client, I had prepared in advance all the materials. In addition to promoting Shen Yun and discussing the advertisement, I had also prepared to clarify the truth. Just as I was exiting the highway, I heard a loud sound of grinding metal. At the time I didn't take much notice and just continued to drive, exiting the highway and turning onto a main road. Just as I was turning right onto the main road I saw a large SUV in my rearview mirror come speeding down the highway. If I had turned left at that moment, the SUV would have crashed directly into me! The first thing I did was put my hands together in heshi and thank Master for protecting me! Afterwards I thought, “I've come to promote Shen Yun, not to do my own thing. That car was definitely arranged by the old forces to interfere with me. If they wanted to use an SUV to crash into me, then that indicates that the thing I'm doing is guaranteed to succeed and have very good results!” As expected, I was successful when discussing the advertisement and even sold them ten tickets worth $100 each. I even clarified the truth as well! I was clear: we have Master's fashen watching over everything along with various other righteous gods protecting us. What we do will be successful as long as our thoughts are righteous!
There's another thing that truly allowed me to realize the mighty power of righteous thoughts.
On that occasion when I went to meet the client, we talked about promoting Shen Yun. Due to my having another appointment that same day, I arranged to spend 30 minutes with that client. I wanted to discuss everything I needed to within 30 minutes, then leave. However, when I arrived at the client's place, the client was in a meeting with his boss. I waited for 10 minutes and thought, “This is not right, he needs to come out right away. I don't have the time to wait!” I started to send forth righteous thoughts. My heart felt a bit unsteady. I then thought that the Fa-rectification verses Master taught us have the mighty power of Fa. They definitely have power! My righteous thoughts instantly strengthened. After a minute the door opened. My client was the one who opened the door and the first thing she said was: "Hey, Janice, how are you doing!?" I was really excited and said, "Good! Good!" I had achieved what I needed to, so of course I was good!
After a smooth meeting with the client I was back on the highway. I noticed a car tailgating me, making me feel very uncomfortable. I then sent forth righteous thoughts: "The Fa rectifies the cosmos, the evil is completely eliminated! Don't follow me!" After a few seconds, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the car behind me suddenly cut across four lanes of traffic and start driving up the car pool lane. I was extremely happy! That day I once again enlightened to the Fa. Once again I finished what I set out to do and felt that I was so fortunate!
5. Persist in safeguarding the Fa, becoming a guardian in the new universe
Recently I discovered something that allowed me to deeply understand a certain principle.
Because I previously studied design, I sometimes design advertisements myself. One of my clients had email problems and couldn't receive any messages. I had no way to send her the advertisement to review and had to bring my iPad in so she could see it. After a few times, I felt that this was troublesome. The client was very nice and said, "Janice, I reckon it's pretty good, no need to worry."
On the day the newspaper was printed, I added one sentence to that advertisement. I thought, "Ah, it was done pretty well, not bad. Anyway, the client can't receive emails, so I don't need to send it to her. Just print it." A bit after 7 o'clock I dialled my client's phone number accidentally when I was driving. So I told her that I had added an extra sentence to the advertisement. I then said proudly, "By adding that extra bit, the effect of your ad will definitely be even better!" Who would know that once the client heard that she would answer straight away, "No! That extra sentence must be deleted, it absolutely cannot be published! It absolutely cannot be published!" When I heard that, I was dumbfounded. It was already past 7 o'clock. I could only call the practitioner responsible for the layout and ask her to delete that extra sentence. But the practitioner who answered said she didn't have the software to change it. I took the wrong exit off the highway and ended up lost in a small neighbourhood. I was turning left and right as I told the practitioner, "Can you give me an hour? Or 30 minutes?" That's because I wanted to go home to edit the advertisement myself and send it to her again anew. The practitioner said, "I can't allow you any more time. If we decide the advertisement can't be published, then we'll just take it off!"
I knew that making the decision myself to add that extra sentence was wrong, but I didn't enlighten to exactly why it was wrong. After I hung up, I said to Master, "Master, I made a mistake. I know I'm wrong. I won't do such a thing again." After thinking that, I found the right road and left the small neighbourhood. However, I was once again lost on the main streets. I thought, “Where, exactly, am I wrong?” As I was starting to feel really anxious, I suddenly thought that my trying to take matters into my own hands was not a minor issue! It's the old forces who are presumptuous and think they can casually manipulate what Master has arranged in the Fa-rectification. And thus they've made all sorts of their own arrangements at all levels amidst the Fa-rectification. They wrongly thought that they can just manipulate what Master has planned to achieve what they want for themselves, thus becoming an enormous impediment to Master's Fa-rectification. I further enlightened that behind that presumptuousness is concealed selfishness. This is the trait of lives from the old universe, and it is the number one cause that brings about the conditions of generation-stasis-degeneration-elimination. In the new universe there is none of this. If one wants to become a being in the new universe, “selfishness,” must be cultivated away!
I thought about before when I wanted to bypass a rule that was put forth by the Dafa Association. I finally realized this today. Since it's a rule that has already been laid down, as a Dafa disciple, I should just unconditionally follow it and cooperate, and that's how a Dafa disciple should be. Otherwise, today I have numerous reasons to raise other demands, and tomorrow I'll have other excuses to discard the rules made by the Association. Will I be able to consummate with this mentality of taking advantage of a loophole? No. I cannot take advantage of any loopholes of the Fa if I am to become a life in the new universe! Otherwise, how can I become a guardian in the new universe?!
Teacher said,
"Since you're doing Dafa cultivation, everything should be the most magnificent and the purest. None of the things we do are just about your personal cultivation. We have to also consider the Fa, and we have to consider the new beings of the future, and, at the same time, we have to consider the form of beings in the future. Because you're laying a foundation for them, the path we take has to be righteous. Whatever you do today, the future people will remark, 'That's how Dafa disciples did it back then,' so we can see that many things are major." ("Fa-lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.")
Once I finally became clear on where I was mistaken, I found my way back onto the highway.
As I was driving I was crying. In order for me to enlighten to this principle, Master made many arrangements.
Teacher said,
"When you seek to save the world’s people, you try to get them to awaken so that you can save them. Well, you too need to get clear, to wake up. It’s a problem if you forget about your cultivation because of doing too many things. You are cultivators. I’m not talking about your past, what you once were, or what you display on the surface. I am talking about your core and the meaning of your life, the responsibility you shoulder, and your historic mission. Only thus are you truly a Dafa disciple." ("What is a Dafa Disciple")
Since I obtained the Fa at 18 years old, my life has been arranged for cultivation. There are no coincidences, and the path has been meticulously arranged by Master so I may consummate! Those lives that obtain Dafa are the most fortunate. To become one of Master's disciples is something that is envied by lives throughout the whole universe!
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