Greetings Master!
Greetings fellow practitioners! I am a new practitioner who began to practise Falun Gong in 2004. Let me take the opportunity of this sacred conference to share my cultivation experiences with you all.
How I started to practise
I first came into contact with Falun Dafa in the summer of 1999, when I received a copy of Master's Zhuan Falun. Five years later I started to truly cultivate. It took a long time.
Perhaps my predestined relationship was not ripe yet, or was hampered by my enlightenment quality. I put down Zhuan Falun after reading just one chapter. I had been living for human sentimentality and did not want to let it go. Although I felt it was a very good book, it seemed far away from me and didn't belong to me.
That same year my husband and I broke up. I put all of my feelings on my daughter. I hoped she would be a loyal, dutiful daughter, but the reality was just the opposite. My daughter felt greatly burdened, and I felt very tired of life too.
Fortunately, the Dajiyuan (Chinese Epoch Times) newspaper opened new horizons for me and inspired me to new ways of thinking. What I liked most was its section of "Reflections on Life" and it inspired me a lot. I started to think about life and reflected on myself. The newspaper also gave me the opportunity and a way to know more about Falun Dafa and Falun Gong. I learnt why Falun Gong was persecuted and the truth of the so-called "self-immolation." Four or five years passed, during which the Dajiyuan newspaper and website kept providing me with new information and provided new energy to my life. It also planted a seed for the beginning of my study of the Falun Gong teachings, or the Fa.
One day I said sincerely to a friend, "I really admire Falun Gong. I would like to do something for them. After I retire, I will adopt those Falun Gong orphans whose parents were persecuted to death."
Perhaps Master saw my thoughts. When I returned to China for a visit in 2003, I had the opportunity to meet some Falun Dafa practitioners. They explained the Fa to me and clarified the truth. Their peacefulness and kindness moved me. I felt the power of compassion. After returning to the USA I picked up Zhuan Falun again. At that time, the Dajiyuan website started to publish the series, Zenon's "Coming for You." Deeply moved by the story, I sensed a cultivator's world. Zenon is a Westerner who told his cultivation story. His comprehension of Truth-Compassion-Tolerance was so beautiful. He also described the experience of 36 Western practitioners going to Beijing's Tiananmen Square "for the Chinese people." Their heroic act showed me the power of Dafa. Suddenly it occurred to me: Isn't Truth-Compassion-Tolerance what I had been looking for? What was I waiting for? I had no reason not to practice. I thus began my Fa cultivation. I thank Master for His compassionate salvation.
The moment I decided to truly practice, I felt my body lighten and had a sense of joy. I studied the Fa and did the exercises, feeling energetic, even if I did not sleep. Miraculously, without experiencing any major reaction in karma elimination, my migraine headaches that had tormented me for over 20 years disappeared. So did the protrusion of my lumbar disc, insomnia and my stomach troubles. I seemed to have become a new person.
I became energetic after I started my cultivation and took it upon myself to participate in activities to expose the persecution. But to the inner meanings of the Fa, such as what the Fa is and how to practice, I didn't know much in the beginning. I gradually improved my understanding through the Fa study.
In April of 2004, two months after I began studying the Fa I went to New York and attended a Fa experience-sharing conference. Having the good fortune to see Master for the first time and listen to Him, I was extremely moved. Unfortunately I did not understand what Master talked about, but only looked at Master and cried, while being encircled by the energy of peace and compassion.
I knew I had just started the practice and had a lot of catching up to do. Returning from the New York conference, I printed out all of Master's lectures, earlier ones and recent ones. Every day, after reading Zhuan Falun, I would read Master's articles. Sometimes, I even spent all night in reading. A month later I could understand Master's new lectures. Whenever I studied the Fa calmly, Master would show me a new layer of the Fa truth. My level has also improved. I changed; my mind became broader. Many conflicts in my life and attachments in my minds were resolved.
I let go of my attachments to sentimentality. Understanding the karmic relationship among people from the standpoint of Fa principles, I abandoned my strict expectations for my daughter, but saw her as one of the sentient beings to be saved. I continued to care for her, and also clarified the truth to her and told her about the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). My daughter understands the truth of Dafa and supports what I do. A month ago she called and told me she was promoted half a year ahead of time, receiving a large raise. I encouraged her and congratulated her. She replied soberly, "Actually, I did not do anything. My life has been smooth these past two years. I think it has to do with your cultivation in Dafa! Your practice has brought me blessings. "I asked her if she really thought so. She said, "Yes!" I told her, "This is true: One person practises the whole family benefits, as Master has said. If you really think so, why don't you read Zhuan Falun?" She said she had finished reading half of it. I put down the telephone and, with tears in my eyes and thanked Master.
The Divine Power of Righteous Thoughts
"Study the Fa, clarify the truth, and send forth righteous thoughts"--these are the three things Master requires us to do well. When I initially sent righteous thoughts, I did not read carefully the instructions on the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. I had my right hand erect and recited the verses over and over. After some time, my human notions cropped up and I stopped getting up early in the morning, thinking as a new practitioner it was ok for me to miss once in a while. So, without any sense of unease, I slept through.
One morning, in deep sleep, I dreamt that scorpions, centipedes and other worms were crawling all over my bed. I woke up suddenly, in a cold sweat. Looking at the clock, it was five minutes before the time to send righteous thoughts. I understood that Master was reminding me, letting me see that my dimensional field was unclean and occupied by evil things. I had not done well the three things Master had asked us, and felt really ashamed.
After the Nine Commentaries of the Communist Party was published, I cleaned my home of all things related to the evil CCP's influences. The only thing that remained were the CCP's newspapers, which belonged to my ex-husband (due to financial reasons, we still live in the same house). I did not know whether or not I had the right to throw them away. I repeatably clarified the truth to him but no avail.
Several months ago I shared my thoughts with fellow practitioners. They said it depended on whether I wanted to save him. These words awakened me: Didn't we say we want to save people? He is also a sentient being. Why would I hesitate to save him? I must save him. I threw away all the newspapers. Because it was a newspaper that came in daily, I threw away every copy that arrived. Strangely, a couple of weeks passed before he realised it. Finally he asked me, "Where are my newspapers?" I told him that I had thrown them away. He said, "What? Is this Truth-Compassion-Tolerance?" I said it was. I used an example: "If a blind person is about to swallow a bowl of poison, a God or Buddha would break the bowl. Don't you think it is Truth-Compassion-Tolerance?" I told him the newspaper was harming him, and I had to help. He became silent. Since I had to go out, I said I would speak with him later.
I affirmed this intention and started to send righteous thoughts, to clean away all evil in his dimensional field. When I returned to the house in the evening, he greeted me cheerfully, "Hey, the Dafa practitioner is back. You should eat!" He had prepared a meal that I liked. This only happened a few times in my life. It was as if the conversation in the morning did not happen. I knew it was Dafa that had harmonised everything, and righteous thoughts had carried divine power.
I continued to send righteous thoughts to prevent the evil Party's newspaper from coming into the house--into my space. I asked for the paper's circulation system to become confused or collapse. With this intention, that evil newspaper has stopped coming into my mailbox for three months now. Two weeks ago, I received the only copy of it that was wrinkled and had a big hole on it as if it had been burned. I thought Master is perhaps showing me the divine power of righteous thoughts. I realised how important it is to send righteous thoughts.
I have not practised Dafa for long, but have experienced many of Dafa's miracles, which I will not recount here. Only if we do well the three things Master requires can we be responsible to Dafa and Master.
Spreading the Nine Commentaries, helping people to quit the CCP , and saving the sentient beings
After the publication of the Nine Commentaries, I understood that distributing and disseminating the Nine Commentaries and helping people to quit the CCP is the best way to save the sentient beings. I volunteered at the Global CCP Resignation Centre and opened a CCP resignation hotline. To help more people know of the Nine Commentaries and learn the truth, I started to work on a large scope. I put the Nine Commentaries in libraries, restaurants, and supermarkets in Madison and the surrounding area. I also put out Nine Commentaries posters and handed flyers to people. To help Chinese people secure a bright future, I visited all the area's Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and some Chinese clinics.
I faced many challenges initially. Numerous people in Chinese restaurants were unconcerned. They often refused to listen, saying they were "busy" or "it has nothing to do with me." A small number of people's minds were deeply poisoned by the CCP propaganda. As soon as they heard I was a volunteer for the Epoch Times they became angry. Some said very harsh words. My mind remained calm and I was not moved, but I also did not know what to do.
Through weekly Fa study and sharing at the CCP Resignation Centre I found my xinxing problem. Although I was distributing the Nine Commentaries and clarifying the truth, I did not treat people as sentient beings to be saved. I focused on doing things on the surface, but my mind was not compassionate enough. I gave up when everyday people did not understand. Also, I had not studied the Nine Commentaries well, so could not explain key points.
Having found my problem, I repeatably listened to the Nine Commentaries, remembering the key passages. Then I used a compassionate mindset to speak with people, approaching things from different angles when speaking with different people. I quickly had breakthroughs. I paid several visits to those people who were more deeply lost, contacting them whenever I had the opportunity. Each time I saw that the negative elements behind them had lessened, and their faces also changed "from cloudiness to sunshine." Many people changed from rejection to acceptance, from refusing to hear to carefully listening. Some also asked for copies of the Nine Commentaries for friends.
I realised that as long as we follow the Fa requirements and conduct ourselves with the mindset of offering sentient beings salvation, the knowing side of ordinary people will sense and accept it. Master has said,
"Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master. " (Zhuan Falun)
As long as we follow the requirement of the Fa, Master's law bodies and Buddhas, Daos and Gods in other dimensions will help us.
Not long ago a new Chinese supermarket opened up in Madison. I went there with copies of the Nine Commentaries and the newspaper, hoping they would place ads in our newspaper. I went a few times but did not get their contract. On a snowy day I went there again. As soon as I stepped in the door the manager greeted me, "Lucy, I am going to sign the contract with you today. Do you know why?" He continued, "See, you have brought several customers to my store, so I know Falun Gong will surely bring me good fortune." I smiled, knowing that Master's law bodies were helping me.
Every time I had recently gone there to deliver the newspapers, the manager would ask me to leave more copies. He said, "With your newspaper, our business is getting better." I was so happy for him, knowing that he would have a beautiful future.
These are some of my cultivation experiences. I ask fellow practitioners to point out any incorrect realisations.
* * *
You are welcome to print and circulate all articles published on Clearharmony and their content, but please quote the source.