What I have learned from my cultivation

Today, I would like to share with you my experiences in Fa rectification cultivation. It was in June of 2004 that I moved to London with the thought of participating in the twenty four hour peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy, in addition to helping distribute the Chinese Epoch Times newspaper. At that time, we did not have as many newspapers as we do today. By using knapsacks and a cart, several practitioners could manage to take the newspapers to China Town.

With Fa-rectification pushing forward, the English Epoch Times was born in March of 2005. I was responsible for taking the newspapers to China Town every Wednesday. At the beginning, the Chinese Epoch Times not only had difficulties in manpower, material resources and finance, but also in the distribution of the newspapers. At that time, there was only one newspaper box. With Epoch Times in English being published, it was easily seen that the number of newspapers distributed in China Town was not enough. So we put five newspaper boxes on the main street of China Town: in a Chinese library, two companies selling phone cards and two restaurants.

By doing so, Epoch Times became a free newspaper whose distribution was the biggest in China Town. But slowly I was neglecting to study the Fa and was busy with Dafa work every day. As I did not improve in studying the Fa, I was often interfered with by the evil. While distributing newspapers, if I failed to have enough righteous thoughts, my attachment of seeking comfort would turn out. I would be interfered with by conventional thinking: I was feeling that distributing newspapers was too hard, and asking why some other practitioners did not turn up to do it. It was often at this time that the newspapers went very slowly and I did not care much about who took the newspapers. I was controlled by my selfishness which had formed in the society of every people. Later I realised that I could not do Dafa work well by basing my Fa validation activities on my personal attachments.

With spreading “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” widely, Fa rectification has entered a new period – quitting the party and its associated organisations has become a key step for sentient beings. To save more people, we needed to put newspapers into the boxes in China Town every day. This was another test for me. Besides Wednesday, I had to deliver the newspapers to China Town every other day too. Without a vehicle, I could do nothing but walk to China Town on foot with a cart. With Master’s strengthening and my improvement in cultivation, I did not back down because this was what Fa rectification needed. Sometimes when I was in the Fa, the process of delivering newspapers was one in which I was full of righteous thoughts for saving sentient beings. Sometimes when I was attached to something, the process of delivering newspapers was one in which my human notions became stronger. In fact, Master has made good arrangements for us, but Dafa disciples must walk the path themselves. Before long, buses going to China Town were replaced with bigger more spacious buses. So I went and delivered newspapers to China Town twice a day.

The process of cultivation for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments. Difficulties resulted from my application for asylum and difficulties in my life lasted for such a long time that I felt as if I was cultivating with my admitting the persecution from the evil. Although I did the three things, I had not made any breakthroughs. With studying the Fa and continuing to look inward, I was getting to know the principles of the Fa. Actually, the fundamental cause was that much human thinking of mine was not eliminated, and my cultivation did not reach the standard required by the Fa.

I found that my fundamental attachment was the heart of pursuit and it lasted for a very long time. I had a heart of pursuit when I walked into Dafa cultivation. I cultivated because of a longing for something in the world which hid in the bottom of my heart and badly interfered with me while I was studying the Fa. It prevented me from seeing the Fa principles. As a result, I was always feeling that cultivation was too hard. I was determined to remove this fundamental attachment which stopped me from really stepping forward in cultivation. In Unimpeded from Hongyin II, Teacher said:

“The paths of cultivation are varied
But none is outside the Great Law
When one is attached to nothing,
The path underfoot is naturally smooth

After removing the fundamental attachment, I did not feel that my path of cultivation was that difficult any more. The old forces took advantage of another attachment of mine that was not eliminated and I was nearly deported to China by the Home Office in February 2006. The heart of lust is a dead pass for a practitioner, which is also what the old forces attach most importance to. I looked inward and found that such a thing happened to me because of my heart of lust. The evil is all-pervasive – it will take advantage of my loopholes if I don’t remove them, and with these, it will interfere with me when validating the Fa and saving sentient beings. Why did the Three Realms come into existence and why were the sentient beings born in this period of time? The sentient beings are all waiting to be saved. Helping Master with Fa rectification and saving sentient beings is the fundamental purpose of our Dafa disciples coming to the world.

From then on, I often went and distributed newspapers in China Town. I have realised that as long as we have a heart of compassion and saving sentient beings, Master will arrange for those who have a predestined relationship to come to us. No matter where I was, during the process of distributing newspapers, on buses or in China Town, I would try to persuade sentient beings to quit the party, and most of them declared that they would quit. I have read “Nine Commentaries” and “Disorganising the Party’s Culture” many times. When I was clarifying the truth to sentient beings, sometimes it was easy for them to understand. Chinese people from mainland China are seriously poisoned by the Party Culture – it is not easy for them to accept the truth, and we may need to clarify the truth to them many times before they can be saved.

The media plays a very important role in saving sentient beings in Fa rectification. The old forces are preventing our media from getting the finances it needs. Master also said that he hopes our media can enter a positive cycle. Practitioners in many countries have participated in newspaper distribution. It was last October that I took part in selling Epoch Times advertising space. I have no experience in sales and my English is not good enough. At the beginning, I just learned from other practitioners who have experience in this field. After listening to experience sharings from other practitioners, I gradually sold some advertisements but I think what I have done is far from what the Fa requires us to do.

Doing sales also involves improvement in cultivation. Many human notions have emerged, such as pursuing fame and gain, the attachment of zealotry, jealousy and the mentality of showing off. As long as I pursued the result, I spent a lot time thinking how to get an advertisement from a client and forgetting to save sentient beings by clarifying the truth. Sometimes my clarifying the truth was done without the proper heart, as if just finishing a task. One time, a service centre for studying abroad had already signed a three month contract with us. Because of pressure from the evil, the centre stopped its advertisement in the Epoch Times. At that time, while clarifying the truth, I found the person I spoke to could not accept what I was saying. I thought signing the contract was most important and clarifying the truth came later when an opportunity arose. Now, I think that if I had made an effort in telling him the truth, and persuaded him to quit the party, he would not have stopped the advertisements in our paper. It seems that we should always put saving sentient beings first. Master already told us in Fa Teaching at the US Capital: “Aside from what you as individuals need to go through and establish on your final road to Consummation, what is most important for you and most significant right now is to save people. If not for that, let me tell you, your cultivation would have concluded long ago.”

I have understood now that in the long process of life belonging to the old universe, we have formed all kinds of conventional thinking and attachments purposely arranged by the old forces. In Fa-rectification, if we don’t cultivate ourselves well, we will be taken advantage of by the old forces because of our loopholes. The old forces will use these human notions and attachments to prevent us from helping Master with Fa-rectification and from saving sentient beings. If we listen to Master, working hard at Fa study and at sending forth righteous thoughts, we are walking on the path arranged by Master and completely denying the old forces.

This is what I have learned from my cultivation. Finally I would like to share a little more of what Master said in Fa Teaching at the US Capital: “In the phase ahead, do even better with what you need to do, walk well the final leg of the journey, and do even better with what you are supposed to do. Don't become complacent just because you think you've done such and such, for there are so many sentient beings that we have yet to save. You still need to push yourselves so that you may establish even greater mighty virtue within a limited timeframe, and so that you won't have any regrets when all is said and done. So I hope that you will do even better and be even more magnificent.”

Thank you Master, thank you fellow practitioners.