Cultivating Ourselves Better To Save More Sentient Beings

I have been practising Falun Dafa for almost ten years. I had to remain homeless to avoid further persecution on two occasions, and the second time this happened my employer fired me. After losing my job, I initially thought I should expose the evil by publicizing what happened to me. Later, after talking to fellow practitioners, I came to realize that I should first clarify the truth. Teacher said, "Clarifying the truth is the master key." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference") So I started talking to my boss, but his attitude was very bad. He said he would allow me to return to work as long as I attended a brainwashing session. Of course, I can't follow the old force arrangements, so I immediately refused. One day, I went to talk to him together with my family, and he even tried to drive us away. In fact, we had usually had a pretty good personal relationship. Thus I realized that there must have been evil interference in this, so I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate it. But how could it take advantage of me? I kept trying to think of why I was persecuted. I had been too busy with my job at work. I just had a newborn, and therefore I was busy with chores. I didn't study the Fa often and I also didn't practice Dafa exercises often. Besides all of this, I still had strong attachments of zealotry and showing off. That is the reason. There was a fellow practitioner who kept encouraging me, and he quoted a poem written by another practitioner that reads, "The difficult part of cultivation is to become enlightened. The solution is righteous thoughts." I started to appeal to the higher authorities in charge of the company that I worked for, but they tried to avoid their responsibility by claiming that the local 610 Office ordered them to do that to me. They said they could only help me if I wrote a so-called "guarantee letter." I could sense that the evil was already afraid of me. I sent forth strong righteous thoughts and I solemnly told them and the evil behind them that it is absolutely impossible for me to write such a letter.

The fellow practitioner had memorized a lot of the Fa, and he kept encouraging me by quoting Teacher. Teacher said in Zhuan Falun, "In Buddhism they say that everything in the world is an illusion..." All that happened to me were illusions. Thus, I need to deny all of them and firmly refuse the old force arrangements. Teacher also said,

"...Dafa disciples are the great figures of our time. Since ancient times the beings in all realms have waited in anticipation. Gather up and rescue the beings that you are to save! Have righteous thoughts and righteous actions, dissolve all hindrances, and spread the facts widely. Divine beings are among men." ("To the European Fa Conference in Stockholm")

By talking to fellow practitioners, I developed more righteous thoughts, and I came to realize that my goal shouldn't be trying to get my job back, but to use my situation as an opportunity to clarify the truth to save more sentient beings. I explained to my relatives many facts about Falun Dafa and the persecution. Two of my uncles learned the truth and quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliates. My mother and two sisters had already quit the CCP. However, my father, my eldest brother, my eldest sister and her husband hadn't yet quit.

Around New Year's Day of that year, I visited my boss' home. Upon entering, I felt I was a god who was as tall as the sky, eliminating all the evil elements in other dimensions that had been trying to undermine the Fa. I clarified the truth to him. He wasn't feeling very well at that time. I said, "You could get better soon by chanting 'Falun Dafa is good.'" He said, "Thank you." This time, he didn't mention anything about the so-called "guarantee letter." Instead, he said, "I have two requirements for you and I can help you as long as you don't say no to the requirements." I immediately knew the evil was trying to play a trick on me in order to drag me down. How could they fool a Falun Dafa practitioner? The second he talked about the "requirements," I refused. Meanwhile, I sent forth strong righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil behind him in other dimensions. I felt it wouldn't be long before I could get my job back. Indeed, soon after New Year's Day, they called me and asked me to return to work.

When I learned that, I wasn't all that excited, but I was very thankful for Teacher's boundless compassion. I also sincerely appreciate all the help from my fellow practitioners. I was ashamed of myself since I bothered Teacher so much, but I now believe more firmly in the Fa. Teacher has told us,

"If upon encountering trying circumstances your thinking can be truly righteous, then, when faced with the evil's persecution and when faced with interference, just one sentence of yours fortified with steadfast righteous thoughts can instantly make the evil disintegrate (applause), and it will make those who are being used by the evil turn and flee, it will make the evil's persecution of you dissolve, and it will make the evil's interfering with you disappear without a trace." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")

When we truly follow the Fa, the Fa will exert magnificent power. I also deeply realized that I didn't study the Fa enough. Going forward, I should study the Fa better to cultivate myself well. At the same time, we should all do a good job at work so everyday people won't be misled. This is also very important.

I have started to memorize the Fa. Through this, my xinxing (character) level has improved a lot. It feels so good to melt into the Fa. In "What's to Fear" from Hong Yin Volume II, Teacher said, "The cultivator's mind is loaded with Fa" When our minds are loaded with Fa, we are able to meet the Fa's requirements so we can uncover and remove our attachments. I didn't do very well with practising the Dafa exercises. I didn't pay enough attention to the standing exercises and I couldn't calm down when practising the meditation exercise. During Fa-study, sometimes I couldn't keep my focus and I felt sleepy. I just came to realize that it might be related to my not practising the Dafa exercises enough. I am now doing much better with practising the exercises.

We can clarify the truth more efficiently when we study the Fa well. Before, it wasn't easy for me to talk to my eldest sister and her husband. Recently they came to me and asked me for a loan. I talked to them. Eventually, they quit the Chinese Communist Youth League and the Chinese Communist Young Pioneers, since they recognized that it's for their own good. This year, when many disasters happened, my father quit the CCP. At work, I took advantage of all the appropriate opportunities to help people learn more about Falun Dafa and the persecution. We need to use well each and every opportunity to save people. One time two people came to my home with some questions. They were in a hurry, so I wasn't able to talk to them about Falun Dafa, and I regretted it for a long time. Another time, my neighbour, who had been working in another city, came back. We greeted each other and I walked away. Then I turned and helped her quit the Chinese Communist Youth League. I also talked to people that I happened to bump into. I haven't done very well however with distributing truth-clarification materials, and I had a few "scary" experiences. Now when I think about them, I realize that they happened entirely due to my attachment of fear. In his poem "What's to Fear?" Teacher said,

"Should you have fear,
it will seize upon you
If thoughts are righteous,
evil will collapse" (from Hong Yin Volume II)

On one occasion, when I went to distribute Dafa fliers with a fellow practitioner, she was very relaxed and wasn't afraid of anything, while I was very nervous and kept looking around. The difference between us was so obvious. She has truly reached the level of keeping righteous thoughts and righteous actions. I have now understood that clarifying the truth is the most sacred work. Thus we should be very solemn and straightforward. What's to fear?

There are many things that I regret from the past few years. What I can do now is to do a better job in the future so I won't let down Teacher, sentient beings, and myself. Let's cultivate ourselves well to save more sentient beings.