Sharing at the Israeli Fa-Conference

For those new to Clearharmony, we suggest that before reading any of our experience sharing articles that you first read the main text of Falun Gong, Zhuan Falun. This is to ensure that ideas and priciples mentioned are not misunderstood

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Shortly after I started cultivating in Falun Dafa, I had a dream: I was running towards a bus, the door was almost shut and I knew that I could get on it. Suddenly I saw an old man surrounded with many suitcases. It was obvious that he was in a trouble, and wanted to ask me for help. It seemed to me to be the most important decision I may have in my life: to either get on the bus and forget about it, or help the old man and let the bus go on its way. I stopped. I never got on the bus.

Two and a half years have passed since that dream. Yet it seems that I have to take that decision every day. Am I not a Dafa practitioner during this special period? Isn’t my goal of cultivation different from the goal of others who cultivated in the past? I asked myself. Am I not supposed to help Teacher, for those people who have a destined relationship to get the Fa ,[Law and principles of Falun Gong]? I asked more. Haven’t I come here to fulfil the mission of a Dafa practitioner? Isn’t my own salvation included in that same mission? Hasn’t my selfish desire to give up attachments and to gain perfection as fast as possible became an obstacle in my cultivation? When I reach such a consciousness, something opens in my soul, and naturally the righteous thoughts arise from the inner me. Then I feel I meet the criterion of a Dafa practitioner.

However, when this consciousness no longer stands guard, my omissions are exploited, and then again, I fall into the same trap, pursuing my own salvation. It’s as if I can’t fulfil the promise I had given in my dream, and after I stopped and let the bus go without me, I regretted it and left the old man with the luggage behind and began to run after the bus.

I would like to share with you another understanding that I had. Which is, as long as I refer to myself as a practitioner, my various attachments are gradually removed, and there is no need to concentrate or put in will and effort to remove this or that attachment, but to concentrate on validating the Fa everywhere and anywhere. In other words, I don’t have to constantly ask myself what I should do to eradicate a certain attachment, but rather to do what I think is the most appropriate thing for the Fa and acting as much as possible according to Zhen, Shan, Ren [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance]. Likewise removing diseases, the eradication of ones attachments are an adjunctive consequence of the cultivation. I am just starting to understand what it seems to me that Teacher constantly tries to remind us: “pursue nothing and gain naturally”. Nowadays, I don’t concentrate on my attachments, but rather eradicate them by Fa Zheng Nian [rough translation - Sending Righteous Thoughts. Here it refers to using powerful pure thoughts to eradicate unrighteous thoughts.] when they are disturbing my Dafa activities.

Frequently, I am asked why I cultivate in Falun Dafa. Usually, I don’t know how exactly to respond. Sometimes I answered that I am cultivating for wisdom or freedom, to be a Buddha because there’s nothing more important in the world than that, sometimes simply because it is good, or because I won’t do with any other way. These answers of mine never satisfied me, but when my mind is clear I know that I am cultivating to cultivate, in other words to validate the Fa or to Rectify the Fa. Sometimes I feel that it is the Dafa that is rectifying itself through me.

I would like to share with my experience on doing Fa Zheng Nian [rough translation - Sending Righteous Thoughts]. I didn’t understand their importance until I read Teachers lecture at the Florida conference again. After reading Teacher’s lecture I started to do Fa Zheng Nian more seriously and more frequently, although I couldn’t feel that I could radiate Gong [energy]. After a while, I could clearly feel their influencing strength.

And then one day, while I was preparing photocopies of Teacher’s articles in a photocopying store, the photocopying machine broke down and stopped copying and the man working there became very angry. I was seeing myself being nervous with him, but before I could make a step, an understanding and thought rose up in me that I’m a practitioner and I need these copies so as to distribute them.

Then I started saying in my heart Teacher’s Fa-rectification verse. At that moment, I had a feeling that some strong energy was pulling me backwards. After three seconds of Fa Zheng Nian, the employee relaxed, and the machine started working again to his surprise. He raised his head and looked at me. We exchanged smiles.

This experience helped me in understanding the power of righteous thoughts, and what really matters is how I handle myself at key moments. Since then for a certain period of time, I put in effort to remember to do so in other situations. For instance: in the past I used to get angry or to become disappointed, as I felt that we couldn’t maintain the standard of a Dafa practitioner, when we were discussing different matters in our meetings. I had thoughts like: it doesn’t matter and we are just wasting time, “these are just ordinary ways of thinking and can’t help in Dafa work”. Sometimes I even said such things openly. This just increased the overall tension and wasted time. Everything emanated from a criticism attitude, and from a thought that I know better than others about 'what' and 'how' to do things. Afterwards, I felt that my reaction wasn’t right but I didn’t know how to deal with it.

After I understood I stopped thinking, but rather started to do Fa Zheng Nian and removed the wickedness that takes an advantage of our attachments, and tries to prevent us from doing the best for Dafa.