Correcting Myself Through Validating the Fa
By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Heilongjiang Province
(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings, Revered Teacher! Greetings, fellow
practitioners! The following is my experience and understanding during Fa rectification
cultivation. Please point out anything inappropriate. Today I delivered truth clarification materials to fellow
practitioners and took the same bumpy, narrow street. It is always late at night
by the time I get there, and there isn't any streetlight. The area is completely
dark. Fellow practitioners' homes are at the end of the street. I have traveled
this stretch of road for more than four years and always carry a large box of
truth clarification materials on a bike. Although I'm familiar with the route, I
always send forth righteous thoughts when I get close. I ride carefully, and yet
I almost fell several times. I dare not let my guard down, especially after a
rain, when the road is muddy and slippery. This difficult street is a symbol of
my cultivation path. I began studying the Fa in 1997 and have followed Teacher with rock-solid
resolve since day one. I have always been fulfilling my vow in the past few
years of fanatical evil persecution of Dafa. I had only practiced Dafa for a short time when the persecution began in 1999
and didn't understand a lot of things. It was difficult for me to have reached
this stage. I went through it with firm belief in Teacher and the power of Dafa.
The stories of diligent practitioners close to me and on the Minghui website
always inspired me. After July 20, 1999, I validated Dafa in various ways. The evil was quite
rampant during that period, and I had a copying machine at home. I could not
calm my mind when studying the Fa. Random thoughts would
occasionally emerge when I walked up the stairs toward my apartment returning
from work. After I got married, the pursuit of comfort came back. I took Fa
study as a chore and I didn't put my heart into it. I didn't do the exercises
frequently, either. Dafa was being persecuted and I was under great pressure.
The vicious cycle continued. I could not calm my mind and practice solid
cultivation. During this period, benevolent Teacher prompted me many times but I
did not realize the issue. Soon, the evildoers arrested me, designating me as a
major target. I was jolted awake. I knew that Teacher was right next to me and protecting
me. I continuously sent forth righteous thoughts and clarified the truth. The
police dared not touch me since the moment I awakened and I looked straight into
the eyes of the evildoers. Benevolent Teacher later protected me. I was able to
open the handcuffs and escape. A taxicab drove up at the right moment and I left
safely. It is exactly as Teacher had said, "Should you have fear, ("What's to Fear?" in Hong Yin Volume II) The result is completely different, depending on whether a practitioner has
righteous thoughts amid tribulations! It's easy to say, but back then it was a
gut-wrenching battle between good and evil, and the same war raged in my head.
After I passed this test, I deeply felt, "When a tribulation arrives, if you, a disciple, can truly maintain an
unshakable calm or be determined to meet different requirements at different
levels, this should be sufficient for you to pass the test."
("Expounding on the Fa" in Essentials for Further Advancement) It's so critically important to study the Fa and practice solid cultivation!
This incident served as a lesson and also changed my Fa rectification
cultivation path. I went to several places while living in exile. The evil was vehemently
persecuting Dafa at the time, and there were few materials production sites in
my city. We suffered from a shortage of manpower in many respects, and I was
needed there. So, I decided to go back to my city to validate Dafa. It's a small
city, and the government was posting a reward for my arrest. I lived quietly and
started to build Dafa materials production sites to make truth clarification
materials and Dafa books and gave them to fellow practitioners. Now, material
production sites can be found all over in our area. Practitioners have gradually
matured, and the evil can no longer affect us. I am responsible for a materials production site. I buy the supplies,
download information on-line, edit and print, and deliver the finished materials
to other practitioners. Although I was forced to live in isolation, my righteous
thoughts have strengthened and lots of my attachments have been removed. I used
to be attached to love for my wife who is also a Dafa practitioner. Following a
long period of separation, my wife and I share our understandings on the Fa and
are reluctant to discuss ordinary topics when we get together. I used to have
lots of fears and had qualms about validating Dafa, a sacred matter. Now, making
truth clarification materials is like eating three meals a day - it has become a
part of my life. I think Teacher's arrangement is the best. The evil old forces
cannot escape Teacher's boundless power, regardless of the arrangements they
have made. Teacher said, "Fear is a death trap on a human being's journey toward
divinity." ("Pass the Deadly Test") I was afraid when I first escaped from the evil's den. I got what I asked
for: the police constantly harassed my family and looked for me everywhere. Once at an intersection I ran into a police officer, who arrested me and
stayed with me for the longest time. We looked into each other's faces for a
while but he didn't recognize me at all. I left as I sent forth righteous
thoughts, and I think Teacher was prompting me. The outside environment
surrounding a practitioner will change as soon as one's attachments surface. The
so-called persecution is in fact forced upon a practitioner when his mind is
impure. A practitioner will not be able to use the power of righteous thoughts
if he has lots of ordinary notions. After I realized this, I took Fa study and sending forth righteous thoughts
seriously. We really have to calm our minds when studying the Fa or sending
forth righteous thoughts. When we take sending forth righteous thoughts
seriously, we quickly enter a state of concentration. I would hold still
everything within my field with powerful righteous thoughts. As righteous
thoughts grow stronger, fear is reduced and eventually goes away. The things
that cause fear then also leave. Since 2005, practitioners started helping people quit the Communist Party and
its affiliated organizations, in addition to clarifying the truth. I devoted
myself to work at the materials production site and was busy all day long. I
don't come in contact with many ordinary people, which made me think about the
path I will take in the future. Dafa practitioners should cultivate themselves
while maximally conforming to the state of ordinary people. We should cultivate
in the ordinary environment until Consummation, which means we are rescuing
people in the broadest range. I had almost completely isolated myself from ordinary people in the past few
years. Although the evil had forced me into hiding, Dafa practitioners do not
acknowledge any of it. We should do away with all evil arrangements in order to
rescue the world's people and correct our path of Fa rectification cultivation.
I rarely ask people face-to-face to quit the Party out of concern for the safety
of my material production site, and usually only provide a hint from a third
person's perspective. One thing changed my mind. One day, I went to buy supplies. I often send
forth righteous thoughts when outside the home and have rarely met or been
recognized by acquaintances in the past several years. It feels supernatural.
That day, though, I heard someone calling out to me from behind. I turned around
and saw one of my former classmates. I had not seen acquaintances for quite a
few years and I wasn't mentally prepared for this encounter. Moreover, I could
not answer many of his questions regarding my situation. I thought I should
seize this opportunity to help him quit the Party, because I would regret it
very much if I missed this opportunity. I didn't have much time, so I got right to the point, and he quickly agreed
to quit the Party. I thought, "Although we constantly remove attachments on
the path of cultivation, we also continuously develop new notions and
attachments. If we don't take them seriously and let them run wild, we may not
cultivate well." I have missed so many people who have a predestined relationship with Dafa.
That is due to newly formed attachments; these people include my parents, other
family members, classmates, colleagues, and friends--so many sentient beings!
The evil persecution deprived me of a normal life. How many of them would truly
understand the compassion of Dafa practitioners after being brainwashed by
mind-poisoning propaganda? If I can do everything well and rescue them from
poisonous lies, then I can truly liberate their lives. Isn't this my
responsibility as a Dafa practitioner? I reviewed my cultivation path. In China, some practitioners work "full-time" at some materials
production sites. [Note: all Dafa practitioners do Dafa work on a voluntary
basis. They use their own money or each others' money to make truth
clarification materials] They cannot work among ordinary people for various
reasons. The issue of livelihood arises in these situations. These practitioners
are not providing for themselves, regardless of whether they are supported by
their families or fellow practitioners. I think they are then doing Dafa work
conditionally. How can Dafa practitioners validate the Fa based on specific
terms? Taking into account the unique circumstances in Mainland China, Dafa
practitioners should attach great importance to rescuing sentient beings. Some
practitioners may need to fully devote themselves, and also have to pay
attention to safety, which makes it difficult to find a job. I understand from the depth of my heart that it is harder to rescue people
deceived by lies amid evil interference and persecution, and it gets even harder
for us to break through it. My understanding is that we have to eventually
correct our cultivation path, regardless of the circumstances. Dafa
practitioners are rescuing sentient beings and negating everything imposed by
the old forces by opposing the persecution. Returning to a normal life and
cultivating through work is in fact negating the old forces' arrangements. Practitioners in our area worked diligently to establish numerous small-scale
materials production sites. Those who used to be novices are now "old
hands." There is no shortage of technically adept practitioners. There is
no shortage of manpower at material production sites. Other practitioners have
said that I need to get a job. I think every Dafa practitioner is willing to
fully devote himself to validating Dafa, especially since we are not wiling to
face today's ordinary environment. I've been living alone for all these years
and have developed a new attachment--not wanting to get in the middle of a
complex environment, which would make it necessary for me to cultivate in an
ordinary environment. It is difficult for me to calm my mind, even when I
encounter a tiny problem among ordinary people. I understand that our
cultivation and improvement is the top priority. When Dafa practitioners deviate
from solid cultivation and improvement of xinxing, nothing will
work. I experienced various types of tribulations in the process of looking for a
job. At first, my mind was not altruistic. I said that I wanted to do away with
the old forces' arrangements and rescue people by conforming to an ordinary
state, but in fact I had a selfish thought - "My wife was the sole
caretaker of the family over the past few years. She is also persecuted and we
have experienced serious financial deprivation. If I make some money, our lives
will not be as difficult." I was wrong as soon as this thought surfaced while I was still talking about
Dafa. To put it more severely, it's a filthy mentality that is using Dafa. As a
result I couldn't find a job then. Once the rain poured down on me several times
during a trip. When I stayed out of the rain, the rain stopped; when I went back
out, the rain started again. It felt as if the rain was coming after me. I
eventually realized that what Dafa requires of me is how I should walk on my
cultivation path, and it serves the need of assisting Teacher to rectify the Fa.
I'll go wherever Dafa needs me to go and I shall validate the Fa there. This is
walking a righteous cultivation path. Teacher said, "things are gained naturally, with no pursuit." ("Teaching
the Fa at the 2004 International Fa Conference in New York") We should follow in whatever direction the Fa takes us. Soon after I gave up
that selfish notion, someone offered me a job. It is in another city, so it is
relatively safe. The salary and benefits are good, as is the work environment. I
will continue to use my special skills to validate Dafa. As long as we take righteous steps and act with righteous thoughts and
righteous actions, we will succeed in whatever we want to do. Great and
benevolent Teacher is always looking after us. Fellow practitioners, let us
strive forward diligently and be worthy of Teacher's arduous and benevolent
efforts in saving us.
it will seize upon you
If thoughts are righteous,
evil will collapse."
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/11/4/141550.html
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