(Clearwisdom.net) A local practitioner in her 70s has the vibrant energy of a young woman. She has been able to endure hardships and walk on the path of validating the Fa day in and day out for many years. She had jotted down several stories for this Fa conference but did not complete it. I promised her I would re-organize her material and send it in. On my way home from her place, the words "Fa-rectification God in the human world" flashed in my head. Below is her article.
Greetings to venerable Master,
Greeting to fellow practitioners,
Teacher told us, "The magnificent Fa and the magnificent epoch are forging the most magnificent Enlightened Beings."(from Essentials for Further Advancement II). How fortunate we are to have been born in this magnificent epoch and to have become Dafa disciples who assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification. Looking back at the cultivation path fellow practitioners and I have taken together. Teacher's compassion and protection have helped us make it through all the trials and tribulations. I would like to take this opportunity to share my cultivation experiences.
Dafa has changed me, witnessing the miracle of Dafa through the changes in myself
I'm a senior citizen. I was fortunate enough to obtain the Fa in 1998. After painstakingly searching for life's real meaning amidst delusion and confusion, I finally stepped onto the path of returning to my original true self.
My unfortunate youth had turned me into a cowardly person with a bad temper. In my family I was the one who called the shots and no one dared to confront me. After practicing Falun Dafa, my cowardliness completely disappeared and I became a being of whom numerous gods were envious. I kept firmly in my mind Teacher's words:
"During the process of transforming karma, to keep yourself under control--unlike an everyday person who would mess things up-- you should always maintain a heart of benevolence and a mind of kindness. If you suddenly bump into a problem, you will be able to take care of it properly. When you always maintain a heart of benevolence and compassion, you will have time or room to buffer the confrontation and think, should a problem arise suddenly."(from Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)
My temper has become gentler and I have been treating others better. Dafa has changed me.
Not only has my xinxing elevated, my health has also become exceptionally good. "Those practices that cultivate both mind and body make one look very young in appearance, and one looks quite different from one's actual age." (from Lecture Five in Zhuan Falun) I indeed look younger than others who are my age, and I'm full of energy.
It is our compassionate Teacher who has scooped me up from the hell and washed off the filth. It is the great and immense Fa principles that have truly changed me.
Walking on the path of validating the Fa
Teacher told us:
"Born into a sphere of suffering
Man struggles just to survive
One day, behold, the Great Law gained
Cease not your steps on the path of return" (from Teacher's "On Reading Weathering the Storm")
As Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, it is our mission to assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification and to save sentient beings. We should not stop doing these things.
At the beginning there was no truth-clarification materials production site in our local area, and we obtained our materials from other areas. Many practitioners still had fear and were unable to step forward. I'm elderly, and it is convenient for me to visit people door to door because I'm familiar with our local area. I therefore took the responsibility to transfer informational materials in our local area. I have visited many different places, but I have never felt that what I have been doing has been difficult.
On my path of validating the Fa, I was able to miraculously do things that were impossible or unimaginable for an elderly woman to do. As long as I firmly believe in Teacher and Dafa, Teacher will help me and Dafa will open my wisdom.
For many years, I have kept the Fa and saving sentient beings foremost in my heart. As long as Dafa needs me to do something or give something, I'm willing to do it unconditionally: I coordinated things that related to Fa-validation, I distributed materials door to door, and I personally met with people to explain the truth about Falun Dafa and to advise them to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I have spent my own money to do Dafa work. I have melted my life into the Fa and have walked on the path of validating the Fa without any hesitation or regret.
Disintegrating evil and negating the persecution
My cultivation path has not been a smooth ride. The police department has listed me as a "key person" and has visited my home many times. The last time was in 2005 when the police came and asked me if I still practiced Falun Dafa, to which I replied yes. As soon as I said yes, the police started to ransack my home and found my Dafa books. As I reflect on it now, it was because I was busy working on Dafa projects and neglected studying the Fa that I was taken advantage of. The police shoved me in a police car and took me to the police department. I explained to them that Falun Dafa teaches people to improve themselves, that Falun Dafa has spread all over the world, and that other countries are not against Falun Dafa. I told them "You have dragged me here, now you should take me back in your car." They politely said, "Lady, it's getting dark and we don't have a car now. You just go ahead and go home on your own." Two men then saw me off at the door of the department. After I left, I took a detour and turned back to tape a suggestion letter on the door of the police department.
Recently the police came again, intending to take me to a brainwashing session. My husband was outside and heard their plan. He reprimanded them, "Why do you want to make things worse? An elderly lady just practices qigong to heal illnesses and get fit and become a good person. What's the need for a brainwashing session? Don't you have anything better to do?" An officer said, "She will have to go to the 610 Office if she does not go to a brainwashing session." I replied, "I can go to the 610 Office." When I was at the 610 Office, I told them, "I'm an elderly lady who looks after small children at home. What right do you have to ransack my home? What right do you have to send me to a brainwashing session?" In just a short while, the chief of the 610 Office said, "Send the old lady home!" I therefore returned home in an open and dignified manner.
Later on, I again ran into the chief and questioned him as to why he kept persecuting me. He replied, "I've told them not to go after you." Since then, the police have not come looking for me again.
I realize that I should not cooperate with the evil at any time and that I should study the Fa more. Teacher said,
"The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." (from "Drive Out Interference" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
If we do not study the Fa, the evil can easily take advantage. Only by relying on Teacher and Dafa can we break through tribulations and disintegrate the evil.
The more rampant the persecution, the more the need to shock and frighten those responsible
At the time when the persecution was most rampant, one fellow practitioner, whose cultivation had not been good, found something out f rom someone in the police department. She said, "The police department has hired temporary workers to dress in plainclothes. Stop making truth-clarification materials for now and hide out for a while." I told her that the more rampant the evil, the more diligent we should be in order to shock and frighten those responsible. The next morning, I posted truth-clarification materials all over half of my local town, including the door of the police department. My mind was calm when I did it. In Essentials for Further Advancement II, Teacher says:
"All of you are already aware of the principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition. If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist. This is not to be self-imposed, but is achieved by truly and calmly letting go of it." (from "Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
When we eliminate the mentality of fear and validate the Fa in an open and dignified manner, that is the safest way to do it, and those doing evil no longer have any excuse to persecute us. When I posted truth-clarification materials, I ran into some acquaintances, mostly garbage collectors, and no one paid any attention to me. Of course I am aware that as long as we have a heart to do something, Teacher will bestow mighty virtue upon us. I only do the work in the surface dimension, while Teacher does all the actual work. Without Teacher, what can I accomplish?
Let's strive forward on the path of godhood. Let's all become enlightened beings who shine through the universe. Let's hope that our compassionate and magnificent Teacher can smile at us from the top of the universe.
Thank you, Teacher, and thank you, everyone.