(Minghui.org) I am 76 years old and have been practicing Falun Gong since 1997. I often heard other practitioners talk about elderly practitioners who used to be diligent in studying the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts, and telling people the facts about the persecution. Once they started taking care of their grandchildren, however, they drifted away from the cultivation environment and gradually slacked off. The old forces took advantage of this loophole and consequently these practitioners started to suffer from severe sickness karma. Some even passed away.
Three years ago I faced a similar situation.
Not Relying on Others and Walking My Own Cultivation Path
In the spring of 2015, I moved to a new residential area to take care of my two grandsons. At first, I felt lost leaving my usual Fa study group. I soon found another group, but it took me over an hour to get there. On top of that, I had to rush back to pick my grandsons up from school, which affected the quality of my Fa study.
My cultivation state deteriorated. I couldn't wake up in the morning to do the exercises and often became drowsy while reading the Fa. I was very worried and desperately tried to find practitioners who lived close by to study the Fa with.
I sat down and sent righteous thoughts for a long time to calm down and look within. I found my attachment to relying on other practitioners to help improve my cultivation state. I was also afraid of going out to clarify the truth on my own. Around this time, I noticed that someone was watching me.
Since Master Li Hongzhi has arranged for me to be on the earth at this time, it is my responsibility to help save people here. I looked out my window and the stranger was still there. I decided to stay home and study the Fa the whole day.
The next day, I visited the practitioners in my former study group. When I told them someone was monitoring me, they told me not to be afraid and to have faith in Dafa. When I returned home, the person outside my home was gone. I was very relieved and promised Master Li I would not rely on others and would walk my own path.
Stepping Forward to Clarify the Truth
Master said:
“But whatever the situation, and however trying it may be, you have to remember that you are a cultivator, and you have to strive to forge ahead. And it will work out. That’s how you should handle it.” (“Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day”)
I made slight changes to my daily schedule. I started waking up every morning at around 3:40 a.m. and went out to distribute fliers at 8 a.m. Then I went to the market to buy food. I rushed home at 11 a.m to prepare lunch for the grandchildren. After sending them off to school, I read the Fa at home from 2 to 4 p.m.
I now try to finish my household chores before 9 p.m and make time between 9 and midnight to study the Fa before sending righteous thoughts at 11:55 p.m.
On one occasion, I was putting up posters about Falun Dafa on a wall when several young men walked over to me. One of them asked what was I putting up. When I told him it was about filing lawsuits against Jiang Zemin, he proclaimed, “You are doing a great thing!” I knew Master was encouraging me through his words. My fears vanished, and I smiled and gave each one of them an information pamphlet.
These activities bolstered my confidence, and since then, I have gone out every morning to tell people about Dafa. There are many construction sites near my home. Every day, I give information to the construction workers. When I have time, I also chat with them and encourage them to renounce their memberships in the Chinese Communist Party and its youth organizations.
I meet all kinds of people. Sometimes someone reprimands me for what I am doing, but I remember that I am a practitioner and regard it as a good thing.
One time when I gave a flyer to a man, he took it, grabbed my hand, and demanded, “Give me everything in your bag.” He took out his phone and called the police. Suddenly I recalled Master saying that we can use our supernormal ability to make a person stand still. I gave it a try and he loosened his grip.
I quickly turned around and ran away. When I got home, I thought this had happened for a reason. I looked within and realized that, because things had been going so well for me recently, I had become overzealous and had slacked off in my cultivation. I apologized to Master and sent righteous thoughts to eliminate my attachments.
Category: Improving Oneself
