(Minghui.org) I saw Master’s new article “Stay Far Away From Peril” on the morning of September 1, 2023 when I was browsing Minghui.org. I was very pleased that I happened to be online, as I usually only go online once a week.
I couldn’t wait to read the new article and immediately read it three times. Every sentence felt like a heavy hammer hitting my heart and I was shocked and speechless for a long time afterward. At the same time, I had some comfort from the thought: At least I never complained about Dafa or our great Master.
The next day, a practitioner came to my house and told me that she knew Master published a new article, but hadn’t yet read it (she was busy taking care of her daughter-in-law, who had just given birth to a baby). So we read the article together.
After she left, I thought I should memorize the article. Other practitioners say I have a good memory and I can memorize the Fa very quickly. It took me just two weeks to memorize all the poems in Hong Yin II. I wrote them down and passed them to the practitioners who were illegally detained. However, this time it took me four or five mornings to memorize the new article, and I still couldn’t remember it accurately. Even though it’s only about 1,100 words long, I kept making mistakes.
I wept many times while trying to memorize the article. I was overwhelmed by feelings of shame, regret, and guilt as well as an immense gratitude to our Master.
Looking back on my cultivation path, I now realize that the reason it has been so bumpy and full of tribulations is because my enlightenment quality was poor. Because I was entangled by so many human attachments, I couldn’t truly understand Master and Dafa rationally, which resulted in my taking many detours along the way.
The fact that I was able to pull through each tribulation is due to Master’s protection. Master endured so much for me, which enabled me to get this far in my cultivation. No human language is sufficient to express my infinite gratitude to Master!
I remember that when I was illegally detained and interrogated by CCP (Chinese Communist Party) agents in 1999, they tried to force me to betray other practitioners and tortured me by hanging me up.
I remained calm and kept silently reciting Master’s poem “Nonexistence” in Hong Yin,
“Live with no pursuit,Die not caring about staying;Clear out all wild thoughts,Cultivating to a Buddha is not hard.”
Then a miracle happened: It felt as though my body was a tall empty tube, and my arms were also empty tubes. I felt no pain at all from the ropes that tightly tied my arms and chest. Instead I was enveloped by a wonderful, comfortable feeling, that I’d never experienced before. I knew Master was right by my side and tears of gratitude streamed down my face.
I went on a hunger strike for seventeen days to protest the illegal detention and, although I lost some weight, I was energetic and my voice was loud and clear when I recited the Fa. I was light on my feet and my face looked healthy. The police couldn’t help admiring the extraordinary power of Dafa.
I know very well that all this came from Master’s compassionate protection and salvation, and I would not have survived without it. Even though my heart is filled with gratitude to Master, I feel that I haven’t done well in many ways. I still haven’t let go of my deeply rooted selfishness and I failed to truly cultivate solidly. I sometimes fail to look at things on the basis of the Fa and, as a result, I’ve had many tribulations and taken many detours. Master has had to endure so much for me, because I haven’t lived up to his expectations.
When I first read the new article, I even consoled myself, thinking that at least I never complained about Master. But later, as I deeply examined myself while reciting the article, I realized that it wasn’t true that I never complained—it’s just that my true thoughts were hidden. I was truly shocked when I realized this, because I never felt that I was so unworthy of what Master has done for us.
Towards the end of last year, I heard that a practitioner who moved from China to another country passed away. At first I didn’t want to believe it, thinking it must be a rumor cooked up by the CCP. However, when I found out that it was true, I couldn’t bear the loss and was unable to hold back my tears. I kept asking Master in my heart: Why did this happen? That practitioner was quite influential and we often mentioned him when we clarified the truth to people in China. Why did he pass away?
Because I couldn’t get rid of these confused thoughts, Master dropped a hint that everyone, including those close to Master, must cultivate solidly and meet the standards of the Fa, no matter how many spectacular things they might have done. Master is rectifying the Fa of the universe and he cannot treat anyone specially.
I calmed down and gained a better understanding about the seriousness of Dafa cultivation. My earlier reaction had been just what Master said in “Stay Far Away From Peril,” “...they always use human attachments, human notions, and human emotions to evaluate things...” I realized that there was an element of “resentment” towards Master hidden in my earlier confusion.
Master also warned us in the article,
“The Fa-rectification of the universe has arrived at the end times, and after this period is over, there will be a serious selection and elimination process. Look out for yourself!” (“Stay Far Away From Peril”)
When I recited this sentence, I said in my heart: “Master, although I still have many shortcomings, I will always firmly believe in Dafa and Master. I don’t want to be a grain of sand to be sifted out. I will truly become a particle of the Fa and a Falun Dafa practitioner in the Fa-rectification period, envied by all gods!”
Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare in studying, compare in cultivating.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
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