(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
Like me, practitioner An is middle-aged and had a similar cultivation journey from a young age. We met in the city where we work, joined the same Fa study group, and found that we got along relatively well. At that time, we were each living in shared housing with non-practitioners. In order to have a better cultivation environment, we decided to rent a place together.
First though, we took a trip together to Changchun, to visit the place where Falun Dafa was introduced to the public. We walked through Triumph Park, a location mentioned by many practitioners in the book Remembering Master’s Grace. We envisioned what it must have been over 20 years ago when the Fa was spread there. We also visited several other places that practitioners had written about.
Both An and I had jobs that offered two weekend days off each week, and our workloads were not particularly heavy. After we began sharing an apartment, we wanted to make good use of our spare time. We were already involved in making phone calls to clarify the truth, and decided to set up a small-scale materials production site in our home. With the help of other practitioners, we purchased the necessary equipment and supplies and began making informational materials and putting truth-clarification messages on paper currency. As we still had time to spare, we took on other truth-clarification projects as well. In this way, our time was fully utilized.
For the rental place, in addition to choosing a location that was reasonably convenient for both of our workplaces, we also made sure it had a living room. Our heartfelt wish was to provide a space for practitioners to study the Fa whenever needed. The possibility of having many practitioners gather at our home to study the Fa was a great honor to us.
Whenever practitioners came over for Fa study, we would play Pudu and Jishi (Dafa music) in advance. At first, to save practitioners from having to knock repeatedly, we left the door slightly ajar, so they could hear the music from the stairwell, though it also made them feel a bit uneasy. Back then however, we didn’t feel afraid, but joyful! Later, as our understanding deepened, we realized this wasn’t appropriate. Out of responsibility toward the study group and other practitioners, we prioritized safety and stopped doing that.
During that first year in our rented home, some particularly memorable moments occurred. Sometimes, after spending the weekend busy doing the three things, it would already be Sunday evening. Seeking to relax a bit, we would head to a nearby shopping mall—one of the few places still open late.
We occasionally carried Shen Yun DVDs in our bags and offered them to passersby on the way to and from the mall. Once, after we handed one to a man, he struck up a conversation with us. We were a bit cautious at first, but we soon learned that his older brother was a Dafa practitioner. He had seen Shen Yun on a DVD before, although it was quite some time prior.
During that period, we also provided a space for others to send forth righteous thoughts. An older female practitioner was staying with us at the time. After we left for work, other practitioners would arrive to send forth righteous thoughts, and she let them in. By the time we returned from work, everyone would have already left. People came whenever they had the time, so we did not know exactly how many practitioners had visited or who had been there. On days when we were off from work, we joined them and sent forth righteous thoughts throughout the day.
After the movement to file criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who initiated the persecution, practitioners in our large study group discussed the matter, and some had already started drafting their complaints. Upon reflecting on it ourselves the question arose, “Should we file a complaint against Jiang?” The response was silence. We didn’t pursue the discussion further, but both of us continued to ponder it.
Then came the holidays. An went home, but I stayed. During that break, while attending a group Fa-study session, I received help from other practitioners to send off my criminal complaint via express delivery. After returning from the holidays, An said, “I’ve prepared my complaint, too.” She was also able to successfully mail hers.
An and I later discussed the situation. We recognized that Dafa was being persecuted, and the entire cultivation environment in China had been sabotaged by the archfiend Jiang Zemin and the CCP. We lacked a normal environment for our practice. Furthermore, many people continued to slander and defame Dafa, viewing us practitioners through a biased lens. Since the human realm operates under a legal system, we can use the law to show the public that practicing Falun Gong is not illegal and that the wrongdoing is entirely the work of Jiang Zemin. Therefore, it was incumbent on us to file legal complaints against him.
In the process of filing the complaints, we identified our various worries and fears, examined ourselves to see which attachments were triggered, then tried hard to let go of those attachments so we could move forward with courage. Some time after filing the complaint, I had a dream where I saw a block of dilapidated buildings collapsing, with dust billowing everywhere. Yet, in the foreground—closest to the road—rows of brand-new buildings stood tall.
Some practitioners were harassed by local police after filing of these complaints. After consulting with others, An and I decided to visit the local police station and write down the information about the officers displayed on the wall, so that we could call them and clarify the truth.
An and I went to the police station during our lunch break; there were only a few people inside at the time. Standing before the information board, I asked a series of prepared questions—inquiring about the proper procedures to follow in certain situations, and so on. Some officers answered my questions while facing away or standing sideways toward the information board.
Meanwhile, An, who was standing nearby, took a photo of the board when they weren’t looking. After An captured the photo, I thanked the police officers for the information they had provided, and we headed back to our respective workplaces. Both before arriving at the police station and after leaving it, we kept sending forth righteous thoughts, holding the conviction that we had come there to save the sentient beings within that police station.
Back then, for two or three days a week after work, we made phone calls from another practitioner’s car (to avoid being tracked) to clarify the truth. At first, we would memorize scripts and then incorporate our own understanding to explain the facts to the people on the other end. Afterward, we sometimes had brief discussions to explore better ways to answer certain questions or handle specific situations. If we encountered a question we couldn’t answer, we asked another practitioner in the car to step in and help. Unless someone had many specific questions or doubts, we stuck to the basics then encouraged them to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
We divided the phone number ranges among ourselves. An, for instance, could understand some dialects from remote regions, which allowed for good interactions and more effective communication when calling those areas. Typically, once a call went through, we would first make a polite greeting, then ask, “Are you aware of withdrawing from the CCP organizations?” or “Do you know that Falun Gong teaches people to be kind, and that the CCP-staged Tiananmen self-immolation incident was a hoax?”
I later realized that my state of mind wasn’t very steady when I asked, “Have you heard about withdrawing from the CCP?” I lacked confidence and was afraid the person might hang up, accuse us of getting involved in politics, or react with hostility. Why was this happening? After reflecting on it for a long time, I realized that the issue lay in my own thinking and mindset. I had too many distracting thoughts and worries, and I wasn’t looking at things with righteous thoughts.
I asked myself, “What is the purpose of making these truth-clarification calls? It is to clarify the truth and save people. Saving people involves not only sharing the truth about Dafa but also helping them distance themselves from the red demon of the CCP by withdrawing from its organizations.” So, why was I worried and afraid? We are doing something righteous, and Master is there to support his disciples. Furthermore, this is a task that must be done—and done well. If my own mindset is unstable, how can the people on the other end of the line receive a positive effect? Once I cleared up this misconception, I was able to maintain righteous thoughts. From then on, I told people with full righteous thoughts that they should withdraw from the CCP, and that doing so was truly for their own good. As a result, most of the people who answered the calls seemed much more receptive to the truth.
One day, my throat was sore and hoarse, and I wasn’t feeling well, yet I wanted to make phone calls that evening to share the truth. I wondered, “How can I speak like this? Should I take the night off?” In the end, I went anyway—though I felt a bit apologetic that people had to hear my raspy voice. I spoke to each person one after another about the truth. My throat ached badly later, and I even joked, “My voice is so rough that I’m even moved by myself!” The results that evening were excellent. Ten people decided to renounce their affiliations with the CCP.
A practitioner asked me to come over toward the end of one month. When I arrived, she handed me several phone cards, the kind used for auto-dialing. Since the month was nearly over and she hadn’t finished using them, she asked me to take them and continue making calls. I brought them home, but I didn’t finish using them either, resulting in a significant amount of unused calling time going to waste. I mentioned to An that I felt a bit sad about that.
An asked me, “Why did you take the cards?” I replied, “The practitioner asked me to come over and gave them to me. She couldn’t finish them all.” An asked, “But you couldn’t finish them either. Why did you accept them just because she offered?” I said, “I didn’t really think much. When she handed them to me, I just took them.”
An then asked, “If that practitioner couldn’t finish using them, why did she stock up on so many in the first place? And why did you just accept them? What happens next time if there are still leftovers?”
I fell into deep thought. In this situation, it hadn’t even occurred to me to decline. In fact, I hadn’t thought about it at all. I simply accepted what she handed me without considering whether I actually had the capacity to complete the task. By doing so, I had indirectly condoned the other practitioner’s behavior, and also failed to discuss the situation with her to see if such waste could be avoided in the future. I had just drifted along without thinking, which was wrong. I am truly grateful for An’s reminder.
An has a very clear way of thinking. She carefully considers what should or should not be done before making a decision, and she never blindly follows what others say or do. During the years we lived together, I learned how to decline unreasonable requests, let go of my attachment to saving face, and say “no.”
In the years that followed, more practitioners acquired cars and began volunteering to help with the phone calling efforts. In addition to participating in a Fa-study group and engaging in truth-clarification activities on the weekends, An and I also dedicated time on weekends to making these calls. As a result, our weekends became busy and exhausting. By the time Monday came, both of us would breathe a sigh of relief, because in a way, going to work meant we could get some rest.
At this small materials production site that An and I operated, we handled the entire process ourselves, from downloading and printing materials to binding and distributing them. Over the course of a few years, due to changes in our jobs, we moved four times, with each new location being quite a distance from the last. Wherever we stayed, we used our residence as a starting point, and distributed informational materials in ever-widening circles throughout the surrounding area, continuing this process until the next time we moved.
Our thinking was that living here meant we had a predestined connection with the sentient beings in the area. We wanted to share the blessings of Dafa with them, so they could attain salvation through Falun Dafa. When distributing truth-clarification materials, each of us took a separate building entrance. As we climbed the stairs, we would sometimes silently recite, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
Once while we were distributing materials near our second rental, I was just about to afix a flyer to a door when a loud male voice boomed from a speaker at the entrance, “What are you doing? Get away from my door. Leave, right now!” Startled, I turned and walked away. I told An about what happened, and we moved on to other buildings. Later, when we circled back, An went to that same door and, turning sideways, managed to attach the material. I felt deep admiration for working with An, someone with such strong righteous thoughts, who seized every opportunity.
As I write to this point, I have memories of An and myself moving through various residential complexes in all seasons, through wind and snow, day and night, wearing different clothes, and carrying different bags, all in an effort to save sentient beings. We would send forth righteous thoughts before setting out to distribute materials, as well as while traveling to and from our destinations. Sometimes, on the way back, I felt like chatting, but An reminded me to send forth righteous thoughts instead.
We sometimes brought the materials to work, and distributed them in the residential areas near our workplaces either before our shifts began or during our lunch breaks. In this regard, An was consistently persistent and distributed far more materials than I did.
Whenever we experienced negative emotions or conflicts, yet still needed to head out to distribute materials, we would tacitly set those feelings aside. We prioritized working together with righteous thoughts, ensuring we remained focused. Any lingering emotions or disagreements were addressed after we returned. In this way, we could be steady and smooth.
Our third rental was located in a residential area for the families of a university’s faculty and staff. Back then, surveillance cameras were neither as sophisticated nor as ubiquitous as today. On the evening of May 12, the two of us set out with A4-sized, two-in-one stickers bearing the message “Falun Dafa Spreads Worldwide” and posted them throughout the surrounding residential areas, family housing compounds, and faculty dormitory buildings until after 11 p.m. Before the early hours of May 13, we also placed stickers reading “Falun Dafa is good” on the utility poles along the main campus road. Then, guided by moonlight and sending forth righteous thoughts, we headed home to celebrate May 13, Master’s birthday.
An is a good-looking, independent, clear-headed, and self-disciplined person of few words. She has a stable temperament with good enlightenment quality. She avoids gossiping about others and has a mind of her own when it comes to getting things done. As for me, I always greet others with a smile—I rarely speak without a smile on my face. Our personalities are quite different. After living together in a rented place for a while, I noticed that the atmosphere between us didn’t seem as harmonious as before, though nothing specific had actually happened. On the surface, we remained perfectly polite to each other.
I recall Master’s teaching:
“When you do things you are always guarding yourselves, and you talk in a very veiled and evasive manner, giving others the impression that you are shifty. You are evasive about everything, but love to inquire about everything. How could others communicate with you, then? And how could people interact with you and work with you?” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)
I thought the situation between us was probably this. I felt like she wouldn’t say anything, while she felt like I was always inquiring, which made the atmosphere a bit delicate.
I then read Master’s response to a question asked by a disciple:
“And isn’t that in fact how you have made it through these years? Help and cooperate with each other more, be more understanding of one another, and focus more on others’ strong points; then things should be fine.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)
I repeatedly read this Fa. I have to follow Master’s words and be more understanding, focusing more on other practitioners’ strong points, and help others. Our righteous thoughts on doing everything come from Dafa. As we studied Master’s new articles together, our thinking and mindsets changed. We gradually began to work better together, and our relationship grew increasingly harmonious.
Both An and I had a period of interruption in our cultivation journeys, then returned to the practice. We shared a common goal to attain the goal of cultivation, and a clear understanding that the Fa is paramount. If the Fa indicates that something should be done, we do it without fearing any hardships. Aside from major life events, such as weddings or funerals, our schedules prioritized the three things.
Because we both placed the Fa first, we were able to stay in sync. We did not shy away from toil or fatigue, and we were less burdened by personal concerns. We worked together harmoniously, but the essential prerequisite for this was consistent Fa-study. It is the power of the Fa that enables us to persevere and keep moving forward.
I cannot recall any specific conflicts we’ve had. Usually after a disagreement, we would become more polite and reserved, speaking very little. Yet we still had to eat together every day, leaving the atmosphere thick with awkwardness. While we might initially harbor some complaints toward one another, as practitioners we knew we must look inward for our own shortcomings. Consequently, we both quietly dedicated more time to studying the Fa.
Later, often on a gloomy day or during an evening when the lights weren’t turned on, some opportunity would arise for us to discuss our feelings and reflections from that period, as well as what we realized through the Fa. We sometimes wouldn’t even need to bring up the specific conflict. At other times, we might offer a kind explanation of our state of mind or the circumstances. Through these conflicts, we both elevated our xinxing and deepened our understanding of the Fa.
United by the desire to cultivate ourselves well and save sentient beings, and by our ability to act in sync, we engaged in many profound sharings. These conversations often touched our hearts deeply and led to a greater understanding of the Fa. At times, the experience felt truly invigorating and liberating.
We also learned from and encouraged one another in our cultivation. Besides studying the Fa and regular cultivation, I learned from An the importance of having the courage to decline unreasonable requests by explaining clearly and avoiding getting entangled in unnecessary trouble. An has mentioned that she learned a great deal from me regarding how to interact with others and handle social situations. However, I personally feel that such skills are of little significance compared to the immense help she has provided me.
An’s job eventually required her to relocate to another area. We each purchased our own home, and a single materials production site became two. Building upon the foundation we had established, we continued to encourage each other after we were apart, both striving to do well. When we occasionally met, we shared our insights from studying the Fa and our progress in clarifying the truth to others.
I was sometimes taken aback realizing how hard she had been working, how much she had accomplished, and how many profound Fa principles she had come to understand. I would then quietly strive to catch up. During our subsequent exchanges, we would discuss our past states of mind and note that we had similar thoughts, fostering a healthy environment of comparing in study and comparing in cultivation.
After we parted ways, I had a dream that we were traveling across a vast expanse of water, accompanied by many others. Both An and I were riding kick scooters—gripping the handlebars, with one foot on the deck and the other pushing off against the surface of the water. As we moved forward, I looked down and realized this was no ordinary body of water. Beneath the surface lurked all manner of crocodiles and various other creatures, some large, some small, all terrifying and scary. The water was filthy, and stained a deep, crimson red. Yet, riding our kick scooters on that perilous journey, we managed to reach the opposite shore and step onto land.
I believe this reflects the predestined connections that allowed An and me to walk this path together over the past few years. On another occasion, while I was out distributing truth-clarification materials alone, I found myself thinking about how I used to go with An. Suddenly, I felt Master’s presence, somewhere behind, to my right, and above me, saying to me, “Master is here with you!” In that instant, I felt such immense joy—how wonderful it is to have Master! I also hoped that An and I might have the pleasure of meeting again one day.
During our first year of living together, An remarked, “I feel that I am relatively self-centered.” I pondered and replied, “I’m not sure about ‘self-centered,’ but I think I might be somewhat selfish.”
In the following winter, an older practitioner visited us, and the topic of being “self-centered” came up. I said, “I don’t really understand what ‘self-centered’ means. I have no clear concept of it.” She began recounting an experience of hers. For the first 20 minutes, I just listened as if it were a story, wondering what it had to do with being self-centered. It sounded like nothing more than a conflict between two people. But as she neared the end and analyzed it for me in detail, I suddenly got it. I was struck with the understanding that it is someone who is concerned solely with their own desires, needs, thoughts, and advantages, often to the exclusion or neglect of others. So this is what “self-centered” means! That was the first time I gained a clear understanding of the term.
Another practitioner once mentioned that both An and I were quite strong-willed, a trait that is also a manifestation of being “self-centered.” Maybe since both An and I struggled with this and because I, in particular, had not yet clearly recognized it in myself, we failed to cultivate well in this regard when interacting with each other.
This year, a practitioner more than ten years younger than me stayed at my place for a while. Due to our age gap, we had different backgrounds and lifestyles. Furthermore, given the casual, free-spirited nature typical of young people, I found myself taking issue with almost everything she did, whether it was leaving the bathroom light on or walking around the house while combing her hair. At first, I felt I was in the right, and would think, “How could she do things this way?” or “Why would she put that item there?” It made me feel uncomfortable, though I knew, deep down, that this discomfort wasn’t truly “me.”
I later asked myself, “If I feel uncomfortable, it means there is an attachment involved and I need to look inward. But what kind of attachment is it?” I searched and searched, yet none of the attachments I came up with seemed quite right. So, what is it, exactly?
Through countless lifetimes of reincarnation, every experience helped form a notion, the belief that things must be done a certain way, and that other ways are simply wrong. It is possible that as I descended from my original rank, layers upon layers of notions were added. Over time, they accumulated; then, having spent decades immersed in the Communist Party culture, I became so accustomed to these various notions that they simply became second nature to me.
Master taught us:
“In fact, other than a person’s innate purity and innocence, all notions are acquired postnatally and are not a person’s actual self.” (“For Whom do You Exist?” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Acquired notions must be removed. I sought out articles on Minghui.org regarding the “self” and used them to examine myself point by point. Although I haven’t fully corrected all my shortcomings, I find that I am no longer emotionally stirred by the young practitioners. In fact, I am truly grateful to them for providing me with an opportunity to cultivate my heart.
I am filled with deep emotion upon reflecting on the years spent working alongside An and other practitioners. With Master’s care and guidance, I have been able to engage in the most righteous endeavor during the prime of my life. The times spent walking the path together with fellow practitioners, offering encouragement and engaging in sharings, were truly radiant!
I realize that I am not as diligent as I once was. I am grateful for the opportunity to submit a sharing to the China Fahui, which serves as a reminder for me to strive to radiate brightly in the days ahead.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Selected submission for the 23rd China Fa Conference on Minghui.org)