Reflections On the Process of Submitting an Article for Falun Dafa Day

(Minghui.org) I have been aware for some time that this year’s call for articles to commemorate World Falun Dafa Day had begun. After reading thoughtful articles by fellow practitioners, I felt that I wanted to contribute as well, but I’ve always felt like I had nothing meaningful to say.

Work has kept me busy, and I haven’t been doing the three things very well—sometimes I’m diligent, but at other times I slack off. In the past, I’ve written a few articles but I always felt they were rather bland—I even found them dry and unengaging, lacking the spark of a compelling story. That’s why this time I hadn’t planned to put pen to paper. Yet, before I knew it, the submission deadline was fast approaching.

One day I had a dream that I remember particularly vividly, composed of two distinct scenes. One seemed to be a small office from the Republican era, crammed with editors who appeared to be discussing commissioning articles. The other scene seemed to be a living room where a group of people were seated in a circle, much like our study group, and someone was sharing her experiences, saying something to the effect that it would be a shame not to write them down.

When I woke up, I felt a sense of unease. Was this a sign urging me to submit an article? I reflected on this in light of the Fa. It’s not that I don’t value submitting articles. After all, matters concerning validating the Fa naturally deserve my full cooperation, but I truly have nothing to write about. So I still hadn’t put pen to paper.

That very night, I had another dream, where I was in an exam room with many colleagues standing outside. One by one, they went in for interviews and answered the examiners’ questions. A colleague who had gone in earlier came out and said that to pass the interview, simply doing verification work wasn’t enough; many of the questions were related to design.

When I woke up, I felt this dream was too obvious. Verifying drawings is like reading other people’s work, while design is like writing your own. It seems I needed to take this seriously. At that point, there were only three days left until the deadline.

I reread this year’s essay theme: “Our Stories.” “Why did we take up cultivation one after another? Why is practicing Falun Dafa so important to us? What positive changes has Dafa brought us? As Dafa practitioners, how do we handle issues in our families, workplaces, and communities?” Indeed, after all these years of cultivation, haven’t I and the world around me changed?

The moving and deeply touching cultivation stories of those Dafa disciples who have done well are indeed precious, and deserved to be cherished. Yet the majority of Dafa practitioners cultivate day after day, year after year, in the ordinary routines of work and daily life.

During the process of drafting and revising my submission, I gradually gained a deeper understanding of the cultivation form of Dafa—one that is formless.

I came to more fully grasp the profound significance of our Master’s instruction to cultivate while conforming, to the greatest extent possible, to the state of ordinary people, as well as the solemn relationship between our cultivation and that of future cultivators.

In the midst of this process, I suddenly became aware of subtle changes, previously imperceptible, that had taken place in me before and after I began cultivating. I was deeply moved by the realization that Dafa had fundamentally reshaped me, without my even noticing. Following my experience submitting my article, I felt that a subtle shift had occurred in my mindset regarding both my work and my daily life. I have become more open-minded, composed, and at ease.

On the very evening I successfully submitted my contribution, I had another dream. I found myself in a room where a person, resembling an examiner, was reviewing my submission. Outside the window lay a farmstead abundant with crops and fruit-laden trees, where many people were moving to and fro.

I had a vague sense that it was precisely because I had participated in making a submission that I was granted the opportunity to enter that place and observe it. I realized that as long as we cultivate ourselves in accordance with Dafa, maintain a heart dedicated to validating the Fa, and utilize our respective strengths to fulfill our duties—as Dafa is formless—we will reap the fruits that are rightfully ours.

I am deeply grateful to the Minghui Editorial Department for providing such a precious cultivation opportunity each year. I sincerely hope that people around the world will read the articles written by Dafa disciples, and at this pivotal historical moment of cosmic renewal, choose kindness and a bright future. I am profoundly thankful to Master for his compassionate salvation. Master is great! Dafa is great!