(Minghui.org) I would like to report to Master and share with fellow practitioners regarding how I broke through the old forces' arrangement and improved myself within Fa-rectification cultivation, and my understanding on how to cooperate well with Dafa related work.
1. Establishing the Fa-Study Group Environment and Improving Ourselves as a Whole
A few years ago, I decided to constantly clarify the truth face-to-face, regardless of whether it was to acquaintances, colleagues, or strangers. A few words can untie the knots in their hearts and help them understand the truth and be saved. But no matter how hard I tried, I always felt something was holding me back from doing well the things Dafa disciples should do during the Fa-rectification period. Later after I studied the Fa with a calm mind, I found the things that were constraining me. After the persecution against Falun Gong started on July 20, 1999, our environment for group Fa-study was destroyed. The old forces' arrangement was to make us lose the cultivation form of group Fa-study that Master left for us. At the beginning of the persecution, most of us were following the approach of personal cultivation that the old forces had arranged for us, and this acknowledged the persecution. We saw sentient beings participating in the persecution, but we were helpless. Doing the three things was very hard because we lacked practitioners' cooperation.
Master taught us,
“The focus for you right now is simply to find ways to do better, to be more efficient, to have a greater impact, and to save more people.” (“Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital”)
I understood that we could achieve this effect that Master described only if many more Dafa practitioners could improve within the Fa and do the three things well. Over a year ago, I moved to a new city. First I found the local practitioners and established a Fa-study group. Every day we studied the Fa together and also used some time to share our experiences. The practitioners in the group kept improving their understanding of the Fa principles. I helped the older practitioners find appropriate projects for them to validate the Fa and save sentient beings according to their abilities. I introduced a practitioner from my hometown, who had a technical background, to these practitioners to help them. One senior practitioner established a materials site herself and learned how to download and print truth-clarifying materials. She can now print facts on monetary bills, and print out posters and booklets for practitioners. Another practitioner who practiced at home alone (she could not connect with other practitioners) learned how to send text messages and multimedia messages via cellphone, and use the Internet to clarify the truth. In the past, this practitioner did not know how to save sentient beings. Now she understands Dafa disciples' responsibility for saving sentient beings based on Fa principles. She not only has now done the three things well, but also taught other practitioners to use their cellphones to clarify the truth.
Another practitioner had been persecuted by the evil a few years back. After she was released and returned home, she could not find other practitioners and she could only read Minghui Weekly once in a long while. It pained her heart. A year ago, she established a Fa-study group, and we studied the Fa together and distributed truth-clarifying material together. We also shared experiences often. Now she can download Minghui Weekly on her own, and she can print the facts onto monetary bills and make truth-clarifying stickers for other practitioners.
2. Looking Inward and Rectifying the Relationship between Personal Cultivation and Fa-rectification Cultivation
When I first joined the group, I saw that some practitioners firmly believed in Master and Dafa, but since they were not clear about the Fa principles, they took many detours. Many practitioners looked inward only so that they would not be persecuted, not for validating the Fa better, saving more sentient beings, or cultivating oneself during the process. Certainly when practitioners are being persecuted, it is right to realize that we did not do well and look inward to find our shortcomings. But if we think that practitioners are being persecuted because of our attachments, our understanding conforms to the old forces' thinking. It's like saying that only when we cultivate ourselves well, will the persecution end. This is exactly the old forces' understanding about personal cultivation.
Master taught us,
“This isn't cultivation with a small reach--it's the cosmos going through Fa-rectification. Everything is just too trivial to even mention next to the Fa-rectification--nothing begins to compare. You can't compare things that occur in personal cultivation with the Fa-rectification.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.”, Teaching the Fa at the Conference II)
I understand that during Fa-rectification cultivation, we not only need to cultivate ourselves well, but also need to help Master to rectify the Fa, rectify any unrighteous factors and deny all of the old forces' arrangements. We clarify the truth to people and help sentient beings rectify their attitudes toward Dafa and choose their future correctly. The old forces can't use Dafa practitioners' not doing well as an excuse to persecute us. Saving sentient beings is the first priority. Even with rescuing practitioners, we use the process to save sentient beings.
Once we we were sharing experiences, I saw that many practitioners still had strong fear. The main reason was that they formed human notions when being persecuted. They all felt that if they did not do well, they would be persecuted. In order to help practitioners understand how I negate the old forces and get rid of fear, I told them that Master told us,
“You play the leading role in this period of history, and the existence of everything at present, whether it be evil or the upright gods, has to do with you. It is walking straight your path that is most important.” (“Walk Straight Your Path”)
After hearing my sharing, a practitioner said, “Her tone is too strong. How come there is only her under Master?” I could feel that the practitioner misunderstood me. I looked inward to find out why I did not share my understanding more clearly, and did not complain. Upon looking inward, I saw that my understanding of the Fa principle was right, but I had the attachment of anxiously expressing my idea, which amounts to wanting to validate myself. As soon as I tried to validate myself, I lost my wisdom and I could not clearly express the Fa principles. At the same time, I was ashamed of myself compared to the coordinator's contribution to the group and her sense of responsibility. My mind became much more peaceful after recognizing this. I told Master in my heart, “I will not be attached to myself. I will only walk the path that Master arranged for us and help the group improve faster as a whole.”
I also found my attachment of anxiety. I did not consider the practitioner's acceptance level, and also what I said had some discontinuity. I let go of my attachment to saving face, and did not try to explain how I was right. Instead, I told myself that I must think of others first. Later during the experience sharing, when there were some thoughts that I could not clearly express, I wrote them down on paper first. After I improved, the effect also greatly improved. I also felt that my capacity had increased. Because I let go of myself, Master helped me to get rid of the unrighteous substances.
After a few sessions of experience sharing, I shared my feelings with the practitioners again. The practitioners all comforted me with kindness. I saw the practitioners' pure heart for the whole group. I was really anxious at the time. Soon, two coordinators shared with me about the experience sharing from that day. I talked sincerely about my process of looking inward. The practitioners also pointed out my shortcomings.
We continued to share our experiences and many practitioners gained a proper understanding of the relation between personal cultivation and Fa-rectification cultivation.
3. Truly Cultivating Myself at Home and at Work
The path Master has arranged for us is to cultivate ourselves while helping Teacher to rectify the Fa. No matter what environment we are in, we need to cultivate ourselves well. We need to be responsible to Dafa and sentient beings. During my contact with practitioners, I found many practitioners still did not jump out of the constraints of “personal cultivation.” They only thought about their own cultivation and did not care about their family members' feelings, which was taken advantage of by the evil. They were trapped into cultivating under persecution and could not get rid of the interference and move forward. At home, they could not rectify their relationship with family members. Some did not handle the relationship between husband and wife well, causing misunderstandings with their spouses. Then they thought it was interference to their validating the Fa, and avoided their spouse or pushed them away, which caused the spouse to do bad things. Some even considered it a test for their xinxing. When some practitioners' husbands later found them and asked for a divorce, they thought the husband had already had children with someone else, and that it was wrong not to divorce. They treated it in an everyday people's manner. This is actually acknowledging the persecution. Dafa practitioners during the Fa-rectification period should consider others even more. Master said,
“As a cultivator, you have to be a good person wherever you are, and you have to be considerate of others--so in the home why can't you be considerate and understanding of your own husband? Aren't we to leave the future mankind with the best things? When both of you are cultivators you should each be considerate of one another, and with that how could you talk about divorce? Marriage should be something unbreakable.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students”, Teaching the Fa at the Conference VI)
Right now human morals have dropped so low that people don't even know the proper moral standard for being human. Dafa disciples not only need to harmonize the surrounding environment, but also need to rectify any unrighteous states. Only then can we be understood by sentient beings and deny the old forces' persecution.
So, I shared my experience with the practitioners. I always went to extremes in the past, and my husband got angry as soon as he saw me. He even asked for a divorce. Based on the Fa principles, we understand that when conflicts occur between Dafa practitioners and everyday people, it is the practitioner's fault 100%. If we cannot even save our own relatives, how can we be worthy of the title of Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification period? During my cultivation, it was extremely painful when passing this test. But when I let go of reputation, personal gain, and human emotion, and treated my relatives as sentient beings to be saved, I could rectify the relationship between personal cultivation and Fa-rectification cultivation. Now my husband supports my cultivation. Although I am not presently at home, my 85-year-old mother-in-law is at my home and we still have a business at home. The business does well and my husband does not complain at all.
In the past, I always thought that doing more work and doing work well at my workplace could help others understand Dafa. I wanted to prove that I could do things well because I cultivate in Dafa, in order to save more people. For a while, the boss arranged for me to help the store manager to manage the company. I spent a lot of time helping him draft all kinds of management standards and regulations. I got very tired from this. I also needed to help him with early morning meetings, which took up a lot of my time, plus I needed to help the managers examine sanitation conditions. I became very busy and had constant interference.
Because the responsibility system affected the store manager's personal interests, the store manager would get very angry. The boss always came to me when problems happened. The store manager said that I controlled things behind the scenes. Once a manager and an employee were having conflicts. I told the manager about the principle of tolerating others. I pointed out that I always fixed the poor work of the store manager, but he just slapped the desk in front of everyone. I did not blame him, so that we could cooperate well to work better. But the store manager thought that I badmouthed him and scolded me in front of the other manager and employees. Later the boss heard about this and decided to fire the store manager and make me the vice president. He thought I could manage the company better than the store manager. When I heard about the boss's decision, I realized that I was still at the level of personal cultivation. I thought this arrangement could not be what Master wanted. I would gain prestige and other material things. However, not only would I be very busy and lack time to participate in group coordination, but I would also not have much time to study the Fa. How could I take on this responsibility? In addition, the store manager would hate me if he lost his job because of me. It would lead him to misunderstand Dafa, which would destroy him. So I told the boss, “I've already led him for a while. I've already demonstrated the things he should do and should accomplish. It is time for me to step aside. Please train him gradually. If he needs me, I will try my best to help him. This is also good for your company. Only when I step aside, will the company have harmony.”
I also told the store manager, “I've told you my management ideas. You also have your own management style. You can put them together. Do your work well, and in the future you will have success.” The store manager who slapped the desk in front of me and scolded me was deeply touched. The boss was also very satisfied.
I let go of my worry about the company and let go of the attachment to pursing fame. I was no longer interfered with by things which did not belong to my work. The relaxed working environment gave me ample time to participate in Fa-rectification activities. My company always has a good profit and is at the top of the list for that industry in the city.
I deeply understand that only if we study the Fa well, can we do the three things well and have strong righteous thoughts. Then we can break through the personal cultivation arranged by the old forces and walk righteously on the path arranged by Master.
Above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
