Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:
- Welcome
- What’s Happening?
- Moving from Humanness to Divinity
- Thoughts about Notions
- Only by Cultivating Well Can We Validate the Fa Well
- Every Thought Needs to be Righteous
- Obtaining the Fa Amidst Hardship--Compassionately Saving Sentient Beings
- Some Thoughts on Inaccurate or Even Wrong Exercise Movements
- 1. Welcome
Welcome to the June 2012 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.
In this issue, we have a compilation of experience-sharing Articles gleaned from Pureinsight and Clearwisdom that always shine through because of their insights and fine quality of sharing. It is important to read the Clearwisdom, Pureinsight and other Dafa sites. We make an effort to select Articles from the Archives which people don’t go back to and are relevant even today. Contributions are welcome from practitioners.
Heshi! Hope, you like the selection of Articles and gain some new insights!
Note: "All the contents in this newsletter - except for quotations and excerpts of writings of the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi - are only ideas and experiences of practitioners and do not represent Falun Dafa in itself."
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- 2. What’s Happening?
Practitioners from Bangalore had organized various activities on World Falun Dafa Day which was posted on Clearwisdom. Here is the Link:
Practitioners from Bangalore introduced the practice and taught the exercises to the teachers at Jain
Heritage school which was done last year too.
Practitioners from Hyderabad Introduced the practice to nearly 100 village revenue officers of Govt of Andhra Pradesh in a training programme.
Practitioners also distributed fliers to Justice Sri Chalameswar, Supreme Court justice and other writers and academicians and other public in a award presentation ceremony to an editor of a popular Telugu daily, Andhra Jyothy.
Practitioners met the President and General Secretary of Federation of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry and explained the benefits of our practice to their members. They promised to give 1 hour to introduce the practice to their members, which is in process.
Practitioners met the Editor of an English daily called Hans India and explained about our practice. He entrusted the job to his assistant to study and bring out an article in their news paper soon. The books and other material were given to the assistant.
Practitioners met the Editor (in Vijayawada) of a very popular Telugu weekly magazine called Swathy and explained about our practice and its health benefits. We presented him with books and information. He promised to publish an article in his magazine as soon as possible to make his readers aware of the same.
Practitioners from Mumbai explained the significance of World Falun Dafa day to members of the Dignity Foundation and did the exercises and distributed some snacks.
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- 3. Moving from Humanness to Divinity
A Practitioner from Boston
(PureInsight.org) (New England Fahui 2006)
When we look at the thinning ranks of our practitioners in the greater
Boston area, leaving us short-handed for all the pressing projects we
are doing, when we hear news about practitioners abandoning their
cultivation, or when we encounter new obstacles in our
truth-clarification projects that don't make any sense on a surface
level, it is easy to slip into periods of weariness, uncertainty, and
discouragement. I have had these feelings to varying degrees and
perhaps some of you have too. This is all part of cultivation and when
we experience lows like this, I think it is because we still have some
humanness left to cultivate away.
Of course, our cultivation practice takes the format of cultivating
while in ordinary human society. And it is precisely because we live in
ordinary society that we not only have an environment in which to
improve our xinxing, but that
we can carry out our mission of saving sentient beings. The two go hand
in hand. And we are in a process of moving from humanness to divinity.
As such, we have both human and divine thoughts.
In "Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005" Master said: "Under the
tests that the human mind is put to, a state will come about in a
cultivator when understandings born of both divine and human thoughts
are present and collide. When human thinking gains the upper hand, that
person heads toward humanness; when divine thinking and a person's
righteous thoughts gain the upper hand, he heads toward godhood."
In the same lecture Master also said, "You are now in the last stage of
heading towards Consummation" My understanding from these words
is that our own righteous thoughts and divine thinking should be
gaining the upper hand by now. We should be able to distinguish between
human thinking and divine thinking and not remain in the dark on this
all-important matter.
Humans have human thoughts and gods have divine thoughts. That has
always made sense to me but at the same time it has also been most
challenging. What differentiates the two kinds of thinking? How can I
know if I am thinking like a human or thinking like a god? There
certainly isn't any magic formula that can be followed, nor are there
any role models for me to emulate. Some of my thoughts are very human
and thus easy to identify. Some of my thoughts border, and maybe cross
over, into the realm of divine thinking. Yet there's a wide range of
thinking that goes on inside me that is not so easy to evaluate, at
least not on the surface.
However, all my human thinking, even my "good" human thinking, is
rooted in one thing, selfishness. If what I am thinking about stirs
uneasiness in my consciousness, no matter how slight, when I pause,
take a step back, and look inside myself, I will inevitably find its
selfish root. Perhaps I have been afraid of taking on something I
consider uncomfortable. Perhaps I am really trying to show off, or brag
a bit. Maybe one of my pet notions is challenged or I am reluctant to
let go of an opinion I formed about someone. Sometimes I find myself
day dreaming. All these mental activities are rooted in selfishness, an
all too human characteristic.
Perhaps a recent experience of mine will illustrate what I am trying to
convey. The News Department of New Tang Dynasty Television held an
impromptu experience-sharing conference a couple of months ago. With
less than two weeks notice, around two dozen experience-sharing reports
were read and the atmosphere was charged with wonderful, positive
energy. As I listened to the practitioners giving their reports and
looked around at many familiar faces, I was thinking about how far
these practitioners had come and how quickly the NTDTV news department
has grown in such a short span of time. That thinking revolved around
surface, technical things such as improvement in the techniques of news
editing and reporting. I was caught up in this thinking and was even a
little complacent for being a small part of such a great team.
After dinner, we broke into an English News group and a Chinese News
Group in adjoining rooms for more sharing and planning of future
projects. During the course of our English meeting, one of the editors
quietly shared her understanding that our English News team's most
important role is to direct Western public attention to Xin Tang Ren -
that we should shine the spot-light on them, so to speak, and make it
easier for them to do their job reporting truth to the Chinese people.
I was blown away! Her words were so clear and powerful, full of
compassion, with no trace of selfishness. This was such a contrast to
the way I had been thinking all day. I was ashamed of myself at that
moment. But I was also thankful for having my human thinking exposed so
quickly and compassionately.
Human thinking has selfish roots, that's for sure. There is also a
tell-tale characteristic about human thinking that I have noticed in
myself. When encountering a tribulation, if I am not thinking
righteously and unselfishly, I find that I am self-conscious. By this I
mean that I am thinking ABOUT the tribulation more than I am FACING the
situation. When I look at the tribulation directly and see the loophole
that needs to be closed, then there's no time for being self-conscious.
I just immediately do what needs to be done. This is part of what
melting into the Fa means to me. If we are afraid, if we hesitate, if
we look for the tribulation to be removed by Master or if we handle it
only with righteous thoughts, then I think we miss the opportunity to
move up another notch in divinity.
It has been my experience that cultivating a heart of kindness and
compassion creates a fertile ground for thinking more like a god and
less like a human. I find that maintaining a heart of compassion and
kindness, as Master has taught us in lecture 4 of Zhuan Falun,
is a very good thing to do. Why? Because, when we are genuinely
thinking of someone else, the focus is not on "me" but on the other
person. This applies equally well to working on a project with other
practioners. If I consider how the project will be affected by what I
think, say, or do, again the focus is not on "me" but on the success of
something much greater and outside of the strictly human realm.
Isn't the key to being One Body unselfishness?
This is a constant challenge for me and although I know I have made
some progress, I often lose sight of the phenomenon in our cultivation
that Master expounded upon in great detail in his most recent lecture,
"Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital:"
"So as parts are continually being fully cultivated, they are
continually partitioned off. As parts continue to be fully cultivated,
they are continually partitioned off; the part that hasn't been fully
cultivated, meanwhile, constantly undergoes cultivation until the point
where nothing remains and everything has been successfully cultivated.
That is the cultivation path you are to take."
Because the divinely cultivated part that is cultivated is immediately
"partitioned off by a huge amount of space and time" ("Teaching the Fa
at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital"), we find ourselves pretty
much unchanged at this human level. The afterglow of having
successfully passed a xinxing
test lasts about as long as the flicker of firefly's tail light. But
there's no need to get discouraged, because we know what's happening.
We are not fireflies but true gods in the making. We glow with the
Buddha light that illuminates everything and rectifies all
abnormalities around us. By diligently applying ourselves and
continually studying the Fa, we have the best inertial guidance system
possible along our cultivation path. Let us think more and more like
enlightened beings and less like humans as the pace of Fa rectification
quickens. This period will be over in the twinkling of an eye.
How wonderful it will be!
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- 4. Thoughts about Notions
By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China
(Minghui.org)
Some time ago, I read an article "Lock in the
Heart," which gave me greater understanding of the Fa truths.
A great magician had learned some secret tricks that allowed him to open
locks regardless of how elaborate or complicated they were. And the surprising
thing was that it only took a very short time for him to open the lock and free
himself. He never failed! Several citizens from a small English town decided to
challenge him. They fashioned an iron cage and put a very complicated lock on
it. The magician tried for two hours and failed to open up this lock. Once
exhausted, he leaned on the door and it opened. Actually, the door was not
locked. His failure was deeply rooted in his subconscious. His focus had changed
from "wanting to escape" to "opening up the lock." His
notion told him that as long as there was a lock, it had been locked.
Throughout one's lifetime, one deals with things in a similar manner and
gradually forms many deeply-rooted notions. These notions not only may
manipulate the person at all times, but also make one reject the truth, even if
confronted with it. One sets up many obstacles throughout one's life.
In cultivation, many of one's so-called "correct" notions manifest.
But when one uses the Fa principles to judge things, one's notions are exposed.
Actually, though, some deeply-rooted notions are hard to identify before one
cultivates to a certain realm. For example, the notion that one should wear more
clothes in winter, otherwise one might catch a cold is deeply rooted in one's
mind. Another notion is that one can't drink hot and cold water at the same
time, otherwise it will trigger a stomachache. I was bitten by a dog some time
ago. Every time I saw a dog, the memory of being bitten by one would surface.
When this notion was strong, the dog would begin to bark wildly when it saw me.
My notion of fear brought about unrighteous factors. When something is stolen,
one will subconsciously cover one's personal belongings, such as purses and cell
phones, in public. Some practitioners who were arrested by police officers, when
they hear sound of police vehicles, they become nervous and alert. By and large,
all these are good examples of our indulging ourselves and how we reinforce our
existing human notions. Many notions may be good things for a non-cultivator.
For a cultivator, however, they might turn into obstacles.
In an article "Cultivation Reflection No. 5 -- Witnessing the Crime in
Secret Underground Criminal Punishment Rooms," it said that police officers
arrested practitioners and took them to a secret underground room especially
designed for torturing criminals. This practitioner did not wish to betray
fellow practitioners. He wanted to leave there in an upright manner, so he said
to the police officer, "I am a law-bidding citizen. I did not do anything
against the law. Practicing Falun Gong is my personal belief, I will not get
others involved." Later, evil police officers used cruel and inhuman
methods to make this practitioner talk.
As they tortured him, they yelled, "Do you know Ms. Jiang, Xu Yunfeng,
Liu Hulan? I am watching how you are not getting others involved!" On the
surface, it was the police officer proving the practitioner wrong. However, I
came to understand that this was the old forces in other dimensions taking
advantage of this practitioner's loophole. Think about it. His thought was,
"I will not involve others." Would a god think like that? No, he would
not. He wouldn't have this kind of thought to begin with. "I will not
affect others" is using humans thinking because it recognizes the
persecution.
When holding very strong righteous thoughts, the evil should not be able to
test nor persecute practitioners, let alone persecute other practitioners.
Therefore, the old forces should be denied their existence from the very
beginning. Evil forces were taking advantage of the practitioner's undiscovered
human notions to persecute him. Cultivation means that one gets rid of human
notions, detaches from humanness, uses divine thoughts to replace human notions,
uses Dafa's Fa truths as measurements or standards, and assimilates into Dafa,
so that one will not be constrained by worldly principles.
These are my personal understandings. Please point out anything
inappropriate.
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- 5. Only by Cultivating Well Can We Validate the Fa Well
By a practitioner in Northeast China
(Minghui.org)
I am a young practitioner. It has been 14 years since I
attended Teacher's lectures and started the practice of Falun Gong. At that
time, I woke up very early each morning to go to the exercise site. From 1994 to
1995 I also went to the exercise site every night, but later I had Fa study at
night instead of doing the exercises.
In 1997, I attended an art exhibition that recalled the five-years of Teacher
teaching the Fa. At that time I was going to graduate. Many graduates were
looking for jobs, and there were many tearful farewells. However I was busy
preparing the art exhibition, producing paintings and arranging a conference
site with practitioners. We had to forgo sleep, but I still was very happy. One
night when I went to the university I saw my classmates crying because they
didn't want to leave. I felt that there was a large gap between non
practitioners and cultivators. I realized that nothing in life could compare to
the Buddha Law and our purpose for existence was
vastly different. Cultivators' every thought is on another level.
Non-cultivators' emotions went from happy to sad for the most trivial matters,
but nothing in the human world can affect me. We are most fortunate to obtain
the Fa. It is something non-practitioners will understand.
I was really blessed in those days. Before Falun Dafa was banned, my
understanding of the Fa was limited, but I knew that Falun Dafa is good.
However, I did not study the Fa diligently. I enjoyed being involved in Falun
Dafa activities and was very enthusiastic. I believed that cultivation was just
taking part in Dafa activities. We had a lot of contact with the main Falun Dafa
site, so we always had a chance to be involved in one thing or another. I became
very busy and neglected studying the Fa. I had many human attachments and was
not truly cultivating. Facing the persecution, as a practitioner during this
difficult time, it is important to have a deep understanding of the Fa. If not,
we cannot hope to make it through these treacherous times. My road was filled
with bumps, as I was repeatedly arrested. Once, I faced a big tribulation, which
I eventually passed with Teacher's help.
Only by Cultivating Well Can One Validate The Fa Well
From the beginning of my cultivation, I did not study the Fa diligently. But
now I understand the importance of diligent Fa study. Some time ago I went to my
home town as practitioners' needed some help. But, when I arrived all tasks
had been taken care of. So I wasted my time.
Nothing was going smoothly at the time. I had to replace the printing head of
my printer twice within six months, but the problems continued. I thought that
maybe it was time to buy a new printer. The new printer developed problems the
day I bought it. I also had conflicts with other practitioners. I decided I
should stop, calm down and memorize the Fa. It was more than six months since I
memorized Zhuan Falun for the second time. When I memorized Zhuan
Falun I felt happy and my mind became clear.
This time around I gained a different understanding of the Fa. This time I did
not memorize the Fa mechanically, but totally merged with the Fa and memorizing
the Fa was easy.
I realized that I should not stop everything while studying the Fa. I checked
my new printer. This time it worked fine, although it appeared before that the
problem could not be fixed. I also successfully contacted the practitioner who
gave me supplies.
I looked within to find my human attachments. I used to always feel superior
to others. I used to like criticizing people and controlling people. I did not
realize my faults even after several conflicts. Even practitioners were
unwilling to cooperate with me. I watched "Fa Teaching Given to the
Australian Practitioners." Teacher said that practitioners need to look
within when faced with problems. I always thought I was correct and did not
think of looking within. Teacher said that a cultivator must search inward
unconditionally, not just on the surface. I realized that we could not cooperate
well because of my attachments and that this delayed validating the Fa and
saving sentient beings. I think practitioners contacted me again because many
things needed to be coordinated. They had not contacted me before and now, since
I began to memorize the Fa, they contacted me. I still am a long way from truly
searching inward, but Teacher sees that I truly want to cultivate. Also, when I
memorized the Fa, the Fa's power was revealed to me due to the purification of
the dimensions around me.
During the beginning of the year, I memorized the Fa up to lecture nine. I
felt in harmony with the Fa. It was a change that cannot be explained in mere
words. I think in order to validate the Fa, one must have reached such a
harmonious state. Then, one will walk the path arranged by Teacher.
What is to be 'in the Fa'? I think that it means to exist in harmony with
the Fa. To achieve such a state can be done only by memorizing the Fa. Then, I
recognized the seriousness of cultivation. If a practitioner is not in the Fa,
he does not deserve to validate the Fa. Only when one studies the Fa, is in
harmony with the Fa, will the power of the Fa be revealed and Teacher guide us.
Everything is for validating the Fa
Originally I had a stable, respectable job with a good income. Since the
persecution I have not held a job and thus have had no steady income. But to
save sentient being, clarify the truth about the spiritual practice Falun Dafa
and the persecution I still needed an income. I spent little money for my
everyday needs. One day, when cleaning the house I found many valuable books
left behind by my parents. There was no reason to keep them. My decision was
based from the Fa. I did not make the decision to sell them for selfish reasons.
Because of this, the sale was very successful. I contacted a friend of my father's,
who bought the books without bargaining with me. The money came in very handy. I
visited this man again to thank him and took this opportunity to give him the
book "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" and truth
clarification materials. Soon after, he and his family withdrew from the CCP. He
also told me to be careful. Many people have chosen bright futures for
themselves because of my truth clarification efforts.
Last winter I was debating if I should spend money for heating. It
was not cheap and would cost several thousand yuan. This money could
be used for saving more sentient beings. I didn't need the heat as I was living
by myself.
In Northeast China the winter is very cold. As I did not pay the heating fee,
I would not have any heat during the winter. I thought that I should be able to
cope with the cold. But, later I thought that my inability to pay for heating
was because of the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Because of this I would have to endure the cold. I realized that this in itself
is a part of the persecution. I should not acknowledge this persecution.
I should not endure the cold, I should be warm. Since I had this thought, the
temperature in my home was 20-22 C every day. One day when I
returned home the temperature in my bedroom was 26 C. Although I did not have
heat, my home was warm, I felt very comfortable. I started worrying, I
was opposing the old forces' arrangements and not using it as an excuse to warm
myself for personal comfort. I spoke to Teacher, "If the coldness is
Teacher's arrangement I will endure it without fear; if the warmth is arranged
by the old force I would rather be cold. After speaking, my room was still warm.
I realized that I was not selfish as I was thinking of the Fa's requirements.
This is a Dafa miracle because my thought was in line with the Fa requirements.
This is my cultivation experience.
Several years ago the equipment to produce truth-clarification
materials was very expensive. Conditions were terrible and practitioners felt
immense pressure. Now, the condition has changed. Equipment and related printing
materials are much cheaper. I think that this is because practitioners have
improved. Now, if practitioners donate money for the production of printing
materials, the money is not needed.
The Fa-rectification process is advancing rapidly. Cultivation time passes
very fast. It has already been fourteen years since I obtained the Fa.
Thank you very much esteemed Teacher for accepting me as a Fa-rectification
period Dafa disciple and for giving us everything in Zhuan Falun.
Some time ago I felt my life was very difficult. One day I shed tears in
front of Teacher's portrait. I felt I left my original, true home far too long
ago. It is time for me to return to my original, true home. Actually it is
getting closer to the time that we, as genuine practitioners, return to our true
home. I hope that we don't have any regrets and hope that our Teacher will be
smiling at our progress.
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- 6. Every Thought Needs to be Righteous
(PureInsight.org) (United Kingdom Experience Sharing Conference, 2006)
Recently
when another practitioner did not do well with a very serious test, I foolishly had the thought "I wonder if I could pass such a test." Even
before the thought finished, I realised it was not a righteous thought
and dismissed it as wrong thinking.
Within a day, however, I felt my jaw ache so much that my eyes were
watering. I understood this manifestation was an infection and I knew
it was due to my incorrect thought, so I sent righteous thoughts and
tried to dig out the notion of fear and doubt that created this
loophole.
The next day, however, it was not gone. The pain was severe now, as
this seeming "infection" was taking hold. I knew it could be serious
since my mother had a tooth infection which moved to her liver and her
doctor told her this sort of infection can be fatal.
Master says in "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles in February 2006:"
"Dafa disciples, all the way until their last step to Consummation,
will be tested as to whether they can make it. There could be very,
very critical tests for you all the way until you are just one step
away from finishing. That is because every step becomes more and more
critical to your cultivation and your tests, especially toward the end.
You know, those lawless gods of the old cosmos will try to manoeuvre
things until the very end, as long as they are still around. When you
are not up to par, they will surely try to find a way to bring you
down. They know that Li Hongzhi won't abandon you, so they will use all
kinds of methods to make you fall. Having just one single thought be
off will make a person falter. So the closer it is to the end, the more
serious and crucial the tests will be."
Even though I had to work, I sent righteous thoughts throughout the day. When I got home I tried to read Zhuan Falun
but the pain was blinding and I could not see the words on the page. I
tried to listen to the lectures or do the exercises but I could not
focus or calm my mind. I tried to recite "Lunyu,"
but could only struggle to repeat the first few words. The physical
part of the pain was excruciating, but what was worse was that the pain
completely filled my mind and was utterly debilitating. So I just kept
repeating the few words of "Lunyu" that I could manage.
At night I could not sleep from the pain, so I just sent righteous
thoughts (with great effort) and recited the few words of "Lunyu"
I could form in my mind. I also kept trying to dig out any attachments.
But I couldn't focus enough to dig or think, so I did the only thing I
could: I thought of Master. I felt like I was inside a furious storm of
pain which was blowing around all my thoughts except this one thread of
thought that I held on to tightly. I could not even focus enough to
form the thought of asking Master for help, I just had the feeling that
I was reaching towards Him.
The next day, the pain was still severe. I realised that I viewed this
situation as a problem, which acknowledges the old forces. So I let go
of this notion and replaced it with a full acceptance in Master and His
path for me. I laid all my faith in Master, let go of all other
thoughts and believed with all my heart that it didn't matter what
happened, since I was on His path and His path alone. As this day
progressed, I could feel a tiny centre of calm growing ever so slightly
in my mind. I did not pursue wanting to be "better" but just accepted
things as they were. The pain was still severe, though, and every
moment felt like an eternity. Unfortunately, I then had the thought
that "it was ok, so long as it was just pain which I could hide from
the ordinary people around me."
The next day however, my face was badly swollen. Of course, this fear
had manifested and I realised my loophole. My fear was that my husband
would want me to go to the doctor or take medicine, and I knew that
this situation was not about the physical manifestation, but about the
old forces taking advantage of my incorrect thoughts.
So I just let go of this fear and considered my swollen face as "not a
problem." I forced myself to read as much as possible. By this time, I
could read a little, so my mind was able to focus more. The more I read
the more I could focus. However I had previously promised my husband
that I would sand the upstairs and downstairs hallway so we could
decorate. The sanding machine vibrations aggravated the pain, but I
accepted it and continued sanding for many hours. I still only thought
of Master and as much of Lunyu as I could struggle to form in my mind.
The fourth day was still severe and my face was still swollen, but I
continued with my righteous thoughts and thinking righteously that this
was not a problem. I had surrendered to complete faith that no matter
what, Master would make everything right and there was nothing at all
to worry about. At one point my husband looked me straight in the face
and said "Are you ok?" he paused looking me over intently and said "you
look a little tired." I wanted to laugh, though, as my face was swollen
like chipmunk cheeks filled with nuts and even though my husband was
looking directly at me, he didn't even see the swelling.
From Zhuan Falun, Master says:
"The other day I said that the Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and
rectifies all abnormalities. In other words, the energy scattered from
our bodies can rectify all abnormal conditions. Therefore, under the
effects of this field, if you do not think about these things, you will
unintentionally restrain your spouse as well. If you do not and will
not think of them, your spouse will not think of them, either."
After a few more days the pain and swelling finally went away. From
this experience, I learned that by letting go of my fears and just
having strong righteous faith in Master, there can be no loophole for
the old forces to bring me down and no test I cannot pass.
Master says in a comment on a student's article in July 2005:
"for cultivators, fear or lack thereof proves [one's] humanity or
divinity, and it is what differentiates cultivators from ordinary
people. It is something that a cultivator must face, and the biggest
human attachment that a cultivator must remove."
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- 7. Obtaining the Fa Amidst Hardship--Compassionately Saving Sentient Beings
By a practitioner from China
(minghui.org)
I have enlightened to the fact that every
Dafa disciple during the Fa-Rectification period has the
responsibility to convey the facts about Falun Gong and the
persecution to the world's people. In the course of saving sentient
beings, we disciples are raising our levels.
Obtaining the Fa Amidst Hardship
I was born into a mining family. I lost my mother when I was
young. My father remarried and my stepmother gave birth to two
daughters and a son. My father was the president of the mine. He
loved to gamble, and paid little attention to family matters. My
stepmother had full control and responsibility for the family. My
younger sisters and brother went to school. I was the only one
unable to attend. I got up every day at 5:00 a.m. From childhood
on, I was responsible for all of the chores inside and outside of
the house, including carrying the water, burning the grass for
fuel, cooking the meals, and washing the clothes and dishes. If I
didn't do what my stepmother wanted, she either beat me or swore at
me. In my spare time I had to go to the mountain to cut grass for
fuel. I grew the vegetables for our food and raised the chickens
and pigs. In the winter it was so cold that my skin cracked. I
silently endured, yet I felt that as the older sister, I should do
more.
I remember one time when my stepmother cruelly abused me, “Your
real mother died. Why didn't you go with her? You're an unnecessary
bastard!” I couldn't bear it and said, “I'm my father's daughter.
You have no right to abuse me.” “Abuse you? I want to beat you to
death!” She grabbed a thick wooden stick and started hitting my
head with it. I couldn't bear the pain and ran. She ran after me
and continued hitting me. She dragged me into the bathroom, shut
the door, and continued to beat me. The neighbors tried to stop
her. She said, “Whoever doesn't want to get paid can come over here
and meddle in my affairs!” (The mine was suffering from a deficit
in 1964. She was the financial affairs section chief and every
month borrowed money from the county town in order to pay the
miner's wages.) She stopped hitting me when she got tired. She told
me she would marry me off to someone in a remote mountain area in
exchange for tea leaves.
Afterwards I thought, “People! Why bother to live? Why should I
be pushed around?” I was prepared to run away from home at any time
but where should I go? Vague thoughts formed in my mind, “Who am I?
What am I? Why was I born into this family to suffer hardship?” I
knew I wanted to leave sooner or later. When I was 15 I went with a
companion to Shenzhen. to serve as apprentices. I taught myself to
read and write. I stayed there for over 30 years. I had my own
career and family. I was very fortunate to begin practicing Falun
Gong at this time, and I came to understood the true meaning of
life.
Compassionately Saving the World's People
Fa rectification has entered a new phase, having progressed from
the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecuting Dafa and Dafa
disciples, to the world's people gradually understanding the truth
about Falun Gong and the persecution, and to the great tide of
large numbers of people withdrawing from the CCP. The number has
reached almost 100 million. For a variety of reasons I went back to
my hometown, where I hadn't been for a long time. I studied the
and meditated in my spare time. I thought, “My stepmother is
a sentient being waiting to be saved, so I should clarify the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution to her.” I didn't want
to have any regrets. They had left the mine a long time prior
because it had gone bankrupt, had moved to a prosperous, medium
sized city. It was difficult to clarify the truth to them because
they had a vested interest in the CCP and they lived in a luxurious
residential area. On several occasions I made a special trip to
visit them but was met with freezing irony and burning satire. I
brought them many gifts and clarified the truth, but they just
threw away the materials right in front of me. My stepmother yelled
at me abusively and drove me out.
Master can help us as long as we have sincere hearts to save
people. He gave me a hint to open the door. I enlightened to the
idea of opening a supermarket in their vicinity. I did so, and
business was very good. One day my stepmother inadvertently walked
in and saw me. She said, “What are you doing here?” I said,
“Welcome. We have genuine goods at fair prices. This is my store.”
She said, “I heard people say that a huge supermarket had opened up
nearby. How could it be yours? It's impossible!” I said, “ Please
feel free to take whatever you want. It's not a problem.” She chose
a whole cart full of goods and said, “I want it all.” I helped her
to pay for them and gave her a DVD of Shen Yun. I hired a taxi to
take her home and said, “Whatever you need in the future, please
feel free to come and get it. It's free of charge, but you must
watch the DVD. It is a first class show.” From then on, whatever
the family needed, she would come and get it. She also encouraged
my sisters and brother, and neighbors to buy merchandise, and I
gave them a discount. I also gave them a gift, the Shen Yun DVD.
They were all happy to get it. One after another they voluntarily
withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations and were
saved.
Our local practitioners had a good starting point. We were
mindful of having a limited amount of time, were conscious of
security, and were aware of the responsibility to save more
sentient beings. We decided to each undertake a designated area and
we helped one another. We did not let the evil misuse the law or
take advantage of any loopholes. At one time we temporarily stopped
giving out truth clarification materials in our local area because
we saw something suspicious. Instead we handed out the materials in
a remote mountainous area. According to the requirements of the
Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net), the Shen Yun
DVDs, truth clarification materials, and the were to be handed out separately. In
short, when Dafa disciples get together, they become one, and when
they disperse they become particles. It is best not to use cell
phones to communicate, do the safely, save more
people, and don't wait or depend on others. The great power and
virtue of every particle of Dafa should be brought into play for
the greatest effect.
During Fa rectification, everything is in Master's hands. Our
responsibility during Fa rectification is to assimilate with what
Master wants, and not fall behind.
This is what I enlightened to while studying the Fa. Fellow
practitioners, please point out anything inappropriate on my
part.
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- 8. Some Thoughts on Inaccurate or Even Wrong Exercise Movements
By a Dafa disciple in China
(Minghui.org)
I noticed long ago that the exercise movements of many practitioners, including those who started cultivation practice in Falun Dafa before 1999, are not only inaccurate but sometimes completely wrong. After coming across a Minghui article talking about exercise movements, I’d also like to share my thoughts. I recall when we first started our group exercise site in 1996, we were all very strict about following Master’s instructions to do the exercises. After all, we also had the responsibility of teaching newcomers the movements. Back then, we often practiced in front of mirrors and/or together, so it was easier for us to see where we were off track. We then figured out how to correct our mistakes, reminding each other to make sure our exercise movements were accurate. Because of our high standards, most newcomers had no trouble doing the exercises correctly. All this changed after the persecution began in 1999. Since everyone was forced to practice the exercises on their own, no one else was present to point out any deviations in our movements. Little by little, our exercise movements became inaccurate and were no longer relaxed, slow, and smooth. Without encouragement and supervision from fellow practitioners, many of us slacked off and even did the exercises incorrectly all the time. When some practitioner occasionally pointed out our inaccuracies, not only were we not grateful, but we complained that this practitioner was just going down a dead end. After all, who could do the exercises exactly the same way as Master? The veteran practitioners’ attitude certainly influenced newcomers, and nobody seemed to be happy to be corrected. At that time, Master just published His article “Immutable” (Essentials For Further Advancement). Master pointed out: “As a cultivator, you should practice cultivation in an open and dignified manner and look at the larger picture. How could it possibly be that everyone’s movements are exactly the same, without any slight differences? Don’t focus your mind on such trivialities. The exercise movements are a way to help reach Consummation, and they are certainly important. But instead of going down a dead end, you should devote more effort to improving your xinxing.” After studying the article, we enlightened to the fact that we should not pay too much attention to each and every aspect of our exercise movements; we should be focusing on improving our instead. We felt it was a waste of time to organize practitioners to practice just a few movements just to make sure they were accurate. Looking back now, I realize that “not going down a dead end” does not mean we should neglect paying attention to the accuracy of our exercise movements. I suggest that we distinguish among different levels of our exercise movements: “Exactly the same,” “inaccurate,”“wrong,” and “gravely wrong.” It is certainly a grave concern if someone altered Master’s movements and then taught them to newcomers. “Exactly the same” means every posture and movement is exactly the same as Master does it. “Inaccurate” means slight differences when it comes to how one’s movements are relaxed, slow and smooth versus how fast one does the exercise. “Wrong” means failure to follow Master’s instructions and the movements are totally off. Below I briefly summarize the incorrect movements I’ve noticed among our local practitioners. All the instructions are cited from “The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa.” The First Exercise: Buddha Showing a Thousand Hands “The first exercise is called Buddha Showing a Thousand Hands. You have to stretch and relax the body when doing this exercise. When you stretch, the whole body is stretched gradually to its limit—even to the extent that you feel as though you are splitting into two people. The body stretches as if it becomes very tall and large. No thought is used. After stretching out to the limit, the body is to relax abruptly—you should relax right away once you stretch to the limit.” Many people however just hold out their hands without stretching at all. When some practitioners do stretch their hands, they do it very fast when, in fact, they should stretch gradually. We have two veteran practitioners, who started the practice before 1999, but they still do it incorrectly and refuse to listen to us when we point out their mistakes. When it is time to relax the body, some practitioners tend to move so abruptly that their bodies shake. Some new practitioners also have this problem. Apparently they were never taught the proper way to stretch in the first place. Some people have trouble with one of movements called “Hands Pointing to Heaven and Earth” (Zhangzhi Qiankun). While turning their hands in opposite directions as required, somehow they don’t know how to do it correctly. To help everyone, I cite the instructions here: “Starting from Heshi, separate the hands about 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) (Figure 1-6) and turn them in opposite directions. Males, turn the left hand (females, turn the right hand) towards the chest and turn the right hand forward, so that the left hand is on top and the right hand is on the bottom. Both hands should make a straight line with the forearms. Then, extend the top forearm diagonally upward (Figure 1-7). Have its palm facing down and as high as the head. Keep the other hand in front of the chest with the palm facing up. After the top arm reaches the proper position, push the head upward, press the feet downward, and stretch the entire body to its limits. Stretch for about 2 to 3 seconds, then relax the entire body abruptly. Return the top hand to the front of the chest and form Heshi (Figure 1-5). Next, turn the hands in the opposite directions from the first time, so that the opposite hand is on top and the hand that was on top before is underneath (Figure 1-8). Extend the top hand and repeat the previous movements of the bottom hand (Figure 1-9). After stretching, relax the whole body. Move the hands in front of the chest to Heshi.” The Second Exercise: Falun Standing Stance Regarding how to hold the Law Wheel, the instruction reads, “Have the fingers of the hands pointing towards one another, with a distance of 15 cm (6 inches) between them. Form a circle with the arms. Relax the whole body.” Some people, however, fail to have their fingers point towards each another. They have their fingers point downward or outward instead. The instruction also reads, “Holding the Wheel in Front of the Head” (Touqian Baolun) – Start from Jieyin (the conjoined hand position). Slowly raise both hands from the abdomen, separating them in the process. When the hands are in front of the head, the palms should point towards the face at eyebrow level (Figure 2-2).” I have found that many practitioners raise their hands to the wrong height, either too low or too high. In addition, Master taught us to “Form a circle with the arms,” but many practitioners fail to form a circle at all. The Third Exercise: Penetrating the Cosmic Extremes One movement in the exercise is called, “Turning the Law Wheel With Both Hands (Shuangshou Tuidong Falun) – After the ninth two-handed gliding up and down movement, move both hands downward past the head and over the chest until they reach the lower abdominal area (Figure 3-7). Turn the Law Wheel with both hands (Figure 3-8, Figure 3-9). The left hand goes inside for males, and the right hand goes inside for females. Keep a distance of about 2-3 cm (1 inch) between the hands and also between the inner hand and the lower abdomen. Turn the Law Wheel clockwise 4 times to spin the energy from the outside to the inside of the body. While turning the Law Wheel, keep the hands within the area of the lower abdomen.” Some people are not turning the Law Wheel with both hands. Instead, it appears they have one hand revolve around their other hand. It’s hard to describe the deviation, but you would know they’re not doing it right when you see it. The Fourth Exercise: Falun Heavenly Circulation The instruction reads, “Separate the hands from Heshi. Move them downward to the lower abdomen while turning both palms to face the body. Keep a distance of no more than 10 cm (4 inches) between the hands and the body. After passing the lower abdomen, extend the hands downward between the legs. Move the hands downward with palms facing the inner sides of the legs and, at the same time, bend at the waist and squat down (Figure 4-3). When the fingertips get close to the ground, move the hands in a circle from the front of the feet, along the outside of the feet to the heels (Figure 4-4). Bend both wrists slightly and raise the hands along the backs of the legs (Figure 4-5). Straighten the waist while lifting the hands up along the back (Figure 4-6).” Many practitioners have difficulty moving their hands in a consistent manner around their body. The Fifth Exercise: The Way of Strengthening Supernormal Powers Some practitioners fall asleep during their meditation; many also doze off during sending forth righteous thoughts as well. Final Observation Many practitioners casually move their hands around or look up at the clock even before the conclusion of a set of exercises. As I see it, they are adding extra stuff into Master’s exercise movements. If it is absolutely necessary to finish the exercises early, I suggest that they can do them at a faster pace, of course, without compromising the accuracy of the movements. There are other manifestations of incorrect exercise movements. I suggest that we watch each other practice the exercises and point out inaccuracies whenever we notice them. We should not misconstrue Master’s words about not going to extremes, in an attempt to cover up our mistakes.
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