Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:

1. Welcome


2. What’s Happening?


3. Understanding the Meaning during Fa Study Is Most Important”


4. Some Examples of Looking Within


5. After Looking Inward Efforts Should Be on Removing Attachments


6. I've Learned How to Differentiate Myself from the “False Me”


7. Minghui Fahui | Looking Within is a Magical Tool


8. Searching Within and Getting Rid of Attachments

1. Welcome

Welcome to the December 2016 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.

After over 12 years of the newsletter, a decision has been taken to change the format of newsletter from coming months since some members of the Falun Dafa Association feel that it is not serving the purpose and it has to appear in a new avatar of photographs of events, and articles written by practitioners.

It is time for stocktaking at the end of the year. Let us make an assessment of how much we have progressed on our cultivation paths and look at our shortcomings and make a resolve to do better in the coming year.

In this issue, we have a compilation of experience-sharing Articles gleaned from 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.

Wish you all the very best.

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 Nagpur did exercise demo and distributed flyers at Dayanand Park at an event organized by Navbharath Times

On the occasion of Chhath Puja Nagpur practitioners distributed flyers in Nagpur and Pune practitioners distributed flyers in Pune.

A practitioner in Nagpur utilized the proxy period to teach the exercises.

Practitioners from Nagpur distributed flyers at the Bali Yatra, Cuttack.

Practitioner from Hyderabad attended an international conference in Goa and distributed flyers.

Practitioners from Pune visited Kolhapur on the occasion of Kirnoutsav to distribute flyers and teach the exercises. Practitioners also distributed flyers and did exercises at Rankala lake.

Practitioners from Pune also distributed flyers in open theater music concert organised in one of the area where they have daily exercise site. Lot of people also saw them doing the exercises while attending the musical concert for few days.

Couple of Practitioners from Pune also visited Tirupati and distributed flyers. They also distributed flyers in train.

Few Practitioners from Pune also distributed flyers on the occasion of Deep Mahotsav on kartik poornima.

One Practitioners from Pune also distributed flyers in one of the music concert.

Practitioners from Nagpur went to Amravati for inauguration of a gym. They demonstrated the exercises and distributed flyers. There was some TV coverage too.

Nagpur practitioners visited Bhopal and distributed flyers and demonstrated the exercises.

Practitioners from Nagpur also visited Ramtek to distribute flyers.

Practitioners from Delhi and Nagpur went to Pushkar Mela. They demonstrated the exercises and distributed flyers.

Practitioners from Nagpur distributed flyers at cyclothone event at Kasturchand Park.

Practitioner from Hyderabad distributed flyers at Yanam beach, Pondicherry.

Practitioner from Hyderabad also distributed flyers at Kakinada Railway Station.

Practitioner from Hyderabad distributed flyers at ‘Freedom for Run 10k’.

Practitioners from Bangalore introduced Falun Dafa to Teachers at Poddar International School.

Practitioners fro Bangalore introduced Falun Dafa to all Teachers and students at Vidya Jyoti School

Practitioners from Bangalore also introduced Falun Dafa at Jan Pragathi Centre where a few learned the exercises.

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3. Understanding the Meaning during Fa Study Is Most Important

By a practitioner from China

(Minghui.org) During sharing between fellow practitioners we often hear the following questions and replies:

“Did you study the Fa today?” Reply: “I did.”

“How many lectures did you cover?” Reply: “ One (or two or three).”

When I first heard this, it seemed quite normal. Reflecting upon it further, it appears that the number of lectures covered has been equated to diligence and advancement in cultivation. Over the last ten years I thought this was the correct interpretation. Indeed, this kind of view, once accepted, becomes important. Practitioners reading less than one lecture a day are afraid to say so, while those who read two or more lectures are looked upon with admiration.

Over time, practitioners decide each day how many lectures they want to read. The focus is on completing or exceeding the desired number of lectures, i.e., quantity instead of quality.

I did try to change the lack of emphasis on quality but was not very successful. In September of 2012 I read the article, Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa, 2011 and the following statements,

“Do you know what has become of Fa-study in many places? In some areas it has lapsed into a formality. When some people readZhuan Falun they are not concentrating, but rather, thinking about other things, and not able to focus their attention on cultivation. It thus amounts to wasting time. And not just wasting time—instead of it being the time when they are to be elevating, they are using their minds to think over issues and things that they shouldn’t concern themselves with, and thus, not only aren’t they elevating, but on the contrary, they are often dropping in level. If you don’t study the Fa well, there are many things you will not be able to do well.”

Actually, I read these statements before but didn't see their importance. This time I realize that the purpose of Fa-study is to understand its meaning and put the ideas into practice. With this realization, I no longer rush to cover more pages. Instead, I read slowly to understand the material. The time I spend each day is still the same, and I feel a lot better with this approach. Understanding what I am reading is now the focus. I do not care how many lectures I cover. If a fellow practitioner asks, “How many lectures have you read today?” I just say, “I have spent several hours studying.”

Not getting the meaning of the Fa can be caused by one's own distraction. For example, while reading the Fa, a practitioner might think that drying the clothes outside might not work to-day because it might rain, or she needs to finish reading earlier because she has an appointment with a friend, etc. Allowing these random thoughts to flow interferes with the Fa-study and prevents the mind from being quiet.

As Dafa disciples, we must be prepared to give up distractions before and during Fa-study. If something has to be done, get it done before Fa-study. A quiet mind is needed during Fa-study. Otherwise, the real meaning behind the words cannot be ascertained.

In my view, there are two requirements to acquire the meaning of the Fa: one, we must focus on the meaning of the Fa, not the number of pages read, and two, we must let go of distracting thoughts. These problems are self-created and we should plan ahead before studying the Fa.

I recommend reading slowly to make sure we know the meaning of what we are reading. Reading quickly may force us to focus on reading itself instead of the meaning of the words. If we are reading by ourselves and did not get the meaning of a paragraph, I recommend reading the paragraph again to get the meaning. This is important. Do not be afraid to read slowly.

Pronouncing every word clearly is also important, especially during group study, because both you and your fellow practitioners are studying the Fa. A clear pronunciation also helps to get the meaning of the words. However, you must not be thinking about how well you do or how fellow practitioners view your reading. These thoughts are distractions. Just focus on reading and getting the meaning of what you read and you will be surprised at what you have learned.

This is just my personal view about Fa-study. Please point out anything that is not proper.

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4. Some Examples of Looking Within

By a Falun Gong practitioner outside of China

(Minghui.org)

Husband Acknowledges the Goodness of Dafa

One evening four years ago, I said to my husband, “Looking back over my many years of cultivation, I feel that I am not an absolute Dafa disciple.

“I am incompetent as a mother, as I cannot raise our child with the necessary financial means. I don’t know how to take care of you; instead I often make you feel embarrassed. Nor am I a good daughter-in-law. As the saying goes, ‘Charity begins at home.’ I am not obedient, but feel aggrieved. Now, I am sincerely reflecting upon myself—how do I cultivate myself? I want to start again as if I were a new practitioner.”

I thought he would say something like, “Finally, you recognized your problems.”

But to my surprise, he said, “Falun Dafa is really good. Falun Dafa is great. In the future, you don’t need to force me to be diligent in cultivation. I already know how to cultivate well.”

Head of Prison Cell Praises Dafa

When I lived in China, I was imprisoned in a detention center, and the newcomers had to clean the floor. While I was squatting down cleaning the floor, others were sitting on the bed. The head of our prison cell swore and mentioned Master’s name.

I looked within and thought it was the time to rectify this kind of persecution. I stood up and said, “Please respect me and don’t malign Master’s name, just as I would not malign your father’s name.”

She immediately clapped her hands and said, “Falun Dafa is good. Falun Dafa is good!” Later everyone in the cell withdrew from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.

Other Practitioners Change Accordingly

During a group Fa study, a practitioner was leaning against a duvet with her legs across the bed. Feeling that this was poor behavior, I reminded her, “You are not being serious about Fa-study. How can you obtain the Fa?”

She accepted my comment and sat up straight. But another practitioner was upset. As she was busy sending text messages, she gave me a glance with her nose in the air. I realized that my words had not been compasionate. I also held the blame.

Here came the second test. When I was reading the Fa, the previously mentioned practitioner started to scratch her foot. Because I had just corrected her, I stopped myself from doing so again. Instead, I looked at myself and found that my back was not straight either, though my legs were folded. I immediately straightened my back, and she at the same time stopped scratching and sat up straight accordingly. She said, “Master’s teaching is really good. Master’s teaching is really good.” She was listening.

Distractions

In our Fa-study group, an elderly woman always sat beside me. As she studied the Fa, she was often not able to find the correct paragraph to read. She always asked me where the paragraph was, and annoyed me somewhat.

This time when she couldn’t find the correct paragraph, she looked at me and leaned toward me. I thought, “Please don’t ask me.” But then I thought, “Look within. Why can't she find the paragraph all the time? There must be some problems on my part.” I immediately became aware that even though I was reading the Fa and knew where to read, I was actually distracted by all kinds of ideas in mind. I immediately collected my thoughts and concentrated on Fa-study.

After I did so, she sat back, and found which paragraph to read.

My Fundamental Attachment—Cultivating for Fame

After I moved to another city, my cultivation environment changed, and my cultivation state was not as good. I just wanted to sleep and couldn’t concentrate on Fa study. I was anxious about it and wanted to break through. I thought more about it after returning from a Fa-study session.

I remembered that during our Shen Yun promotion one year, I read two lectures in Zhuan Falun every day, and I recited Hong Yin, Hong Yin Vol. II, and Hong Yin Vol. III every day. Within half a year, I had read all the books written by Master. Every day I did the exercises twice. Sometimes I practiced the second exercise for an hour. I slept fewer than four hours, and I went out early and came back at dusk to give out Shen Yun materials. So what was wrong with me now?

As I recalled that time, I noticed that I was praised by other practitioners saying, “You are fantastic, you are remarkable.” I was cultivating for praise.

Now in a new city where no one knew me, it must have been a test for whether I was truly cultivating. There was no fame for me, and there was no chance to show off. Other practitioners told me to keep a low profile, which suppressed my desire for praise. I lost the momentum to cultivate. I had been cultivating for fame. It was really horrible. It proved that I wasn’t truly cultivating.

I read Master’s “Towards Consummation”:

“Studying the Fa with attachments is not true cultivation. Yet during the course of cultivation a person may gradually become aware of his fundamental attachments, rid himself of them, and thus meet the standard for a cultivator.”

“You may start on the path of Dafa with those thoughts, yet over the course of cultivation you need to regard yourself as a cultivator. During the course of cultivation, however, through reading the books, studying the Fa, and diligently making progress, you should clearly recognize what your thoughts were when you first came to Dafa. After cultivating for a period of time, are your thoughts still the same? Are you continuing on the path because of those human attachments? If so, you cannot be counted as my disciple.” (“Towards Consummation” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)

When I read these passages, I found my fundamental attachment. Before I started to cultivate, I couldn’t realize life goals, as I was into a poor family and had no academic degree or social status. My humble heart made me feel depressed.

After studying Dafa, I noticed that other practitioners were warm-hearted and cared less about academic degrees and social statuses. Moreover, I met my husband in our cultivation group, and he was a software engineer with a bachelor's degree. This soothed my humble heart and satisfied my desire for fame. This was my initial thought leading to my practice of Falun Dafa.

This realization led me to eliminate the fundamental desire for fame, upon which all my other attachments were built. My life has since changed. With a primary education, I could do what undergraduates do, and do them brilliantly.

Finding the Attachment to “Validating Myself”

Around December 2015, other practitioners helped me find my other fundamental attachment—a sense of deficiency, which was far-reaching and difficult to address. I did realize however, that the attachment was not me, and I tried to eliminate it layer by layer.

One day I felt it was taken out from my chest, and since then my cultivation status was fundamentally different. However, when I read Master’s teaching on the fundamental attachment today, I found another fundamental problem—validating myself.

One day after I returned from group Fa-study, I sat in front of Master’s picture with my legs folded and started to study the Fa. No one was around me, but all the gods and Buddhas in heaven were closely watching my every thought. This time I was resolved in the Fa and became absolutely absorbed. I saw meanings that were shown to me by the Fa at my level. I recognized all my problems. Afterward, the difficulties in my life were resolved one by one—I found a job, and accommodations in my new city.

In this process, I tried to sense the attachment to fame. The attachment to fame constantly appeared in my mind. For example, I wondered how I should say something during the sharing, and how other people would respond to my sharing. As a result, my experience-sharing article was rejected. I realized that I wrote my sharing article with the attachment to showing off. I let the attachment go, and I was then asked to present my sharing.

Before I went on the stage to talk, I felt very nervous and was aware that Master was pushing the attachment out. I tried to calm it down, but my hands were shaking as I read my article. I knew it was not me. I was interrupted during my sharing, which frustrated my attachment for fame. I could feel that thing in my body was upset.

I felt uncomfortable about it until the next afternoon. I talked to an older practitioner about it. She answered, “You just wanted to validate yourself and obtain what you wanted from the Fa. You were validating yourself rather than resolving yourself in the Fa.”

I knew this was true. When I recognized it and no longer disguised my feeling, I felt very warm and assimilated to the Fa. I felt so safe. Meanwhile I touched the attachment of validating myself at a very micro level, and the attachment disappeared. I was full of gratitude toward the other practitioner. Before we chatted, I had an opinion of her, which caused distance between us. This time she replied to me very sincerely, saying, “Actually, I do the same thing. That is why I can see your problem.”

The following day my landlord said he would like to learn Falun Dafa. I subsequently met a Chinese man on the road, but I didn’t have time to tell him about Falun Dafa. I only left my telephone number with him, and he called me back to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. He also asked about learning Falun Dafa. In this way, I dug out my fundamental attachments layer by layer and saved those sentient beings with a predestined relationship.

I am now at another level of letting go of the attachment of validating myself, and making progress doing so.

Letting Go of Lust

While practicing the second exercise one day, I couldn’t help opening my eyes, and I saw a very beautiful handbag. I enjoyed seeing it, but immediately realized that this was my lust.

I recalled reading an article about how feeling that flowers were pretty was a kind of lust. I read the article to a practitioner, and she said she didn’t understand it. Lust was very difficult for me to remove this time. I recited Master’s “Cultivators’ Avoidances” again and again.

Another day I visited some shops to see if they would place a Shen Yun poster in their window. In one shop, the shop clerk took the poster and said he needed to ask his manager first.

As I was waiting, I noticed a girl busy working in the shop. A boy came in. He smiled at the girl and just watched her without looking at anything else. I thought they may be in love and he was chasing her. As I was thinking of this, the shop clerk appeared and told me that the manager didn’t want to hang the poster. I understood that my lust had caused the trouble.

In the car I chatted with the other practitioners about it. One of them said, “I also dreamed of lust.” Another practitioner said, “The other day my hands were stroked by others, which also reflected my lust.”

At the evening group Fa-study, I was so sleepy that I couldn’t hold the book. I realized that my lust attachment was trying to stop me from studying the Fa. Another practitioner also stood up to get rid of her sleepiness. I was trying very hard to keep my eyes open. After a while, as I kept studying the Fa, the attachment of lust disintegrated from my crown. I felt immediately relieved and the practitioner who was standing up for a while immediately sat down. She no longer felt sleepy.

Master’s teaching appeared in my mind:

“The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference”)

I gained a further understanding about this Fa-teaching.

That is it for now. Thank you, Master. Thank you, fellow practitioners.

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5. After Looking Inward Efforts Should Be on Removing Attachments

By a practitioner in the USA

(Minghui.org) As we advance in cultivation we realize that everything happening in our life is an opportunity to improve our character. It does not matter whether we consider it good or bad. We should just look within ourselves to see what improvements can be made.

For a period of time my process of looking within was not carried out correctly. Whenever something happened I immediately looked within and found attachments. Compared with focusing on what had happened and believing that someone else was responsible for the incident, I had made a step forward. However, after a while in a different situation, I found the same attachments were still there, indicating that my character improvement was quite slow.

Later, I realized that I had covered only the beginning part of the looking-within process. The complete process calls for putting in a significant effort to have the attachments removed.

For example, if you found laziness is a problem you have to change that in everything you do: you must insist on doing the exercises instead of sleeping longer and you must attend to details in whatever you do instead of just getting by. Trying to do everything well is needed to complete the looking-within process. Hence, it really is a long and difficult process and you have to remain diligent to complete it.

Teacher said in “Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference,”

“The reason is, it takes more than one cold night to form ice three feet thick: the things that have formed are hard to purge in one shot, for you haven’t sufficient heat and haven’t reached the point of being able to melt it. So you have to make many attempts on it before you can melt it away. If you cultivate well today, that much will thaw; cultivate well tomorrow, and that much more will be melted away; cultivate well the following day, and that much more will melt. And it will continue, little by little, till the point that your righteous thoughts are truly sufficient. At that point the amount of heat you generate will have increased, and you will be able to fully melt it away.”

In the past one major reason why I did not complete the looking-within process is that I wanted to avoid anything that was painful. Many attachments are painful to remove, especially those that take a long time to eliminate. Hence, determination, perseverance, and willingness to endure hardship are called for, because many things cannot be accomplished with a single attempt.

I saw the same problem in other practitioners as well. Some said that after more than ten years they still had the same problem. They felt pretty helpless. There can be many causes but not trying hard to correct oneself can be one of them.

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6. I've Learned How to Differentiate Myself from the “False Me”

By a practitioner in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China

(Minghui.org) Due to being interfered with by the attachment to comfort, I often took naps when I felt tired. Consequently, the more I slept, the more tired I felt, and, as such, the major task of saving sentient beings was interfered with. I regretted this and knew that it was due to a lack of Fa study, so I went to another practitioner's house to study the Fa.

After listening to the other practitioner share about a certain issue, I was greatly inspired. In one small Fa study group, Ping often made mistakes when she read. Whenever she made a mistake while reading she would immediately say, “This is not me. Read it again.” Another practitioner commented, “It was clearly you who read it. How could you say it wasn't you?”

Whoever hears this story will laugh. I laughed, too. But I understood what Ping meant. Since then, whenever the attachment of comfort interferes with me, I immediately think, “This is not me.” As such, I'm truly much clearer, because it is the “True Me” who controls my own thoughts and body.

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7. Minghui Fahui | Looking Within is a Magical Tool

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Daqing

(Minghui.org) “...This thought flashed in my mind and I did not feel right. Everything practitioners encounter has a reason. I looked within and asked myself: Isn't this happening so that I have a chance to get rid of my attachment to loneliness? While I was thinking, practitioner A needed to go to the toilet, so her sisters accompanied her and left me alone in the room. I thought: I will send forth righteous thoughts alone, which is also useful! I instantly calmed down, and my body felt as though it was large and filled up the entire space. I felt surrounded by energy, which was especially sacred and comfortable. I had sent forth righteous thoughts for nearly an hour, when practitioner A and her younger sister returned after having a meal. Her younger sister asked me: “Sister, are you still sending righteous thoughts?” I opened my eyes. Practitioner A and her sister spontaneously said: “How come you look so good? You had looked exhausted before, yet soon afterward, you look so good, what happened?”

-by the author

* * * * * * *

Greetings respectful Master

Greetings fellow practitioners

When I saw the call for articles for the 9^th China Fahui on Minghui.org, I said to myself, “I want to take the initiative to write an article this year about how I have learned to look within, and understand the inner meaning of what Teacher told us: 'Looking within is a magical tool'” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference”). I learned to appreciate Dafa's sacredness and greatness.

Teacher has told us that “looking within is a magical tool,” and we practitioners are all aware of this. However, when we deal with conflicts, see fellow practitioners' attachments, and especially when we encounter the illusion of sickness karma, it is really important to practitioners whether we can unconditionally look within and improve according to the Fa.

I used to be upset because I did not know how to look within. Since around April 2011, for nearly six months, my body constantly displayed sickness karma, such as pain in my back and arms, and blurred vision. Eventually, I could not eat and became very weak. I continuously looked within, but I could not find my problem. I asked fellow practitioners to help me, but still could not find it. I thought it might be a fundamental attachment, which was hidden too deep. I probably had signed an agreement with the old forces, thus I was persecuted, or suffered karma. Anyway, I am a Dafa practitioner, Teacher is always next to me and nobody can move me. I ceaselessly rejected and denied the symptoms, and insisted on doing the three things, but felt that my progress was very slow, in particular my not being able to eat, which lasted two months.

Teacher gave me a hint upon noticing that I did not enlighten. One evening, words from “Spirit or Animal Possession” in Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun appeared in my mind:

“One gets into trouble because one’s own values and mind are not correct or righteous.”

I was surprised and did not know whether my mind was correct or righteous. I must have deviated from the Fa somewhere. During a meal the next day, I noticed that I could not eat. This lasted quite some time, thus I became weak. I thought it might be caused by hunger, therefore, I ate some fruit at home. I ate when I felt weak, trying to use food to supplement my body. I forgot to look at the situation as a practitioner, and attempted to solve the situation by ordinary people's methods. Hadn't I already admitted the old forces arrangement? I still did not truly regard myself as a practitioner; indeed, I got into trouble because my mind was neither correct nor righteous! Once I realized this, I immediately had an appetite and everything went back to normal: This was really amazing.

Through this experience, I have gradually learned to look inward, and am taking Dafa as a reference for everything.

Early in 2012, fellow practitioner A experienced sickness karma. Other practitioners cooperated and took turns around the clock in her home in order to send forth righteous thoughts. Because over 40 practitioners participated in this task, they helped disintegrate the old forces' arrangement and practitioner A recuperated. Her family also started to practice and everyone was touched by this action. I was truly touched by the cooperation of all practitioners when I was on duty one night. Practitioner A was almost alright that day and three practitioners were present. Two of them sent forth righteous thoughts, the other two studied the Fa in another room, and we took turns every hour. A practitioner who was in the same team as I was had to go home for a sudden family matter, thus I had to send forth righteous thoughts alone. The older and younger sister of practitioner A, (both are new practitioners) chatted in Mongolian. I did not understand them and was really bored. I thought: there are three people studying the Fa in that room, and a newly arrived practitioner also joined them. It would be great if one of them could come over.

This thought flashed in my mind and I did not feel right. Everything practitioners encounter has a reason. I looked within and asked myself: Isn't this happening so that I have a chance to get rid of my attachment to loneliness? While I was thinking, practitioner A needed to go to the toilet, so her sisters accompanied her and left me alone in the room. I thought: I will send forth righteous thoughts alone, which is also useful! I instantly calmed down, and my body felt as though it was large and filled up the entire space. I felt surrounded by energy, which was especially sacred and comfortable. I had sent forth righteous thoughts for nearly an hour, when practitioner A and her younger sister returned after having a meal. Her younger sister asked me: “Sister, are you still sending righteous thoughts?” I opened my eyes. Practitioner A and her sister spontaneously said: “How come you look so good? You had looked exhausted before, yet soon afterward, you look so good, what happened?” From the extent of their surprise, my appearance probably had changed a lot. I was very calm and thought, Teacher has encouraged me to unconditionally look within.

“In your cultivation, every one of you may encounter things that strike you at the core, and sometimes the feeling may even be quite strong. Some of those things may not directly manifest around you, on your body, or in the things you encounter. They might manifest in the things that other people go through, or when others criticize you, or during some other conflicts.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Eastern U.S. Fa Conference”)

At the end of June this year, two local practitioners were arrested. In the beginning, I did not look within, just intensified my sending forth righteous thoughts in order to strengthen these fellow practitioners. After two days, I heard from another practitioner that practitioner B had been arrested at home. I was very surprised because practitioner B had moved here from a rural area and was not well-known yet. Why would practitioner B be arrested? It was reported that the police questioned practitioner B: the couplet (a pair of lines of verse written vertically down the sides of a doorway) with a Dafa message was removed from the door. Upon hearing that her Dafa books were confiscated, I asked myself, “I am well-known in the local area, will the police take away Dafa books from my home?” I immediately felt I was being monitored even when I went upstairs.

I calmed down and looked within thinking, “Did my fears and notions emerge? Is being well-known an excuse that evil beings can persecute someone? Every character in Teacher's books is golden and shining, do evil beings dare to appear? Dafa books protect me. Having the book is not an excuse for the evil to persecute me.” I began to send righteous thoughts. I saw a fist-sized space in my third eye, and black specks in high density were running out of it. After a while the space became bright, and the layer of fear substances were removed.

Soon, the newly appointed chief of the residence committee came to my home and wanted to check for “new household registrations.” I clarified the truth about Dafa, starting with the fact that Dafa has spread widely around the world, its miraculous healing effects, that it helps people to keep fit, that over 100 million people are practicing it, and that the evil party persecutes Falun Dafa. I also told her about the Tiananmen self-immolation hoax. I told her that only the evil party claims that it is not good, and asked her who she thought was wrong? I also talked about the stone in Guizhou with the words that the Chinese Communist Party will be destroyed, and coming social changes, and so on. Finally the chief said that no one should discriminate against people of faith. From her childhood, she followed her mother and believed in Jesus. She continued that modern people do not know that they will go to hell for doing bad deeds. I told her that it is true and good will be rewarded and evil will receive retribution. I told her I hoped that she remembers "Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good," and if she does, she will be safe during catastrophes. She repeatedly nodded and thanked me.

By looking within, I realized that cultivation is really very serious. Big or small matters can all expose our human notions, and are opportunities for us to remove those notions, when we can truly and unconditionally look within.

My level is limited, please point out if I have mentioned anything inappropriate.

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8. Searching Within and Getting Rid of Attachments

By Jing Ya, a practitioner in China

(PureInsight.org) I obtained the Fa in 2007 and have experienced various tribulations over the past several years of my cultivation. But I have made it through to today under the compassionate care and guidance of our Master. I am grateful to our great Master for His benevolent salvation. I am also thankful to fellow practitioners for their help.

Getting rid of attachments to personal gain

Because many businesses often have promotional discount sales during the holidays, I often took my child to these stores. Upon returning home one time, I noticed that I had forgotten to turn off the water tap. I realized that it was because I had the attachment to petty gain. How could I have such a desire for products of the degraded, old universe, especially when they were special offers, such as discounts, rebates, and free gifts? These are all part of inappropriate and competitive marketing strategies that are designed to lure people and take advantage of their attachment to petty gains. These tactics have undermined the normal standards of commerce in the human world. They turn people into enemies who fighting over sales items to save a little bit of money. As a practitioner, I must not succumb to these marketing strategies and the attachment to personal gain. I must eliminate this attachment, be responsible to the Fa, and walk the most righteous path.

One time, my home was almost robbed, but luckily my neighbor saw the thief and frightened him away. This was the result of bad beings attempting to take advantage of my loopholes and persecute me. Yet Master had resolved the issue for me. I know that Master is looking after me at every moment. But what were my loopholes that were being targeted by the old forces? I found my attachments to lust, greed, haste, petty gain, emotional attachment to family, and laziness. That night I had a dream in which I noticed that my right hand was dark and dirty. I realized that I still had the attachment to personal gain.

Everything in this modern world exists for practitioners to assist Master in Fa-rectification and is not for people's enjoyment. We should choose wisely what we want in life. I had long wanted to buy a motorized vehicle, which would make it more convenient for me when I went out to do truth clarification work. However, my home was not in a good neighborhood and there were many criminals in the area. Several motorized vehicles had already been stolen. I had lost two of them myself. Thus, I gave up the idea of buying another one for fear of it falling victim to theft again. I knew that I did not have full confidence in Master and the Fa. At the critical moment of saving sentient beings, practitioners should utilize everything in order to save more people. After realizing this, I went out to buy one right away and a righteous thought came to my mind, “No one can touch the tools used by practitioners to save sentient beings.”

Getting rid of attachments to greed

I used to see things that I desired all the time. Sometimes, I even dreamed about getting a better house, new furniture, and new appliances. My righteous thoughts gradually became weaker and weaker as my human thoughts became more dominant. I knew that my thoughts were not correct, but I just could not snap out of it. I was always looking for something new and was unwilling to give anything up. I knew that all my materialistic desires were merely dirt in the eyes of divine beings. How could I treasure dirt and hold it dear to my heart? How could I allow this dirty stuff to hold me back in my cultivation? Of course, I should no longer want it and get rid of the attachment to any material items in this human world. After having a clear understanding of the Fa, my attachment to greed became much weaker and I no longer had such strong desires.

Getting rid of attachments to lust

I often encountered tests in my dreams involving the attachment to lust. During a period of time, I slacked off in this regard and could not pass the tests. Since my home was almost burgled, I had been determined to get rid of the attachment and not to let it hold me back in my cultivation. I kept reading Master's teachings on the topic of lust, until I realized that lust was dirty matter that was completely against the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I kept reciting the Fa and tried to use this righteous Fa to disintegrate each and every wrong thought relating to lust. Once a wrong thought emerged, I repelled it and would recite “Cultivators' Avoidances” from Essentials for Further Advancement. It wasn’t long before I could pass this test in my dreams and was able to remember at that time that I was a cultivator being tested. I knew that I could not slack off and had to keep it up until the attachment was eliminated completely.

Getting rid of attachments to emotion

Emotional attachment to my family was also difficult for me to get rid of. I have gone through a lot of tests at different levels in this regard, but it still keeps coming up in my cultivation. Sometimes, I have dreams in which I argue with my mother, and I knew that I had not let go of emotion towards my mother and younger brother. They do things that are harmful to themselves and others. I have tried to reason with them, but it has not helped. On the contrary, it has made me resent them. I hate the fact that they are not responsible for their families and I have little compassion for them. Through studying the Fa, I realized they were creating karma for themselves by committing bad deeds and will suffer hardship for their actions. They are most pitiable. My complaints about them have since disappeared. Instead, I feel I should treat them well and hold them in high regard, as they both have accepted the righteousness and greatness of Dafa. They are merely buried too deeply in this material world and cannot realize it themselves. Their futures will be up to them and their predestined relationship with the Fa.

Getting rid of the attachment to holding a grudge and resentment

My mother-in-law is against me practicing Falun Dafa because the government prohibits it. She often argues with me and has a lot of resistance toward me. I kept upholding my xinxing and corrected myself in my cultivation according to the Fa. No matter how she treated me, I treated her kindly. I tried to get rid of my resentment towards her and be nice to her without expecting anything in return. Gradually, our relationship became better and better. My husband knew that I was sincere in treating his mother well and thus he did not automatically take her side in everything she said, which led to less conflict in our family and a better cultivation environment for me.

However, my mother-in-law recently started to complain that I was criticizing her, making her upset and ill. I then started to look inward and noticed that I had wanted to prove myself and assert that I was correct. I said to myself, “My family members are ordinary people. No matter how I make my point, they are still human notions. Human notions are wrong anyway. So why do I continue to argue?” I came to enlighten that a practitioner should behave according to higher standards and should not get attached to human notions. We should let go of human notions and human thinking.

Master said:

“Don't argue when people argue with you
Cultivation is looking within for the cause
Wanting to explain just feeds the attachment
Breadth of mind, unattached, brings true insight”

(“Don't Argue” from Hong Yin III)

I now have a deeper understanding of this poem. One day, my xinxing was not up to the standard and I said bad things about my mother-in-law to some friends. That night, I had a dream, where I was stabbed in the back by a bad person. I realized that I should not say bad things about others. Practitioners have no enemies. I should thank my mother-in-law for the opportunity she has given me to upgrade my xinxing and let go of my human attachments. I hope that she can truly see the wonderfulness of Dafa and have a bright future.

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