Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:

1. Welcome


2. What’s Happening?


3. Be Quiet, Sincere, and Focused in Studying the Fa”


4. Western Practitioner: Further Eliminating Attachments to Selfishness


5. Getting Rid of the Attachment to Comfort


6. Continue to Be Diligent


7. My Cultivation Experience in Fa Study and Sending Righteous Thoughts


8. [Selected Submission] Awakening

1. Welcome

Welcome to the July 2016 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.

As we start July, the dark memories of 20 July 1999 come back to us. Let us not be despondent but look at how Master has given us the strength in the time of adversities. Master has shown us how to turn crisis into opportunity, by clarifying the truth and exposing the lies .The world has seen for 17 years that the evil has not been able to crush the unflinching spirit of people of a righteous faith.

It is important for us to keep our righteous thoughts and clarify the truth to the world. In the context of Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts Master has mentioned many times the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts in his lectures and articles. Master says,

"Let me tell you, all those who remain and that can persecute Dafa and Dafa disciples are due to our students themselves. Students who haven't taken sending forth righteous thoughts seriously: the evil in the dimensions that you are supposed to shoulder and be responsible for has not been eliminated. That's the cause. So you must take sending forth righteous thoughts seriously. No matter whether you think you have the ability or not, you should do it." ("Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.")

There is a special request.

Please copy the text below and send the petition to as many people as possible.

Hi,

I saw a Documentary recently titled 'Human Harvest' where they show in China, you can get any organ you want in a week's time. This is because they extract organs from innocent people who practice Falun Gong, a peaceful exercise and meditation practice that is banned in China by the Communist government.

The sad thing is that a lot of affluent Indians travel to China to get a liver, or kidney transplant. They don't realize that somebody is killed, so that they can live!

I just signed this petition. I think this is important, because it affects us all in some way. I would be grateful if you can sign and also forward it to your contacts please.

http://chn.ge/1jFWwRV

(Your Name)



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.

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 were invited by the Laughing Club to teach them the Exercise and meditation for a week.

Practitioners from Hyderabad held Falun Dafa Banners at the World Yoga Day and distributed flyers. Also, practitioners have been holding the Banner in prominent places and distributing flyers and clarifying the truth.

Practitioners from Mumbai and Pune also distributed flyers and clarifed the truth at the World Yoga Day.

Practitioner from Sarnath along with a practitioner from Switzerland has gone to Nagaland to introduce Dafa and distribute materials about the persecution.

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3. Be Quiet, Sincere, and Focused in Studying the Fa

By a Falun Dafa practitioner from China

(Minghui.org) There was a period of time I wasn't making progress in studying Dafa teachings and was admiring those who did. Despite the efforts I put in to studying the Fa and reading many cultivation sharing articles, I did not seem to be getting the same kind of results as those practitioners in advising ordinary people to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

After continued sharing during Fa studies and asking Teacher for revelation, one day I saw in other dimensions a brick platform supported by a tower-like pillar. After I pried open the brick floor, it was empty underneath. There was another room with the same type of floor. When I pried open its brick floor, it was also empty underneath. I understood Teacher was telling me that my Fa study was superficial.

Reflecting upon how I had been studying the Fa, I noticed that I was focusing on completing a set number of pages instead of the meaning of the content. Upon returning from an interruption, I could not remember where I stopped. There were random thoughts showing up during my Fa study. I recalled a story my mother told me about a farmer going to worship a Buddha. Along the way it rained and he made a mental note to himself to remember to bring back a pail that he left in the field. After worshiping, he went back to the field. As he picked up the pail, he saw a pile of ash similar to the ash from the incense he burned. Apparently, the Buddha did not accept his worship because of his lack of sincerity.

I was determined to change my attitude toward Fa study. Before I began Fa study, I sent forth righteous thoughts to remove any interference that might occur. After I read a statement, I would ask myself what I had learned. If my attention drifted away from my study, I would start over again even if I had to repeat the same paragraph over several times. I spent four hours on just one lecture, but I did get some inner meaning from it. To me, this is the real purpose of Fa study.

Fellow practitioners doing the three things well are serious about Fa study. Teacher emphasized Fa study a lot too. At this time, I appreciated it too. Cultivation is a serious matter. There will be interference when we study the Fa. Recently, I felt as if separated from the Fa by something. I no longer had the feeling of being drawn to studying the sacred Fa. Hence, I sent righteous thoughts to remove this blockage. After a few days, I saw in other dimensions a towel flying off a machine gear. Since then, my interest and joy in studying the Fa returned.

This is my personal understanding. Please point out anything that is improper.

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4. Western Practitioner: Further Eliminating Attachments to Selfishness

By a Western practitioner

(Minghui.org) I recently realized on a deeper level that all attachments stem from selfishness, thus I try to watch for manifestations of selfishness within myself on a daily basis. Instead of working on each attachment individually, I have shifted my focus recently towards seeing whether I am acting out of selfishness or selflessness.

For example, in the past when I discovered an attachment in myself, I thought I had to share it with other practitioners. Yet, Master said, “You don’t need to explain because you don’t need to show your cultivation to others.” ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Canada") From this I realized that focusing on one's own attachments, while at a certain level cannot be said to be wrong, from a higher level it is a kind of selfishness, a focus on one's self.

While clarifying the truth to people in the past, I often talked about how wonderful Falun Dafa is from the perspective of how many benefits I've received from it (health, peace of mind, etc). I have realized that this contains a kind of hidden selfishness, still a focus on the self. Now when I talk about Falun Dafa, I give examples of other practitioners--how healthy and energetic they've become since they began their practice. I try to forget about myself and just look with as much compassion as I can at the other being. Instead of talking so much, I try to listen more, and during our interaction, while the other person is talking, I just extend to them the compassion and benevolent energy of Dafa. Of course I also clarify the truth during the course of the conversation.

For a long time I didn't go to visit my parents-in-law, because I thought that devoting all my spare time to Dafa projects and Fa study was more important. A small conflict occurred and my husband told me that his mother was not happy with my not coming over. I looked inside and saw that this was a manifestation of my selfishness. I was putting “my projects” ahead of other people. Even though when I went there, afterwards I felt “soaked in qing,” I nonetheless decided that I should go, not for myself, but for others.

I have also noticed that when I further let go of selfishness, there is less desire to talk. Usually the need to talk arises out of selfishness. As Master says, “The moment you open your mouth it is all about what you want to do, what you like to do” (Guangzhou audio lecture). In the past I often told my husband, a fellow practitioner, about what I was going to do, what I was currently working on, or what I was going through in cultivation. I find that lately I do this less, because there is less need to talk about myself. Practitioners need not talk about their accomplishments. Master talks about our accomplishments to encourage us to continue on our path of saving sentient beings, yet we ourselves need not think nor talk about them.

Another thing I've noticed is that in the past, when I saw attachments in fellow practitioners, I had an urge to point them out to them, quote the Fa, or share my understandings. It is not wrong to point out attachments out of compassion. Yet, lately I have realized that I had an attachment hidden behind this. It was an attachment of wanting to correct everything that was unrighteous. I now have a different understanding. In “Abiding in the Dao” from Hong Yin Master said,

“Present, but the heart elsewhere—
Perfectly reconciled with the world.”

“Reconciled with the world” means being reconciled, content, not fighting, not trying to “right all the wrongs,” and accepting. It is fine to point out attachments, but one should not become too attached to doing so and realize that everyone is advancing at his or her own pace.

What I am sharing about here is not an outer silence, when practitioners stay quiet because they fear exposing their attachments or don't bother to look within, or out of an attachment to saving face or qing, or trying to maintain a so-called “peaceful environment.” What I am talking about is a quiet mind that stems from further letting go of selfishness.

Please point out anything that is not based on the Fa.

Heshi.

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5. Getting Rid of the Attachment to Comfort

By a practitioner in China

(Minghui.org) A fellow practitioner once told me that she had not been feeling well recently. She said she had headaches, back pains, and generally felt weak. When a tribulation got serious she would even get toothaches. She tried to find her shortcomings and looked inward, but could not find the root cause of her problems.

Some practitioners in other areas have even passed away because their thoughts were not in line with the Fa. They acknowledged their illnesses and accepted the old forces' arrangements. Some practitioners have even complained, suggesting that Master was not fair with them because they had done a lot for Dafa and Master did not protect them. A practitioner with cancer did not stop validating the Fa even when he was in the hospital. He continued to let people know that “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” However, he could not understand why he became ill and questioned why Master had allowed it to happen.

When the persecution started, some practitioners stopped practicing because they were afraid of being arrested. They now rarely study the Fa and seldom do the exercises. I was informed that some practitioners only returned to studying the Fa and doing the exercises because their health started to deteriorate. Some practitioners told me that when Master purified their bodies at the beginning of their cultivation, they experienced an extremely comfortable feeling. Now when they do not feel well, they study the Fa more and do the exercises, with the thought of having that same feeling return.

We all cultivate the same Fa, but why are there such big differences among us? One practitioner who had passed the test of sickness karma said, “It is not of much use to rely on others and have them send forth righteous thoughts in order to help us. I passed the test by firmly believing in Master and the Fa. My understanding is that as a cultivator, we cannot benevolently resolve anything. The true benevolent resolution is done by Master!” If we are not diligent, Master can't help us.

I remember an ancient cultivation story about a cultivator who was seeking to live comfortably.

A master, who cultivated Taoism on Mt. Laoshan, was leading a group of disciples one time. The master gave each disciple a bottle of gourd seeds and explained to them how to plant the seeds. If the disciples followed the master's instructions, the seeds would grow into treasure and the disciples would get whatever they wanted. However, the disciples had to irrigate the gourd shoots with three drops of blood from their middle finger everyday. One of the disciples went to the back of the mountain to relieve himself. He noticed that when his urine hit the red soil, it turned into a reddish liquid, which looked very much like blood. Suddenly, he had an idea. He brought some of this red soil back to the temple and made some red fluid out of it, which he wanted to use instead of the blood from his middle finger. From that point on, when he saw his fellow apprentices in pain from constantly drawing blood, he felt lucky because he did not have to suffer this way anymore. However, in order to hide his actions from the others, he still wrapped his middle finger up, so as to pretend he was stopping the blood.

Three years later, the treasure had grown. The master taught his disciples the magical spell and taught them how to use the treasure. Then the master said, “You can try your treasure now. What do you want from your treasure?” The first disciple said, “Master has put forth a lot of effort for our cultivation, as a disciple I want to ask for some heavenly peaches and wine for our master.” He then read the spell, and then saw some heavenly maidens deliver the peaches and wine on trays. All the disciples were very happy! The second disciple said, “I want a flying carriage for our master, so that our master can ride in his carriage and roam the outer realms.” He then read the spell, and a golden carriage pulled by silver horses appeared. Every disciple asked for something good for the master. Then the master looked at the disciple who used the red soil fluid. He said, “It is your turn now.” The disciple, also full of confidence, read the spell and said, “Open!” But nothing happened. He read the spell several times, as sweat began to pour from his body. The master then said, “You don't need to read the spell anymore. Do you think that I didn't know? To avoid pain you used the red soil fluid instead of blood from your middle finger. The blood of this finger is connected to your heart. Master is teaching you to cultivate the Tao with your heart.” When he was done talking, the master took the disciples, who had finished their cultivation, and flew away with them. The disciple who had pursued comfort bumped himself against the wall with regret, and was left holding the big gourd he grew.

Is the thought of seeking comfort any different from using the “red soil fluid” to irrigate treasure? The cultivator who was seeking comfort could only cry with regret when the others had successfully completed their cultivation and left this world with their master.

We cannot think of doing cultivation simply for the purpose of feeling comfortable, and we can't look at cultivation as a way to improve our health. If we don’t want to have any regrets, we must get rid of our attachment to comfort. We must have a firm belief in the Fa, complete our cultivation and leave with our Master.

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6. Continue to Be Diligent

By Xiaoming

(Minghui.org) When cultivating, we often experience up and downs because of our human notions—for example, feeling fatigued, depressed, wanting comfort, and such. All of these prevent us from progressing diligently. To avoid these undesirable states, I suggest finding ways that are helpful to a cultivator. Thus, I recommend holding the following thoughts:

I. Falun Dafa Is the Only Way to Solve the Fundamental Problems of Life

A human's ultimate objective is to return to one's true self. Today's people live in the midst of endless desires and sentiments, pursuing stimulation and comfort. They struggle in pain and fight each other to achieve their goals. Not only do they feel pain when failing to see hope, they also have created an enormous amount of karma. Even a millionaire feels an emptiness at the end of his life. The real him knows that it no longer is money that he is after. The human brain can't translate the thought of his main spirit, "I want to rise up in cultivation" into words. The anxiety and insecurity of the main spirit often reflected in the human mind result from feeling lost and not knowing what to expect after death.

Both the main and assistant spirits are eager to learn Falun Dafa. The main spirit is easily influenced by the dazzle and distractions of this society, misled by notions and karma, and unwilling to practice. This leaves the assistant spirit worried and helpless. When a person practices Falun Dafa, his spirits agree with each other. This is reflected in this dimension by the countenance of the man, and shows by his being happy, poised, calm, and righteous. Nothing in this society can change his belief. Because of the Buddha Law, he has hope, his mind is cheerful and bright, and nothing can stop him from holding on to the truth. This should be a Falun Dafa practitioner’s composure. All the main and assistant spirits know that through practice, they will ultimately be saved and freed.

Is the above understanding being selfish? Everything a practitioner does is for himself. But, this is not selfishness. In validating the Fa, practitioners dedicate themselves to saving sentient beings, including their own sentient beings. The beings are saved from being eliminated and they are able to enter the future, which is a good thing. The Fa teaches us that good is rewarded, while doing evil is met with retribution. The reward for being good is not something one gains through selfishness. It is the characteristic of the universe, as Master said,

"...how much Dafa disciples put in is how much they'll get out." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference")

II. Everything Is Taught and Given by Falun Dafa

1. Traditional culture praises saints and righteous people that followed the Confucian principles. Confucianism ultimately is part of Taoism, which contains the principles of a small universe. Falun Dafa contains principles of countless small universes. We practice the most fundamental and immense principles of the universe "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." Saints and righteous people are still ordinary people. We will reach the realms of enlightened beings with the mighty virtues of kings and lords. We are unbelievably fortunate.

2. At this time, no one can reach consummation when practicing in any worldly religion. Nearing the end of Fa rectification, we have limited time. Any misstep we make now can void all our previous achievements. We must have high standards and be diligent in the practice.

III. Falun Dafa Practitioner Is the Most Honored Title in the Universe

We are so fortunate to have been born when the Buddha Fa is being taught, as well as exist at the same time with Teacher and the Fa. This is what we wanted and worked for during all of our past lives. It is also Teacher’s graciousness and care that made us who and what we are. A lot of divine beings at very high levels don't have this opportunity that we have. We must cherish this predestined relationship and progress diligently.

IV. How to Be Diligent

It’s not difficult to be diligent when practicing Falun Dafa. Teacher arranged everything that we encounter as practitioners. We just need to do the three things well. Of course we have our notions and attachments, which we have to eliminate. The fearful thing is that we are unable to sense these notions and attachments, as they are hidden. But, we can't rectify ourselves based on the Fa once we sense them. We were born in the old universe and we are not pure. It is precisely because we have attachments that we can cultivate. We can only improve while cultivating by eliminating our attachments.

The notions, karma, habitual ways of thinking, and the old forces’ interference make our tests hard to pass and the tribulations hard to overcome. At these moments, we must quickly find the notions, expose, catch, suppress and eliminate them, instead of keeping them hidden because it hurts to let them go. The more you let go, the more Teacher will help you. We need to look within unconditionally; this is the key to being a true practitioner, and the fundamental difference between a practitioner and an ordinary person.

During the test or tribulation, if we can't treat it as a practitioner and refuse to let go of our attachments, we miss the opportunity to improve. Do not forget that Teacher has arranged our path and there are no accidents or things that are irrelevant to our practice. Teacher can't take our attachments and notions from us if we do not want to let them go.

Master said,

"Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

“It is a principle of this universe that nobody should interfere with what you pursue. If you do not want to practice cultivation, no one can force you—that would be the same as doing a wrong deed. Who can force you to change your heart? You must discipline yourself on your own."(Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)

A cultivator must pass tests and tribulations. Those who are weak will hide them and view them as stumbling blocks, while the diligent ones will view them as stepping stones. Only if we use the Fa weapon Teacher gave us, which is looking within, can we break loose from the chains that hold us down in the human realm and head back to our homes.

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7. My Cultivation Experience in Fa Study and Sending Righteous Thoughts

(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners! I have summarized some of my cultivation experiences and would like to share them with fellow practitioners.

Fa Study

When I study the Fa, whether it’s Zhuan Falun or any of Master's lectures, I often experience a sudden enlightenment and a heat wave inside my body. However, my human side may not be clear about the exact understanding I came across. When I study the Fa, every cell in my body is very excited. While reading, I can feel a warm energy flowing inside my chest; afterward my chest is filled with warmth. Some words and sentences frequently appear totally new to me, and some words stand out. A while ago, after I studied Master’s lecture, “The Ultimate Objective of Clarifying the Truth,” I started intensively cleansing myself of atheist and Communist Party culture influences.

Sometimes when I study the Fa, I am given hints on the attachment I need to let go of and that particular attachment immediately goes up in flames. One night I was helping with the newspaper and after I sent out the article, I had some spare time. I decided to study the Fa, so I read Master’s new lecture “The Ultimate Objective of Clarifying the Truth.” When I read it the second time, it hit me that I have a deeply hidden attachment, namely “wanting acknowledgment from others.” This attachment was hidden very well, and I almost confused it with my own personality. When I recognized it, I suddenly understood that in everyday life or when I do things to validate the Fa, my motive often stems from this attachment. As soon as I came to this realization, I could sense this attachment being ejected from my body and going up in flames. At the same time, I felt that my bodies in other dimensions were rapidly expanding into the universe and growing far and wide.

As long as I remain calm while studying the Fa, I can see the Fa’s principles and can feel that Dafa is changing me. When I run into problems, I will be able to think of Master and remember the Fa, I can gradually look within and appreciate the wonderful feeling of improving my xinxing, and truly experience

“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Zhuan Falun)

Fa study is a cultivator’s primary responsibility and is unconditional and without pursuit. Master’s Fa is given to our true selves but not to our attachments, notions, or the selfish “me.” Only when we continuously let go of our attachments, notions, and self, and truly study the Fa, will the Fa's principles be revealed to us. If we cannot see any Fa principles when studying, we must have a problem somewhere. When we are driven by our attachments and want to get something from Dafa, the Fa's principles will not be revealed to us.

Our cultivation and Fa study is not for ourselves. When the Fa unfolds a certain level's principles to us, the corresponding sentient beings in that level will be saved by Dafa. Sometimes when I study the Fa, the Fa's principles will manifest and I will know how to do things to validate the Fa. For example, when I sell Shen Yun tickets, the Fa principles will guide me on how to sell the tickets. When I work as a reporter covering Shen Yun, when I study the Fa I understand how to cover Shen Yun. In everyday Fa study, the Fa naturally gives me hints on my attachments and I naturally understand things I didn’t understand before.

Cultivating Oneself Well and the Mighty Power of the Fa Will Manifest

My third eye (Tianmu) is not open. But whenever I look within, miraculous things happen. The moment I identify my attachment, the Fa will display the manifestation of the attachment at a certain level. When I send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the attachment, I can see it being eliminated.

For example, the attachment of comfort in one dimension is a pile of worms: some are black, some white. I suddenly understood why in Chinese people say “lazy worms.” Laziness is indeed a pile of worms. The attachment of fear in one dimension is rats. The place they live in is very dark. Not letting go of fear is just like living in dark shadow. Lust is as filthy as manure. To live with lust is like living in manure. The attachment to self is much bigger than ordinary attachments and is a black substance that dusts the entire cosmos and is the source of all attachments. This selfish substance is very stubborn. When I first began to eliminate it, I could only knock down a corner. The rest covers the cosmos like black asphalt. This is what I see at my level.

Once I went to sell Shen Yun tickets, and I stood in front of our display trying to find people to talk to. The other two practitioners who were part of the team loved sharing and stood behind talking. I was not happy. I thought, “I’m working so hard—why do you have so much to talk about?” Once I became unhappy, I knew I had a problem. I started to search within and identify why I was unhappy. When I searched deep inside myself, gradually I found and saw a dark being inside my body. When I’m doing things to validate the Fa, this being also gets involved. But it is selfish and not the true me. It got upset when it felt that the practitioners’ sharing affected it. Having found this false “me,” I started to suppress it and send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it. When I talked to people to introduce Shen Yun again, the practitioners stopped talking and were obviously sending forth righteous thoughts. I felt so ashamed. This dark, false me had been hidden in me for so long. If fellow practitioners' talking had not disturbed it and helped me to identify it, it might have continued to affect me for a long time. How could I validate the Fa like that? It took me a week to completely eliminate it.

One day when I was at work and not very busy, I decided to check my emails. I saw practitioners were discussing an issue on the Internet. One practitioner had written a long sharing. Even though I read it from beginning to end, I still didn’t understand what it was about. I got impatient and thought: “What are you talking about? I spent a lot of time and still didn’t understand what was being said.” Then I asked myself: “Why do I get impatient? Was it the other practitioner’s fault or was there something wrong with me?” I started to look within. I was fortunate, because at that time when I studied the Fa I had enlightened that I needed to get rid of my self-centered pattern of thinking. When I asked myself if this was related, I suddenly understood that I needed to be compassionate when I evaluated situations. As soon as I came to this realization, I felt a sense of relief, as if a burden had been lifted. Immediately, I saw my heart’s capacity and my body in other dimensions very quickly expanding and dashing through to a huge distance in the universe.

It’s now my habit that whenever I run into a situation and my heart is moved or when I feel uneasy, I look within myself and I no longer look outward. Whatever I run into, I search inside myself to see where I was wrong and use the Fa to evaluate myself and to see where I have some hidden attachments. I no longer judge what’s right and wrong based on superficial appearances.

I experienced the wonderfulness of looking within and gradually understood what it means to cultivate the inside and pacify the outside. Everything in the human world is an illusion. When our hearts change, the outside world will change. A selfless cultivator only uses Dafa to evaluate himself. If everyone could do this, our environment would change.

Righteous Thoughts

Once I increased the intensity of my sending forth righteous thoughts to cleanse myself, suddenly, I split open a mixed attachment. It contains fear, attachment to comfort, and lust, and these three attachments were wrapped up and held together by a layer of skin.

As soon as I split them open, I eliminated them one by one. After I cleaned out one layer, I saw there was a black dot in front of me. I used righteous thoughts to dash forward and entered it. Once I entered, I saw that dimension was another place filled with filthy stuff related to those attachments. Although lust is very dirty, it's superficial. They were quickly eliminated after a few levels of dimensions. Fear and attachment to comfort are much more microcosmic and fill up more dimensions. The dimensions filled with fear are extremely dark and a bunch of rats live there. The dimension occupied by attachment to comfort is filled with black and white worms that made me very lazy and want to enjoy a worldly good life. The dimension occupied by lust is filled with manure and maggots and is extremely filthy. I spent a whole day cleaning these things out, dimension by dimension. I was ashamed when I realized that so many of my dimensions were covered by these filthy substances and that I still carried them, was interfered with by them, and yet felt good about myself. I truly understood that if we don’t cultivate ourselves well, we cannot validate the Fa and save people.

I work at an airline and I take care of distributing The Epoch Times there. When I first started, I noticed that not many papers were taken, and some boxes were barely touched. Other newspapers had been put in our boxes, and they looked very messy. I thought: “Who opened this site? Not many people read our paper, so why do I spend so much effort on it? Let me talk to the coordinator to reduce a few boxes. I think one will be enough.”

Afterward, I started to think: “Is it that the newspaper is not good, or that the distribution box is not good, or is it me who has the problem?” I realized that the problem was that I didn’t take my job very seriously. Every time I distributed the paper, I just placed the papers there as though I was completing a task. How could I save the beings there if I behaved so recklessly? I started to eliminate the thoughts that complained about the paper and the paper distribution boxes and started to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the factors that prevented people from reading the paper. The results were remarkable. Shortly afterward, the papers were all gone. Some boxes that were rarely touched are now always emptied. Now I have increased my distribution volume by one more stack of newspapers.

I can clearly feel that as I improve in Dafa, the power of my righteous thoughts is also stronger and stronger. Recently when I send forth righteous thoughts, I feel as if I’m sitting in a vast universe, and my righteous thoughts are endless and boundless.

If We Cultivate Ourselves Well, the Power of the Fa Will Manifest

I was a reporter during Shen Yun performances. When I interviewed an audience member during the first show's intermission, he said something negative, and I immediately knew that I must have some problems. So when the second half began, I quietly looked within. I noticed that my entire being was very numb and I didn’t quite get the performance. I knew I was being taken advantage of by evil factors, so I examined my attachments one by one to see which one was interfering. I had just eliminated several attachments earlier that day and I sent forth righteous thoughts to clear them out again. Afterward, I decided that I wouldn’t pay attention to them anymore. I told myself: “I’m a Dafa disciple. I’ll just do things according to Master’s requirements. I want to fulfill my responsibility as a Dafa disciple. I must humbly fulfill my responsibility according to Master’s arrangements.”

After the performance, I stood by the door. The first person I approached was an audience member I wanted to interview, and so was the second person I approached. Then I saw a few Chinese students nearby. Just as I decided to interview them, a man came over and said I had just interviewed his friend and he asked when he could read our paper. When I asked if he wanted to be interviewed, he was pleased and got ready for the interview. I found that he was also someone I wanted to interview. After I finished interviewing him, I turned around to look for the Chinese students, but I saw that they had left. When I turned back again, I saw them coming out of the washroom and were just about to pass by me. So I basically did not have to move from my spot, and I was able to interview people one after another. The last Chinese student I interviewed was very excited. She said she cried from the beginning of the show. She could feel the purity and the energy of the performance and her words were very touching.

The third day of the Shen Yun performances, my lips became very dry and it hurt whenever I tried to open my mouth. I realized this was interference trying to stop me from doing interviews. I started to look within and send forth righteous thoughts. I felt a big difference when I sent forth righteous thoughts with the Shen Yun reporters’ team, as if I was placed in a vast universe. I understood that I’m only a particle within this boundless Dafa body and only when the particles are organized well will they display Dafa’s mighty power. I immediately let go of the attachment to “I’m a reporter.” The result was that the interviews went extremely well that day. I interviewed a total of 7 people and they all had been touched by the show. Writing the reports was also easy. I felt that I was as clear as the air and there were no obstructions. Anything I wanted to write, I was able to write very quickly without much effort.

One time when I went to sell Shen Yun tickets, I got up late and left only after doing the exercises. Nevertheless I wasn’t in a very good state and I was muddle-headed. After I arrived at the shopping mall and installed the equipment, I discovered the credit card machine wasn’t working. I tried to open it a few times but failed. Another practitioner was supposed to come, but he did not show up. I knew I had a problem. So I looked inward to see where I might have loopholes. I saw my attachment of dependency, something in the shape of a large dark-blue rock in northern China. My attachment was a mixture of dependency and laziness. After I found the attachment, I started to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it.

I told myself, “I can sell tickets even if I’m alone, and I won’t miss a single person. Master has arranged for people to come and buy tickets here today and I want to bring them all to the theater to see the show.” I totally ignored the credit card machine and stopped thinking about when the other practitioner would come. I started to talk to people about Shen Yun while sending forth righteous thoughts. It was very easy: people came one after another. I found a stream of compassionate energy coming out of my heart and fill the surrounding area. When I was talking to people about Shen Yun, this energy automatically flew to that person. It was very natural and easy for me to talk to people, and their response was also very good. I forgot about myself and only remembered that Master arranged for me to sell tickets there and I wanted to bring all those predestined people to the theater.

When I sell tickets, I usually send forth righteous thoughts all the time, recite the Fa, or look within. Oftentimes, as soon as I identify my attachment and eliminate it, I can sell tickets right away.

When we do Dafa projects, should we use human methods and contemplate the work using human notions? Or should we cultivate ourselves while doing the work, look within, give up our human notions, use a cultivator’s righteous thoughts, and remember our responsibility to save sentient beings to guide us? Whether or not we cultivate ourselves well and humbly follow Master’s plan, give up the attachment to self, and give up our attachments and human notions will bring about different results. When our thoughts and mindset conform to the Fa’s requirements, the power of the Fa will manifest. Our wisdom and ability given by Dafa will transform any pressure or difficulty into opportunities for us to save sentient beings.

Always Be Grateful to Master

Being grateful to Master is my biggest cultivation experience. Everything comes from Master and all glory should be attributed to Dafa. Forever remembering Master’s mercy in recreating us is a righteous thought. The true me starts to wake up while being buried in notions and attachments. The true self is immensely humble, immensely grateful, and determined in front of Dafa.

I feel a sense of happiness while being cleansed by Dafa on my journey to reach selflessness. “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” Everything is a true manifestation of Master using his enormous Fa power to do Fa-rectification and salvation.

Once while driving to sell tickets, I started to recite the Fa. Tears welled up in my eyes when I recited Master’s “Stirred by Reflection:”

“After the adamantine will is fully tempered, True thoughts dissolve all, The whole sky is clear.”

I understood what happiness is. For me to be personally taken care of by Master during Fa-rectification is the perpetual honor and happiness of a living being. I cried tears of joy and gratitude all the way there.

A being reincarnating in the mortal world for tens of thousands of years, filled with karma, is cleansed by Master, a lost being who forgot her mission is awakened by Master, a selfish being is purified by Dafa. Master has given us the best of everything, yet He doesn’t want anything in return. How can I return Master’s mercy? Let me turn my endless gratitude into a determined heart and let go of all attachments.

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8. [Selected Submission] Awakening

By a western practitioner in Germany

(Minghui.org) Eleven years ago, the death of a close friend of mine awakened me from a spiritual ''sleep.'' A few days before her death, my husband and I had been staying with her. This was the first time that I accompanied death. The time we spent with her and her family members was very tense. In those days, I perceived some energy, which I had never experienced before. Although I did not see nor reach something definite, I felt I was moved, enriched and awakened spiritually by something in the hospital ward.

After that, I had been looking for a spiritual master. Although I had practiced Taichi and other Qigong for many years and was interested in Buddhism and sitting in meditation, I only sought health and relaxation through them. I also tried to sit in meditation a few times, but felt it too difficult. My back ached soon and thus I became impatient and troubled after sitting in meditation for ten minutes.

However, I found myself quite different after my friend's death. I desired to sit in meditation and was eager to receive profound and spiritual guidance. I wanted to know more, what would happen during our death process, where we would head to after death, and what worlds existed besides our tangible, “real” world.

In that year, I was thirty-six years old and had a four-year-old son. I lived with my son's father, but we were not married yet.

A few months later, my son's father brought a leaflet back, which read "Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) is one kind of high-level Qigong practice which cultivates body and mind. The fundamental principles of the practice are 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.' And the teachings are free of charge."

I was attracted by these contents. In my opinion, the principles, ''Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance'' include sincerity, sympathy and tolerance and these are very good values. Besides, this practice is free and people can come and ago as they please.

Nothing happens without a reason.

In the summer of 2001, I visited a practice site in a park and then began to read Master's new lectures. After that, I knew there was no doubt that I had found a profound and spiritual practice to guide me from here.

1. Newly coming to Dafa

I still clearly remember that a Chinese Falun Gong practitioner taught me the five sets of exercises in a park one day eleven years ago. While doing the exercises for the first time, I felt my hands become hot and a slight shiver passed through the centers of my palms. What impressed me the most was the way in which the energy channels were opened. I felt a hot flow of energy on the exterior side of my left leg, which went down to my feet just like warm water flowing in a shower. I had only experienced this kind of feeling during acupuncture therapy before.

Before I learned the fifth exercise, the Chinese practitioner shared her experience with me about how our state of mind affected this physical body. She said that once she had the intention of showing off to her friend about how well and how long she could sit in meditation. As a result, she could only sit for a shorter amount of time than usual. She was enlightened that it was her attachment of showing off that caused the opposite result. Such attachment was against ''Truthfulness'', ''Compassion'' and ''Forbearance'' and accordingly her legs became rigid and ached very soon in the meditation.

Although I had never heard about the concept of state of mind and such causality between the human mind and body, I accepted her views on these right away. On this very day, I began to understand that Falun Dafa includes not only a very effective practice, but also more profound Fa principles providing spiritual guidance.

Soon after that, I read through Zhuan Falun. I then read it once again, because my fellow practitioners told me that this was quite a special book whose profound meanings could be understand more deeply only through reading it repeatedly. My practical experience just proved this. When I read Zhuan Falun for the first time, I only understood a part of it. One should live a life according to the principles of ''Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance''. These principles contain all good values, such as considering others before oneself, finding and getting rid of selfishness, and believing in gods and the heavenly law. I could not understand much of the content of Zhuan Falun because I did not know of the many concepts from Buddhism and Taoism, or the stories from Buddhism that were included.

In addition, some contents of Zhuan Falun, such as the manifestation of spirit possession was unacceptable to me at that time. Even so, the profound causality I had never heard about before, still impressed me a lot. From these strange words of the book, I would perceive that ''Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance'' is the heavenly law of the highest level. This clear understanding and a positive strength combined with it bolstered my belief in Master. So I was determined to learn Falun Dafa attentively and deeply.

I think this was the moment that my Buddha-nature had emerged.

“So, once somebody wants to cultivate, they’d say his Buddha-nature has come out. That thought is the most precious, because he wants to return to his original, true self, he wants to break out of this level of ordinary people. ”(Zhuan Falun)

2. My Magnificent Experience with Falun Gong

Daily Headaches and Migraines Gone

After practicing Falun Gong for two months my periodic daily headaches and migraines disappeared, and I successfully gave up my addiction to tobacco.

Since I was young I was plagued by severe migraines. When it hit me for the first time I was 11 years old. It was so acute that my parents called the doctor as an emergency and I took medicine for the first time in my life. In the following years I took big doses of painkillers and it had became the most important thing for me in order to survive. In my adulthood I consulted many doctors and physiotherapists who were experts in curing headaches but none of them could truly help me. The best effect that I achieved was the easing of the pain through some natural therapy. According to my medical records, in the three months before I practiced Falun Gong, I experienced only two days without getting a headache.

Several weeks after a practitioner in the park taught me the Falun Gong exercises, I practiced diligently by myself. One morning I found the headache was gone. I then spent six pain-free weeks like a new person. It was truly unbelievable, as I never thought that the Falun Gong exercises, so simple in movement, could be so effective, which transcends the realm of modern medical science. It is hard for a laymen to understand its efficacy, but it has been testified by many Falun Gong practitioners when they experienced remarkable healing effects.

“We need to purify their bodies and make it possible for them to cultivate up to high levels. When you’re cultivating at the lowest level there’s a process, which is, we totally purify your body. We take all the bad things in your mind, that karma field around your body, and all those factors that make your body unhealthy, and we clean the whole thing out. ” (Zhuan Falun)

While other practitioners enjoyed being healthy and disease free, I still had the problem of my headaches coming back from time to time. The good thing was that I did not need to take any painkillers like I did 11 years ago, as I became able to endure the pain while working until the pain disappears several hours later.

Casting Away My Tobacco Addiction

I witnessed the power of Dafa when I successfully quit smoking one week after I started practicing Falun Gong. I began smoking when I was a teenager and the addiction has plagued me ever since, even during pregnancy.

I guess the changes happened when I read the seventh lecture of Zhuan Falun, where Mater addresses the issue of tobacco addiction:

“Aren’t we practitioners trying to purify our bodies? We want to keep purifying our bodies, and keep moving up to higher levels. So what are you putting that in your body for? Isn’t that the opposite of what we’re trying to do? Besides, it’s another strong desire. Some people do know it’s bad, but they just can’t quit. I can tell you that it’s actually because they don’t have the right thoughts guiding them, so it’s not easy for them to just up and quit. See yourself as a cultivator, and treat it as an attachment today and try to quit, see if you can quit. If you really want to cultivate I urge you to quit smoking today, and I guarantee you can quit. In the field of this class nobody thinks of smoking. If you want to quit, I guarantee you can quit, and when you next pick up a cigarette it won’t taste right. Reading this talk in the book has the same effect.” (Zhuan Falun)

I read this part with one hand holding the book while the other hand was holding a cigarette. I thought; “Well, let me quit smoking starting tomorrow.” The next morning I implemented my decision and took great pains in suppressing my rising tobacco addiction. It was not easy. At noon I began to sense the addiction in me. I was extremely anxious and my skin was itching, like ants were walking on me, typical symptoms when tobacco addictions were surging. I did not tell my husband my plan to quit tobacco, because even I myself was not certain whether I was serious about it, so I left myself with some space to change my mind. I wanted to see if I truly wanted to quit smoking, so I did not mention it to anyone.

At noon my husband asked me; “What is wrong with you? You look low in spirits.” I realized that I must make up mind. I said firmly: “I will quit smoking.” With my words of determination my anxiety was gone, my skin stopped itching and I was enveloped by a wonderful feeling of comfort and calmness, a magnificent feeling.

What impressed me more was that after I got up the next morning, I found my headache was gone. In merely several seconds, great changes happened to me. I later came to understand that my quick and unmovable decision to quit smoking had made me a cultivator. At the moment when I made up my mind to meet Falun Gong's requirement as a practitioner, by ceasing to contaminate my body with tobacco, Dafa manifested its power in me.

3. What Falun Dafa Means to Me

Since I began practicing Falun Gong, 11 years have elapsed and Falun Gong is now celebrating its 20^th anniversary after Master Li introduced it to the public 20 years ago. What would Falun Gong practitioners be like now if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had not started the persecution in 1999? I believe it would have brought to even more people from all social levels the recognition of Falun Gong as a priceless valuable treasure for their personal lives and for the society.

What does Falun Gong mean to me, then? It is not easy to say with human words. Above all, it made me believe in gods and the heavenly law and convinced me of the power and constructiveness of compassion, which by far transcends the evil's destructiveness.

The more I understand Falun Gong, the firmer my faith in it becomes, like diamond, indestructible and unmovable. My assimilation to the Falun Gong teachings aligns my conduct in life with the principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance”, which in turn deepens my understandings of the teachings of Falun Gong.

My faith in Falun Gong gave me a new lease on life. I am entirely different from what I was like before. By doing the practice on my own, I have come t know the reason for our ever increasing pains, depression, tendency for violence, narrow mindedness and fanaticism. All of these can be traced back to our overlooking the law of causality that is defined by the universal law and our turning against the universal law because of our being lost in society and blind belief in atheism. My firm faith in “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” lays the foundation of my good health and rewards me with a life of honesty, generosity, kindness, responsibility and altruism.

Closing Remarks

Based on its atheistic ideology, the CCP gives top priority to fighting, competition and suppression and instills such ideology to people under its rule, disguising itself to be the ruler of rulers and claiming itself to be the godfather of the people. In such a system only the voice of the CCP is heard and only the CCP's disciplines are enforced.

Until the persecution of Falun Gong ends, I will keep on calling out to the world. The persecution of Falun Gong is the persecution of peaceful and good people, and a battle between good and evil.

For people like us, who live outside China, we need to take a stand. Which side shall we support?

From the Call for Submissions to Commemorate the Twentieth Anniversary of Falun Dafa’s Introduction

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