PureInsight | August 13, 2006
[PureInsight.org] The annual Fa
conference in DC has just ended. During the conference, I not
only had the opportunity to listen to Teacher imparting the Fa, but
also listened to fellow practitioners' touching experience sharing
reports. Teacher also used different ways to enlighten me about
inadequacies in my cultivation.
I shared a hotel room with three fellow practitioners, Yue, Fang, and a
western practitioner named Barbara. When Yue and I arrived at the
hotel, it was already past ten in the evening. We were happy that we
were able to finish reading one lecture while flying. The weather in DC
was so muggy that I couldn't wait to take a shower. Yue was on the
phone to find out the activities for the next day.
Fang arrived soon after. Her first agenda was to make up for the second
set of exercises she had missed earlier. To tell the truth, I haven't
persisted in doing the exercises, particularly the standing exercises.
Also I rarely did the 2nd set of exercises, the Falun
Standing Stance exercise. I remember the first time I attended the New
York Fa conference in 1999, practitioners were doing Falun Standing
Stance exercise when I arrived at the practice site. I joined the group
doing the exercise. It was March and the weather was usually warm. But
on that day it was quite cold. I was freezing and shivering from lack
of warm clothing and both my hands were sore and numb. Afterwards, I
pledged to Teacher in my mind, "Teacher, I will bear your teaching in
mind and will do exercises more diligently." But when I returned home,
I didn't persist for too long and returned to my old habits. This time
when Fang dragged me to do Falun Standing Stance, I knew I was
deficient in this area too much. I know that Fang often gets up in the
middle of night to do exercises. She often says, "What is cultivation
practice? We need to both cultivate and practice."
It was past midnight when Barbara arrived. We were about to go to bed.
As I was wandering what time we should get up the next morning, Yue
said: "Let's get up earlier tomorrow morning to do the sitting
meditation."
"What time?" I asked.
"Usually I wakeup around five and do meditation and send forth righteous thoughts"
"Every day?"
"I wouldn't miss a single day even if the sky is falling down."
I felt so ashamed and was speechless.
Barbara began Dafa cultivation less than a year ago. I heard from
fellow practitioners that she had never missed a single group Fa study
or exercises. When I asked her about her cultivation, she told me that
she does one hour of exercises every morning and one hour of exercise
every evening. She also reads one lecture of Zhuan Falun
everyday. At the local practice site I often saw her sitting on the
ground and not able to get up for a while after meditation. Someone
asked her whether she had ever thought of putting her legs down when
she was in pain during meditation. She answered firmly: "I never have
such thoughts." After we finished parade the following day, I was so
tired and couldn't walk any longer. But Barbara still shouted loudly in
Chinese to pedestrians passing by: "Falun Dafa is good." I could sense
her steadfastness in Dafa.
By observing fellow practitioners around me, I suddenly enlightened to
what the true steadfastness is. Steadfastness is seriously following
the requirement of the Fa, studying the Fa and doing the exercises,
sending forth righteous thoughts, and validating Dafa. It also means
practicing what one preaches with determination and not being afraid of
bearing hardships. Next time when I feel my cultivation is not up to
the standard or when I fail to overcome a tribulation, I will remember
these unwavering practitioners. I will ask myself: "Are you a steadfast
disciple? Have you followed what Teacher requires of us?"
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2006/7/28/38745.html
