PureInsight | March 27, 2009
Experience sharing at the 2009 Los Angeles Fa Conference
[PureInsight.org] Greetings, Respected Master! Greetings, Fellow Practitioners!
On February 20th, 1999 during the Los Angeles Experience Sharing Conference, I finally saw our compassionate Master. I walked into the door of Dafa cultivation and became a Falun Dafa practitioner. It has been 10 years. When looking back on this extraordinary journey, all kinds of feelings come up in my heart. Words fail me. I was a brainwashed atheist, an “average person” who knows nothing about cultivation. Under Master’s guidance and protection, one step at a time, I became a determined Dafa disciple. I enlightened to the fact that my purpose of life is to assist Master with Fa Rectification, save sentient beings, and achieve consummation.
I initially wasn’t very aware or determined. Gradually, my mission becomes clearer and clearer. I started to proactively pursue my mission. Master’s help and hints, however, have played the most critical part.
Thinking back to when I started, my apparent logic was: It’s enough to be a good person. During the Los Angeles lecture, I was moved by Master teaching that laws cannot regulate human hearts, and that a better society starts with better human hearts. In practitioners’ papers, they shared stories that “one should not fight back when being punched or insulted, but should conduct oneself with a high standard.” Their sharings were full of thankfulness towards Dafa and Master. That deeply touched me.
After I started cultivation, I felt it was not easy to be a good person. That’s because the standard of a good person is not the standard of average people. It’s the universe’s highest standard Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. Master said, “To tell you the truth, the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments” (Zhuan Falun). When confronted with issues from family, from fellow practitioners, when attempting to eliminate attachments, I feel my tolerance is stretched. Even if I managed to hold back, at a later time, when the opportunity came, I would avenge the person to make myself feel better. That’s neither truthful nor compassionate. Those cultivation experiences exhausted me because I was forcing myself to be tolerant. To make it more explicit, that was because I didn’t understand the essence of cultivation. I narrowly interpreted “returning to one’s true self” because I was doing it to avoid the suffering in the cycle of samsara.
Master has shown us his grand vision. He has emphasized the responsibility of Fa Rectification Dafa disciples. Master has also told us the origin of today’s human beings, and that Chinese people are especially precious and that they need Dafa practitioners to save them. Master also warned practitioners that every Dafa disciple must do well in “Studying the Fa, sending Forth Righteous Thoughts, and clarifying the truth.” In “The Knowing Heart” Master wrote: “With Teacher guiding the voyage, the Fa saves all beings. One sail is hoisted, one hundred million sails follow.” Master is guiding the voyage. Millions of practitioners are taking action. As a Dafa disciple, I followed every step of the way. Following Master’s words and harmonizing what Master wants is the most compassionate act in the universe. As a matter of fact, I didn’t understand the deeper meaning. That was a reflection of my slacking off, my attachments, my indulging in enjoyment, my one-sided view of practitioners, and concealing my selfishness, etc. Everything I did was to accomplish a task. I felt I was pushed to do projects. However, what Master has told us is glorious and sacred.
For a period of time, I was slacking. I would repeat the same thing every day. I didn’t feel I had any breakthroughs in cultivation. Life was good. I quite enjoyed the time. Master taught us Fa related to hardship. I knew life without hardship was not a good thing for cultivation. Enduring hardship leads to consummation. At that point of time, compassionate Master opened my memory. I suddenly enlightened to the mission of my life.
That was a sunny morning. After sending forth righteous thoughts, I felt something extraordinary was happening. A vision was emerging in my mind. I felt as though it was the very distant past, and at a very sacred and spacious place. The Master of the Universe was sitting majestically. His compassion encompassed all beings.
Numerous Gods stood in front of him silently. The surroundings and the entire universe was silent. All beings were awaiting a solemn moment. Gods were listening to the Master of the Universe talk about a major event that would happen to the celestial bodies. This event would decide if a life will be kept or eliminated. The Master of the Universe told Gods: The celestial bodies from top to bottom, every level has deviated from the Fa. I will right the Fa, I will rectify the Fa. I will go to the lowest level. If you want to help me, you can sign your name next to the tasks in the book that you can do. All tasks are part of one thing I intend to do. However, upon descending to the lowest level, your memory will be erased. You will forget who you are or where you are from. You may be contaminated, and that may cause you to not be able to return.
Gods sensed the seriousness of the matter and the responsibility required. They held their breath and listened attentively. “But, you have ways to return. I’ll tell you two things – One book Zhuan Falun and three words (Master’s name). By that time you’ll come across each other. You’ll be assimilated to the characteristic of the universe. And then you will be able to return. Think it over. If you wish to help me, then sign your name.” The Gods understood what this meant. But Gods are universe’s defenders. They have the born responsibility to protect the universe. The Master of the Universe solemnly announced “let’s begin.” Gods came to the Master of the Universe, selected items that they would work on and signed their names. They then went back and lined up. After all the Gods signed their names, the Master of the Universe told the Gods “you shall support each other.” He then pointed to the big whirl and says “you can descend from here.” That’s the whirl formed by rotating celestial bodies. The Gods jump in one after the other. Blood streams came out of the Master of the Universe’s body.
That scene suddenly opened up my mind. I had a clearer and coherent vision of the purpose of my life. That is: Assist Master to rectify the Dafa, save sentient beings, and achieve consummation. That scene also completely cleansed the atheistic brainwashing caused by the communist party.
I finally had an explicit understanding of our vow, our responsibility to save sentient beings, and our return via cultivation. Put in different words, my mission here contains three elements; they are each integral and also interdependent. That is also the mission of all Dafa practitioners during the Fa Rectification Period.
In “Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston” (6/10/2002), Master said “Dafa disciples: the things you are faced with are magnificent, your responsibilities are major, and then there's your origin, of course--it's taking all these things into consideration that I say you're magnificent. You need to be worthy of the title "Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple”! That's something that the cosmos won't have again. This only happens once since the beginning of time--it only happens once since the beginning of time in the cosmos.” Master’s teaching strengthened my belief and the path I’m undertaking.
When I realized this point, I suddenly enlightened to Master’s hint: “The firmament, infinitely distant, With a shift in thought, comes before the eyes,” I saw that poem in February, 1999 at the Los Angeles Experience Conference. In the conference, this poem was written on scrolls hanging up very high. I didn’t understand its meeting. Now I understand: I was a great God in the remote past. I’m now a Fa Rectification Period Dafa disciple. The remote past and the present are linked. In the Shen Yun (Divine Performing Arts) show, Master showed us scenes to tell the world who Dafa practitioners are. It also deepened my understanding of who I am in the past and present. The one thought to help Master to rectify the Fa and save sentient being is happening today.
In “Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s),” Master says, “I know all of the suffering of my disciples. The truth is, I treasure you more than you treasure yourselves!” I enlightened that Master treasures our braveness and unselfishness of descending to the three realms to assist Master to rectify the Fa. Master treasures our past and our present. Because “No matter which level a God comes from, once he enters the Three Realms he can never return. This is absolute.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference,” Oct. 21 2000, from Guiding the Voyage).
If we think back to Master’s lectures, we will find Master has pointed out disciples’ mission multiple times. For example, regarding the vow, Master said in “Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples:” “Disciples, be diligent! Everything that’s the most magnificent and the most wonderful is developed in the process of your validating Dafa. Your vows will become testaments of your future” (August 15, 2001, from Essentials for Further Advancement II).
Regarding saving sentient beings, Master said in “Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference:” “Saving beings should permeate every single aspect of your daily lives at this time. If you can all understand and really see its importance, I think you'll probably save more beings.”
Regarding consummation, Master said in “Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference” “This is true, but don't underestimate yourselves. Perhaps the future Consummation that awaits you will be a truly magnificent realm” (July 21, 2001, from Guiding the Voyage). Not only that, Master’s many lectures told us the purpose of our life is: assist Master in Fa-Rectification, save sentient beings, and reach consummation.
When this understanding broke through my human notions, I felt that my heart was unimpeded, steady and determined. All barriers between me and Dafa and Master were eliminated. Barriers between me and practitioners were no longer functioning. My life was immersed in Master’s boundless compassion and Data’s boundless power.
Everything I do or everything that has happened to me is related to Fa-Rectification, saving lives and reaching consummation. During the Fa-Rectification process, if I don’t catch up on the things that need to be done, I don’t do well in Fa-Rectification, if I don’t do well then I fail to save lives I should have saved. If I don’t cultivate well, if I can’t achieve Dafa’s requirement, or if I do bad deeds, it will result in losses in consummation and interfere with the whole body. As a Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciple, I believe I need to view these issues from that perspective.
From then, during Fa-Rectification, saving sentient being, personal cultivation, or when coming across other problems with average people or between practitioners, I will not be overwhelmed by the conflicts even though occasionally I feel puzzled and disappointed. I know these are all illusions. Moreover, I usually can sense the true meaning behind these problems and I am relatively clear on my goal. Among them, apart from studying the Fa, taking the Fa as the Master, or breaking through the riddles, a determined belief is critical as a disciple and when Master is rectifying the Fa. Regarding responsibility, Master said in Zhuan Falun, “Throughout the entire course of my lectures on the Fa and cultivation practice, I have been responsible to society and practitioners. The results we have received have been good, and their impact upon the entire society has also been quite good.” I should also take responsibility for my vows.
There are many projects for truth clarification and saving people. When facing difficulties, I used to wish I had certain expertise. For example, I would wish I could speak fluent English to navigate in mainstream society and mainstream media when clarifying the truth. As a matter of fact, what we have and what we can do are the results of our choices. So what we need to do is to fully utilize our capabilities. As long as we’re using our heart, we will be able to do well. If everybody does his or her part, the full body is complete. The power of the Fa will be enormous.
When coordinating or participating in projects, I usually feel some practitioners are more difficult to cooperate with or communicate with. This issue has bothered me. After studying Master’s “Touring North America to Teach the Fa,” I finally realized: during the process of creating human culture, we have played different roles. Sometimes we run against each other. For example, some people were virtuous but then others not so virtuous. Some practitioners acted as robbers and others as those robbed or killed. One party will owe the other party and get karma. Today we’re all Dafa practitioners. There are still karmic relationships. That caused awkwardness. But if we think of the vow and our braveness to descend with Master, we have already experienced innumerable hardships. We come to this world with the one mission. Along the way, the roles we performed are the will of the Master of the Universe. It’s the need of the Fa-Recification; it’s our mission. We’re one family, assisting Master on the same mission. Let’s be unmoved by the happiness, resentment, love and hatred in the human world. If we view everything that way, we will forgive fellow practitioners, appreciate practitioners, and barriers will no longer exist.
Master said in, “Congratulatory Statement to the New York Fa Conference:” “In history's past, you brought to humankind the splendor it should have; in history's present, Dafa has bestowed upon you the mission of saving all sentient beings; in history's future, everything of yours that is pure and righteous will be what ensures that the colossal firmament has formation and stasis, but not destruction. Walk your paths well. The beings who are saved are to be your sentient beings. All that you do establishes all that you will consummate” (February 1, 2002). When I read it again, I deeply feel Master’s compassion and greatness, as well as the significance of our responsibility.
The immense power of Fa-Rectification sweeps away all decadence. The difficulty that Master bears for the future of the universe and for us is colossal. In order to save sentient beings, Master endures tremendous hardship. In addition, Master also needs to point out when disciples are not diligent. As a practitioner, when thinking back, I didn’t cultivate well, I didn’t do well in many areas and wasted precious time. I’m ashamed when thinking of this. My experience sharing is limited by my level and my personal understanding, but it is examining and encouraging myself. In the future let’s do better and let’s not disappoint Master, disappoint sentient beings and disappoint ourselves.
Please point out if there are any inappropriate areas.
Thanks Master!
Thanks fellow practitioners.
