PureInsight | March 5, 2014
[PureInsight.org] Greetings venerable Master,
Greetings fellow practitioners,
I have not shared my cultivation experiences for a few years now, and I got a feeling that I should write it down in a concise manner.
Living on the mountain
My husband, also a practitioner, was studying traditional culture and worked in the field of agriculture. At one point we both got an idea that we should live in the wild for some time, so he can experiment with raising organic produce; I agreed on the conditions that we can continue doing the three things. We were brought to live on one of the mountains in the vicinity of Jerusalem. There we lived in tents. Since it was in the open, we were subjected to scorching heat, winds and cold. Having a fair skin, at first I was severely burned. Master showed me in the Fa: “Yet her skin was not even scratched” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Four). I was telling myself every day, that I am a Dafa disciple and can't be moved by external conditions. I was repeating this sentence from the Fa: “Yet her skin was not even scratched”. Then my skin stopped being burned. While doing the exercises on the rock, facing the wind I also told myself: “A cultivator is bothered by neither heat nor cold. And wind can’t make you sick.” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore).
Our living conditions were quite primitive and we had no electricity but on the opposite mountain lived people and they had lights. Our tents were positioned conveniently, so we benefited from those lights. In the evening, before we got a lamp, it was too dark to study the Fa, but enough to make out sentences, so I made a habit of memorizing the Fa in the evening and at night with the help of moon light and lights from across mountain. I would make out a sentence and then repeat it 10 times, counting on my fingers. Afterwards I would move to another sentence.
At first I missed the computer. Being used to working and clarifying the truth on-line I got attached to mental stimulation. Master pointed out to me: “People just go after the mental stimulation and will do anything for that craving” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Six). Under no circumstance since the beginning of cultivation I have not stopped doing the three things and performing the exercises daily. Before we moved to the mountain, I was worried how I could clarify the truth without a computer. While in meditation, Master showed me a pen and a paper and I realized that I can write letters. So my husband helped me to formulate a letter in Hebrew (not my native language) and I would write it down over and over again. From an ordinary person's perspective, it is boring to write the same letter over and over again, but surprisingly I did not feel bored. Facing the most beautiful view of the mountains, I wrote those letters by hand. Then we went out to spread it around to local villages. Since this area is considered a dangerous zone in Israel, many people there did not know about Falun Gong.
Our financial situation was not very good. I had a wish to start making lotus flowers. On my birthday I got a present from the family in the form of some money. We used the money to buy my husband shoes, a pair of slippers for myself and the rest went to buy all the necessary equipment for making lotus flowers. In addition to writing letters, I started making those flowers. I hand wrote truth clarification on each flower and they were all shining brightly. It felt good just holding them in the hands.
One time when we went out to give out flowers and letters, we bumped into a lady who started scolding us for promoting “other religion” in an orthodox religious area. I knew it was a test. I spoke with her with as much compassion as I could. I told her that firstly it is a free country, secondly I told her about the atrocities happening in China and we are simply letting people know about it. She told me that the message on the lotus flower is hard to understand. I told her that it is not easy to put a lot of information on a small piece of paper, but I tried my best and even included a website address. She said that after learning from a rabbi about organ harvesting, she canceled her trip to China and underwent a heart operation in Israel instead. I congratulated her for making a wise choice and asked her how was her operation and if she was feeling good now with a new heart. She and her friend were moved by Dafa disciples’ compassion. She apologized for attacking us and thanked us for talking so nicely to her. I try to keep in mind Master's words:
“If you, as Dafa disciples, want to effect change in a person when you clarify the truth and want to save him, you must not arouse the negative elements in that person. You must hold to being shan, and only then can you resolve problems that may arise and save that person.” (Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference)
Cultivators who seal their caves
Because it was so hot during the day, I went to look for a cave to escape from the direct sun. I found a cave down the mountain. While climbing up the steep slope I would also recite the Fa in my mind, as to not waste the time. When I got to the cave, I noticed that it had 4 big onion-plants sticking in the ground in a shape forming a perfect square. Since there were no people around, it looked a bit strange. I hid in the cave to study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts. The next day I came there, the moment I sat down, I heard a loud knocking from inside the mountain. I was not scared, but felt surprised, since who can possible knock from inside the mountain. The knocking repeated itself. I opened “Zhuan Falun” and read:
“In ancient China, there were many people practicing cultivation in remote mountains and deep forests. Why aren’t there any today? In fact, they have not disappeared. They just do not let everyday people know, and not even one of them is missing. These people all have supernormal abilities. It is not that they are no longer around these years—they are still around. There are still several thousand of them in the world today. There are relatively more of them in our country, particularly in those famous big mountains and along the major rivers. They are also around in some high mountains, but they seal their caves with supernormal powers so that you cannot see them. Their cultivation progress is relatively slow, and their methods are relatively clumsy since they have not grasped the essence of cultivation.” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Five)
Master pointed out to me this Fa for a few days in a row after that. I told those people in my mind that the Great Law is spreading in the world, and that they should not miss it. I read out loud to them this passage from the Fa. I decided not to disturb them and went to look for another cave to avoid the heat. After a few days as I was passing by that cave, I noticed that the four onion-plants had grown into big plants and stood there like four guards to protect the cave.
Overcoming an attachment to lust
Since I am trying to keep myself to a high standard, I thought that I did not have lust anymore. On our mountain we had only two neighbors, one was a girl who went out quite frequently to work, and another was a single man. Who would have thought that this only neighbor we had would be used to test me for lust. It was the most severe test I had since the beginning of cultivation. All of a sudden those dirty thoughts started bombarding my mind, like rockets. I memorized the sections in the Fa on lust and qing and repeated them in my heart day and night. I struggled for the whole month. I confessed to my husband that I am having those interfering thoughts, and I hoped that as a practitioner he can strengthen my resolve to overcome it. Instead he got quite jealous and blamed me for having those incident thoughts. I knew I had to overcome them alone, by myself.
At one time, when my husband left me by myself on the mountain for a week, I went to talk to our neighbor. To my surprise, when I spoke to him, my heart was pure and clean. I thanked him for supporting me during a difficult stage in my life. He treated me like a good friend. The test of lust was overcome.
Dogs and rage
Living in difficult conditions stirred up some attachments in me. When we had not money, I started complaining to my husband that he should go and look for a job. The thoughts of finding a job occupied my head, until Master repeatedly pointed out to me in the Fa: “What does this practitioner pray for? Money. Think about it, everyone: Why should a practitioner go after money?” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Five). When we had fights with my husband, I always felt awful after that. Master pointed to me:“Their Main Consciousness are unable to control themselves and regard them as gong. Their bodies are dictated by the possessing spirits or animals, making them mentally disoriented or making them yell and scream.” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Six). I knew that I am being controlled by a foreign entity when I started getting hyped up and raise my voice. After I made up my mind to endure and never lose my calm, this phenomenon stopped happening.
At one time we found three abandoned puppies by the side of the road. My husband wanted to take them to live with us on a mountain. I thought it was a test of qing and told him that practitioners should not raise plants or animals, but he insisted on taking them. The puppies made a lot of fuss and interfered with our practice. I told my husband to try finding a home for them, so that ordinary people can take care of pets, not practitioners. We had a few fights over those dogs. Master pointed to me in the Fa a few things: “We have said that you should not cause disharmony in your family because of this issue. Therefore at the present stage, you should care less about it”. (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Six); and: “Animals are not allowed to succeed in cultivation. Therefore, all of you can read in ancient books that once every several hundred years, animals are killed in a big calamity or a small disaster” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Three). I knew that Master does not want me to fight over pets with my family member, but I should also point out to him, that it is not good for the animals to be with practitioners, since if they acquire gong, Heaven will kill them. Since my husband deep inside did not want to let them go, we could not find a home for them. After a few months when he finally made up his mind to give them away, he quickly found a shelter for the three of them.
Dreams
I am a vivid dreamer. I find that Master often gives me hints in dreams. In the mountain the dreams were particularly vivid, perhaps because we endured more hardships during the day. When it was especially difficult, in the dream state my fu-yuanshen (assistant consciousness) would travel around and felt very light and joyful. I don't interact with a lot of people during the day, but at night there are often crowds of people around me and I am usually clarifying the truth to them.
When I could not maintain my Xin-xing and was overcome with anger, at night I saw destruction of my worlds, dead sentient beings, ruined ancient buildings. I always felt quite sad about it and I shared it with my husband. But when I do well in cultivation, I often see sentient beings holding hands and dancing joyfully.
At one time on the mountain I got attached to seeing dreams, and I started looking forward for them. I was shown nothing. I realized that if I let go the dreams would return.
When I see water in my dream, it usually signifies being mired in qing. When I see sweets, it means I am still attached to sweets. Recently I developed at attachment to listening to some ordinary people's music and my ears started hurting right away and so I stopped.
Finding an imprisoned patriarch
Before we moved to the mountain, I saw a short film about a previous Jerusalem patriarch who was cheated by some people and his signature was forged, so he was replaced by a new corrupt patriarch. A Jerusalem patriarch is the highest position in the Christian faith. Since the patriarch did not want to leave his post, he was jailed in his cell right above the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. In the film he gave an interview through a video camera that was sneaked to him by his followers; it was also shown that a Muslim guy who worked in the old city brought him food and water on a daily basis. When I saw this film, I felt pity for this patriarch and I thought that since he is imprisoned, he probably did not hear the truth. So, I took some fliers in Greek and was waiting for the right moment to pass it to him.
The time went by, but we still did not go to Jerusalem. In my heart I had a nagging feeling that we should go and so we went. I did not know the name of the Muslim guy who sneaked out food and water by using a rope to the patriarch's cell, so I went to every Arab shop in the old city telling the story about the imprisoned patriarch and asking if they knew how to find this Muslim guy. No one knew. At one point, one store owner asked me if I know his name, and I just said that it started with “Abu”. He laughed at us and said: “We are all Abu”. (Arab names start with Abu (meaning “father”). After an hour of search, we started feeling tired and got discouraged. I told my husband that perhaps we should not be doing this, as we would have received some help by now. Just then an old gentleman asked me who I was looking for and I told him the story. He said that he knew the person and showed us directions. We did a few more circles, but still could not find the right shop with the right guy. But as we were passing along, the old gentleman again appeared out of nowhere and asked: “Well, did you find him?” I said: “No”. He said: “Oh why, it is so easy, just go this and that way”. As we were walking and searching in the labyrinth of the old city, one young guy asked me who I was looking for and I told him and he said: “Turn around, there he is!” We found him and we clarified the truth to him and this young man was his son. The young man said that his father did not betray his friend, a patriarch. The father said that patriarch is an angel. I felt that they were all very good people and we felt happy to meet them and to give them the truth. He promised to pass our flier to the patriarch. I know it was arranged by Master.
Not moved by fear
When we just moved to the mountain, one man told my husband that we are crazy because the Bedouins will come to kill and rape us. We indeed had some unexpected visitors who created some trouble for us, but Master pointed out to me:“Whether you come across them or not, I can assure you that you will not be in any danger—I can guarantee this.” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Three). I showed them “Zhuan Falun” and Master's portrait. They asked me if it was Bruce Lee. I told them that Master is a Buddha and some of them did heshi to Master.
After four months living on the mountain, we started getting clues that we should go back. In the end we returned to where we came from just before a storm came. We are now back to using computer to clarify the truth. Even though the experience was hard, it was also worthwhile. We never stopped cultivating even for a day, and reached out to many people in that area.
As it gets to the surface dimension it is harder to break from the attachment, but we should not slack off and instead be even more diligent. Just like Master said: “I hope that after going home everyone will make the best use of his or her time for genuine cultivation practice” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Nine).
Lately Master pointed out to me that I should let go of mixing with well known people. Ordinary people tend to admire renowned people but Dafa disciples should not have this heart of admiration. Our hearts should be clean, calm and pure. “Being well-known does not necessarily mean that one really knows things well.” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Eight).
Please point out anything inappropriate.
Heshi.
