My Cultivation Journey
By Malaysia practitioner Su Shang Lin (Saw)
Greetings to Master!
Hello fellow practitioners!
I am Su Shang Lin, from Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia. I obtained the Fa in 2008. First of all, I want to express my deepest gratitude for Master’s compassion and for the help of many fellow practitioners.
Obtaining the Fa:
When I was 10 years old, I saw Zhuan Falun at my tutor’s house for the first time. I found the book very novel and unique, and I wanted to borrow it to read at home. However, my tutor was unwilling to lend it out and said it was not a good book. Then, in 2008, I was already 16 years old. During these years, I searched everywhere, even at small book stalls, hoping to find that golden-covered Zhuan Falun. Finally, when it was time for me to obtain the Fa, I happened to visit Mr. Luo’s house, a teacher of a friend of mine. When I arrived at the teacher’s house, I directly walked into the teacher’s room. At that time, I was indeed impolite and thick-skinned. But it was there that I finally found the Zhuan Falun I had been looking for. I wanted to borrow it, and the teacher was surprised that I wanted to borrow this book. After returning home, I started reading it. Even if I sometimes fell asleep suddenly, I would wake up and continue reading until I finished the entire book. I then embarked on the path of cultivation practice. Later, when my relatives learned that I was cultivating, they began to pressure me to stop. At that time, they were deceived by the false propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party and could not understand my choice. Although I tried to convey the truth, they did not believe it. During that time, I often prayed for Master that Fa-rectification of the human world would come soon, so they could recognize the truth and understand the sincerity of Dafa disciples. During that period, I persisted in cultivation practices for two years. Even when participating in the National Service (PLKN) activities, I brought Zhuan Falun to the camp and received support from my mother, who brought me more of Master’s scriptures. This strengthened my cultivation foundation. However, in 2010, I started working and gradually got caught up in the waves of ordinary society, eventually giving up of cultivation practice.
Returning to Cultivation:
Then, Master gave me a chance to return to cultivation. In 2018, a fellow practitioner from Taiwan on Facebook learned about my experience and started calling me every day to encourage me to return to cultivation. He would call me whenever I had time, sharing many cultivation insights and forwarding Master’s scriptures for me to read. With his persistence and encouragement, I started reading Zhuan Falun again, doing the three things well, and gradually improving my cultivation level. Through studying the Fa more and Master’s guidance, I saw “the tangible expressions, at different planes, of dafa’s qualities: zhen, shan and ren”, as described in the Lunyu in Zhuan Falun. Looking back, during the time I fell behind, Master never gave up on me. Master was always waiting for me because wherever I went at home, I would see Zhuan Falun waiting for me to start reading again.
Master said in the Teaching at the Conference in Singapore: ” I often say that if a person is free of any personal notions, isn’t motivated by self-interest, and is truly looking to benefit others, then when he points out another person’s shortcoming or tells the other person what’s right, that person will be moved to tears. “ Therefore, I am very grateful and thankful for the efforts and encouragement of the Taiwanese fellow practitioner over the years.
Tests:
After I returned to the cultivation practice, I paid more attention to studying the Fa. Through more studying, I constantly looked inward because Master said that there are no coincidences in cultivation. So, every day, I would notice my inner thoughts and those that did not conform to the Fa, and I would let them go and forget them. During this process, I found that whenever I faced problems, difficulties, or obstacles, Master’s Fa or a specific lecture from Zhuan Falun would naturally come to mind. Even in a test in a dream, I remember something happened, and in the dream, I recalled Master’s Fa and looked inward to see which attachment was moved.
There was another difficult test I clearly remember in June last year. Due to the poor economic situation in Malaysia, my shop, my business was very bleak, on the verge of closing down. If it closed, I would face the risk of bankruptcy due to loans and debts. Therefore, I was very attached to my work. Then, interference from thought karma came, and a thought appeared in my mind, whispering that “because I was cultivating Falun Dafa, I encountered such problems. If I quickly gave up cultivation, the problems would disappear.” During work breaks, I kept listening to the Fa, reading the Fa after work, and persisted in sending righteous thoughts to clear and negate that evil thought. Later, I realized it was time to let go of my attachment to work. I told to that thought, “No matter if I became homeless in the next moment, lose all my wealth, or even my life, I am not afraid. I don’t care anymore. I only want Zhuan Falun and Dafa; nothing else matters.” After letting go, I passed this test and felt relieved and liberated. That thought and voice disappeared, and now everything is fine. I am so grateful for Master’s compassion on me.
Master said in The Ninth Talk of Zhuan Falun: ” The practice isn’t hard so long as you are sincere about spiritual growth, are willing to go through whatever it takes, and can come to look upon the material things of this world with detachment and indifference. “ I am deeply inspired by this sentence, so I have let go of everything and continue to advance diligently.
Compassion:
One of the most profound experiences in my cultivation process is experiencing the compassion. One morning, I saw people was suffering in a news, and a warm and compassionate energy surged in my heart, and I started crying continuously. At that moment, I deeply understood that no matter how high or low I cultivate, I only want to assist Master in Fa-rectification and saving people because there are still countless people waiting for Dafa. With a compassionate heart, I am dedicated to doing Dafa work well. Later, I learned that there were some issues at the Ipoh practice site. To save people, I went there to coordinate and cooperate with fellow practitioners. I did not seek fame or fortune, only hoping that fellow practitioners and people could benefit and those with predestined could obtain the Fa. Later, in October this year, Perak also held its first health expo. After waiting for so long, we finally had the opportunity to hold such an event. My thought was that the practice site had experienced various incidents and was once suspended. Through this event, Master guided those with predestined back, giving them a chance to be saved. This made me deeply feel of Master’s compassion. At the same time, I always remember my relatives, who still believe in the false propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party but are also people waiting for the Fa. Over the years, I have had to convey the truth to them. I also understand that Master has arranged everything, but I still silently pray to Master, if possible, to slow down time a bit, even if only for 1 second or 5 minutes, because many people are waiting for Dafa disciples to save them. I fear that a short of 5 minutes could cause many people to miss the opportunity to be saved.
Participating in Fa-spreading Activities:
This year, I participated in many Dafa activities. The most impressive one was the Fa-spreading activity at the Ipoh iFood Expo.
The origin of this event was a fellow practitioner contacting me. We discussed related matters during a call that night and decided to participate in this event. The fellow practitioners who participated in this event came from Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, Kampar, and Ipoh. We rarely had the opportunity to gather together, but this event finally brought everyone together to work hard and complete the project. Each fellow practitioner played their role. Those who were eloquent distributed materials and clarified the facts, while others teach the exercises or did the backstage work. In the end, everyone formed as one body, which was really great.
This event brought many fellow practitioners together, and we learned from each other and experienced many challenges together. I believe that next time we hold an event, everyone will do better and more outstanding. Through this event, I remembered a saying: “Leave no man behind,” meaning not to let anyone fall behind. Therefore, it is really important for Dafa disciples to form as one body. Dafa disciples should support, help, and tolerate each other to fulfill our mission.
I am also very grateful for Master’s arrangement, allowing me to witness and participate in these activities, creating precious memories during this historical period. Dafa disciples are both the audience and the actors. I cherish the time spent with everyone. Once again, thank you and appreciate Master’s compassion.
The Stage of Being Lost:
Before and after cultivation, I have always loved reading books and watching movies. After obtaining the Fa, I gradually understood that everything in the world has laid the groundwork for the arrival of the Fa. Sometimes, when I observe things or scenes, the view in front of me suddenly turns black and white instead of colour, making me realize that I seem to be in another realm, reviewing and reliving this historical process. I remember a movie called The Matrix. In one scene, the protagonist is always searching for the true meaning of life and finally reaches a turning point in life. At that moment, he faces two pills: the red one represents awakening, and the blue one represents continuing to sink. This scene reminds me that when Dafa disciples convey truth-clarification materials to people, the choice is in their hands. Whether they are saved or miss this opportunity is their own choice. Then, later in the movie, there is a scene where a character is eating steak and drinking red wine. I remember he said, “I know everything here is fake. Even though I am chewing delicious steak and drinking fine red wine, my eyes and human notions keep telling me that everything is real.” This character chose to continue sinking because he couldn’t let go of all the comfortable material things. This scene made me deeply realize that in this world, only Dafa can break the illusion.
I share three sentences that are my personal insights and understanding:
- Everything can be left behind, only the Fa follows.
- Everything can be abandoned, only the Fa cannot.
- Everything is false, only the Fa is true.
Finally, I would like to share the Song Dynasty poetic from The Essentials for Further Advancement III with fellow practitioners.
A Will That Ebbs Not
Surpassing time and space,
Fa-rectification dashes forward
Massive is the challenge,
but your will is firm
Unbridled are the wicked,
yet you keep your bearings
Purging evil as if but whisking dust away
My disciples,
walk straight the path of Dafa
May your radiance grace the human world,
as you transcend the Three Realms
Disciples of Fa,
be diligent, with a will that ebbs not
The countless years of hardship were all for this time
I hope everyone can adhere to the three things and study the Fa more. Let’s work together to assist Master in Fa-rectification and saving people because many people are waiting for Dafa disciples to save them.
Thank you, everyone!