Dear friends,
I would like to share with you some of my experiences since practicing Falun Dafa.
I had been searching for the purpose of my existence, along with many others, but most importantly, for a way to change myself, in order to become purer and better. In this regard, religion had not helped me. Three and a half years ago, destiny showed me the way to Falun Dafa. Ever since then, events that have taken place in my life have been nothing short of miraculous. An everyday person would have difficulty believing some of them.
I recall the astonishment with which I read the book, Zhuan Falun (the main text of Falun Dafa), for the very first time. I was overwhelmed by the sense that I was familiar with everything this book mentioned, and yet had forgotten it for no apparent reason. I asked myself, "How could I have forgotten all this? Everything written in this book is as clear and as truthful as truth itself!"
From the earliest stages of my practice, Teacher has shown me the clarity and the truthfulness of this teaching. Three months after beginning this practice, I started to experience strong pains in my spine. Due to unbearable pain in my back, I was forced to spend my time at work kneeling in front of the computer, since sitting in a chair was out of the question. It worried me that I might not be able to fly to Los Angeles, where an experience sharing conference was going to be held. After three days, I could no longer stand the pain, and went to see a chiropractor. Countless medical treatments undergone in the doctor's office proved to be in vain. In spite of this, I made up my mind to attend the conference in Los Angeles. On the way there, I spent the whole time lying down in my seat. During the conference, I remained in that same position. As soon as Teacher came on stage, I fell soundly asleep. When I opened my eyes, the conference was coming to a close, and Teacher was already saying good-bye to everyone present. I felt sad about falling asleep like this, right in the middle of the day, and missing what I thought was the most important part of the conference. However, everything became clear to me the minute I tried to sit up, bend forward, and walk. There was not a single trace of pain left. I was not at all surprised, even though I knew that a real miracle had taken place.
Four months later, I was again challenged by a serious test. In the middle of the night, I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen. I tried to ignore the pain, for a while, but soon it became unbearable. I was unable to move, and had difficulty breathing. My husband was terrified, and suggested that we call an ambulance, but I refused. I realized that this was just another test. However, just out of curiosity, I agreed to have an ultrasound test done. Afterward, the doctor called me at work, informing me of a cancerous growth that had been revealed by the ultrasound. It may sound hard to believe, but I was not at all scared. "Doctor, I'm sure that everything is going to be just fine," I replied. She was very much surprised by my response and added that I would probably have to undergo an operation. A second ultrasound test was done a month later, and it showed that everything was clear! In the eyes of an everyday person, wasn't this a true miracle? Had there ever been a need for the ultrasound?
I began to engage myself more seriously, dedicating more time to Falun Dafa. I looked for my own place within this Fa, in order to become a part of it. I began translating articles written by Falun Dafa practitioners into Russian; some of them have deeply moved me. At times, it seemed as though a person simply read my mind and put the thoughts into writing. And again, the miracles kept on occurring in my life. At times, urgent translations kept me up for most of the night, with only three to four hours left for sleep. Yet in the morning, I would feel surprisingly refreshed and full of energy. All traces of a sleepless night had miraculously disappeared!
I held a radio broadcast for the Russian-speaking population of Philadelphia, in hopes of passing on the teachings of Falun Dafa. Not many responded. I saw that the problem was within me: within my understanding of Dafa, within my attitude. Recently, I submitted an article to a Russian newspaper, revealing Falun Dafa as a method of genuine self-improvement. This time, the response was much better. I met with those who were interested in learning more about this practice, answered their questions, as well as provided them with a copy of Falun Gong for beginners, downloaded from the Internet. I couldn't always conceal my disappointment when those who had received a copy of this book, and whom I had taught the exercises to, suddenly stopped calling. It would be wonderful, if each and every one of them could truly become a practitioner and embrace their unique opportunity to cultivate. But simply knowing about Falun Dafa is without a doubt beneficial for them.
Last summer, I noticed a red spot on my leg. The spot burned and quickly grew in size, with all the symptoms of poison ivy. Soon, the entire surface of my leg was red. I knew that this was yet another test and every day looked to see if the swelling and the redness have gone down. A few days later, I met with a fellow Falun Dafa practitioner. I showed her my leg and said, "I am convinced that this is yet another test. I just keep waiting for it to go away." To which she replied, "Don't wait." After hearing her say those words, something changed in my sub-consciousness and I then completely forgot about my leg. Three days later, I remembered to look, and the red spot was the size of a coin. A week later, it was gone.
For quite some time, fear of an upcoming assignment at work would get the best of me. Each time, it took a great amount of effort for me to keep the bad thoughts away, but they always came back. During one of the Falun Dafa conferences, I met up with another fellow practitioner, and asked her for advice. She said to me, "What if, for instance, you got fired. I can imagine how unpleasant that would be, but along with taking your job away, could they take away your right to cultivate and keep you from practicing? Now, that would really be something to be afraid of!" After hearing her out, I felt ashamed of myself, and my silly fear left. Even my work became much easier after that.
Each day I see all the positive reflections of this practice on those who surround me. When I first began to practice, my husband was very much against it. He did not take it seriously, was not at all supportive, and attempted to disturb my concentration whenever I would practice. Once, I was able to talk him into attending one of our group meetings. He decided to perform the exercises along with the others, out of sincere interest. On the way home he was unusually quiet. When I asked what was wrong, he responded, "You know, I feel as though I was purified from the inside out. There is an amazing feeling of lightness all over my body." From that very day, he began to practice cultivation along with me. Certainly, our practice does not always run as smoothly and as easily as we would like it to. However, when I see a middle-aged person who is struggling to change himself for the better by becoming kinder and more patient, I see a true miracle.
Like many other parents, I experienced some problems with my daughter. She did well in school and had no bad habits, but we just could not seem to get along. After finishing school, she made a decision to skip college and enter the work force. On numerous occasions, I would ask her to read Zhuan Falun, but she would refuse. This continued, until after reading a passage in the book, I enlightened to just allow things to naturally take their own path. Soon, my daughter changed her mind about college, and completed her freshman year, with amazing results. What's more important, she began to read Zhuan Falun as well as do the exercises!
I clearly see that the harder I try to eradicate the existence of evil within me, and the more persistent I am about changing myself for the better, the more obvious the changes in everything around me become.
My supervising manager and project leader was always negative and rude to people. Quite often he spoke badly of a person behind that individual's back. Lately, a dramatic change for the better has occurred -- he has become softer and kinder, and has abandoned his habit of badmouthing others.
Recently, a new supervising manager has taken his place. The new manager quickly gained a reputation of being impatient and unwilling to listen to anything his coworkers had to say. Frankly, I was very much surprised when he asked for my opinion about his management ability. After all, I'm nothing but a worker, like all the others. While answering his question, I chose to be up front and honest. Since I was driven strictly by kindness and a desire to help, my manager was not offended. Instead he listened, and took my advice. A short time later, there was tremendous improvement on his part! My coworkers often joke: "Has he been switched?" Actually, he's not the only one who has changed. The entire atmosphere of my work place has become more peaceful and friendly.
I'm not at all amazed by all these miracles. I know that this is the Law of the Universe at work. Its main principles - Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance - are fully revealed to those who sincerely devote themselves to Falun Dafa.
Category: Falun Dafa's Divine Power
