(Clearwisdom.net) Three years ago I began cultivating, which helped to greatly improve my life. I would like to share my experiences with fellow Falun Gong practitioners for mutual encouragement.

Prior to practicing Falun Gong I had followed the practice of Buddhism for three years and then Taoism for two years. Those five years made me realize that they were not the sources for a cultivator seeking the real truth, but rather a means whereby people could have access to all kinds of resources, and seek recognition and fame and position and economic advantages. These systems are each run like a small society and are not a pure land. Some people establish temples to profit from them. They maintain their image and class based on society's values and patterns. As I was seeking the righteous law but could not find the way out of confusion, Master made an arrangement for me.

In January 2005 a friend introduced me to Falun Gong, to my great joy. The next night, after I had completed reading Zhuan Falun for the second time, I had a dream. I saw myself on the middle hand of a giant Buddha that was clad in yellow cloth, with blue curly hair. Compared to him I looked like a tiny ant. I heard the giant Buddha say, "You, my little baby, are finally getting on the road." The voice was so loud so that it shook the boundless firmament and awakened many deeply sleeping beings. I was awakened suddenly and realized right away that Falun Gong was the path I had been seeking for many years. Later I dreamed that I was at the Buddha's head and looked down to see many beings waiting in a line. That line was as long as the Great Wall, and its end couldn't be seen. All the beings were skinny and weak, suffering from hunger and cold, and they had encountered indescribable hardships. They were awaiting salvation. My mind was suddenly full of compassion. After I awakened I realized my responsibility for saving sentient beings. From that moment I started my Falun Gong cultivation journey.

I experienced what seemed to be physical sickness symptoms in early 2006. A serious lung infection caused shortness of breath. Frequent coughing made it hard for me to sleep at night, and I also could not lay down on the bed. Family members told me to take medicine, but I am a practitioner and should believe in Master and Dafa. I refused to take the medicine. The third night after my symptoms began I was half awake and half asleep when I heard someone say, "Your lung has been cleaned up and has started growing new cells." I was back to normal by the sixth day. During those six days of eliminating sickness karma I could still go to work. I had experienced the spirit of the Dafa for the first time. It was Master who purified my body and eliminated my sickness karma.

I work as an official and run a food and drink shop. This leaves me little time for Fa study and doing the exercises. An older practitioner visited me once, and I was excited. However, I felt so embarrassed when we were studying the Fa, as I could not read the Fa fluently. I found where my problem was and felt that I was so far behind compared to the older practitioner. Therefore, I decided to lighten my workload and squeeze in more time for Fa-study. I usually go to the shop at around 3:00 to 4:00 a.m. to get things done so I can get to my job as an official on time. At noon I return to the shop to help out and again after work and stay until nine or ten o'clock. I only sleep about three hours, but I insist on cultivating every day, sending righteous thoughts on time, and going to work on time. I do everything at work or at the shop according to "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance." I have experienced tribulations and have overcome hardships one by one, and feel good about myself. When I looked back, it was like "After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!" (Zhuan Falun)

Master told us of the power of sending forth righteous thoughts. In late October 2006, with help from the older practitioner, though my xinxing improved rapidly, I still had some doubts regarding sending forth righteous thoughts. One day I had some problems at my shop. I attempted to look inward for the origin of the problems, but I thought that they could be problems that the old forces arranged. I read an article on "Minghui Weekly" the next day that described how the old forces could disturb Dafa practitioners by using people, money, and substances to derail the practitioners. It was a good reminder. Right away I sent righteous thoughts and heard a voice coming from the old forces saying, "She has discovered our secret of disturbing her!" Quickly, the old forces collapsed.

The next day all the problems were solved, which seemed to be a hint from Master. I came to believe in the power of righteous thoughts. Later I shared my experience with other practitioners and recognized the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts. After Master's new article "Thoroughly Dissolve the Evil" was published, all Falun Gong practitioners began to send righteous thoughts at four specific times each day. We are taking responsibility for those practitioners who are still detained at either forced labor camps or prisons.

One day, after I had completed the first, third and fourth exercises, I was very sleepy. I began making all kinds of excuses not to do the second exercise, and I laid down on the sofa and went to sleep. I dreamed of being with many people who were sentient beings from my world. An adult accompanied by a child came to me and cried, "Oh, my Lord, if you keep sleeping, where should we go in the future? Please wake up! What will happen to us if you still sleep?" I jumped off the sofa. Wow, I was their Lord, and they were my sentient beings? Failing to practice Falun Gong would not only be my personal problem, but also a problem of destroying sentient beings in my world. I had to take responsibility for it. I started to do the second exercise. Once the music began I felt sleepy again, and I thought about going to bed for a short break and then doing the second exercise and the meditation together. As soon as I lay down a divine being pointed at me saying, "Look at you. You claim to be a righteous, divine being of the universe. How can you be a divine being?" By then I was completely awake. Getting over the sleepiness I completed the exercises and felt great.

These experiences warned me that we simply cannot destroy sentient beings in a realm because we seek comfort. We need to use time wisely, treasure this precious opportunity that only comes once in tens of thousands of years, and diligently strive forward. The sentient beings are expecting us to create a world with high standards and to reach consummation as soon as possible.

One of my relatives was previously a government official but died from a heart attack in early 2006. One time I dreamed about him. He was in a crowd at the door of a castle and I was above looking down on him. He was complaining about my high position saying, "Just because you have cultivated those nine words (in Chinese: "Falun Gong is good, Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance are good") you are raised. If you had told me earlier, would I have to be down here?"

I awakened, ashamed of myself and feeling guilty for not having done enough to save him. But then I fell asleep again and was startled by repeated scenes. The next day I realized that tragedy had happened because I did not clarify the truth of Falun Gong to him and did not ask him to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Now he was still suffering in hell. Quickly, I helped him to withdraw from the CCP (after his death).

One day in December 2006, as I did the fifth exercise, I saw a woman who was five or six months pregnant coming towards me. She told me she was the reincarnation of my relative mentioned above, and she would receive Falun Gong thereafter.

These examples demonstrate how important it is to do the three things Master urges us to do. Each practitioner has his/her own responsibility to offer salvation to anyone who has a predestined relationship with Dafa. From my understanding, it is also important to help dead people to withdraw from the CCP. It is even more important to help the people who are still alive. Don't leave any regrets for yourself!

Another time when I was practicing I got a hint to clarify the truth about Falun Gong to the intermediate or top government officials and ask them to withdraw from the CCP. Since then, I have used all opportunities to spread the goodness of Falun Gong.

When I read Master's article "To the Australia Fa Conference:"

"I hope all of you do well on the final leg of the journey. The future will soon be displayed before [the world's] eyes."

I had an attachment to time for reaching consummation. One night I had a dream that I was walking on a conveyor belt that was very bumpy. I looked up and the road ahead of me sloped at a 45-degree angle, and I could not see the end. I realized that I should not be attached to the time for consummation and should walk step by step on the final road, following a high standard, otherwise I might never reach my final destination. Do well on the three things, spread Dafa, clarify the truth, save all the beings, bring Truthfulness-Compression-Tolerance to many families, and assist Master in spreading the Fa. Consummation could happen at any time.

(This article was completed with help from an older practitioner.)