(Minghui.org) I did not know about Falun Gong until the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started the persecution in July 1999, and I began to practice in 2000 during the height of the persecution.

While attending high school in 1989, I started to ask myself questions such as, “Who am I?” and “What is the purpose of life?” These unanswered questions led me to read a lot of books on philosophy and history. I even dreamed about one day becoming a sage like Confucius and Mencius.

While I was in college, I suffered from neurosis, insomnia, severe depression, gastric illness and recurring nightmares. I used to drink alcohol to drown my problems and even started smoking cigarettes to help me relax.

I became acquainted with a Dafa practitioner towards the end of 2000, and I immediately suggested that he give up the practice. I had believed in the CCP's lies and propaganda about Falun Gong and thought that I was helping him. He asked me, “Why do you echo the views of others without even knowing anything about the practice?” After he clarified the facts about Dafa to me, I decided to read Zhuan Falun. After I had finished it, I realized that the book is mainly about how to be a good person. Thus, I started to practice as well.

It wasn’t long before my insomnia disappeared. I could feel a Falun (law wheel) rotating in my lower abdominal area and I realized that my gastric illness had also miraculously disappeared. I no longer had to worry about what kinds of foods I could and couldn’t eat. In addition, I believed that the practice had increased my wisdom, so instead of having to read an article two or three times to grasp its meaning, I only had to read it once.

One day, I noticed that lots of small bumps were appearing on the soles of my feet. I realized that Master was cleansing my body, and my feet returned to normal within three days. As a doctor trained in Western medicine, I couldn’t believe the changes taking place in my body. But the more I studied the Fa, the more I understood about the nature of diseases and why people have illnesses.

I used to smoke a lot, but shortly after I stated practicing I found that I became very ill when I tried to smoke again, and even vomited.

Master said:

“In the field of this class, no one thinks of smoking a cigarette. If you want to quit, it is guaranteed that you can do it. When you smoke a cigarette again, it will not taste right. If you read this lecture in the book, it will also have this effect.” (Zhuan Falun)

Even though I experienced such massive changes in my health and mental aptitude, I still thought that Zhuan Falun was merely a qigong book on healing and fitness. Then, while I was walking home one day, I suddenly realized that this book is about how to cultivate into a Buddha, God or Dao. I was stunned, and thought that there really are divine beings in this universe! I quickly ran home and told my family members: “This book is about cultivation! Let's cherish this opportunity to study the Fa!”

I realized how hard it is for an atheist to believe in the divine, and remembered Master's words:

“All beings, quickly come to!

Traps have been planted in the heartland

‘Tis for the Fa that all have come

Why are you not sensible?” (“Gods, Awaken” in Hong Yin II)

Cultivating in a state of delusion

I have been studying the Fa and cultivating my character since 2008. During that time, I started to read the novel, Journey to the West, wherein each chapter is a cultivation story about how to remove the different types of attachments that people have. While reading, I went through a process whereby I was able to see my attachment, note my reluctance to remove it, and then finally, I was able to give up the attachment. However, attachments to human emotions and jealousy were not that easy for me to get rid of.

One night, I dreamed that I was flying high up in the sky, but then fell back down to earth after a thought flashed through my mind, that my wife had recently been imprisoned and needs my help. Just then, I heard a song reverberating through the mountain valley, “Qing, too, needs to be given up. Qing, too, needs to be given up.”

Master said:

“There’s emotion in society, so for ordinary people these things are just normal. Since people have emotion… being angry is emotion, being happy is emotion, love is emotion, and hatred is emotion, enjoying doing something is an emotion, not enjoying doing something is an emotion, your thinking someone is nice or someone isn’t nice, your loving to do something or not loving to do something—everything is emotion, and ordinary people just live for emotion.” (Zhuan Falun)

As I understand it, all kinds of attachments are derived from qing, and the whole realm that humans live in is saturated in it. Sometimes when I sent righteous thoughts, I felt that I had transcended it, and my body became transparent and light. At that moment, I had compassion for all sentient that were trapped and controlled by it.

Overcoming tribulations with righteous thoughts

A practitioner once helped my family to set up an Internet connection so that we could read about the different cultivation sharing experiences from around the world. My wife and I then decided to participate in group Fa-rectification activities. We made and delivered a lot of truth-clarification DVDs and spoke to people about Falun Gong and the persecution whenever we could.

When someone reported my wife to the authorities for handing out Dafa-related materials, I became frightened and started to think: “What is Falun Gong all about? What kind of person is Master Li? Are we walking along a wrong path?”

I spent two days studying the Fa and then realized that we are not wrong for wanting to practice. I believe that Falun Dafa is righteous! Evil will never prevail over goodness. The CCP’s plot to destroy Dafa will never succeed. I learned from this experience because the Fa was deeply rooted in my heart.

Before the police arrived to search my home that night, I dreamed of a golden, shining being, moving across the sky towards where I lived. I quickly ran home, closed the front door and peered out of the window. I noticed that this being was emitting pillars of light which penetrated the ceiling. This being then came down one of the pillars and walked towards me. I felt that this being did not have good intentions. Then suddenly, a huge net fell from the sky and trapped him. After I woke up, I realized that Master always protects practitioners. From that day on, I spent every night reciting the Fa and gradually realized that it is only by assimilating to the Fa that we can overcome tribulations.

Clarifying the facts to save others

When my wife was released from detention, we realized that we had to study the Fa more and find out the lawful steps we needed to take to avoid being arrested again. We immersed ourselves in Fa study every day and read books on Chinese law so that we could understand exactly why the persecution was illegal.

My wife and I visited different government organizations in China and told them why it was illegal to persecute practitioners. When a security officer stopped by our home to check on my wife, she told him that she was studying the law and pointed out that a Public Security Department regulation showed that it was illegal for him to harass her. He then immediately changed his attitude, and politely said, “You are right! I had originally planned to spend the whole afternoon dissuading you from practicing Falun Gong. However, I can go now because I have no legal basis to do that.” My wife and I realized that we can achieve better results in clarifying the facts if we know our legal rights.

A few days ago, I dreamed that I was walking along the road with other practitioners. The more we walked, the more our bodies became transparent. Finally, we were able to fly up into the sky. We then saw our names listed on a report card, with comments posted alongside each name. I found many attachments listed in the column next to my name, and at the top of that list was my attachment to drinking alcohol. I felt embarrassed that I had wasted so much time following this attachment, and failing to cherish the opportunity to cultivate myself.

I will cultivate myself more diligently and walk the final steps of my path with firmer resolve!