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Growing Up and Maturing in Dafa from Sixteen to Thirty Years of Age

March 1, 2012 |   By a practitioner from China

(Clearwisdom.net) I obtained the Fa in 1997 when I was sixteen years old. I have experienced joys and sorrows over the past fourteen years.

Dafa Saved Me and Gave Me a New Life

In my childhood I often dreamed about flying through the sky, following my parents around. Now I understand that the dreams meant that my entire family would cultivate in Dafa with Master.

I was very quiet and introverted as a child, and bigger boys often bullied me. Gradually, that negative environment affected my personality, making me pessimistic, and building a strong desire for competition. Even though I was still young, I had a variety of illnesses. In middle school I suffered from pharyngitis, keratitis, and frontal sinusitis. I had a hard time falling asleep. The inflammation affected almost my entire face. My life back then was miserable, and my grades were also low due to my poor health. To avoid people, I often stared at the ground when I was walking outside. I had an irritable temper and would easily blow up at my classmates over trivial things.

My father was in an explosion in 1997, where his hands were injured. A sincere and earnest older woman living next door told us about Falun Gong, and father began practicing with her. Shortly afterwards, his hands were healed, and there were not even any scars left. Witnessing the miracles that happened to my father, the rest of my family members, one after another, also began practicing Falun Gong.

One week after I started practicing, the skin on my face became smooth. When Master was cleansing my body for me, it felt like needles were poking me, or I was being shocked. After that, however, my complexion became shiny and rosy, and there were no scars on my face. Furthermore, all of the illnesses I had suffered from before had vanished. The biggest gain for me was that I became open- minded, because I understood that tribulations resulted from karma. Hence, from then on I was able to think of others before myself, and looked inward when conflicts occurred.

Since I was able to conduct myself in accordance with Dafa, many of my classmates also started practicing Falun Dafa. Even those who did not join had positive views of Dafa.

If the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had not launched the persecution of Falun Gong, more people would have become Falun Gong practitioners. There would have been more good people in society.

Maturing While Undergoing Tribulations

My parents went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in 1999, but local police escorted them back and held them at the detention center. My sister and I were preparing for college entrance exams when my parents were detained, and were thus under great pressure. We survived on very simple and meager food. However, compared with our incarcerated parents, we knew that our situation was not nearly as miserable. The heavy academic work and the sudden change at home did not oppress us; instead, we concentrated on our study with positive attitudes. Master’s protection helped us to make it through those most difficult days.

After I entered college, however, I failed to strictly follow Dafa’s requirements, hence giving the evil old forces loopholes to persecute me twice. I was tortured while detained. With Master’s help and fellow practitioners’ rescue efforts, I finally returned home in March 2009.

Cultivating Myself at Work to Save Sentient Beings

Fellow practitioners helped me to get my current job, which is simple and not time consuming. Therefore, I have enough time to study the Fa and do things to explain the facts about Falun Dafa. My family and I often deliver Shen Yun DVDs to every door inside the apartment buildings that we pass by on our way to and from work. Before we deliver DVDs, we always ask Master to strengthen our power so that we can successfully deliver the DVDs to those predestined people, and we hope that they will then pass the DVDs on to others. We also support each other by sending forth righteous thoughts while other practitioners deliver the DVDs. We have found that once our thoughts are righteous, we can walk on the righteous path safely.

I had found it hard to explain the facts to people face to face, and I have to break through that hurdle. In the past I would be reluctant to speak with people for a few days if I encountered some difficulties. During the years when I was persecuted, the old forces hit me with negative factors and thoughts.

Consequently, I would not search inside myself when problems occurred, but always had negative thoughts and then would avoid problems. My xinxing had not improved, and the attachment of fear was not eliminated. Now that I am talking about it, I should disintegrate it right away. I hope that in the future I will overcome this difficulty and upgrade my xinxing.

Lately I have been able to help some people quit the CCP and I would like to share my experiences.

First, we should be upright. Second, we need to be sincere with others and help them see that we really are concerned about them. Third, we should point out the actual facts so that they can see the beauty of Dafa. After that, it will be easier for them to accept Dafa and understand why they should quit the CCP. When sentient beings can agree with us and eliminate their fear, they are able to quit the CCP. Of course we need to send righteous thoughts during that time. Master has arranged things very well for us, so we just need to carry out our actions with righteous thoughts.

Recently, almost all the employees in my company received a pay raise, but my salary was not increased. Irritated, I spoke with my supervisor several times, but to no avail. I even began to think about it when I did the exercises and when I slept. I could no longer concentrate when sending forth righteous thoughts and studying the Fa. My family and other practitioners pointed out my attachment to recognition and financial gain, and told me that it was time to let go of my attachments. After searching inward I found that on top of the attachments mentioned above, I also was attached to jealousy and competitiveness. I even found excuses to cover up my attachments, claiming that Dafa projects needed funding.

“If in the course of cultivation practice jealousy is not given up, one will not attain Right Fruit—absolutely not." (Zhuan Falun)

As Master reminded us, cultivators will get what we are supposed to, but will not get what is not ours, even if we pursue it. I learned that I had valued worldly possessions too dearly and lacked sufficient trust in Master and the Fa. Having come to this conclusion, my sense of resentment immediately vanished, and in its place was compassion.

“Once you upgrade your xinxing, your body will undergo a great change. Upon xinxing improvement, the matter in your body is guaranteed to transform.” (Zhuan Falun)

I know that once my xinxing is elevated, the beauty of Dafa will be presented to sentient beings. In the past, our own problems had led us to many dead ends. However, once our xinxing improves, Master will help us.

Joining Group-Study and Morning Exercises

Our entire family takes advantage of our situation to tell sentient beings the facts about Falun Dafa. Everyday life has become our avenue to explain the facts. After dinner, we study one lecture of Zhuan Falun every day, and we study Master’s new lectures on Saturdays and Sundays. We get up at 4:00 a.m. and practice the exercises together, accompanied by the heavenly exercise music.

Compared with diligent practitioners, I still have a long way to go. Please kindly point out anything that is inappropriate.