(Minghui.org) I am a college teacher in my fifties. I started to practice Falun Gong in July 2007, after I had a dream about the founder of the practice in 2007. He said, “I have been looking for you for a long time.” I quickly obtained software to bypass China's Internet firewall and found a lot of publications about Falun Gong.
I may be well-known in my area of study, but I was not known for being philosophical. Yet as I discovered more and more phenomena that science failed to explain I turned more and more into a metaphysical person.
Einstein once said, “I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves -- this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth.”
Like Einstein, I believe that mankind must seek the Truth. Like Einstein, I started looking for answers in religion.
I have practiced in many qigong schools before I turned to Buddhism and Christianity. I have studied many Buddhist scriptures and the Bible. I have meditated in Buddhist temples and prayed in churches. But, in the end, I was always disappointed because they failed to show me the Truth.
When I finally found the Truth through Falun Gong, I studied the books over quite some time. I generally studied them for three to four hours at a time. I read them out loud and was often moved to tears.
I read that every Falun Gong practitioner descended from his or her heavenly paradise down to this degenerated world to seek Falun Gong. They suffered during countless reincarnations and waited for millions of years before they finally found Falun Gong. Practitioners should treasure the limited time there is before the Fa-rectification enters this world.
It struck a chord when Teacher said,
“Having heard the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening.” (“Melt into the Fa” in Essentials for Further Advancement)
Unfortunately I occasionally slack off. I tend to study the Fa with a specific goal in mind. That's when I slack off. When I pick up the books again, I find myself facing a lot of interference.
On a positive note, I have also learned that when I am not receptive to certain contents in Falun Gong's teachings, it is my degenerated notions at work. I have found Teacher's articles published since the suppression of Falun Gong instrumental in purging my degenerated notions.
As for the Falun Gong exercises, I rarely skipped a day of practice. I was able to meditate in the full Lotus position after 18 months of perseverance although I still face excruciating leg pain after 30 minutes.
At least I made better progress in the cultivation of my mind. I have made a conscious efforts to be vigilant in terms of my thoughts and actions and constantly check myself against the teachings of Falun Gong. Once I identify an attachment, I work hard to suppress and eliminate it.
My biggest flaw was that I would argue to a point of death when I was in the right. I would insist and insist on my point of view if I thought my solution was better. It took me a very long time to finally accept that “mankind must fundamentally change its conventional thinking.” (“Lunyu” in Zhuan Falun)
Benefiting from Practicing Falun Gong
I have become a much happier, generous and forgiving person since I started practicing Falun Gong. I no longer find certain people or situations intolerable. I am always smiling and feel compassion. I try to become a better person at work and in my private life, just as Teacher expects of his practitioners.
I have become healthy and no longer suffer from coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and chronic enteritis. In fact, I often get compliments and am being told that I look younger than my age.
Sending Text Messages
In comparison to my fellow practitioners, I started practicing Falun Gong late, so I decided that I must be twice as diligent in order to catch up. Besides studying the Falun Gong books and practicing the exercises, I started sharing with people important facts about Falun Gong.
I started by sending text messages via my mobile phone. I would ride to different parts of the city to escape the clutches of China's GPS tracking surveillance. I have seen both positive and negative responses to my text messages, but have never given up despite negative responses, because the recipient at least responded.
Generally, I don't respond back because I want to reach as many people as possible. But, I once felt compelled to respond to a young man who kept on sending insults. I texted, “Young man, you may swear as much as you wish, but never forget those words I have told you if you should face danger one day.” The words I referred to were “Falun Gong is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” He stopped sending insults.
Talking to People Face-to-Face
By the end of 2009, China stepped up its telecommunications surveillance program to the point that I could hardly send any meaningful text messages about Falun Gong. Therefore, I decided to clarify the truth to people directly.
I started with my family and relatives. It did not go well at first. Many of my family members were victims of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) many political movements because of our family background. The many years of persecution and propaganda have taught them to fear the regime and to never question its policies. Alas, they identify with the CCP, being so brainwashed as to feel as if they had a certain degree of freedom.
Instead of arguing with my family, I sent forth righteous thoughts to cleanse their environment while taking opportune moments to tell them more about Falun Gong. They finally agreed that Falun Gong is good, but I think it will take some time for them to completely understand the practice.
I have also talked to contractors, deliverymen, electricians, cab drivers, as well as my students in the undergraduate and graduate programs. They are much more receptive than my family.
Choosing Humor Over Cynicism and Reason Over Emotion
I eventually realized that I should take advantage of my position in college and talk to my students about Falun Gong. So far, I have talked about it in about 10 different classes. It was safe. The students were very receptive, partly because as a college professor my words carry more weight and credibility.
I must do a good job as a teacher. It is much easier to talk to my students when they admire and trust me. I often talk about current events in China and inspire my students to reflect on the Chinese regime's rule and corruption. I choose humor over cynicism and reason over emotion.
One day I had about ten minutes left until a class was over. When asked what they would like to hear, my students said in unison anything but the course subject.
“Okay. I will talk about something that you will never hear from any other professor.”
It sparked an immediate interest. I began with China's infamous June 4 Student Massacre at Tienanmen Square in 1989 to remind my students of the nature of the Chinese regime. Then I talked about Falun Gong.
My point was two-fold. First, Falun Gong is a cultivation practice that requires its practitioners to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Thus, it will be good for a society's citizens to follow such principles. Second, the propaganda about Falun Gong, which is mostly based on the report of Falun Gong practitioners setting themselves on fire at Tienanmen Square, was a hoax. I then honed in on four major points when analyzing the footage of the self-immolation.
They may have been subjected to China's propaganda their whole lives, yet my students are young, open-minded and highly intelligent. I felt that most of the students understood the truth by the end of the class.
I have also talked to my students in the adult education program. The class is made up of people of different age groups and from different regions of China. They were also very receptive. One student even exclaimed in class, “The CCP is capable of any evildoing!”
A few young ladies stayed after one class and asked me further questions. They reminded me to protect myself and erased some sensitive words from the board. When asked how I obtained so much information about Falun Gong, I told them how to download software to bypass China's firewall and search for information on overseas websites.
I know that I still have a lot of work to do before I save all of my students from the regime's misleading propaganda about Falun Gong. I understand that ultimately it is their choice what they choose to believe, but I must do my best so they get the message.
Teacher has given me so much, yet I feel I have given him back so little. I would like to thank Teacher and those fellow practitioners who have worked tirelessly to keep Minghui.org running!
