(Minghui.org) I have practiced Falun Dafa since 1998. My work as a high school teacher gave me opportunities to clarify the facts to those around me.
Over the years, my fellow teachers all quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and more than 300 of my senior students quit the Young Pioneers.
One year during moral lesson classes, instead of following the set curriculum that slandered Dafa, I clarified the facts to my students. Convinced, they quit the Young Pioneers and tore out the pages in their textbooks that slandered Dafa.
I also clarified the facts to the Bureau of Education officials in my region and asked them to stop requiring test questions that slandered Falun Dafa. As a result of my efforts, these questions disappeared from the exams and some officials even quit the CCP. The school principal also commented that, whenever he raised my name during discussions with other principals and education officials, they were hard pressed to find any failings in my conduct or work.
Despite my apparent diligence in cultivation, I began experiencing health issues around 2013. I began to experience symptoms of exhaustion and weakness, nearly fainting on two occasions. I was shocked by this development, as I had consistently been doing the three things. Around that time, a fellow teacher was experiencing symptoms similar to mine. He consulted a hospital and was diagnosed with diabetes.
I did not consult any medical specialist and instead began to search within. Perhaps the problem stemmed from my love of sugary foods like sugarcane, fruit, and sweets? I attempted to correct this attachment by avoiding these foods but saw no improvement in my symptoms.
My condition continued to deteriorate after I retired in 2014. I was constantly exhausted, sore, and clumsy. My memory began to deteriorate and I lost my appetite.
My father passed away in 2015. Fearing that my grief would overwhelm my fragile state of health, my family begged me to go to the hospital. Although I resisted, I felt their sense of urgency and pain. I felt an overwhelming sense of regret at having let Dafa and Master down. I realized then that I had a major problem in my cultivation and resolved to seriously search inward to discover the issue.
While searching within, I realized that, although I had been reading the Fa, I had not truly absorbed the teachings. Distracting thoughts of past and current events, along with severe drowsiness, had been hampering my efforts.
Hence, the first problem I tried to tackle was my inattention when studying the Fa. Besides attending group Fa study sessions, I tried to study the Fa at home as often as possible. I employed various coping methods whenever I felt drowsy, including standing, walking, and kneeling, as well as washing my face at intervals while studying the Fa. Sometimes I would read aloud to myself. I also started to copy by hand and memorize the text of Zhuan Falun. Although memorizing the Fa was the most difficult, I gained the most from my efforts in this regard.
After gaining a deeper understanding of the Fa, I started searching inward again and found a number of attachments, including an obsession with fame and fortune, selfishness, lust, jealousy, competitiveness, and longing for a life of ease. Only then did I realize the deficiencies in my previous cultivation state. I had lingered at the same level for too long without improvement.
In school, my colleagues would often joke among themselves, including jokes involving erotic words and the humorous touching of others' hands and feet. Although nobody took such teasing seriously, my interest in such jokes indicated that the attachment to lust was still present.
I used to compile and print exam review papers for my students. While other teachers charged their students for these materials, I never did. However, some of my students had insisted on presenting me with gifts of cash, which I had accepted.
With regard to conflicts within my family, my wife remained a staunch detractor of Dafa, often objecting to and hindering my cultivation efforts. Although I endured her interference, I invested little effort in trying to change her mindset. I had forced myself to give up many attachments, but my attempts were superficial, as I had not truly given up the attachments in my heart.
Three years ago, an acquaintance sought my help. I introduced him to a friend, who managed to resolve his problem. To express his gratitude, he presented me with 15,000 yuan. Earlier, I had participated in a fake fund-raising exercise and was swindled out of the exact same amount. I thought his gift was Master’s way of compensating me for the 15,000 yuan I had lost, so I was more than happy to accept it.
In hindsight, it became obvious that this sum of money had not been earned through my honest efforts. I returned the money to him and told him about Dafa. He was touched and exclaimed, “Falun Gong practitioners are really good people. Your master is simply amazing!” He and his wife immediately quit the CCP.
As a result of my efforts to diligently study the Fa and resolve my attachments, I perceived a significant elevation in cultivation level. My understanding of the Fa grew by leaps and bounds. My previous attachments and problems seem so small and insignificant, and I have little interest in fame, wealth, and material gains so prized by ordinary people. As a result, I feel lighter and more refreshed!
Besides remedying my shortcomings in studying the Fa, I began to be more strict about doing the exercises. I would start at 3:30 every morning and do the full five exercises regardless of the circumstances or my schedule. Previously, my legs were so inflexible I was unable to sit in the full lotus position. This time, I resolved to do it correctly. Despite the pain, sweat, and tears, including a swollen ankle, difficulty walking, and even blood in my urine, I persisted and was rewarded with the ability to sit in the full lotus position for an hour after a month of practice.
After nearly two years of diligent cultivation, my health began to improve and I achieved a full recovery in 2017. Now I brim with energy and vitality, and many people have commented that I look much younger than my actual age.
During the course of cultivation, problems will arise. If cultivators can resolve these issues according to the principles of Dafa, they will experience, in return, a major elevation in their level.