(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2012 after years of searching. After graduating from university, I worked doing scientific research for a foreign company. Compared with others, I had a comfortable working environment and a good salary. I could also afford to buy a car and a house in a nice city in China. But there was a lot of stress. The chaotic society made me feel that there was no hope for the country. Material things could not satisfy my spiritual emptiness. I would like to share my cultivation experiences so more people might treasure this opportunity for cultivation practice.
I have always enjoyed reading, especially anything to do with traditional Chinese culture and history. The more I read, the more I understood the deceptions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and I rejected their evil theories and propaganda.
Nevertheless, the propaganda messages spread by the CCP had a negative impact on me and I kept my distance from Falun Dafa. I didn't have many opportunities in my daily life to learn the truth about Dafa. There were a few times I happened to see some websites. But as I had some misconceptions about the practice and was scared, the opportunities slipped by instantly.
After I had a chance to break through internet firewalls and read the news, many sugar-coated lies and propaganda made up by the CCP dissolved.
One day I happened to browse a page on Freegate (an anti-censorship software) and read about quitting the CCP and its youth organizations. I read that the CCP had done many bad things and that it would be punished by Heaven. I began to understand that people must make a choice to leave the CCP. I was hesitant for a moment, then it seemed that an energy was about to rush out of my body to break through to the human surface. The energy was so strong that even now I can still remember it vividly. I needed to be an upright person and justice must be done. So I quickly clicked a name and withdrew from the CCP organizations.
I used to be quite repulsed by Falun Dafa because of the propaganda of the Party. After quitting the Party, perhaps it was because the influences of the evil spirit were removed, I gradually and slowly got to understand the truth. All the impure thoughts about Dafa that I used to have was continually being eliminated.
I had some health issues which began while studying at the university. The doctors said I had neurasthenia. I often felt tired, sleepy and weak. I went to see Chinese and western doctors everywhere but they couldn’t cure me.
As I got to know a little more about Falun Dafa, especially its magical effects on health, I wanted to give it a try. As soon as this thought came up, all kinds of things popped up that made me anxious and worried.
I also had the thought of wanting to practice cultivation. However, it was not easy to find a cultivation method that was fit for me. Nothing could really explain to me what cultivation was about. It was very vague. But I knew that it must be something from the heart and one must be doing it genuinely.
Therefore, when I found Falun Dafa on the website, I saw many books on Fa teachings and the introduction to the practice, which convinced me that this was the only path that could lead me to true cultivation. I did consider, however, that I was in China, and wondered if I could cultivate in this environment and bear the potential risks.
I sent a message to a Taoist friend and asked what he thought of Falun Dafa. But for several days, he didn't reply. So I thought I must answer the question myself. I analyzed some of the materials put out by the CCP and sorted them through in my head. Then I read Zhuan Falun. I saw nothing in the book that was extreme or troublesome as described by the CCP. In fact, the kinds of things discussed in the book, such as virtue, karma and the meaning of life, are in line with what I know about Buddha School teachings.
The books Zhuan Falun and The Great Way of Spiritual Perfection introduce people to Falun Dafa as an advanced practice of Buddha school self-cultivation. I was excited to know that it can help people elevate to a high realm within a short period of time. Then I tried to see if I could practice cultivation in such an environment as China. I read some persecution cases and asked myself if I would be afraid if any of those things happened to me. Would I regret cultivation in Dafa? Could I bear such hardship? I also thought about what would happen if I didn't succeed in cultivation. At least, if I wasn't successful in cultivation, I would still be a morally noble person, which is something I had been pursuing.
I managed to read several Falun Dafa books, but I still couldn't decide if I would like to practice, so I didn't bother learning the meditative exercises. Then something happened. One day on my way to work, I hit someone riding a motorcycle. I was busy with the accident for a whole day. By the time I got home, I had to deal with several related issues. Usually, at this time of day, I would read Falun Dafa books, but I thought I would be tied up with the accident related things in the days to come. If I didn't start learning the exercises, I would totally forget and delay everything. I vaguely remember from Zhuan Falun that when a person wants to practice cultivation, he will encounter interference which will prevent him from going forward. I decided that I’d better start now and not delay it.
I began to learn the first exercise and found that my body felt very light. I couldn't believe it. Could it be that I had started having some reactions already? When I went to sleep at night, I felt the soles of my feet were warm and the blood circulation in my whole body was very fast.
The next day, I found that I was full of energy as I worked for a whole day but didn't feel tired at all. I learned all five exercises in a week. For the sitting exercise, I could only cross one leg. Although I sat and did nothing, I felt my blood circulating strongly. I was excited and totally absorbed by the phenomenon. I felt that I became more mature and patient when I dealt with things. One week after I learned the exercises, I received the Taoist friend's reply. It said, “Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa. Give it a try and you'll see.”
After I began to cultivate Falun Dafa, I changed a lot in the way I thought. I wanted to be a better person, and my state of mind was peaceful. I read Zhuan Falun several times, and I also read Explaining the Concept of Falun Dafa as well as Falun Dafa Fajie – the Law of Zhuan Falun Explained.
But I didn't quite know how to cultivate. In fact, I was a little scared. I hardly understood truth clarification. Reading the accounts of persecution on the Minghui website amazed me; had all those things really been happening in China? I hadn't seen any of the things mentioned in those accounts so I couldn't really do any of what they did. I also didn't know how to send forth righteous thoughts.
Every day, I did the exercises and that was it. The wonderful feelings about doing the exercises gradually became "normal." I felt that my temperament was better, but I encountered some conflicts. I found that I was still holding on to my notions and habits. I didn't feel that I had a good understanding of cultivation. It felt like I was doing it as a leisure activity. The only difference was that I did the exercises more diligently.
Perhaps Teacher saw that, although I had entered the door of Dafa, I didn't know how to cultivate yet. So I was inspired to go see practitioners outside of China because it was hard to find practitioners in China. After all, I had practiced the exercises for almost a year and perhaps there were some movements that needed to be corrected. Going overseas I could also see how people practiced cultivation.
I arrived at a Chinese community in a city overseas and found that practitioners were friendly and warm. Although we had never met before, I felt quite close to them. I was impressed by them because they behaved like those I read about on the Minghui website. Some were elderly practitioners who looked very energetic and healthy. Some looked at least 20 years younger than their age. Everyone was humble and kind.
I met a Dafa practitioner at a Dafa bookstore. She was once illegally detained for three years when she was in China. The first sentence I said to her was, “Hi, are you a Dafa disciple?” She replied, “Yes. I came to this life for Dafa.” It was a tough decision for me to practice cultivation; saying that coming to this lifetime for Dafa was something beyond me. Now that I think of it, I feel that it was a hint from Teacher that I was also coming here for Dafa in this lifetime.
During those days, I felt that I was always surrounded by a large energy field. I was being cleansed every day and my thoughts became purer. Practitioners corrected my exercise movements. I learned from them that I should study the Fa more and that the Fa will enable me to make good decisions.
Upon returning to China I felt that I was a Dafa practitioner. I repeatedly read Zhuan Falun and all the other scriptures. I began clarifying the truth and sending forth righteous thoughts. I also found some practitioners in China and participated in a Fa-rectification group environment.
Many magical things happened and helped me understand the importance of diligence. I am now one of the Falun Dafa disciples, walking my path upright in a dignified manner. I experienced hardships and tasted persecution, but have no regrets. I know I will persist.
Looking back, it seems many things happened accidentally, but they actually did not.