(Minghui.org) Life presents us with many kinds of happy moments: recovery from illness, reconciliation after a feud, and renewed hope. All these were experienced by people who attended a recent Nine-Day Falun Dafa seminar.
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a meditation system based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It has spread to over 100 countries since Master Li Hongzhi first introduced it to the public. To get started, one can read books at FalunDafa.org, join local group exercises, or attend nine-day seminars where the video lectures of Mr. Li are replayed.
Below are testimonials from people who attended such a seminar in Seoul, South Korea.
Attendees of the Nine-Day Falun Dafa seminar in Seoul learn the exercises.
An Opportunity Delayed by 21 Years
Kim Kyong-il, a 60-year-old writer, was a television station producer for 30 years. He first heard about Falun Dafa 22 years ago.
In 1999, a singer that Kim respected gave him a DVD with information about Falun Dafa. Knowing that Kim liked qigong, this singer said that Falun Dafa helped people return to their true selves and that it had taken a great deal of effort to get hold of the DVD. But because the DVD was only in Chinese and had no Korean captions, Kim watched only a little of it before putting it aside since he could not understand it. After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to persecute Falun Dafa later that year, he wondered if he should interview concerned parties and report on the topic, but he later gave up on it.
Time passed quickly. Likely due to stress, Kim developed diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and an irregular heartbeat. He had no choice but to quit his job. Due to insufficient blood supply to the brain, he fainted twice and had to have a pacemaker installed. He took 17 or 18 pills every morning to deal with depression and panic disorder. His insomnia was so bad that even prescription drugs did not help. The constant frustration made him almost want to end his life.
Once as he was passing Gwanghwamun, a renowned tourist destination in Seoul, Kim ran into some Falun Dafa practitioners and heard about the nine-day seminar. “I remember the day I purchased Zhuan Falun (the main teachings of Falun Dafa), I finished reading it that same night,” he recalled. “I realized this was the book I needed to guide my life. I knew that I needed to improve both my mind and my body.”
After that, Kim spent four or five hours a day learning the Falun Dafa exercises and reading Dafa books. He also stopped taking medicine without giving it much thought. “When I realized this in the beginning, I was a little nervous,” he said. “But everything was just fine. And I decided to count on Falun Dafa, because medicine could not cure my illnesses anyway.”
Four months have passed. He had a physical exam last week, and a nurse told him he no longer needed to take anything for high blood pressure or diabetes. And the pacemaker could also be removed since it was about to run out of battery. Kim said he would be fine without the pacemaker and medicine. “From reading Falun Dafa books, I now understand what illness is all about and I am very grateful,” he added.
Having experienced countless ups and downs in his life, Kim now has a better understanding of life. Once when he couldn’t fold his legs into the full lotus position to meditate, he thought, “We all die anyway. Even if I die doing this movement, it is still well worth it.” Miraculously, he was able to sit in the full lotus position instantly. Watching Master’s video lectures, he was often moved to tears. “I used to think that someone like me had accumulated too much karma and was so ill that there was no hope for me,” he explained. “Now I am so glad because Master gave me a second life.”
During this time, Kim lost 12 kilos (26 pounds) and his weight became normal. “Having my physical health, mindset, and daily life holistically improved, I am so touched by the power of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” he added.
Lifelong Feud Resolved
Pyon Moon-hee, 80, lives in Mapo-gu in Seoul. Always striving to be honest, she said she’s never lied or missed any appointment in her life other than once being late by 20 minutes. Because of money, however, she had a conflict with family members and they became estranged. This resulted in longtime and painful loneliness.
Her fate changed one day this March when she sent a text to Park Jeong-hye, a Falun Dafa practitioner, that read, “For organ donation upon my death...” It was a message meant for an organ donation center, but she sent it to the wrong recipient by mistake.
Park works at a health food company and had known Pyon as a customer for 13 years. Knowing that Pyon usually did not send text messages, Park was worried and wondered if anything had happened to her, so she went to see her.
As they chatted, Pyon talked about how lonely and helpless she felt and how hard it was to go to sleep every night, not knowing if she’d wake up again. Park recommended Falun Dafa to her, showed her the five exercises, and lent her a copy of Zhuan Falun.
Pyon had very limited education and reading a book was nearly impossible for her. “But this book was special,” she recalled. “When I opened it up, I felt very comfortable—something that had never happened to me before.” Not only that, she was touched by what it said about how to become a good person following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. After reading the book, her negative feelings about her family were all dissolved. For the first time in many years, she wanted to call her younger brother.
Because the book was so enlightening, Pyon ended up spending lots of time reading it. She can now read the entire book twice a week and always gains new understandings.
Several days after attending the Nine-Day Seminar, her legs stopped feeling cold at night. This problem had bothered her for many years, whatever the temperature or how many blankets she used. With the sensation of cold gone, she enjoyed the sitting meditation even more.
Because of her painful experience with loneliness and resentment, Pyon once developed aphasia and could hardly speak. “It’s amazing that I am able to speak so fluently today and can read—Falun Dafa is truly wonderful!” she added.
“More People Need to Hear about This”
Kim Han-shi, 80, heard about the seminar from the chairman of the board at the school he retired from. After having surgery for a movement disorder two years ago, he suffered from side effects and had difficulty moving around. The practice of Falun Dafa helped him regain his health and agility.
Lee Chang-moon, 83, and his wife recently began to learn the Falun Dafa exercises from their son, who has practiced for 20 years. Every morning, they go to a nearby park at 5:30 and do the exercises together. “I had difficulty sleeping in the past and now I am able to sleep well every night,” he said. “This practice is so good that you just do not want to put it down.”
Jo Jung-sook, 65, is a healthcare worker in a hospital. She and her husband both attended the Nine-Day Seminar. Jo said her job is very challenging. After helping patients change their clothes and bedsheets, she was often sweating profusely and exhausted. Jo learned the practice from one of her coworkers, who is a Falun Dafa practitioner. “When I feel uncomfortable or like I might be getting sick, I examine myself to see where I can do better,” she said. “When I can let go of bad thoughts and behave like a good person, the discomfort soon goes away.” As a result, her temper improved, her legs were no longer stiff, and she has more energy every day.
Jeong Hyung-chung, 50, was always interested in qigong and read lots of books about it. He heard about Falun Dafa from a flyer a practitioner handed him and learned the exercises from instructions posted on the internet. After attending the Nine-Day Seminar, he found the practice was more profound than he had thought. “I will read the book more,” he said. “It is so good that more people need to hear about this.”
The Tianti Bookstore in Seoul holds these Nine-Day Seminars once a month. It is free of charge and participants can attend either the morning or the evening session. For more information about Tianti bookstores globally, please visit: https://www.tiantibooks.org/
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