(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in Canada when I was 23 years old while I worked on my graduate degree.
I was 16 when my family moved to Canada. We were visited by missionaries, and we went to their church to learn English.
Although I had an atheistic education in China, I always believed that God existed. I couldn’t imagine that the world’s wide variety of plants and animals and the wondrous human body could have evolved by genetic mutation and natural selection alone. Not to mention a single cell’s gradual evolution into such rich varieties of species in the world today. I think billions, or hundreds of billions, or even trillions of years is not enough time for that to happen.
I didn’t know who God was. What the preacher said about the Bible didn’t answer my questions. But I learned to pray, mostly asking God to bless me to do well on exams, for things to go smoothly, and so on. Sometimes I would say to God, “I don’t know who you are, but I believe in your existence, and yet I can’t remove the doubts in my heart. If you are the Almighty, you must be able to know my thoughts, so could you please answer my questions so that I can trust you wholeheartedly?” I didn’t get an answer.
Later, my uncle’s family started to practice Falun Dafa and he was very excited about it. They sent us the information via email. At first, my mother and I didn’t pay much attention. They visited us to introduce the practice to us and we started to read Zhuan Falun.
My mother had serious stomach problems. She had gastrointestinal bleeding twice, so she was afraid to eat anything at night. After practicing Falun Dafa, she was amazed to find that her stomach no longer hurt, and she did not have to avoid eating certain foods.
At that time, Falun Dafa was passed from person to person. Over the past 20 years, Falun Dafa has benefited countless families and changed many peoples’ lives.
I was very busy with my studies and I didn’t understand very much from reading Zhuan Falun, but I had a vague feeling that this path of cultivation would be hard. It meant giving up all sorts of addictions in a society with extremely inflated materialistic desires, abiding by high moral standards in an era of rapidly declining morality, and not doing whatever I wanted to do. To find the true meaning of life, I would have to learn to distinguish between right and wrong in a chaotic world and to distinguish between good and evil.
Even though I was busy with my studies, I read a little bit in the Dafa books every day. I tried to follow Dafa’s requirements and tried to do the exercises as much as possible.
After a year, I suddenly realized that the heartfelt prayer I’d uttered years ago had been answered by Falun Dafa. At that moment I could not hold back my tears: “I have a Master!” I have no words to describe that feeling of excitement and gratitude.
My path to attaining the Fa was not a smooth one. The first thing I faced was the stormy opposition from my father. My father couldn’t tell me what was bad about Dafa, but he opposed my mother and me practicing for no reason. There was an exercise site in the park near our building, but my father did not let us go out to practice.
In the face of my father’s unreasonable opposition, I saw in my mother the great compassion and patience of a Dafa practitioner. She never argued with my father, no matter how hurtful his words or actions were. She always responded with kindness and did her best to take care of him and the family. Gradually, my father became less opposed, and when we went out for Dafa activities, he would even cook for us.
Remaining Unmoved
In July 1999, the persecution began. Even though I did not live in China, I sensed the pressure of the persecution. It felt awful seeing how Western media re-broadcast the CCP’s slander about Master and Dafa.
Master never asked for a penny. Master taught us how to be good people in society and in our families. I did not start practicing Falun Dafa because I was ill, but I knew many people who’d regained their health through Falun Dafa. Dafa is so beautiful and Master is so compassionate. No words can describe the benefits I received from Dafa.
I felt that I was duty-bound not only to cultivate diligently but also to do my best to save all sentient beings according to what Master taught us. Surrounded by the evil Party’s lies and propaganda, those who really suffered were the ones carrying out the persecution.
Never Competitive
When I was in graduate school, there was an internationally renowned Ph.D. advisor who’d earned his degree at a prestigious university. I applied to be his student. He just gave me a bunch of his own research papers and asked me to read them and tell him what I thought of them. I didn’t think that I had said anything profound, but the advisor just seemed to naturally recruit me. This advisor was very kind and took good care of me.
Master said, “One should gain things naturally without pursuing them.” (“Learning the Fa,” Essentials For Further Advancement)
Before I graduated, the technical director of a company saw my resume and interviewed me. That was my first job after graduation. Although the company was located in a French-speaking city five hours away from home, I got along well with my colleagues and the work went well. Unfortunately, the company was hit by a financial crisis and all the employees were laid off.
The financial crisis was global, so it was hard to find a job anywhere. The ones I applied for either didn’t reply or my interview was lost in a sea of interviewees. I was a little anxious. But as a Falun Dafa practitioner, I knew it was important to give up all kinds of attachments, put my mind at ease, and let nature take its course.
When I really did this, something wonderful happened. An agent approached me and arranged a job interview for me. After two rounds of interviews, they decided to hire me, even though my experience didn’t match their requirements. Because my background was so mismatched, a temporary position was created for me, and after working there I quickly became a full-time employee.
Many people my age live under constant high stress. They are always pursuing a higher position or more money and they are exhausted as a result. Master said, “You do not know what a tiring life he leads: He cannot eat or sleep well; he fears losing self-interest even in dreams” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
I often think that, if more people could learn Dafa and see how meaningless struggle is, they would regain their physical and mental health, and their lives would be less contentious and more peaceful, which would be so beneficial to individuals, families, and society.
In Zhuan Falun, Master mentioned such an example:
“Since studying Falun Dafa, these workers have been coming to work early and going home late. They work very diligently and will do any assignment the boss gives. They also no longer compete for personal gain.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
I just do my job and work well with my colleagues. I do not keep things to myself in regard to technology and try to help as much as I can. In my group—and in all the groups I interact with—there is no rivalry. We all help each other to get the project done.
I sometimes make mistakes at work. When I do, I act in accordance with Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and never hide my mistakes or shirk my responsibility. I also think of ways to make up for the damage. I learn from my mistakes and don’t repeat them. I once made an error in a program. As soon as I realized it, I notified the customer and came up with a solution. The customer was not angry.
Treating Everyone with Compassion
A new member joined our group. This person was very difficult to communicate with and wouldn’t take advice. I had received a lot of negative feedback about him, and even the boss who hired him into the company was dissatisfied with him. As his direct supervisor, I really wanted to help him after hearing this negative feedback.
In our group, we all take turns making project presentations. When it was his turn, his presentation lacked clarity. People in the group asked questions, but he responded in a way that provided no further help. I weighed my words and did not ask him any pointed questions to avoid adding tension to the meeting. Not only that, I politely helped him answer a few questions. After the meeting, I arranged a one-on-one meeting with him to see how I could help him improve.
What I didn’t expect was that he would attack me, his direct supervisor who was in charge of his evaluation, with very strong words. I was completely unprepared. I was angry and my head felt like it was burning, but I restrained myself from saying anything more and instead ended the conversation so that I could calm down.
I remembered that Master taught us how a person should behave and be a better person. Master also taught us to take a step back in the face of conflict and compromise. So, as a practitioner, I should try to understand others, be tolerant and kind to everyone, and put others before myself. That person might not be technically competent, but he definitely had his good points. Maybe I didn’t know those good points yet, but I couldn’t pass judgment because of his attitude toward me.
I didn’t document this irrational behavior, nor did I talk to anyone about it. The evaluation my supervisor gave him for his first-year rating was originally very harsh. Considering that it was his first-year rating and that these ratings would remain in his file and would have an impact on his future, I tried to smooth out the sharp edges to avoid leaving a bad impression on his record.
When I worked with him again, I helped him and supported him as usual. In the process of helping him when he encountered a problem in his work, I realized that it was not enough to just give him a solution to a technical problem, that it was better to teach someone how to fish rather than to just give him a fish. I then told him step by step how I considered solving the problem from a perspective he could understand so that he could solve similar problems on his own in the future. This time, he was very grateful to me, and from then on his attitude softened.
Conclusion
I have walked on the path of cultivation for more than 20 years. Falun Dafa has allowed me to continuously expand the capacity of my heart and to influence the people around me and my surroundings with the power of goodness. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance have guided me on the path of life, and I have been calm and open no matter what storms and difficulties I encounter.
No words can express my gratitude to Master. Thank you, Master! I hope more people can understand the beauty of Dafa! Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!
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