(Clearwisdom.net)

I'm a new Falun Gong student and have been cultivating for less than a year, yet I've experienced Falun Dafa's magnificence and Teacher's benevolent compassion. Here is a review of the path I've walked down in the most recent year.

I came to Japan as a student in my thirties and was intimidated by the high tuition in Japan. I had to take on odd jobs to make money. Each day I had to work over twelve hours. I suffered varicose veins as a result of the heavy workload.

A good friend of mine was a Falun Dafa practitioner. We often chatted after work. She told me about the beauty of Falun Dafa and its ability to cure illness. As much as she wished I could attain Falun Dafa, I was misled by lies fabricated by Jiang and his followers and stopped listening the moment I heard the words "Falun Gong." I even had harbored some hatred against it.

Two years later, I got married and came to live in B County. My Falun Gong friend contacted a fellow practitioner of hers there and asked her to give me help in case I needed any. I figured that it might be that her friend was going to try to persuade me to practice Falun Gong and was a little hesitant in getting to know her.

I was out of a job in B County for a while and decided to meet this friend. We made an appointment to meet at a railroad station. I told her bluntly upon seeing her that I did not believe in Falun Gong and there was no point asking me to practice Falun Gong. Other than this, I told her that we could be friends. Her answer surprised me, "The Fa (1) offers salvation to those with predestined relationships. If you don't want to learn, no practitioner will pressure you to do so. But I have to tell you, that you don't look healthy." I was getting nervous. I looked at her, and her face had a healthy, rosy glow. She looked at least ten years younger than her 50 or so years of age. My face was yellowish with splotches of even darker yellow. Later she asked me if I had set up any idols or tablets in my home. I was wondering how she could be aware of that. It occurred to me that a practitioner indeed was different from others, and I grew to enjoy talking with her. I asked some questions regarding ghosts and deities, and she gave reasonable answers to all of them. I usually don't bring people to my home, but that day, I took her to my home.

After she saw my shrine of idols, she told me she knew what was going on with me. She thoroughly explained how a person's essence could be extracted by possessing spirits. I knew I had been possessed but wasn't aware that I could be killed because of this. I asked her what I should do. She told me that much of my essence had been taken away by the possessing spirit, and it was very hard to get help other than by cultivating myself. I was very much inclined to save myself through cultivation. But due to my pride, I told her that I would think it over.

It was noon when my friend left. I felt quite strange about my physical condition. I used to have to take a nap after talking to anyone for two hours before I could get to the next task. That day, I talked with my friend the entire morning and didn't feel tired at all. I was anxious to find the answer in Falun Gong.

That evening I dialed the number of my new friend and asked to borrow a copy of Falun Gong (2) from her. A few days later, I got the book and finished reading it in one sitting. Everything was explained so well in the book and I felt like I had been awakened. While I was reading the book, Teacher was eliminating my karma and cleaning up the possessing spirits. I completely accepted Falun Dafa. I called my practitioner friend and told her I was going to practice Falun Gong, and asked her how I could get started. She asked me to first clean up the shrine of idols and then give her a call. I burned the idols and tablets and dialed her number again. I made a statement over the phone that I was going to practice Falun Dafa. Suddenly I felt something fly away from within my body. I was sweating and felt very warm all over my body. It was a very comfortable feeling. That was the beginning of my cultivation path.

During the celebration of this year's World Falun Dafa Day, I was fortunate to attend a concert in Yokohama. It was the first time I participated in a group activity and experienced the magnificence of Falun Dafa.

The next day when I got home, I realized that my hemorrhoids had disappeared. I couldn't believe it and checked again and again and verified this. This is another experience of the magnificence of Falun Dafa. Making a single step forward down my path of cultivation, I could feel the compassionate protection from Teacher. The beauty and magnificence of Falun Dafa couldn't be described by words. I wanted to clarify the truth about Falun Gong to my family and relatives.

I started calling twenty or so of my relatives back in China to tell them the wonders of Falun Dafa that I had experienced in person. My sister-in-law started to recite "Falun Dafa Is Good" every day. My mother, in her eighties, became healthy after reciting "Falun Dafa Is Good" every day. My younger brother spent 30 minutes standing outside the door reciting "Falun Dafa Is Good" before running every morning. Soon his diabetes went away, as the readings for his blood sugar were normal whenever he would check it. Later, I learned his best friend is a Falun Gong student. They talked about Falun Gong frequently. My nephew, on the other hand, suffered the most from the evil propaganda. After learning about my cultivation, he decided to stop talking to me.

In order to bring the truth to the entire family, I brought with me the entire set of Falun Gong books, along with exercise tapes and truth-clarifying materials and went back to my hometown. My relatives were surprised to see how energetic I had become after starting cultivation, and how considerate I was by following the teachings of Falun Dafa by always putting others ahead of myself.

I played the DVD's that refuted the fabricated lies and propaganda, and my relatives turned silent. I told them how Falun Gong had spread across the world, how it was being persecuted in China, the exhibitions overseas of inhumane torture by Jiang's regime, and the lawsuits that put Jiang on trial. I felt that even if they could not attain Falun Dafa right away, I should help them to learn the facts and develop upright thoughts.

After returning to Japan, I found one of my best friends from when I was in school and told her about Falun Gong. Another friend of mine heard that I was studying Falun Gong, and she found a copy of Zhuan Falun (3) to read. She told me this is the most precious book, and she felt she had been looking for it throughout the years. A few days later, her young cousin also started learning Falun Gong. These are people who didn't have any fixed notions in mind coming to attain the Fa one after another.

This is the path I have come down in the past year, and I really regret that I obtained the Fa so late and could not have validated Dafa in the most difficult time. At the same time I feel so fortunate that I have obtained the Fa and can be in the same world with the Fa and Teacher, and have been able to bring the truth to my family and friends. The blessings Falun Dafa has bestowed on me and my gratitude toward Teacher can hardly be expressed no matter what I say.

Let us strive forward diligently to return Teacher's kindness and blessings.

(1) Fa: Referring to the teachings of Falun Gong.

(2) Falun Gong: Introductory book spelling out the principles of the Falun Gong practice.

(3) Zhuan Falun: The comprehensive guide to the practice of Falun Gong.

August 1, 2004