Shared at 2005 Washington DC Falun Dafa Conference
(Clerawisdom.net) Greetings, Teacher! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
My report consists of four parts.
Part I: I obtained and started practicing Dafa
I obtained Dafa in July 2004.
As a child I was often sick and took many medications. Before I obtained Dafa, I lived off of medications. Before I came to the US, the only question I asked people was whether or not Chinese medicines can be bought in the US, because Western medicine gives me horrible reactions. A Chinese proverb says, "Long sickness makes one into a medical expert." Due to my own health problems, I learned about and studied Chinese medicine, and my friends came to me for advice when they became sick. Even some of my doctors discussed their prescriptions with me. My condition only worsened and I was forced to take about eight medications daily.
I tried qigong but nothing happened. As time went by, I developed more illnesses and was once temporarily paralyzed. I could not bend my back or legs, and as a result it was very difficult and painful for me to climb the stairs. It was hard for me to stand up from a sitting position, and I was also diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer.
My life was filled with tribulations. After the Cultural Revolution, I felt the world was filled with selfishness and hypocrisy, and I lost faith and interest in life. I didn't have much regard for my own life, but I knew it wasn't my time. I took medications not to treat illnesses but to relieve the unbearable pain.
My friends asked me to try Falun Gong. In 1996, when I was still living in China, my sister's boyfriend loaned me a copy of the book Zhuan Falun. After reading it, I felt the book taught people to be good, and I thought the world would be a better place if more people learned Falun Gong. Maybe my predestined relationship with Falun Gong hadn't matured, or maybe I was lost in delusion, but I didn't study any further. I had no interest in politics and I didn't watch TV, so I didn't know anything about the "April 25 Appeal" or the "Tiananmen self-immolation." When people told me Falun Gong can eliminate illnesses, I would smile and say, "Forget it, nothing in the world can cure my illnesses."
I worked as a real estate agent, and by chance I got to know a Falun Gong practitioner who lived close to my home. One evening, he called me and said that a teaching session would be held at a library on Saturday afternoon. I was usually occupied on the weekends, but my client suddenly cancelled our appointment for that Saturday, so I went to the library. I was the only one there, and they played the exercise instruction video for me and corrected my movements. Before I finished doing the fifth set of exercises, I felt hungry. I hadn't felt hunger for a very long time.
My whole body was under attack from numerous illnesses, but the root lies in my stomach. I think my stomach must have been in a terrible condition, because I could not eat raw food, cold food or greasy food. My stomach would bleed if I drank water at room temperature. I didn't have any appetite and never felt hungry. I am tall but I eat very little food. Everything tasted like cotton to me, however I suddenly felt hungry when I did the exercises! I was pleasantly surprised and thought, "Is this feeling real?" When learning the fourth exercise, which requires squatting, I said, "I probably can't do this", because I used to be immobile from whole-body rheumatism. I could not bend my legs, not to mention squat. A practitioner said to me, "Never mind that, just try it." I did and was surprised to see that I could squat! My interest grew.
I learned the exercises that day and a practitioner loaned me the instruction video and a copy of Zhuan Falun. In the evening, I started reading the book. Every word in the book struck a chord with me, and the book answered all the questions I had about life. My faith was restored. I learned why humans are made humans, and the purpose of human life, -- cultivation! I decided to practice cultivation and return to my true, original self. I would follow Teacher! I finished reading the book in two evenings and I knew I found the answer to my life and future, and I also knew that nothing is coincidental and everything has deeper reasons. Before, I used to complain that a good person like me was always treated unjustly, but now I understood tribulations are caused by karma created by myself, and I must pay back my debt. My heart felt light and filled with tolerance, happiness and serenity. In those days, I became so healthy that I walked quickly up and down the stairway.
On the second day after I obtained Dafa, I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to take medications the day before, and I asked myself, "What happened? How is it possible that you didn't feel the need to take the pills?" I took some medications but immediately felt nauseous. Before, I would feel terrible if I didn't take any medication, but now I feel uncomfortable when I take them. What a difference! I've not taken a single pill since.
Part II. Eliminate interference, correct understandings, strengthen righteous thoughts and practice Dafa with determination
I wanted to let the whole world know that I had encountered this wonderful and miraculous practice, especially my family and friends. So I phoned them. To my surprise, no one understood me, and even my friends who used to tell me to practice Falun Gong didn't support my decision. They said, "Falun Gong is saying one thing and doing something else. They are meddling in politics although they claim otherwise." I had just begun to study Dafa and I didn't have a good grasp on many issues, so I couldn't convince them. I phoned fellow practitioners and asked questions for help, but, even afterwards, my friends still refused to listen to me. We often got into such heated debates that it damaged our friendship. One friend who I had known for over a year would fall gravely ill after saying some very bad things about Dafa, so I had to give up discussing Dafa with her. Many friends and colleagues called me and asked me to be careful, because I had just started practicing Falun Gong and in their mind I didn't know Falun Gong well enough. People who grow up in a Communist country are often suspicious and see conspiracy where it doesn't exist. Their warnings about being used, or that Falun Gong is supported by the US or Taiwan governments didn't convince me. Teacher performed miracles in the early stage of my cultivation, which helped me strengthen my belief in Dafa.
1. All of my illnesses disappeared within the first week.
2. On a Sunday, I took a client to see a house and I forgot to turn off the stove and left the porridge simmering. I left home at 11 a.m. and returned at 7 p.m., and I remembered the porridge when I opened the door, and I broke out in a cold sweat. When I entered the kitchen, however, the stove was off, and the porridge looked like jelly with yellow crust on the bottom. I knew Teacher protected me from a horrible accident. Thank you, Teacher!
3. The week after I obtained Dafa, one morning I fell downstairs and I ended up with my left leg under my body. I didn't think much and called for Teacher. I stood up and walked around. Then I took a client to see a house. Several days later, I saw dry and stiff blood in the big toe of my left foot, and I knew that my creditor was trying to stop me from practicing Dafa. Teacher saved me again!
4. I tried to go to the practice site every Tuesday to study the Fa, and it was around 11:30 p.m. when we finished studying. One day after Fa-study, I walked out and looked up at the moon, and I saw the moon had changed into a lotus flower with two white columns on top that grew into the heavens. I was immersed in a powerful force and my heart was moved. I did the Heshi [palm of both hands pressed against each other] to greet Teacher. I knew Teacher was encouraging me by revealing this divine phenomenon.
5. The physical changes that took place in me are great. Most of my illnesses were internal, and people could not see them when they were removed from my body. They could only see the change in my countenance. Many people thought I was Mexican or Indian, because my face was black and blue. The color of my face was called "dead color" in Chinese medicinal terms. I have changed daily since I studied Dafa, and my body has been cleansed constantly. Seeing the great changes in my face, many people became interested in Dafa and said, "Falun Gong is something! Even such a sick person is cured!" I knew that Teacher did everything for me, and only by practicing Dafa with determination will I be worthy of Teacher's benevolence.
Part III. Improve xinxing
Before I obtained Dafa, I didn't care much about winning or losing material things, because I knew they could not be brought at birth or taken along at death. Nevertheless, I would stay away from people who took advantage of me, which means I still cared about self-interest in an emotional way and could not tolerate deception. Teacher said,
"To endure with anger, grievance, or tears is the forbearance of an everyday person who is attached to his concerns. To endure completely without anger or grievance is the forbearance of a cultivator" ("What is Forbearance?" in Essentials for Further Advancement).
Dafa explained incarnation, retribution and elimination of karma. I used to hate my step-father and my ex-husband, and I thought they made me ill and that they ruined my life, but now my heart is calm and filled with kind thoughts.
I come in contact with people on a daily basis and most of them are not Falun Gong practitioners. Once, my company asked me to write an advertisement article, which I did. However, another agent in charge of advertising stole the content of my article. When my article was published, my phone number was left out, and another agent's picture was placed in my article. I was a little upset and wanted to reason with them. Later, Teacher reminded me through a colleague, and I decided to let go. The editor of the newspaper that published my article felt bad for me and added my phone number to the article.
Teacher told us to always regard ourselves as practitioners and that there are no accidents. I tried to judge things with Dafa and conduct myself according to "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance."
One day, almost everything came to a head. In the morning, a client tore up the contract and refused to pay a large portion of the agreed commission. He also said insulting things to me. I was surprised and upset. When I calmed down, I thought of Dafa and "Truth Compassion, Tolerance" and I said, "OK, it doesn't matter if you want to pay less, but I didn't do those things you are accusing me of." When I returned to the office and talked to my supervisor about it, the client insisted on charging me a lot more fee according to a void contract, which would leave me with next to nothing in the deal. I felt my head was about to explode, but remembering that I am a Dafa practitioner, I calmly reasoned with him. Strangely, he said many ridiculous things that seemed quite out of character. In the end I said, "OK, just do as you see fit" before I hung up the phone.
Later in the same day, a client who had signed a contract asked for a cancellation. I remembered what Teacher said about a person with great inborn quality, and I realized it was time to improve my Xinxing. I didn't get angry, upset or make a scene.
Several days later, I received a phone call from a friend and colleague while I was attending the Chicago Fa conference. She said, "I heard your conversation with your supervisor and I think you have changed so much. What made you change?" I told her about Dafa, and since she was a person with predestined relationship with Dafa, we discussed a date to meet. I was going to show her Zhuan Falun and she expressed interest. She told me she would discuss my commission with my supervisor. I thanked her but I wasn't attached to it. I knew everything is arranged and things that belong to me would come to me in the end, and likewise I should not take things that belong to others. Although the client behaved in an unreasonable manner in this life, maybe I owed him in a previous life, so I should let things run their course. Recently, the client paid my commission in full.
Above are only a few examples of my xinxing improvement. In life, we should always do as Teacher tells us: always look inward, gain without pursuing, do things without attachment. We live in delusion and are fortunate that we obtained Dafa. We should regard Fa as the top priority and take lightly everything else.
Part IV. The path of my Fa-rectification cultivation
I experienced the wonders of Dafa, and I phoned my family, relatives and friends but was met with cold rejection. One friend even said to me, "You can't make all of us practice Falun Gong just because you do. It's not fair!" I realized through Fa study that I was getting too excited and it's an attachment. From then on when I talked to people about Falun Gong, I only tried to help them realize that Falun Gong is good and the CCP persecution of Falun Gong is wrong. I believe Teacher would make arrangements to help predestined people obtain the Fa.
Although I have been practicing for only one year, all practitioners, veteran and new, have the responsibility to spread Dafa. I couldn't always attend Fa conferences because I usually work on the weekends. Recently, however, I had free time on the weekends so I can go to the Fa conferences. I keenly feel my shortcomings when I hear other practitioners' experiences. Teacher said each practitioner has a different path, and it's not necessary for us to do what other practitioners are doing. My job requires me to be able to get around easily from place to place. I use the opportunity to distribute flyers and I try to help everyone that come in contact with me know about Falun Gong and the ongoing persecution, and I ask for their help in ending the persecution.
I spent the better half of a day a week to distribute the Epoch Times newspaper at fixed locations and times. I found out that stores, supermarkets, libraries and train stations are all great places for placing the newspaper. People would learn to love this paper. Once while I waited for a client who was running late, I used the time to put Falun Gong flyers on the cars parked nearby. I realized that Teacher would give us opportunities when we think about Dafa all the time.
I have only been practicing for a year and I fall short in many aspects when compared to fellow practitioners. Today I only want to share my experience and hope it can help others. Teacher pointed out a path for us, a path toward godhood, which has never happened before. We must cherish Dafa! I hope we can help each other on the path of cultivation and together make diligent progress. I welcome honest comments from fellow practitioners! Thank you, Teacher. Thank you, fellow practitioners.
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