(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, great Master, Greetings, practitioners.
Walking through the door
I am a new practitioner of Falun Dafa. I discovered this great cultivation way 20 months ago. Dafa was introduced to me by my wife's cousin. I was born and raised in New York but had to travel all the way to the Czech Republic to find this great way. Before finding Falun Dafa, I had tried many things but with no real progress or results. I had experimented with Christianity, Buddhism, various New Age ways, and even Shamanism as a teenager, but I never really experienced or gained anything substantial form these paths. The two years previous to finding Dafa, I had been reading many Buddhist books, doing some meditating, giving thanks, and trying to some extent to improve my character. At that time I thought I was doing pretty well, and I had a moderately high opinion of my progress. How blind I was! I had no idea a system as profound and powerful, a system so far reaching and wondrous yet so simple, a system that completely revolutionizes peoples characters and souls, was soon to come into my life.
First experiences with personal cultivation
After being introduced to Dafa by my wife's cousin, I immediately began practicing the exercises daily. Right from the beginning I could feel a powerful energy field around me and could feel our great Master's presence, encouraging me forward. In addition, just like it says in Zhuan Falun, my body was cleansed. Everyday I awoke in a pool of sweat, as my body was pushing out all of that bad stuff that had been accumulating for so long. The changes in my life were immediate, and multiple. Knee problems which I had had for years and years, which had stopped me from running and other sporting activities, quickly healed. In fact, six months after finding Dafa I competed in a triathlon--after not being able to run for four years! Skin eczema, which I'd had for years, cleared up. One month after starting Dafa, I was finally able to stop smoking after 13 years of the habit. The amount of energy I had also dramatically increased, and my mind and body were full of strength.
Then there were the many mental and spiritual transformations. One big change I saw early on was my patience with my daughter. Before Dafa I was average in this regard, not so bad, not so good. Like many people I felt stressed or annoyed when my baby daughter cried all the time. After only three months of practicing, I felt no stress when she cried, only compassion. To me that was a big step forward, both as a father and as a human being. My ability to organize at home and at work drastically improved soon after learning Dafa. Before Dafa, every day was in some way stressful, because I didn't organize my time well. After I started to practice, I began to prepare for my whole week's work on Monday morning. Consequently my work week went smoother and my mind became calmer. In my business (I co-own a language school) I began to enlighten to important spiritual principles quickly, and was able to put them to use to improve my company. My self discipline and work capacity also went up sharply. A few months after beginning Dafa, I started using most of my free time to improve myself, practice, or help others. In the past I needed more recreation, going to see films, relaxing. After learning Falun Dafa I was soon able to sit down at a table and learn a language for a few hours at a time on the weekend, instead of watching a movie. I also became a better person and began looking for opportunities to help those around me, for example my wife's grandmother, who lives alone and needs the help.
For the next year I worked through attachment after attachment, casting off layer after layer of all that filthiness. From smoking to watching pornographic films to lying to wanting others to like or approve of me. Attachments to laziness to money, to human entertainment to procrastinating. I am so grateful to our Master for bringing us a system which really takes people to high levels. It's just amazing that a system so incredible really exists.
Beginning to clarify the truth
After practicing Dafa for six months, I began to have the desire to participate in truth clarification activities. I began with reaching out in small ways, such as putting flyers in people's mailboxes and telling my students, family, and colleagues about the persecution and about Falun Dafa. After a few months my young daughter began to help me. My daughter had shown her very strong connection to Dafa from a very young age. When she first saw Master's photo when she was 11 months old, her eyes opened wide and were filled with excitement. She started pointing at the picture and excitedly exclaiming, "Father! Father! It's Father!" Also when she opened Zhuan Falun, she kept pointing at the words and turning the pages, crying, "Father! Father!" After that she was always picking up copies of Zhuan Falun and handing them to me and my wife, encouraging us to read it. When watching Master's lectures on television, she would hug the television and kiss Master's image. When she was playing she wanted to play in front of Master's photo on the wall, so that he could see her. When my daughter was 18 months old she began telling me which villages needed flyers the most by telling me, "Master isn't here. Give out the flyers." She was really incredible.
After one year of practicing, I became an NTDTV proofreader and narrator. It was really difficult in the beginning. I had a lot of mental blocks about technology and computers, but eventually I learned what I needed to know to get started. Since then I have been doing the narrations and helping the other practitioners by fixing their English in the reports. Also, after one year I began to write Dafa music. I had stopped playing music a few months after starting Dafa, because I didn't need it anymore. In the past music helped me feel more complete, or rather, people's compliments and the attention made me feel more complete or important. After Dafa I no longer needed that. However, after a year I began again to write music, but this time for Dafa and about the persecution, and that feeling is much different and much better.
After going to the New York Fa Conference in April 2007, I became much more inspired to step forward in truth clarification. This was due to two things: seeing Master at the Fa Conference, and meeting another practitioner, who was involved with Sound Of Hope radio. Seeing Master at the conference was an unbelievably wonderful experience, and one I will never forget. To be in such close proximity to our great Master, to feel the great compassion and kindness that surrounds him, was really inspirational. After Master left the conference hall, my mind was completely empty, completely devoid of human thoughts, really clean. It was really powerful. At the conference, I was helped by the practitioner from Sound of Hope radio. I believe our meeting was pre-arranged to help me catch up with the other practitioners. The practitioner taught me many things connected to media and encouraged me by giving me ideas for new projects and involving me in other things. A few months after meeting her, I began to do a weekly radio English class on Sound of Hope radio. Regarding music, we now have a music group called Meng Hao, and we have recently started playing at festivals and other events. In addition I am still doing the narrations and proofreading with NTDTV, but I know that I need to improve with the quality and professionalism of all these things.
Conclusion
In conclusion, my life before practicing Dafa, was nothing compared to what it is now. The quality of cultivation, the continual advancement and self improvement is light years beyond what I was doing before. When I look back on myself in the past I see a lost soul in comparison to the knowledge of purpose and the clarity of cultivation that I feel now. To wake up every morning and know that I am a disciple of the great way of Falun Dafa is an incomparable blessing. Although I am trying hard to raise myself up, I know I have a very long way to go, but I now know that the destination is attainable because I am cultivating with this righteous Fa, which genuinely guides people to high levels. In conclusion, here is a quote from our great Master, which I often remember when I am having trouble letting go of my attachment to something. It's from Essentials for Further Advancement. The article is "True Cultivation:"
"You fell here from a holy, pure, and incomparably splendid world because you had developed attachments at that level. After falling into a world that is, by comparison, most filthy, instead of cultivating yourself to go back in a hurry, you don't let go of those filthy things that you cling to in this filthy world, and you even agonize over the most trivial losses. Did you know that in order to save you the Buddha once begged for food among everyday people? Today, I once again make the door wide open, and teach this Dafa to save you. I have never felt bitter for the numerous hardships I have suffered. Then what do you have that still can't be abandoned? Can you bring to heaven the things deep down inside that you cannot let go of?"
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Category: Beginning Cultivation
