(Clearwisdom.net) I am a 30-year-old man. For more than a decade before I began practicing Falun Dafa, I suffered from many chronic illnesses, such as lumbar disc and stomach problems. At my young age, I was incapable of doing any hard labor. If I worked on some heavy-duty jobs, I would sweat all over. When the season changed, my illnesses became worse, so much so that I couldn't even get out of bed. My wife's face always looked very sad because of my poor health. She thought we wouldn't have a good future. In order to help cure my illnesses, my family ran around trying to find me a good doctor. In order to help relieve my pain, my mother spent a lot of money to buy me expensive medicine which she believed would have a good effect on my illnesses. Despite my mother's love and care, she wasn't able to help me return to good health. Because of my poor health, I thought I was doomed for the rest of my life. With despair and helplessness, I felt I had no choice but to put my hope in qigong. Nevertheless, like with other treatments that I had tried, my family and I ended up in great disappointment.
My mother and my wife started practicing Falun Dafa in 1997. They tried to convince me to take up the practice, but because I thought that Falun Dafa was like the other schools of qigong that I had once practiced, I naturally rejected them, thinking that it wouldn't help me.
In the spring of 2003, because my old illnesses relapsed, I was bed-ridden at home. My wife said to me, "Since you are lying on the bed, why don't you take a look at the book, Zhuan Falun?" I felt very confounded when I saw my mother and my wife become very healthy and kind-hearted since they took up the practice. How the CCP has relentlessly persecuted Dafa, and how Dafa disciples have acted compassionately in clarifying the facts to save sentient beings! With much confusion, I picked up "Zhuan Falun" and started reading it. Although I read very slowly, I read the book every day. Gradually, I felt the more I read, the more I liked reading it, and everything became clearer to me.
After I finished reading Zhuan Falun, the first thing I realized was that the propaganda about Falun Gong by the CCP was all lies. I came to understand that a genuine Falun Dafa disciple who follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance truly understands the real purpose of life. Such a person will only be interested in cultivating his xinxing and putting others' interests first. He will upgrade his morality and bring well-being and happiness to all people.
After I enlightened to the goodness of Dafa, I knew I had hope. The Fa taught me that I was suffering from the so-called illnesses because of my karmic debts or the bad deeds that I had previously committed. As long as I conduct myself according to the principles of Dafa, upgrade my morality, and always put others' interests first, I will have good health. After I finished reading Zhuan Falun, I felt my outlook on life had completely changed, as if a rebirth in me had just taken place. I was determined to cultivate in Falun Dafa.
In the beginning, I shook all over my body after I finished practicing the fifth exercise. But I did not flinch. I believed in Dafa and I would do what Master taught me in the book. I was bearing the pain silently. Two to three months later, the miracle occurred. All my chronic, decade-old illnesses disappeared. I knew this was the inevitable result of my steadfast faith in Dafa and Master. I felt very grateful for Master giving me a new life. I felt I had bathed in the goodness and compassion of the Buddha light. I had changed from a bad-tempered, narrow-minded, selfish man to a new person who gradually learned to think of others and put their interests first.
At the beginning, although I had obtained the Fa, I still couldn't quit smoking. I had tried to get rid of this bad habit by chewing gum and eating nuts, but to no avail. Master saw that I still had this attachment and used a fellow practitioner to warn me, "You just don't want to quit smoking. Just take it as a serious attachment and try to quit it." These words struck me harshly. I knew immediately that I had treated this attachment as an ordinary habit, while not taking it as a serious attachment that must be overcome by a sincere Dafa practitioner. After I enlightened to this, I quit smoking at once.
As a new practitioner, I like to be with veteran practitioners to study the Fa and upgrade together. Let's strive to do the three things even better, save more beings, and be worthy of Master's immense compassion for us.