(Clearwisdom.net) I began practicing Falun Dafa in March 2010. I would like to share my experiences of obtaining the Fa with my fellow practitioners. Please compassionately point out anything inappropriate on my part.
I have a friend whose mother began practicing Falun Dafa in 1999. Her whole family practices. Every time I went to her home, her mother told me more about the goodness of the practice and asked me not to believe the Communist Party's lies. I didn't really understand Falun Dafa at that time but I really believed what her mother had to say. Many people resent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) because of the bad things they have done, the corruption of the party, and their blatant disregard for life, but are forced to keep this resentment to themselves. I wanted to borrow a copy of Zhuan Falun from my friend but she wanted me to read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party first. I didn't have the patience to finish it. When I asked to borrow Zhuan Falun again, she asked me if I had finished reading the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party yet. I said I had not. I wasted many years this way. I got married and had a child. One day I suddenly asked her if I could borrow Zhuan Falun again. I told her that I really wanted to practice Falun Gong. I told her very sincerely and she was quite surprised. She gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun and told me to read it from cover to cover without taking a break and to cherish the book.
I finished reading Zhuan Falun in a few days. I thought the book was really wonderful and regretted that I had wasted so much time before reading it.
I encountered interference as soon as I began reading Zhuan Falun. I was distracted. But I ignored the distraction and continued to read until I finished it. I was determined to practice. I told my parents what a precious book it is and how it helped me to understand my purpose in life. My parents gave me their approval to practice, but they had a condition, which was to not tell my husband because he worked for the CCP.
It was impossible for me to keep my husband from finding out about my practice. I got up in the middle of the night to practice the exercises, but he still found out. He was depressed over the next few days and refused to talk with me despite my efforts to talk with him. He went behind my back and convinced my parents to oppose my practicing Falun Gong. Because they were afraid, they went against their word, and joined him in trying to stop me from practicing. I looked for a veteran practitioner to seek her advice. She said, “Tell them the beauty of Falun Dafa, but absolutely don't let them move your heart.” She told me to remember, “Just by staying unaffected you will be able to handle all situations.”(“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in the Midwest-U.S.”) But I didn't really understand what she was saying. My husband quarreled with me and I quarreled right back. It was as if the family was turned inside out. I brought a couple of practitioners to my home, but no matter what I said he refused to let them speak and insisted that they leave and take my precious copy of Zhuan Falun with them. When one of them saw me crying, she cried as well. She had no other alternative but to take the book and leave.
I was heartbroken and felt that I had lost the most precious thing in my life. I didn't cultivate my xinxing. I was irate that night and gave my husband a really hard time. He left early in the morning and locked me inside the house. He asked my parents to come over and straighten me out. My mother cried and pleaded with me, and demanded that I not see this practitioner again. I knew how valuable Zhuan Falun was after I had finished reading it. How could I possibly abide by those requirements? After a few days I went to the the practitioner's home and said, "No matter how they argue with me, I will continue to practice Falun Gong." I took my copy of Zhuan Falun and returned home. It was not easy to obtain a copy of this precious book, under the ban that the CCP has placed on Falun Gong. I said I would treasure it.
When I returned home, I read Zhuan Falun and practiced the exercises. My husband argued with me when he came back. He told me he would have me arrested. That was the first time we argued in front of my parents. We argued over and over until the whole family was exhausted, but they gradually came to recognize my point of view. They demanded that I not associate often with other practitioners and they didn't want other people to know that I practiced. I thought, if I had truly followed what my fellow practitioner had suggested, “Just by staying unaffected you will be able to handle all situations.”(“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in the Midwest-U.S.”) then this process wouldn't have been so difficult and complicated.
My parents noticed that after I had practiced for a few months, I changed from being sickly to being very healthy. In the past I came down with something about once a month. My frail body became more and more vigorous. I enlightened to that there were miracles everywhere with Master's assistance. I'll give you an example. My child developed a fever one afternoon. My mother was very worried. I told her to earnestly and sincerely say out loud, "Falun Dafa is good. Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is good." My child still had a fever, but it wasn't that high and didn't exceed 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit). At bedtime my mother asked me if I wanted to give him medicine. At first I said it wasn't necessary because his fever wasn't that high. Then I said, “Let me read Zhuan Falun to him.” I sat by his side and recited Lunyu from memory. When I finished reciting, I touched my son's forehead which was cooler than my hand. I was a new practitioner and was simply stupefied. I quickly retrieved my copy of Zhuan Falun and read Lunyu again. He no longer had a fever. This would have been inconceivable in the past. He would have tossed and turned for many days before his fever abated. The only way to reduce his fever was to give him medicine and injections. This time his fever was very minor and passed quickly. This really convinced my parents and they no longer opposed my practicing Falun Gong, and urged my husband not to interfere with me.
Gradually, my husband changed his attitude. He said, "I can see that you've become more gentle and soft. I should try and understand you better." Last week he said to me, "You are doing good deeds and need money in order to do them. I will give you some." I was really astounded. How could he suddenly say something like that? I used this opportunity to tell him how great Falun Dafa practitioners are, that they are good and kind people, and yet they are being unreasonably suppressed and being inhumanly deprived of their lives. I said, “Chinese society isn't stable, why doesn't the CCP arrest the criminals instead of focusing all its energy on arresting good people?” He didn't refute what I said this time. I recited, "Realms" from Essentials For Further Advancement, to him. This was the first time that he didn't dispute me when I raised an issue related to Falun Dafa.
The benevolent and harmonious field that Falun Dafa practitioners carry has a strong impact on the people around them. I am very grateful for the help of veteran practitioners. They didn't give up on me after hearing my family's sarcastic remarks. I was not very clear about the Fa's principles at that time. They quietly supported and helped me until I became stable, and was able to eliminate the interference from my family. We now often share our experiences while cultivating. I am very happy.
My desire to write this essay originated from an encounter I had with a friend. I told her I practiced Falun Gong and shared a few principles of Falun Dafa with her. She listened and benefited from what I said. At home she earnestly and sincerely recited out loud, "Falun Dafa is good, Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is good. " We talked many times and she really wanted to practice. Her family strongly opposed her practicing Falun Dafa and her husband threatened to divorce her if she did. I told her my experience and encouraged her. I told her one had to overcome obstacles in order to obtain such wonderful things, otherwise one would not treasure them. I was really moved that despite such strong intimidation from her family, her knowing side still had such a strong desire to obtain the Fa.
Over the past 6 months I have clarified the truth to all kinds of people and have received equally diverse reactions. I have felt deeply that some people have good predestined relationships with Dafa and are suffering, waiting to obtain the Fa, but do not have friends who are practitioners or the environment in which to obtain it. They are ordinary people in a maze after all. If they waver slightly, under the intense interference from the CCP, the evil will use this opportunity to take advantage of their gaps and cause them to miss this opportunity to obtain the Fa. This would be a real pity.
This is my experience and what I have enlightened to as a new practitioner. I hope those who have good predestined relationships with Dafa will also obtain the Fa and we will cultivate together diligently.
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