(Minghui.org) I obtained the Fa in 1996 when I was nine years old. That was 18 years ago. With Master's arrangement, I came to Canada two months ago. Being able to participate in group Fa study and the exercises again after 15 years is very exciting. It also made me re-evaluate my cultivation status.
Since I obtained the Fa at a young age, I barely did the exercises. I only did them when I was going through sickness karma. We lost our environment for group study and practice in China when the persecution began. Without supervision, I slacked off and spent lots of time watching movies and reading news. I wasted a lot of time, and after watching movies and the news, I developed many attachments, human notions, and thought-karma.
After coming to Montreal and sharing experiences with fellow practitioners, I realized the importance of doing the exercises. Master said:
“A person’s gong won’t increase if he merely does the exercises and fails to cultivate his character. Meanwhile, a person who only cultivates his character and doesn’t perform the exercises of the Great Way of Spiritual Perfection will find the growth of his gong strength impeded and his innate body (ben-ti) unchanged.” (“Chapter I The Features of Falun Dafa” in The Great Way of Spiritual Perfection)
After having cultivated for so many years, it seemed like I had just seen these words for the first time. My notions got in the way, and I couldn't see Master's very fundamental requirement.
Now I do all five exercises every day. My legs really hurt after meditating for 40 minutes. I also got really anxious, and my mind was filled with thoughts of “I have to put down my legs.” I then would think, "Compared to the practitioners being persecuted in China, this pain was nothing. Isn't the pain something good since karma is being eliminated?" Then I was able to continue the meditation. I sent a few pictures of me to my father, a fellow practitioner. He said, “You look much better than when you were in China. Before, your face always looked like it was covered by clouds. Now the clouds are gone.” I know this is because I started doing the exercises, and my body has been transformed.
After I came to Canada, I realized I was very influenced by the Party culture. I easily became upset when others pointed out that I didn't do well. So I started to listen to “Disintegrate the Party Culture.” Then I realized that if I don't get rid of the Party culture, it will hinder my understanding of the Fa and my ability to improve myself.
I was asked to correct fellow practitioners' exercise movements. A few practitioners that I corrected said I wasn't doing the movement correctly. Another practitioner said to me, “Your Lotus Palm isn't right. How can you correct others if your own gestures are not correct?” After getting rid of the Party culture, I didn't have any bad thoughts when someone told me that. On the contrary, I felt quite good since it's great that fellow practitioners helped me correct my wrong movements. Lots of my attachments that were hard to eliminate were disintegrated along with the Party culture.
A few years ago I had two very vivid dreams. In the first dream I was in a very dark world. I saw many sentient beings riding in carriages going to another place. I saw a pretty girl in a carriage, so I went to talk to her. While we were chatting and laughing, we saw a huge, hot fireball in the sky. It grew bigger and bigger and then fell onto the sentient beings in my world. They were dying in great pain. I was crying and trying to stop it, but I couldn't. There are no words to express the pain I felt in the dream and after waking up.
In the second dream I was in a holy, pure, and incomparably splendid world. The mountains were green, and the water was clear. People were farming in the fields. All of a sudden, two giant, disgusting creatures that looked like snakes appeared. Wherever they went, they set everything on fire. I killed one at once with my supernormal ability. When I was about to kill the other one, I hesitated, and it escaped into the soil.
I know these two dreams were Master hitting me with a heavy hammer. But my eyes were covered by lust and thought-karma. Although I didn't have sexual relationships with women, I didn't eliminate my lust for many years. Moreover, I fostered it and didn't realize how serious it was, even after seeing my sentient beings killed. I was hesitant when it was time to fully eliminate it, because I felt it would satisfy my desire and ease my stress. Now I realize that my ability to enlighten is so poor. This is a fundamental test, and I want to expose it today and eliminate it entirely!
Our city had a grand parade on July 1st this year, and the Divine Land Band was in it. I helped take pictures of the band until the end of the parade. I sent many pictures of Falun Dafa banners to my friends to show them that Dafa is very popular overseas. Lots of them started to chat with me, and some were shocked. Some sent me good wishes, and some congratulated me for gaining freedom.
One of the most impressive responses was from the chairman of the board of the last company I worked for in China. He didn't say anything after seeing the pictures, he just sent me a big “thumbs up” graphic.
After Zhou Yongkang was arrested, I sent the Epoch Times article about it to my friends, and they were all shocked. Then I encouraged them to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, and the results were very good.
Master arranged for me to leave China, but not for a better life or to develop an attachment to laziness. I am in this new environment to better save sentient beings, eliminate my attachments, and improve myself faster.
I'd like to thank our great Master. I will do the three things well and return to my origin with Master.