(Minghui.org) My youth was very turbulent. I grew up in a small town in New Zealand with an abusive father who, due to his lack of wisdom, used to beat his four children to teach them a lesson.
For some reason, of all the children I was the most negative and tended to stir my father up, often making the situation worse. Through many years of mistreatment, I became disillusioned with life and began to seeking refuge by hanging out with the wrong crowd and indulging in low-level desires.
A Hopeless Life
Drinking alcohol, listening to heavy metal music, and indulging in self-harm and suicidal thoughts were the prelude to the dangerous path ahead, which from age 10 to 20 consisted of drug use, drug dealing, crime, homelessness, gang affiliation, and promiscuity. I was in mental turmoil and in need of rehabilitation.
Life had hit a low point, so an equally troubled friend and I decided it was time to end it once and for all. Late one night, we drove to the top of a cliff in a remote location.
However, from the depths of my heart I had reservations and finally refused to go through with it. Something deep inside me was telling me not to do it and that, if I did, my brother especially would be very upset.
Later I realized this strong sense not to end my life was due to my brother's and my karmic relationship with Falun Dafa. I came to understand that it was Master’s benevolent arrangement to rescue me from this hellish life, so I could fulfill an age-old vow, a vow I had nearly forgotten—to save sentient beings when the time came.
The night of choosing to live was not the end of my turbulent life, however. Another wake-up call had been arranged. Late one night when my brother was out partying in town, he was badly beaten by gangsters who dislocated his hip and left him unconscious on the railway tracks.
Searching
I came to an epiphany that the hardships we were encountering had to do with the wrongdoings we had committed coming back to get us. We decided we would stop living like this and that it was time to seek a new understanding of life.
I had never practiced meditation, but I recalled reading my mother’s spiritual books when I was young, which built a very small base in my heart for becoming a better person. From that moment on, I sought enlightenment in any and every way I could.
I spent time in a Hare Krishna temple, in a Buddhist temple, and on multiple retreats, and I read many spiritual books. During that time, my brother’s predestined time arrived to learn Dafa after seeing flyers at his university. Some Western practitioners took him under their wings and encouraged him to practice diligently.
Many months passed before I decided it was time to go visit him. I couldn’t wait to show him my big pile of spiritual books. When I did, he exclaimed, “You will never get anywhere reading those books.”
Although I was a little disheartened at his comment, I knew he was speaking the truth, and at that moment two paths unfolded before me: Trust my brother’s recommendation and obtain Dafa, or go back to my old ways.
Finding a Righteous Path
I decided to trust my brother, and at that moment I chose Falun Dafa. Looking back, without a doubt, that was the best decision I ever made.
Today my life is stable and happy, and I am blessed with a happy and healthy family, including a husband and a 7-year-old son—both of whom practice Falun Dafa. Over 8 of my family members have also gone on to practice Falun Dafa and have amazing lives. I have forgiven my father for beating and abandoning me at a young age.
I now see my hardships in youth as a blessing in disguise. Having to grow up young meant my midlife crisis came early, and by the time I had obtained Dafa at age 20, I was ready to endure the hardships of cultivation and be diligent in exposing the persecution in China.
Thanks to Dafa’s phenomenal healing power, in all these years, my son, my husband, and I have not fallen ill or taken a single pill. All the ailments I had suffered from in my teens have disappeared, including chronic migraines.
I have managed to build a successful business and career as a television director despite dropping out of school and having no higher education. Dafa has given me great wisdom, and I have won several awards for my work.
My daily life is filled with a deep sense of spiritual fulfillment—something I knew was impossible to obtain by seeking outward as I used to do blindly. I believe my soul has been saved from a life that was almost lost.
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Category: Beginning Cultivation
