(Minghui.org) Being influenced by my mother from an early age, I always believed that there were Gods and Buddhas. Despite my education, which emphasized atheism, deep down in my heart, I believed in the existence of higher beings and the boundless power of Buddhas.
Ten years ago, a friend gave me some Buddhist books to read. I was attracted by the stories that taught people to be good and unselfish. From then on I started to read a lot of Buddhist works. I even memorized some Buddhist scriptures.
A Predestined Relationship with Falun Dafa
One cold winter morning, as I was clearing the snow outside my home, a woman stopped at my house and introduced me to Shen Yun. She then told me about Falun Dafa and recommended that I read the book, Zhuan Falun. We soon became friends and she lent me a copy, as well as some other Dafa books.
My world changed after reading Zhuan Falun. Though I believed in Buddhism, my understanding was very shallow. Though I helped the poor, did not hurt others and tried to be a good person, I still measured things with ordinary principles. I had not fundamentally changed myself.
Master said:
“Practicing cultivation at high levels requires one to focus on one school and stay with it. If you follow a practice, you must give your heart to it...” (Zhuan Falun)
I had been a lay Buddhist for a long time. I reviewed my past experience with Buddhism and realized that I still did not really know what it was all about. I went to a temple to pay respect to Buddhas by burning incense, and I read and recited scriptures at home, but that was it.
Falun Dafa is different. Practitioners are required to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in their daily lives. By studying the Fa, they improve their xinxing and elevate their levels in cultivation. The five sets of exercises can change practitioners’ bodies and fill them with high-energy matter. On top of that, Master Li gives lectures, answers our questions and guides our cultivation so that we can walk our path of cultivation righteously and achieve true enlightenment. After giving it some thought, I decided to cultivate only in Falun Dafa.
Treat Sickness Karma Righteously
I used to suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease. I had three operations and was taking many medications. Master has spoken about the issue of taking medicine in his lectures and how practitioners should treat sickness karma.
Master said:
“In other words, you are not in any way beings of the Three Realms, and you are no longer ordinary persons. That is why when your righteous thoughts are strong you can resolve any problem. The sickness karma that appears in your body manifests as a test. Of course it appears to be sickness karma, as it definitely won't have the appearance of a god getting ill. So you should handle it with righteous thoughts. You are a cultivator, so it is definitely not in fact sickness. But it won't come across that simple.” (Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles)
As a Falun Dafa disciple, I know I should only follow Master's Fa and carefully walk the cultivation path that He has arranged for me. With that thought in mind, once I decided to practice Falun Dafa, I stopped taking all my medication. Soon after, I felt my body become very light, healthy and strong. My blood pressure became normal, and my chronic back pain disappeared. Now, I can work for hours doing house chores without incurring any back pain at all.
It was not until six months later that my family members found out I had stopped taking my medicines. Once they did, they protested. They thought I was being irresponsible. My son, granddaughter, relatives and friends all called me and tried to convince me to start taking my medications again. My daughter even said that she would reward me with a trip to Russia. However my determination to cultivate Falun Dafa was strong. I remained steadfast.
Following No Second Way
When I used to recite Buddhist scriptures, sometimes I saw some scenes such as deserted lanes in a township or images of myself walking on an endless, steep slope. After I began to practice Falun Dafa, the scenes changed. I saw bustling cities, tall buildings and busy streets from above.
I also came across interference from other dimensions. The God of Longevity invited me to his realm several times. I declined and I told him that I was practicing Falun Dafa and would not follow a second way.
Glowing Paper Lotus Flowers
Six months ago a fellow practitioner gave me materials for making origami lotus flowers. Sometimes I spent hours making the beautiful lotus flowers. I had the wish to make a lot of flowers and finish them as soon as possible so that other practitioners could use them during our local Dafa activities.
One late afternoon I went upstairs to my bedroom and saw a golden light shining out of the cabinet that I kept the completed flowers in. The beautiful light was being emitted from the origami lotus flowers. I was amazed. On the surface, they look like ordinary paper lotus flowers, but they are far from ordinary. The paper lotus flowers indeed carry divine energy.
Letting Go of Self-interest
My mother passed away more than ten years ago. On the day of her death, one of my cousins accused me of taking his money and some of his possessions. He even asked me to return the money. Then, on the day of my mothers funeral, my cousins and other relatives all criticized me. I felt really hurt and did not want to see them for a long time.
On a trip I made back to China, one of my uncles asked me about my apartment. He suspected that my mother might have contributed some money towards my apartment. I felt very angry. I had given my mother's apartment and all of her furniture and things to my relatives, and yet they still coveted my apartment.
After I began practicing Falun Dafa, I realized that I was still very attached to personal interests, and I still measured things using everyday criteria. In this regard, I was still an ordinary person. Once I saw my attachment, I realized it was time for me to improve my xinxing. I resolved to let go of the attachment to self-interest and put Dafa’s principles into practice. Now, I always stay calm in the face of vested interests.
Learning to Tell People about Falun Dafa
As I studied the Fa more, read articles on the Minghui website and listened to practitioners’ experience sharing papers, I developed the wish to let people know the facts about Falun Dafa.
Last year, the Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Art Exhibition was held in London. I took the opportunity to send forth righteous thoughts in the venue to clear the field. I was happy to do something that benefited Dafa and helped save people. I benefited from the whole process as well as from the Art Exhibition itself. I looked at each painting very carefully and was deeply moved by everyone of them.
Recently, a few other practitioners and I had a booth at an International Yoga Day festival. I distributed Falun Dafa fliers and taught one woman the exercise movements. She was very thankful for my patience. I helped at the booth the whole day. I felt a bit tired when I arrived home, but I was happy.
A Western practitioner went to the festival early to set up our booth. Though he was the first to arrive, he was the last to leave. He was busy all day teaching people the exercise movements. I was greatly encouraged by him.
As a new practitioner, I often hesitated to talk to people about Falun Dafa and the persecution. My fellow practitioners printed out some materials on how to clarify the facts to people and gave them to me to read. They encouraged me to start off by first telling my friends and relatives about Dafa and the persecution.
My daughter had a lot of friends who came to the parties she hosted. We also had many friends from China visit us too. I tried to clarify the truth to all of them with varying degrees of success. At one point, my daughter had several Chinese students stay at our house for a week. I tried to tell them the facts about Falun Dafa, but the results were not very good. Ever since then I had been reluctant to encourage people to withdraw from the CCP.
Master said:
“Yet for cultivators, fear or lack thereof proves [one’s] humanity or divinity, and it is what differentiates cultivators from ordinary people. It is something that a cultivator must face, and the biggest human attachment that a cultivator must remove.” (“Study the Fa Well, and Getting Rid of Attachments is Not Hard” from The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
When I first started practicing Falun Dafa I did not dare to tell people out of fear, but after studying the Fa for some time, I have realized that practicing Dafa is the most righteous thing I could possibly do. Now I openly tell people I practice Dafa, and it has become easier for me to talk to people about it. However, on some occasions I still feel fear.
My Family Members’ Change of Heart
When I first started practicing, my daughter and her husband did not openly oppose it, but they would not let me contact other practitioners. They said that they would invite more people to come over if I felt lonely.
Initially, I practiced the exercises during the day. I encountered a lot of interference from my daughter and her husband, so I decided to get up early and complete the five sets of exercises before they arose. I then did the housework and chores and was strict with myself in every possible way. My health continued to improve, and gradually my family members’ attitude towards Dafa improved as well.
When I attended a Fa conference last year, my daughter prepared sandwiches for my lunch and drove a group of us to the subway station. She also brought lunches to me several times when I was attending Dafa activities. She came to understand how truly good Dafa is.
When I visited my son who lives in Canada, he said: “If you want to practice Falun Dafa, then practice in a noble and dignified way!”
My daughter arranged a trip to Italy to celebrate my 80th birthday. Before we departed, she reminded me to practice Falun Dafa every day. We stayed in the same room while we were there, and while I did the exercises she and her husband did not move so as not to disturb me. It was very touching.
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Category: Health Benefits
