(Minghui.org) I found out about Falun Dafa in a very interesting way.
The Chinese government has long been setting up walls of censorship over the Internet for its citizens. I heard people talking about anti-censorship software that could allow people to visit blocked websites, so I searched and found the Freegate software. After using it many times, I searched for information about Falun Dafa out of curiosity since the government attacked it so much.
I was able to read Zhuan Falun. I thought that the book was really good. Then I followed the pictures depicting the exercises to learn them.
That's how I became a Falun Dafa practitioner.
Improving Myself
I stopped drinking and smoking. I stayed away from sexually oriented materials and even the computer games and cartoons that I enjoyed so much before.
People asked me, “Then what fun do you have in life?”
“Cultivation,” I replied.
Because I was so into cartoons and computer games before, it was very hard for me to eliminate my attachment to them.
Teacher said, “matter and mind are one and the same.” (Zhuan Falun)
I realized that our existing notions are also matter. What we saw, we heard, and we touched were strengthening this matter. If I didn't build up Dafa in my mind, my old notions related to cartoons and computer games could continue to control me.
I spent more time on studying the Fa and also started memorizing Zhuan Falun. I found that the world presented by Dafa was so immense and profound. I no longer thought about games and cartoons.
I told friends that Falun Dafa is good and suggested that they quit the Communist Party. They didn't agree, so I stopped talking to them about it for a while.
I recalled that Teacher said,
“Of course, it is not easy to change your thinking right away; you will transform your thinking gradually during the lectures to come. I also hope that everyone will pay attention while listening.” (Zhuan Falun)
I realized that my gap was that I was too eager to convince my friends right away. I kept talking to them about it. Over time, not only did several of them quit the Communist Party's affiliations, but they also started reading Dafa books.
Cultivating at Work
I didn't know how to get along with other people before. After studying Dafa, I looked within myself and found that I focused on people's appearance. I assumed that good-looking people were good people, so I would stay away from unattractive people.
At an insurance training session, I sat next to a middle-aged lady who was fat with dark and coarse skin. I felt uncomfortable. Then I thought of Teacher's words:
“Nothing that you come across as you go about saving sentient beings and validating the Fa is coincidental. Nothing is that simple, be it something seemingly minor, what thoughts someone has, or the wide array of people and things that you run into when you are clarifying the truth. But, it’s only acceptable when you go about things with compassion in your heart.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan”)
I told myself that this was Teacher's arrangement to fix my notion. I should take it easy and be truthful, compassionate, and tolerant with her. I smiled at her and moved my stuff away to give her more room.
A lady who behaved and talked rudely asked me to give her a ride home. I said okay, although I didn't want to. In the car, I didn't speak. She was quiet, too. To help with the awkwardness, I asked her a question, and she answered me with great enthusiasm. If I had just judged her by her looks, I could never have found out that she was such a warm and caring person.
A beautiful young lady worked with me on several projects. As we got closer, I started to have feelings for her and wanted to spend time with her every day. She also expressed warm feelings for me. I knew that I should not let it happen as I was a married man, and I controlled my thoughts.
A colleague who lived close to my home asked me to give her a ride. I did it for a couple of days, but then she wanted to ride with me every day. I felt annoyed, and I knew that I needed to look within. I realized that it was easy to do a good deed once, but it was hard to be a good person and do good deeds all the time. After I stopped counting how many times I had helped her, I felt relieved.
Once I gave my boss a ride. She said, “At the workplace, people talk and laugh in front of others, but badmouth people behind their back.”
“I never say bad things about others,” I said. “If I get cheated, I only blame myself.”
Later when I suggested that she quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations, she said, “Sure. My aunt asked me to do it before. I didn't, but I believe in your words.”
Cultivating at Home
I saw a few pairs of dirty socks in the basin used to wash feet. I didn't touch them, waiting for my wife to wash them. They stayed there for two days. On the third day, they showed up in the basin that I used to wash my face! I was about to explode.
I recalled that I had read articles which said that we should cultivate our hearts to think about others. If I couldn't wash a few pairs of socks, how could I say that I think about others? This might be a test for me to get rid of my selfish attachment. I then washed the socks.
I scolded my son often. Sometimes I felt sorry for him, but couldn't control myself. Then I read Teacher's Lecture in Sydney that when the great enlightened being manages his world, “he manages it completely with compassion and loving-kindness.” I looked within and found that I didn't spend enough time playing with him to pass positive values to him. I stopped scolding him so much.
Now, if my son gets up early in the morning, I ask him to read Zhuan Falun.
I have improved a lot, both physically and mentally, after practicing Falun Dafa. I felt that I was rebuilt by Buddha's Law. My whole life is full of sunshine. My life is getting better.
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Category: Improving Oneself
