(Minghui.org) I am a new practitioner from South America. I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2013.
When I come to think about my inner changes, I know they were truly great and I could only achieve them in the process of assimilating to the principles of Falun Dafa: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I know I have a unique opportunity and I wish all the people around me know that the best in me comes from Dafa.
When I was a little girl, people always considered me a good and kindhearted person. I also had strong faith and prayed every night to be a tool of the Creator.
But as I grew up, I forgot about it, and education brainwashed me with scientific thinking, political ideas, and the practical view of life, just living to enjoy the present and not think of much more.
People thought I was fun and happy, but in fact, I had a superficial and empty life. I tried to do many things so as not to think about it. I hurt myself and others unknowingly, and I am sorry for that. My life was bitter. I cared about my reputation, but I still longed to be accepted and kept looking for true happiness.
I even resented my parents and found many flaws in them. As they divorced when I was 5 years old and had all types of misunderstandings between them, I always blamed them for my suffering, and my mind was very entangled. I only wanted to live far away so as not to see or hear about them. I could not see things any other way.
But when I started reading the teachings of Falun Dafa, I realized that my being able to practice was a predestined relationship and that there is probably a reason why things happened this way. I might have done very bad things in my previous lives and now have to pay for my debt. If I see the positive side, it was also a good test to temper my character and personality, to have me be more independent and give me the strength to face problems later on in life. With this in mind, I can no longer be angry or feel hatred toward my family. I have become more open and generous with them, try to keep a good relationship, and talk to them more often. Many conflicts have been resolved, and I could appreciate and treasure my family more.
If it weren’t for Falun Dafa, I would hardly talk to my family. But I learned to value our predestined relationship, to see all the support and love that my parents have given me, and how much they have also suffered in life. I can be caring with my siblings as well. They can also see how much I have changed, and our relationship has healed.
All my family know that I was able to do this and eliminate my resentment because of the teachings of Falun Dafa.
By the time I graduated as a teacher, I was 22 years old. I only longed for material things and looked for personal gain. I felt intelligent and eloquent, but in fact I was far away from my true self. I became selfish and competitive. I worried about money and having the right contacts.
While I was doing postgraduate studies, I met an excellent colleague. She was generous, always happy, and brilliant. She had practiced Falun Dafa for a long time. She invited me to an art exhibition called The Art of Zhen Shan Ren. This is how I came to know more about Falun Dafa. Eventually, I decided to learn more about the practice.
I started going to the practice site on Sundays and reading Zhuan Falun, the book with the main teachings of Falun Dafa based on Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. There were many teachings which I could not understand at first, but for the teachings that I could understand, they made me feel the innocence I had as a child. I felt I had found something very special that would always be part of my life.
I was able to see my own flaws and attachments to “do things my way,” superiority, competition, validation, and criticism. Seeing all this in myself was painful, but now I had a “magic tool” to change my soul from within. I saw that all these layers of negative things were notions acquired after birth and attachments that separated me from my true self. Falun Dafa helped me to see life under a renewed perspective, and I felt my heart become lighter. I can be more open and positive.
With the passing of time, I could change many things within myself, and it was also reflected externally. I also started to care more about others in a genuine way and was truly happy.
Although I stopped worrying about money and having a good job, I have even had better jobs and everything I need. My colleagues say that they feel peaceful when they are near me, that I always see things in a different way, and that I am always smiling and positive.
My students trust me and love me. They know I care about them, about the challenges they face in life and the problems they may have. This is because I understood that being a teacher is first connected with creating a bond with them, really caring about them, and only then can we have a good learning atmosphere.
I always remind my students that the most important thing in life is to be a good person; the rest is just a result of that, and they must see difficult situations in life as a challenge to overcome. No matter where we are or what can happen around us, if we are good and try to maintain a pure heart, life will always give us the best in the end.
I remember an experience I had about a year and a half ago, when I was already practicing Falun Dafa. I was working on an education project for teaching disadvantaged children. It was very hard work and great professional experience. I put in a lot of effort based on the teachings of Falun Dafa: I never complained, I was never absent or late, I worked overtime, did everything as requested, and worked really hard even in the most difficult situations.
The coordinator of the project was very well prepared and generously shared her know-how with us. She was a well-known teacher trainer and university lecturer. I was very lucky to have her as a coordinator, although as a practitioner, I know there are no coincidences in life.
Once, she faced a difficult situation, as the director of the area was not pleased with her job. This director gathered all of us teachers with the intention of getting bad comments about our coordinator. It was a horrible moment, but I knew I had to behave and be righteous. I did not agree with the situation and detailed things as I had experienced them.
This coordinator was very impressed by my “loyalty,” and she even said that I had a whole set of values within myself that are stronger than iron. She knew I practiced Falun Dafa and had even seen me in Chinatown clarifying the facts about the persecution in China and validating Dafa. Nowadays, whenever we meet and there is a lecturer, colleague or director, the first thing she tells me openly is to talk to them about Falun Dafa and the persecution practitioners in China have faced since 1999. I am very happy for her because she can see the power and goodness of Dafa through my behavior.
Falun Dafa is perfect, pure and sacred. I had never experienced something like that in my heart. Falun Dafa practitioners are the best people I could ever meet. It is indeed a pure land. Whenever I meet other practitioners, I feel the power of Dafa manifested in their actions and character. With different personalities, they are caring, kind and genuine, people you can trust. That is not something you can casually find in everyday society. I thank my fellow practitioners for all the experiences and opportunities we have shared together.
I thank Falun Dafa for everything it has given to me and how it has led me to a happy life.