(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in January 1999. I know the preciousness of Dafa and how serious cultivation is. I'd like to share some of my cultivation experiences from the past 20 years.
I had just begun practicing Dafa when the persecution started. Although I did not have a deep understanding of the practice yet, I knew that Falun Dafa was amazing and that everything the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was saying about it were lies.
I understood clearly that Dafa teaches us to be good people by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in our daily lives and that Dafa is a cultivation practice of high virtue. I firmly believed in Master and Dafa and I knew that I must validate Dafa.
Persecuted for Defending Falun Dafa
I went to Beijing to appeal for Dafa in 2001. I was arrested and imprisoned twice. In prison, I suffered mental and physical torture including long-term sleep deprivation.
My body was covered with bruises and my central nervous system was severely injured. The prison released me in the first half of 2005 because I was on the verge of death.
After returning home, I could not sleep normally for more than twelve years due to the brain injuries I suffered in prison. I was in pain for a long time. For an entire year after I was released, I could not sleep because I felt as if my head were about to explode; the pain was unbearable.
Studying the Fa Persistently
As a practitioner, I knew that I must reject all the old forces' arrangements and I must follow Master’s arrangement.
Master said,
"Be resolute cultivating Dafa, the mind unstirredClimbing in levels is what’s fundamentalFaced with tests, a person’s true character is revealedMay you Consummate—a Buddha, Dao, or God" ("True Character is Revealed", Hong Yin Volume II)
Master's teaching encouraged me. When I could not sleep, I listened to the Fa all night long, and I kept doing what a practitioner should do during the day.
With Master’s help, I started feeling sleepy when I listened to the Fa at night. In the beginning, I was able to sleep for about one hour a night and later I was able to sleep for about two hours. Finally, I was able to sleep for more than three hours each night.
I still could not sleep normally for more than twelve years and I always felt very tired. In order to be able to read the Fa and do things during the day, I went to sleep as soon as it got dark and I got up after midnight; I then read the Fa until daybreak.
There are great advantages to reading the teachings in the quiet of the night. I was able to focus on every word and I was able to sense the hints from the Buddhas, Taos and gods behind each word in Zhuan Falun; I was able to achieve a deeper understanding of the Fa.
I did not pursue how much I could read each night. Instead I focused on reading the Fa sincerely without missing a single character. In the beginning, I was able to read four or five lectures a night. As time went on, I was able to read six or seven lectures a night. Now I can read through Zhuan Falun every night.
Miracles Happen
As I kept reading the Fa, my mind became peaceful and tranquil and I felt there was only Fa in my mind. It was just like Master said,
“you should feel wonderful and very comfortable as though you are sitting inside an egg shell; you will be aware of yourself practicing the exercise, but you feel that your whole body cannot move.” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)
As I kept reading the Fa, I developed a deeper understanding of the teachings and my doing things also became more and more smooth and easy; miracles often happened.
One example is that if I hadn't been a practitioner it would have been impossible for me to memorize Zhuan Falun because of my severe injuries to the central nervous system, the sleep deprivation, and my serious memory loss
However, during our group Fa studies I'm able to recite the Fa from memory. No matter whether the others read fast or slow, I'm able to follow them and I know when someone misses or adds characters when they read. It really is a miracle.
While I wrote this article, Master encouraged and strengthened me multiple times in my dreams. With Master’s compassionate help, I was able to finish writing this article while enduring the severe pain in my brain.
When I finished writing, Master compassionately removed my habit of relying on listening to the Fa to sleep; I can now sleep normally!
Compassionate Master has continually encouraged, strengthened and protected me. I cannot find words to thank Master for His help. I will do the three things more diligently to repay Master for all He has given me.
Thank You Master!
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Category: Improving Oneself
