(Minghui.org) My name is Susan and I started practicing Falun Dafa last April. Since I am new to the practice, I am nervous about sharing my cultivation experiences, as most of you are veteran practitioners. I felt the need to look inside and watch what I say, particularly my understandings of the Fa. However, I have a strong feeling that Master is helping me to bring my story to you today. I will first start with how I came to Dafa.

I came to the U.S. to do my post-graduate studies after graduating from a university in China in 1996. Last year, I put all of my life savings in a high-return investment. It turned out to be a scam and I lost everything when the person I invested the money with disappeared. It was a heavy blow to me and I was often in tears and very distressed. I lost a pound per day and was a complete wreck, both mentally and physically.

One Sunday last April, I went to visit a friend who had in the past told me about Falun Dafa, and had given me the precious book Zhuan Falun, but I didn’t start cultivating at that time. This time, at her home, I broke into tears as I told her about my misfortune. She asked me to lie down with my head on her lap and she started reciting Lunyu to me. I stopped crying as I listened, feeling as if my mind was being cleansed instantaneously by a mysterious power. When she finished, I sat up and had a sudden epiphany which made everything clear to me.

I realized that the heartbreak I was going through resulted from my own karma. My life was mostly smooth sailing – I was 24 when I finished my studies, got a job with a big U.S. company, was promoted to a managerial position one year later, and within a few years became the deputy head of a department that had a team of forty. I was young and successful which made me arrogant and even more ambitious. I had pretty much lost myself in my relentless pursuit of money and reputation, at a time when moral values are twisted and overlooked. To me, all my suffering was a result of my own past wrongdoings – it was karmic retribution. It was a devastating lesson for me and all the more reason to take it as a wake-up call.

I told my friend that I now understood, and that I wanted to practice cultivation to save myself. That was how I came to be a Falun Dafa practitioner.

Every day after work, I went to a practice site at a nearby park to do the exercises. Within a month, my conditions had drastically improved. I was able to eat and sleep well, and experienced unbelievable serenity and joy while doing the exercises.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the Fa conference in Washington, D.C. last June. I met many practitioners who were very diligent in their cultivation, and who have helped me in many different ways. When Master appeared on the podium of that enormous sports stadium, tears streamed down my face. I was a lost soul who had found a way home. I vowed to fulfill my promise made many lifetimes ago – to assist Master in Fa-rectification, and to walk well and complete my cultivation journey so I can return to my heavenly home with Master.

I would now like to share my experience of clarifying the truth to Westerners.

Near the practice site where I go every day after work are a few busy tourist spots. There are well-known fast food restaurants where many tourists typically have their meals outside. I often went around table by table to give out Dafa flyers and tell people about Dafa. Doing that for a few months has given me good experience on how to clarify the truth to Westerners.

I quickly briefed them on what Dafa is about, and if anyone was interested I delved into the principles of Dafa and its health benefits. For the young people who expressed doubts about Dafa, I mentioned human rights issues and the persecution of Dafa practitioners by the Chinese communist regime.

I have learned to make observations of the people I approach and select an appropriate topic with which to start the conversation and quickly build up a rapport. For example, when a family is on an outing, the mother is usually the one in charge. In that case, I focus on the benefits of Dafa, like the exercises which help to alleviate the stress brought on by work and domestic responsibilities. I was dismayed once when I picked up a Dafa flyer from the ground that someone must have thrown away. I believe we should not simply hand out flyers without taking the time to talk to people. They will naturally value the flyer when they are given a chance to understand your message.

I always approach people and tell them sincerely, “Please give me two minutes of your time. It might just change your life.” I believe my effectiveness in clarifying the truth to people is a result of Master’s strengthening, and my own sincerity. My vow is to save at least one person per day.

These are some of the things I have managed to do as a new practitioner. I make strict requirements for myself. I must do the three things well, I must study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts every day, and I must look within when faced with obstacles. Lastly, I must also make use of every opportunity to clarify the truth, such as talking to the driver when I am taking a taxi, talking to my colleagues when I am at work, and talking to friends and acquaintances I meet on the weekends.

I know in my heart that Master has suffered enormously to give us the time we have now for cultivation, during this last period of Fa-rectification. In particular, as a latecomer to Dafa, I realize my task ahead is that much more difficult. I have no choice but to be extra diligent in my cultivation so as to not disappoint Master, and to proudly call myself a Dafa disciple.

Thank you for reading! Heshi!