(Minghui.org) I recently began practicing Falun Dafa, although I first came across it when I was 10 years old.
One day in the early 2000s I was walking home from school when I met a lady who gave me a booklet and a Falun Dafa amulet and told me that I should carry the amulet with me and often say, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” because it would keep me safe.
At that time the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working hard to suppress Falun Dafa, so it was slandering it in the state-run media. All my family and I ever saw was the CCP propaganda, such as the staged “self-immolation” and the “1,400 alleged deaths.” We were deceived by the lies.
I was a child and unable to distinguish right from wrong. In that environment, it was impossible for me to begin practicing even though I encountered Falun Dafa when I was so young.
Breaking Ties with the CCP
I came to the United States to visit my husband in July 2022. I was impressed by the freedom of speech and the non-existent information “firewalls” in this country. I had the opportunity to gradually learn the truth about the CCP’s cruel persecution of Falun Dafa, which the CCP had been covering up for such a long time.
I took part in volunteer activities in college and strove to be someone who could bring positive energy to society. However, I was still making monthly donations to the CCP. I felt its slogans such as “Serve the People” and “Do One’s Share for All” were good things. I was fooled and thus joined the Communist Party.
After coming to the U.S., especially after I read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, I was shocked by the CCP’s bloody history and how it treated its people! It was horrifying and disgraceful. I realized loving China is not the same as loving the Party and that the CCP is rotten from the inside out.
I was determined to break any connection with that evil political party, so I found the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP and officially registered my decision to quit the CCP organizations, which included the Youth League and the Young Pioneers.
I was worried about my relatives and friends who were deceived and dared not say anything even behind closed doors. I knew they were among the small percentage of people in China who understood the truth.
I could no longer bury my head in the sand and pretend not to understand anything, so I began to tell my family and friends what the CCP is really like, and I clarified the facts about Falun Dafa to them. I was happy when they understood the truth. My predestined relationship with Falun Dafa deepened.
Starting to Cultivate Falun Dafa
I am a housewife. Our son was restless and easily upset, and it wasn’t unusual for him to cry for over an hour non-stop. He cried every night, and my husband and I couldn’t sleep. We became so irritable that any little thing could make us snap at each other. We realized our constant arguing would have a bad impact on shaping our son’s personality.
My father, who lived with us for some time, said one day, “You should practice Falun Dafa. It enables you to improve your xinxing. Falun Dafa can show you how to be good people. You shouldn’t fight all the time; it’s bad for the child to see this. You must not go on like this.” With my father’s help and encouragement, my husband and I began checking out Falun Dafa.
We read some information on it and the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,but nothing interested me. I was constantly interrupted by all kinds of things. My xinxing did not improve much given the circumstances.
I found some contact information on the Minghui.org website and reached out to the coordinator of a practice site near where we lived. I officially began practicing Falun Dafa with her help.
I found it very hard when I first started. For example, my legs were numb and painful after sitting in the full lotus position for a long time. I was tempted to give up. Fellow practitioners in the study group encouraged me, “There are many invisible forces on the path of cultivation that want you to give up. You must persevere. It will be easier if you practice with a group.”
Indeed, I was more motivated to practice with the group, as I would easily give up if I were alone. My husband and I reminded each other to study the Fa and send righteous thoughts, and we went to the group practice and group Fa study on weekends.
At first, my physical reactions were strong and I would get dizzy and nauseous after doing the standing stance, the second exercise, for a little while, but all these symptoms disappeared and my health improved a lot.
Master adjusted my body and installed a Falun for me soon after I started practicing. I used to have painful menstrual cramps that neither Chinese nor Western medicine had any effect on. But now I no longer have any pain. It’s amazing!
I send forth righteous thoughts and read Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, every day. If I’m busy, I do exercises one, three, and four. When I have more time, I do all five. I make sure not to miss group Fa study on the weekends.
Since we’ve been practicing Dafa, my husband and I have improved our tempers and are nicer to our son. He listens to Master’s teachings with us. His temper has improved under the influence of Dafa, and he is no longer irritable. He used to scream in fear at the sprinklers in the park and bubbles in the air, but now he’s not afraid and chases the bubbles, trying to catch them.
These small changes have completely changed my life. Thank you, Master, for helping my family to be harmonious! Falun Dafa has changed me.
Passing Tests
A xinxing test quickly came up. My husband and I wanted to surrender the apartment we rented in China. We said we would pay a month’s rent as penalty, but the landlord said she wouldn’t accept it until she has found another tenant. She said we would have to pay the agency fee because we broke the contract first. We agreed.
Due to the sluggish housing market and the landlord’s stringent criteria, another tenant could not be found, and the apartment remained unoccupied for a long time.
I became anxious and was a little distressed about the financial loss as the days went by. But I thought, “I am a Dafa practitioner. I should take money lightly. I should not care so much about the expense.” So I accepted the landlord’s unfair requirements. I also actively helped her look for a new tenant.
I’d lived in the apartment for several years and acquired a lot of furniture and all kinds of appliances, including a refrigerator and a washing machine. I thought a furnished apartment would go faster, make it more “turnkey,” but when a potential tenant saw it, they said they wanted an empty apartment.
The landlord called me and demanded that I remove the furniture, saying, “If you don’t get rid of it, I will have the garbage collectors take it away, and you will have to pay for the disposal.”
It was 2:00 a.m. my time when she called me. I was asleep and irritated by her aggressive tone. But I thought of Master’s Fa and decided to do exactly what the landlord said. I quickly called a friend who removed the furniture and sold it for me.
I was glad I practiced tolerance and happy to help the landlord rent out the apartment quickly.
But the next day, the tenant had a change of heart and decided not to rent. The landlord called me and said it would be better to put the furniture back to be more turnkey. I urgently called the buyers, apologized to them, and had the furniture and appliances brought back. I felt awful breaking promises like this. I felt I owed the people who purchased the items a lot.
The landlord found another potential tenant who needed all the furniture. She called us again at 2 a.m. and demanded we give her all the furniture for free.
I felt she really went too far, that she was taking advantage of us by seizing the furniture worth more than 10,000 yuan (USD$1,435) for herself because we were not in China and could not do anything! I was so furious that I wanted to curse at her over the phone.
But I couldn’t do it because I would lose my virtue as soon as I cursed her. I wouldn’t let her ruin me. I reminded myself that I was a practitioner and must treat others with compassion.
I did not give her a yes or no immediately. Instead I meditated and cleared my mind so that I would not be overwhelmed by emotions and damage my cultivation. I kept reciting “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” to calm down. I realized this was an ordeal, a test, a hurdle—and an opportunity to improve my xinxing.
My husband and I wrote a note and gave all the furniture to the landlord. The apartment was rented out. Everyone was happy.
Cultivation means cultivating one’s xinxing. Even though I lost a lot of money, I slowly let go of my attachment to personal gain in the process. I have gained, and my xinxing has improved. I passed the test this time.
As I continued to practice Falun Dafa, I looked back and realized my level was still too low, that I was complacent in the realm of ordinary people, and that I was still far from the realm of the Fa that Master taught. I told myself to continuously improve myself by studying the Fa and letting go of my attachments.
I have not cultivated for very long, but I have felt that Dafa is purifying me. I will continue to correct my speech and actions, improve my xinxing, and strive to meet Master’s requirements.
Thank you, Master, for your merciful salvation!
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