(Minghui.org) Over the years, I have come to realize how important and powerful our thoughts are. Before practicing Falun Dafa, I did not think my mind could impact my body, my surroundings, or my future. I now understand that I must change radically inside in order to return to my original self. On this special occasion of World Falun Dafa Day, I would like to share how I have journeyed on this path of self-discovery and how it has changed my life significantly.
In my early teens, I used to wonder if my thoughts had any significance. I never dared to swear out loud, but what about swearing in my mind? We were often told in the early 2000s to follow our hearts, but what did that mean? I used to think I had to follow my emotions, and my passions. I had dreams, I aspired to live a happy life, travel the world and be pain-free. But I now realize I let myself be misled by the illusions of this material world. My real me was there inside, but it was trapped under many layers of notions. The only way to find myself, was to learn to identify the notions and to reject them.
When I first started reading Zhuan Falun, I was in my early twenties. I was seeking a way to deal with stress and fatigue from work, as I was crippled with rashes every few weeks. I was holding on to resentment and was trying to please the people around me. The book Zhuan Falun startled me, and I continued reading even if I didn’t understand everything or the importance of some of the topics mentioned. I continued reading, and slowly I started to understand one thing at a time and I started to experience many changes. The more I read the book, the clearer my vision became and the more I was able to get a glimpse of the real me. I stopped looking for a pay rise. Instead, I focused on the good things about my work. I stopped complaining to my partner. I stopped getting emotionally involved in conflicts involving other people. My knee pain which prevented me from running and sometimes even walking stopped hurting completely. My rashes caused by stress and fatigue stopped. As my mind was experiencing changes, so was my body.
Master said, “Once you improve your xinxing, your body will undergo a great change. Upon xinxing improvement, the matter in your body is guaranteed to transform.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
In my early thirties, I started memorizing Hong Yin, Lunyu and Zhuan Falun. My mind expanded. I felt energized and I was able to do many things at the same time as I was raising my first two sons. I realized that when I was stressed and hurried by the hustle and bustle of life, my sons were similarly busier and more demanding. One day at a time, I focused on going about my day with a smile, on slowing down and being in the moment with an empty mind whilst doing the simplest things.
I focused on not holding on to resentment when my husband came home late from work. I rejected time and time again the bad thoughts complaining about all the housework that seemed endless. I discovered many amazing stories about ancient China, and about Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It changed my view of the world and I started to embrace more traditional thoughts. My children’s upbringing took a new direction. They lived without a TV screen and video games. Their creativity and musical skills grew day by day. They are happy, kind, and pure kids.
Now in my late thirties, I have experienced many tribulations, some very painful since the birth of our third son, with trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). Dafa has allowed me to distinguish my emotions from my real me and to take full control of my thoughts. I have been able to use the rationality gained over years of reading the Fa to keep calm or find peace in the face of great pressure. The relationship with my husband is based on mutual kindness and understanding and we have been able to endure the pain of life together with gratefulness. It has allowed us to grow in wisdom thanks to Dafa. Now more than ever I feel I have to keep my mind pure and stay away from all the distractions of the world. I have to pay attention to what is on my mind, and I recite the Fa to help me stay focused. If my mind is filled with the everlasting struggles of the human world, I am a human. If my mind is empty and does not worry about the trivial things happening all around, I am out of this world and I have a chance of having a bright future high above.
I’d like to share with everyone Master’s poem from Hong Yin:
“He who regards not ordinary sorrows and joysA cultivator is heHe who has not attachmentsto worldly loss and gainAn Arhat is he” (“Breaking Free of the Three Realms,” Hong Yin)
(Selected submission to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)
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