(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa when I was at a university in 1998. I am 47 years old now and a manager in a state-run enterprise. I’d like to share my cultivation experiences here.
I missed a few opportunities to obtain the Fa initially. My neighbor lent me the book Zhuan Falun when I was on winter break. I said I would read it but I didn’t. Zhuan Falun was on my desk the whole break.
My university classmates, Cheng and Ding, practiced Falun Dafa. There was a practice site near my university. They knew that I was interested in qigong. They often talked to me about qigong, and also asked me to join them at the practice site to experience the energy there, but I declined with various excuses. One day I sat beside Cheng at an evening study session when he was reading Zhuan Falun. Out of curiosity, I took the book and read a little bit. I wanted to borrow the book from him, but he only had one copy. He read the book every day, so I didn’t read any more of the book at that time either.
We went to another province in my junior year to intern in a factory. I came across Cheng and Ding one day after dinner as they were going to a practice site. I was surprised that there were Falun Gong practice sites everywhere.
Cheng and Ding invited me to go to the practice site many times. It was near our dormitory. One day I decided to go. I got up early and walked to the practice site. In the beginning, I still hesitated and wondered whether I should go. On a second thought, nothing bad would come of it. As I walked toward the practice site, I felt like someone was pushing me forward. I felt my body was light. I later realized that Master was strengthening me.
I sat beside Ding in a class one day in the second term of our junior year. He chatted about qigong with me and some phenomena in cultivation. I found it amazing. I asked him if he had personally seen it. He wrote a paragraph from Master’s teaching. It said,
“Enlightening comes before seeing. Cultivate your mind and eliminate your karma. Once your original nature comes forth you will be able to see.” (“Why One Cannot See,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
After class, he showed me the whole article: “Why One Cannot See.” I asked him some questions. He then lent me the book Explaining the Teachings of Zhuan Falun. I read it, and it answered some of my questions. I wanted to read more Falun Dafa books, so I bought a copy of Zhuan Falun. I started practicing Falun Dafa.
I joined the practice site in the evenings every day to practice the exercises and study one lecture of Zhuan Falun. Cheng and I went to the practice site in the morning and in the evening almost every day. I felt that our practice site was a pure land where we helped and took care of each other. Everyone helped hang up the banners and the exercise demo pictures, and helped to clean up when we finished. Everyone felt that Falun Dafa is good from the bottom of their hearts because they had benefited from it. I also went to the neighboring countryside with practitioners to spread the Fa.
Jing was an alumnus of my university and was also an employee in my department. I was later transferred to work in another department. She had a heated argument with me during a big joint project between our two departments. One day before the meeting I talked to her about the project. She strongly disagreed with the format of the report that I had completed, according to my manager’s instructions. She didn’t agree with accepting the portion of work their department should share, though it had been decided upon by the company leaders. She was aggressive and bad-mouthed me in front of several other colleagues. This was the first time that she had treated me this way.
I was calm and didn’t get angry or lose my temper. I came back to my office and realized that I must have some attachments to let go of. I found my competitiveness, pursuit of personal fame and interest, fear of losing face, and resentment. I felt better after I had found my attachments. When I returned to the meeting room, Jing had become softer. We didn’t talk about the project anymore.
During our lunch break, Jing and her manager complained about the project in their office loudly. Jing resented me. I was just passing their office and heard what they were saying. I became agitated again. I couldn’t understand why she treated me like this, though we were alumni of the same university and had gotten along well before. I used to be her manager. How dare she talk about me in this way? I felt disappointed and upset in my heart.
Though I realized from the Fa that I needed to keep letting go of my attachments, I still felt uneasy when I was facing Jing. I was far from selfless. I needed to continue cultivating myself.
I have a daughter and a son. Both of them are Falun Dafa practitioners. When my son was in primary school, he did his homework slowly and liked to play a lot. I nagged him a lot, and he talked back. This caused a lot of conflicts. My husband and I had different opinions about how to educate our children. We argued and had conflicts. Our family was often a mess. How should I address these problems? I knew that everyday people’s methods could only solve problems superficially, and not the root causes. Only Falun Dafa’s principles could change people’s hearts.
I started to study the Fa with my son. We read five pages of Zhuan Falun every evening starting two years ago. We later read 10 pages and practiced the exercises for a little while every evening. We recently spent some time sharing about cultivating xinxing. The main focus was to look within to find attachments. I found my attachments of impatience, forcing my opinions upon others, using my own standards to measure other people, losing my temper, seeking perfection, and seeing fame (such as hoping my son would have good grades, a good future, would make a name for himself, and have his success acknowledged by other people, etc.)
My son also found some of his attachments, such as liking to play, playing games, enjoying eating snacks, being lazy, and not wanting to do his homework. We tried to get rid of our attachments during conflicts. When new conflicts came up, we cultivated ourselves and let the attachments go. I have gradually taken things lightly and changed my mindset. I have increased my patience with my son and have become calmer. Sometimes I still don’t do well. When we have conflicts, we remind each other and help each other. We are charging forward on our cultivation paths.
I am in charge of engineering and material aspects in my company, as well as management of the bidding process. Many clients have tried to bribe me with cash, kickbacks, and gift cards. I have refused them, but have still treated them fairly. The managers at my company trust me a lot. I told my clients that I practice Falun Dafa and won’t take anything from them.
One morning, a client delivered goods to our company. He said that he had loaded 200 yuan (USD$28) onto my mobile phone. I gave him 200 yuan in cash and assured him that as long as the quality of his goods was good, I had no problem. I would accept all of them. On another occasion, a client from the provincial capital city came to my office and put a pile of cash on the sofa and went downstairs again. I picked up the cash and ran after him. I returned the cash to him.
No matter how my clients tried to bribe me, I always adhered to Falun Dafa’s standards. I don’t seem to fit into this profit-seeking society, but I feel calm in my heart. I wouldn’t have been like this if I didn’t practice Falun Dafa.
When I have had opportunities to be with my clients for a longer period of time, I have talked to them thoroughly about Falun Dafa and the three withdrawals. One client was a veteran Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member from Northeastern China. I clarified the truth to him and tried to persuade him to withdraw from the CCP several times. He finally said, “I was a CCP member for decades. You have now persuaded me to quit the CCP.” I am very happy for the clients who have withdrawn from the CCP and chosen a good future for themselves.
I had many illnesses and was physically weak when I was young. I was diagnosed with a heart problem when I was in first grade, and with Hepatitis B when I was in the third grade. I took a six-month break from school to recover at home. I was frequently hospitalized due to colds and stomach problems when I was in middle school. When I was at the university, I had to have IV drips at the school clinic.
But I have been healthy since I started practicing Falun Dafa. I haven’t been on any medication over the past 27 years. I’ve had a fever occasionally, or pain, or sores, but I have quickly recovered through studying the Fa and practicing the exercises.
I have clarified the truth to my relatives and asked them to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Most of them stayed safe during the pandemic. I have sent truth-clarification materials to my relatives every Chinese New Year over the past decade. Most of them have accepted the materials. I hope that my relatives will choose a good future for themselves in this critical historical moment.
My mother practiced Falun Dafa before, and she started to practice earlier than me, but she gave up during the persecution due to fear. She still thinks that Falun Dafa is good and often repeats “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance is good.” Her health is better than most people her age. She is 83 years old and still cooks for us.
I was addicted to video games on my mobile phone a few years ago. Even at midnight, when I went to the toilet, I would play video games on my mobile for half an hour. As a result, I wouldn’t get up on time the next morning. When I was waiting for a red light to change while on my scooter, I would take out my mobile phone and play video games for a few seconds. I played video games as soon as I got to the office every morning before I started work. I knew I was not in the right state, but I was unable to change it.
As I studied the Fa more, I realized that time was precious and that video games were harming me. I decided to let the attachment go. I had some relapses after I first quit playing video games, but I finally let go of this demonic attachment. I am no longer interested in playing them. Even if I see video games, I have no urge to play them.
I now arrange my time well, including when I study the Fa, practice the exercises, and look after my family. Falun Dafa enabled me to get rid of my addiction to video games.