(Clearwisdom.net) I am a young practitioner who began practicing Falun Dafa in December 2009. On January 1, I learned the five sets of exercises. Although I've just begun practicing, I hope that I can post my personal experience sharing on the Internet and exchange with everyone. I also want to use this opportunity to tell people in the world and China that "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" is good and Falun Dafa is good!
Learning the Truth About Falun Gong and Obtaining the Fa
Before obtaining the Fa, my limited understanding about Falun Gong came from television in 1999 when I was in high school. I did not know that the TV broadcast was distorted propaganda and disinformation, and no one explained "What is Falun Gong" to me. Because I was deceived at that time, I even had some bad thoughts about Dafa and Teacher. I want to take this opportunity to give a solemn declaration: My previous words and behavior towards Dafa and Dafa's Teacher are invalid. From now on, I want to follow Teacher to cultivate in Dafa.
In December 2009, I got in touch with a practitioner at work. She brought me copies of truth clarification materials such as the Minghui Weekly. Time and time again, I was drawn by stories of Dafa's miracles in those magazines. I was also impressed by practitioners' spirit of selflessness for their firm belief. Later on, she sent me a copy of the book Zhuan Falun. After reading the book, I began to realize that Falun Dafa is the high-level Buddha Fa. Its cultivation standard is based on the cosmos' characteristics of Truth-Compassion-Forbearance. It teaches people to be kind and purifies people's minds, bringing benefits to people both physically and mentally. It guides people on how to be a genuinely good person, helps the improvement of human morality and does not harm society. Moreover, cultivation directly targets a person's mind.
Teacher said,
"The whole process of cultivation is a process of constantly getting rid of human attachments." (Zhuan Falun, "The First Talk")
Combined with the five sets of exercises, Dafa will help one to reach a very high level. It is the eternal and extremely valuable Great Law. The book answered the confusing questions that I had when I was young about Buddhism, Taoism, and divine beings. Nobody had ever explained these things so clearly. I was shocked, and really wanted to assimilate to Dafa, and purify and improve myself. Therefore, I stepped onto the path of cultivation.
Sensing the Miracle of Dafa After Learning the Five Sets of Exercises
Two weeks after I began the exercises, I clearly felt the rotation of the Falun inside my body. I could feel it adjusting my body as it moved fast and slow. I felt a very strong energy field between my hands, especially during the 2nd exercise. I felt many small Falun's rotating on my hands, like small fans delivering some cool air. When I was holding my arms out, they felt sore, numb and heavy. Energy was pushed to my head and it made me constantly shed tears. After doing the exercises, my whole body felt very light and afterward when I walked, I felt as if I were flying. I truly experienced the feeling of being illness-free. When I was doing the sitting meditation, my hands felt like they were holding something. I felt very comfortable and not at all tired. At times, I forgot where my arms or legs were. It felt very comfortable, just like sitting inside an eggshell. It was really very wonderful. Moreover, various states appeared while doing the exercises, exactly as Teacher described. I personally experienced the miracle of Dafa quite often during the exercises. I understood clearly that Falun Dafa is the cosmos' Fa. The great Tao is simple and straightforward. With only a few simple movements, it encompasses the entire universe. Moreover, doing the exercises not only cleanses our bodies, it is also a process of transforming karma, which helps us to obtain gong. Each time when I felt that I could not endure anymore, I would silently repeat Teacher's words: "It's hard to endure, but you can endure it. It's hard to do, but you can do it." (Zhuan Falun, "The Ninth Talk") I felt enormous strengthening from Teacher, and insisted on finishing the exercises. I also want to tell new practitioners that as long as you do not have any pursuit, as long as you believe in Dafa and our Teacher, you will get what you should get. Teacher gives practitioners of Falun Dafa the best things.
Improving Mind Nature, Learning How to Consider Others First
I often complained about my job conditions and felt unsatisfied, and subsequently encountered the tribulation of eliminating the attachments of fame and personal gain when I first obtained the Fa. On January 1, 2010, a friend and former colleague asked me to go to his company and work for him. It would mean leaving my current workplace and going somewhere far away. The job offer was very attractive. The base salary was almost double my current earnings, plus other benefits. Moreover, once I was appointed to a certain position, the job would be very easy, with a higher income, and offered more flexibility. I could not make up my mind, and it was really difficult. I don't know why but at that time, there was a firm voice in my heart that kept telling me, "What is more important than saving people?" At last, I put the matter aside and stopped thinking about it. After that, I stopped weighing money and fame that heavily. Later on, I realized that it was Teacher who gave me the hint and helped me to pass that test. Currently, I'm still at the same job and am continuing to work with local practitioners on what Dafa practitioners should do.
In recent years, every time I went home to celebrate the Chinese New Year, I spent most of the time eating, sleeping, and browsing the Internet. I rarely accompanied my family members in conversation or shopping. My family mainly asked me about how I liked my job, or when I would get married. But I was not interested in those things. I felt that I did not have common ground with them, and it was difficult to communicate with them. I even had several conflicts with my family. Therefore, I always felt that staying at home was very depressing and boring. After I obtained the Fa, I understood that we have great predestined relationships, and that we are in one family in this lifetime. Dafa practitioners should use this opportunity to clarify the truth to their families. This year, during the Chinese New Year holidays, I went home and spent some time chatting with my parents. I took my younger sister and nephew to play. I did some shopping with my older brother in preparing some holiday goods. I also spent some time with my sister-in-law by accompanying her to a park. And, I prepared some meals for my family. I was being a responsible family member. Our entire family had a very happy holidays-- this had never happened before. My family members also saw the changes in me, and were happy about that. It was really, "Broadly shines a Buddha's light, Justly setting all things right." ("One With the Fa" from Hong Yin) While enjoying the family life, I deeply understood what Teacher said:
"Everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")
Teacher also said:
"But the Fa is all-powerful, and with everything It is perfectly all-encompassing." ("Dafa Is All-Encompassing" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
As long as we follow Dafa's requirements, everything will change. Falun Dafa is the fundamental law of the cosmos for all beings. I will try my best to do even better, and let people around me know that Falun Dafa is good.
Practitioners around the world follow the cultivation standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We consider others first and strictly require ourselves to align with Dafa's standards. Before, during a holiday or Spring Festival, I would never care about other colleagues' scheduling wishes. I always used the excuse that I lived far away from home, and would ask for consecutive holidays. (I am the only one whose home is out-of-town). Because I am involved in engineering technology work, sudden developments often occur at the construction site. We had to guarantee that someone could be on location at any time and solve those issues. I ignored the company's overall arrangement and colleagues' hard work, and was only concerned about my comfort. I had arguments with colleagues on several occasions because of having short holidays. I thought that I deserved to have longer holidays. After studying the Fa, I understood that cultivators should always consider others first. Now, whenever there is a holiday, I think first about whether those local colleagues have any arrangements, and try to let them have a break first. Normally we are pretty busy and tired from work; and it is really hard for them to get a few days off so that they can spend some time with their families and children. I could not do this before; Dafa really changed me. At my job, I constantly view myself as a Dafa practitioner, and I try not to do anything that discredits Dafa. I should do better than non-practitioners. I keep reminding myself with every word or every action, and do well with what I should do.
Understanding Falun Dafa Practitioners' Responsibility to Save Sentient Beings
I had a dream shortly after I started practicing Falun Dafa: I saw a big pair of hands carrying a 2 or 3 year old child out of a cesspit. From that, I understood that Teacher saved me from hell and cleansed my body, so that I could become a Dafa practitioner during this Fa-rectification period. Although I obtained the Fa pretty late, I feel I am also a Dafa particle. I should be diligent and carry out the historic mission of a Dafa practitioner in assisting Teacher in validating the Fa and saving sentient beings. As I constantly studied the Fa, I understood what practitioners were given by our great Teacher. During the Fa-rectification period, saving people is the first priority. Our personal consummation is not our final destination. Only by diligently studying the Fa and cultivating ourselves well, will we be able to save sentient beings.
Between January 1, 2010, to the Chinese New Year holiday period, some practitioners and I bought a large quantity of New Year's cards. We distributed different content to different people. We had Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs, truth-clarification fliers and brochures, etc. We put a New Year's message we got from the Minghui website on the cards, and delivered practitioners' best wishes to our friends and families, and helped them to learn the truth. Before writing the information on the cards, I first cleansed my thoughts and prepared myself to maintain the most pure and kind heart. I would not allow myself to be attached to any human mentality. Each person is one of the sentient beings that we should save. Each card would send strong energy, and when people see it, it would have a good effect for saving people. While I was writing those cards, I clearly felt Teacher strengthening me with enormous power. My personal space was clear and I had no distracting thoughts. It was really, "The cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master." (Zhuan Falun)
Due to the limitations of my job, I normally promote Shen Yun and create truth-clarification materials. Shen Yun can especially wake up a person's kindness and strengthen a person's righteous thoughts. Every time I watched the show, I felt a very strong energy field. A warm stream ran down from head to toe. When I watched the programs "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution," "Nothing Can Block the Divine Path," and "Astounding Conviction," I frequently had tears running down my face.
Teacher said,
"At every show put on by Divine Performing Arts, there were many audience members who shed tears throughout, with many more having to constantly wipe tears from their eyes. Every show was like that. People were deeply stirred and moved. In this dimension it was young people who were performing, while in other dimensions, many of my Law Bodies and many divine beings were doing so. (Applause) The strength of the impact on people, as with the changes it caused in them, were very similar to what happened back when I personally taught the Fa early on. (Applause) So it has effected tremendous changes in people." "Also, the energy sent forth with the songs of our singers, with the music from the orchestra, and with the movements from the dancers in the show is pure and benevolent, compassionate, and extremely powerful. In fact, many members of the audience had their health problems resolved in that field." ("Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference")
Master has fully confirmed the effect of the Shen Yun performances. I was encouraged to broadly spread news of Shen Yun, and seize the time to save people.