Experiences with Falun Dafa

Zenon Dolnyckyi, Canada

My family treated me very well. My elder brother and sister would always get me out of trouble. My mom taught me to be good and to accomplish anything I put my mind to. My dada taught me not to be like others, but to stand out and shine. Unfortunately I took all those things improperly. I believed I could do whatever I wanted, I was better than others and that I never had to pay for what I did wrong. If others thought I was good, that was good enough. I became a bad person. How bad I became isn't important. It is enough to know that over the next ten years I became a very wicked person.

Because of the blind faith I had in myself, I was very successful in whatever I did. This only reinforced the illusion that I was so great. No matter what I put my hand on I wanted to complete or succeed very quickly, I was very impatient.

When I was 18, I began to study Kung Fu. One day my teacher told me about something called Qigong, and that through the practice of Qigong one could attain everlasting life. From that moment forward I knew I would study Qigong and fulfill my life-long goal of everlasting life. I began to search high and low for Qigong masters and books. I eventually stopped studying anything combative, and focused my studies on Qigong and Taichi. The only problem was that everyone talked about enlightenment and everlasting life, but nobody taught how to attain it. Deciding not to wait any longer, I began to search the Internet. This is how I found Falun Dafa. At first I did not want to look at the web site. Then something brought me back to it. Once I saw that all books could be downloaded for free, I became very excited. Once I read some of China Falun Gong I knew that this was what I had been looking for. I called the phone number to verify that the nine-day seminar was actually free. I ended up inviting friends and then took the nine-day seminar.

When I look back to any instance in my life, I see how I was being prepared for the Law of Falun Dafa. If I had learned of Falun Dafa two months earlier, I would have been one of those who laughed loudly when hearing the Tao. I was lifted out of the realm of selfishness, drugs, alcohol and lust. This way I could be at a point to accept this Law so I could return to my true original self. For the past two years I had learned how to help others and myself. I now know the best way to continue to do that was to cultivate and propagate Falun Dafa.

I do not believe in luck, but feel truly the luckiest. To go so far away into such filthy things and to be guided back to what is right.

After the nine-day lectures I had made progress but I still believed myself to be great. For two months I didn't see any other practitioners and I cultivated by myself. Because I believed myself to be so great, I thought other practitioners would only slow me down. I slowly began to lose interest in my hobbies and watching movies, so I would read Zhuan Falun. I would read and do my exercises daily, but I was becoming very lonely, and bored. After two months of cultivating by myself, I thought, " I understand Falun Dafa so well, I should go meet other practitioners, it will really benefit them." I still thought of myself to be very good.

Now I see that most of what I learned in my first two months' cultivation was wrong. I am the one who benefited from my fellow practitioners. All of you have helped me in my understanding of the Law, and to show me my attachments. I feel I have not only decided to cultivate the Law, but I have also joined a very great family. I am not only speaking to those practitioners I have met. I say this to all practitioners. Master says that the Law is perfecting and harmonizing us while we are perfecting and harmonizing the Law. From my understanding, if a practitioners in Sydney or Beijing passes a mind/heart nature test, that will help to harmonize the Law. Which will in turn help to harmonize all practitioners. This is just too precious and I am just too lucky. Our family is so large and truly wonderful.

Through cultivating this Great Law, my heart has grown so immense that the love my heart hold could not be confined to one person. I feel a deep love to all people, all life and our universe. I know that the love I felt before was an attachment and that cultivation of the Law can rectify all fallacies, just as it is stated in On Buddha Law. This kind, compassionate, benevolent love, has become so immense and all encompassing that this word can never hope to touch it. I know that none of these would be possible without cultivating this Great Law of Truth Compassion and Tolerance. Without conforming to Truth Compassion and Tolerance, I am sure the deepest love that could have ever felt would have been confined so just or a couple of people. That would have been just too sad. Through my cultivation in Falun Dafa, my heart has grown larger than I ever imagine and know. I am still very small. This helps me to understand Master Li, when he says this Great Law is boundless. Gradually realizing how rich the Law is and how rich the Chinese language is. I know there were a lot of things lost in translation. I decided to learn Chinese. I had still believed myself to be better than others. I thought if I learn Chinese, I can grasp the language would be better than the Chinese people. I could have deep conversation with Chinese practitioners, listen to Master Li without translator and if I ever had the chance, I would speak with Master Li in Chinese. I thought Master Li would be so impressed. I even thought I could go to China and do business and make lots of money. I thought I could be even greater than I am now. There were just some of the attachments I had developed. I had gone very wrong and hindered my cultivation greatly. A fellow practitioner took me aside and asked me why I studied Chinese. Like a good practitioner, I answered " to better understanding the Law". This practitioner asked me to look deeper inside, and I saw many dirty and ugly things some of which I have just mentioned. After that day, I decided to stop my Chinese study temporarily. If I can not do it properly, then I am not going to do it. For days after, I went through my life seeing what a mess I had created of my life and putting things back in line with the Law. Most important is I put my mind back in line with the Law. Over these days I was constantly looking deep inside to see where I fundamentally went wrong. A few days later, when I was driving by myself, I suddenly realized that I was studying Chinese not the Law. At that moment a small but very powerful, peaceful explosion took place very deep inside my heart and mind. This peaceful explosion opened me up to an unimaginably vast and extensive feeling and understanding of the Law. I wept knowing all my attachments were very wrong. I felt as though I had insulted the Law. In the past, I would try to embrace the Law it would feel as though my arms were stretching out to hug the Law. I no longer try to hug it, but just stand humbled by it incomparably immense, rich and extensive benevolence. Even though I expressed all these, I know it can't ever explain my understanding of the Law. And it is too far away from the Law that is because I am so small and the Law is truly great.

When I first encountered Falun Dafa, I cultivated for the purpose of becoming enlightened and returning to my original true self. I no longer cultivate with any purpose, I just know that the Law is great and I will never stop.