(Clearwisdom.net) Editors' Note: The author states at the end of this article: "Hereby, I would like to share my cultivation experience with my most respected Teacher; to express my gratitude for his constant protection, guidance, and teachings; to validate the magnificence, greatness, and the inviolable sacredness of Dafa through my personal experience. It is my hope that my cultivation and Fa-rectification experience will be helpful to my fellow practitioners and beings in the future." In this vein, we would like to see more fellow practitioners come forward to share their cultivation experiences.

I had feared death ever since I was young. Sometimes, I would be laying in bed at night but would not dare close my eyes for fear that once I fell asleep I would not wake up. Even as an adult this feeling haunted me.

One day I found out that a co-worker from our company was practicing a qigong that cultivates one's heart. When I met her I asked her, "I heard that you are practicing qigong, which one?" She happily told me, "Falun Gong." She explained to me what Falun Gong is about. I was very happy to learn about Falun Gong. At noon that day, I borrowed the book Falun Gong from her. I read the book from cover to cover without interruption. My heart and soul were deeply awed. The fear of death that had haunted me all my life was gone completely. I understood the true meaning of life. At that moment, I wanted to cry whole-heartedly. I could not help repeating, "I am saved. I am saved."

Once I calmed down, I immediately thought to myself that I must begin to conduct myself according to what was stated in the book. Suddenly, my thought went to a person who I really hated. I thought that I should forgive her, and that I shouldn't hate her anymore (not long before, she had telephoned me and called me bad names). I got up my courage to pick up the phone to call her and I told her that I had forgiven her. At the end of our conversation, she said, "This is what you should do." This is the first time that I experienced the beauty of forgiveness.

In the afternoon, I decided to go to my mother's home to let her know about this great experience. At that moment a miracle occurred. I suddenly felt that my entire body was very light, almost weightless. I floated to my mother's home as if someone was carrying me. Usually, it would take me 30 minutes to walk home, but this time I made it home in 10 minutes. On top of that, I was not tired at all. This experience further convinced me that Falun Gong is not an ordinary qigong. Everything stated in the book is true. November 23, 1996 is a most meaningful day for me because it was a turning point in my life, a point in time when my true life began.

Soon after I obtained the Fa, I went on a business trip to the United States, where I got to know a Chinese-American practitioner. He had a great impact on my Fa study. He could talk about the Fa from within the Fa and he was very rational. The most striking thing he said to me was, "The words in Zhuan Falun are alive. As long as you immerse yourself in the book and try to assimilate with it, you are not just reading the book, but, the book is talking to you." What he said was interesting and refreshing, and I was sure what he said was true. Why didn't I have this feeling? It must be that when I studied the Fa I did not completely immerse my body and soul into the Fa. Although I was striving forward, I was focused mainly on exercises. I had an incorrect notion that as long as I endured hardships I would elevate to higher levels. I did not grasp that the quickest and most effective means to raise one's levels is through Fa study and xinxing (mind nature) cultivation.

After I came to realize my shortcoming, I spent a lot of time studying the Fa every day. Almost all of my time outside of work was used to study the Fa. The more I studied the Fa, the more I liked to study it. The more I studied the book, the more things I would discover in the book. Every time I finished reading the book I would find something new. Whenever I picked up the book I could not put it down. The book is so intriguing because every word in it has life - the life is higher than you; every word reveals something new and enlightens. I also found that while you are studying the Fa, you also need to practice, i.e., to eliminate attachments. Even if you are looking at some truth in the book, but do not let go of the attachment, it will act as a wall, which prevents you from really seeing the truth. Therefore, only when you study the Fa can you realize your attachments, distinguish yourself, detect the wrong notion, and then eliminate the attachments. In this way you can rise to higher levels.

I also realized the majesty and sacredness of Dafa. Because life is complex and the main primordial spirit is lost in this human world, if there were no Dafa and no Teacher you would never be able to cultivate. In this modern society, the mind of human beings is filled with warped notions and selfish thoughts. These things, which are also alive, cover up your primordial spirit, preventing it from taking effect. Whenever you meet with problems, it is the warped notions and thoughts that are controlling you. If you want to return to your true self and have your main primordial spirit dominate, you must eliminate these bad things. How could it be so easy! If you do not cultivate in the Fa, you will have no power. How can your main primordial spirit defeat these bad things and break off their control of you? Therefore, the only way to return to your true self is through cultivation in the Fa. Only your primordial spirit can assimilate to the Fa; notions are opposite to the Fa. Thus, only the Fa can awaken your true self. Only with the power of the Fa can you win over bad things, eliminate and defeat them. Only with the Fa can you emancipate yourself and awaken your primordial spirit.

I realized that the colossal universe we live in is like a gigantic three-dimensional network, with interconnections that run vertically, horizontally, inside out, and up and down. All life is included in it; the only difference is its position in the net. For example, the network of humankind is very complex. As a human, you must live your life within the network. If you want to become a divine being, you must jump out of the network. Therefore, all the complex factors that relate to you have to be shaken up, including people, substances, events, etc, i.e., everything you are attached to. These factors will all hinder your departure, because they think that you belong to them. The more you are attached to them, the more they will hinder you, and the more difficult it will be to detach from them. When you want to cultivate to higher levels, there will be even more complex factors. How can you break through and break off from them? It is very difficult.

Only Dafa possesses the mighty power that enables you to break through layers upon layers of attachments because Dafa is the fundamental law of the universe. Therefore, the Fa is the source of all the life in the universe. Consequently, studying the Fa is most critical to cultivation.

To be continued

2002-11-23