(Clearwisdom.net)
Changes After Starting Cultivation
I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. Before that, I was well known in school for fighting with others, even though I was only in the sixth grade. Almost every term my parents had to fork out some money on medical expenses for my classmates as a result of brawling with me.
A practitioner lent my mother a set of Dafa videotapes. I started watching them each day. I was shocked when I finished watching the lecture series. Teacher said:
"In the eyes of a higher being, a person's life is not meant for just being human. This being thinks that one's life is born in the space of the universe and embodies the same quality as the universe; life is benevolent and made of the matter Zhen-Shan-Ren.... In this delusion and under such conditions, one is given this kind of opportunity."
(Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)
I rejoiced for having found Teacher, Dafa, and understanding the meaning of life. I realized that it was wrong to beat and curse others, and that I could only return to my origin by cultivating according to the principles of "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance."
From then on, I was determined to completely change my misbehaved past, take the Fa as my teacher, and whole-heartedly devote myself to cultivation and studying the Fa. Because I constantly made demands of myself according to the requirement of the Fa, I established a good image for myself and gained prestige in class. My parents also began to have confidence in me. Later my grades drastically improved. In the entrance examination in 1999, I achieved excellent grades and was accepted to the top five provincial high schools.
After the Persecution Begins
On July 20th 1999, the evil brought overwhelming pressure to bear on Dafa. I quietly vowed to "follow Teacher closely, steadfastly cultivating Dafa..." ("The Knowing Heart")
At first we did not know what to do. After a while, my mother and I made several banners for truth clarification, and we hung them on the newly opened multilevel bridge, in front of the appeal office, and in parks. After that, we started distributing truth-clarifying materials on streets to validate Dafa and offer salvation to sentient beings.
In the lecture "To All Students at the Nordic Fa Conference," Teacher said:
"every student should in his daily life fully take the initiative of a Dafa disciple, establish his own mighty virtue in the process of clarifying the truth, and do well on his own Dafa disciple's path. So in clarifying the truth, don't wait, don't rely on others, and don't just hope for changes in external factors."
At school, I take every opportunity to tell my classmates that Dafa is good and clarify the truth to them. After listening to me, one of my classmates said: "I will also practice Falun Dafa." One time, I brought truth material with me to class. My deskmate wrote a song named "Falun Dafa is good" after he read the material. On New Years' Eve, my mother and I went to the bulletin board in front of the city public security bureau. The security was tight. We silently recited the Fa verses and managed to post two posters printed "Falun Dafa is good" on the board under the constant watchful patrol of the police. The evils were just like Teacher described "All that remains is the last of the dirt blowing in the wind." ("New Year's Greeting to Dafa Disciples in 2003").
In Tiananmen Square
One time my father (a non-practitioner) decided to take me to a university in Beijing for an interview. Upon arrival in Beijing, we went to the Tiananmen Square and only stayed for several minutes. My father needed to read the map. Our chance had finally come. Facing Tiananmen, my mother and I called out loudly together, "Falun Dafa is righteous! Restore the reputation of Teacher!" My excitement at that moment was impossible to describe. That was the thing I most wanted to do at the time.
My most esteemed Teacher, I know that I am still far from comparable to other practitioners and the requirements of the Fa. But I will follow Teacher's words: "with righteous thoughts and righteous actions, he is diligent without letting up" ("A Righteous God").
March 5, 2003