(Clearwisdom.net) Although I am a new practitioner who began practicing Falun Dafa only four months ago, I have already deeply experienced the power of Dafa.
Twice-missed Opportunity
I began to show a special interest in the origin of human beings when I was little. After I matured, I became fascinated with ancient Chinese culture, such as martial arts and the Book of Changes.
I first came across Falun Dafa during my senior year of high school. At that time, a new student transferred to my class. He had been practicing Falun Dafa for over a year. I had the good fortune to get a glimpse of Zhuan Falun and was fascinated by the part about prehistoric civilization. It's a pity that I did not finish reading the book due to my thought karma and other interference. This was the first time I missed the opportunity to obtain the Fa. However, the seeds were planted in my heart.
After I entered University in 1998, I again pursued my ideal of cultivation practice. I went to the University library to check out qigong books and theories about qigong. I started to follow the instructions given in the books and practiced every night. As a result, instead of curing my illnesses, the various qigong practices actually messed up my body more.
Right before the suppression of Falun Gong started in 1999, an alumnus came to our university to promote Falun Dafa. However, when I read the parts about not practicing or cultivating dan [an energy cluster] and that we should not be concerned with time or direction of practice, and that the Fa cultivates practitioners, I thought that it was too good to be true. Therefore, I developed doubts about Dafa, missing the opportunity to obtain the Fa for the second time, which I now intensely regret.
When all the lies and propaganda started to spread on July 20, I also misunderstood Dafa and even drifted with the tide, saying disrespectful things about Dafa and Master. When I think about how I felt at that time, I realize how important it is to let other people know the truth in order to offer them salvation.
After Traversing Peaks and Valleys I Finally Understood how Long I had Waited
In April and May of this year, I fortuitously received some software designed to break the Internet blockade from one of my classmates. With the help of this software, I was able to visit foreign websites containing news about Falun Gong. I got to know the truth about the persecution by downloading the video about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident and Dafa practitioners' articles exposing the persecution.
My first response was that I wanted to read the original Dafa books. After six years, I read Zhuan Falun again and suddenly discovered that my desire to cultivate had returned. After I finished reading Zhuan Falun, the unanswered questions that had remained from when I was studying Buddhism and Taoism were all resolved. It was during the summer holiday, and I was so excited that I could not find suitable words to describe my happiness. With Master's benevolent protection, my roommate got a computer. From then on I was able to watch the videos with Master teaching the exercises and I began to practice the exercises by following Master's instructions. I made up my mind to persist in my practice, and I have walked the shining path of a Dafa disciple ever since.
Striving to be Diligent, Stepping Forward to Oppose the Old Forces
I began my cultivation of Falun Dafa on July 20 of this year. At first I came to Dafa with the pursuit of curing my illnesses. As I studied the Fa more deeply, however, I gradually discovered my attachment to illness and identified it as an obstacle in the path of my cultivation. Therefore, I gradually abandoned my desire to cure my illness and, as a result, my stomach trouble that had been bothering me miraculously disappeared. One week after I had started my cultivation, I decided to quit smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and taking medicine, and thereafter my health improved markedly. I strongly felt the power of Dafa. A more important and deep-rooted change was that I found the true purpose of life.
When I followed the requirements of Dafa to assimilate to the characteristics of the Universe, I gradually changed from being an ill-tempered and selfish person to a peaceful person. I used to like to play soccer very much and quarreled a lot with others on the soccer field. After I started to practice Dafa, I did not get upset even when my forehead was bumped and started to bleed. Instead, all I said was, "It's all right." Even my good friend was surprised by my response.
While I am making progress in my personal cultivation, I have begun to understand that new practitioners should also step forward. Since we have chosen to be Master's disciples, we should follow the requirements set by Master and do the Three Things well. My understanding is that, as Dafa disciples who will reach consummation with the next group, we will still have the opportunity to complete our personal cultivation in the future. However, we won't have any opportunities to clarify the truth after this period of time.
With great conviction, I would like to tell those veteran practitioners who haven't stepped forward, "Please don't take the evil path again. This is a matter of life and death. Once the opportunity is gone, it will be gone forever. There will be no second Fa-rectification in the future Universe. What you do today contributes to your everlasting glory in the future. Any mistakes you make today will not be easily erased."
When I am clarifying the truth to people, I make use of various methods. For example, I downloaded some truth-clarifying materials from Minghui.org and edited them before I went to distribute the flyers in residential areas. So far, I have chosen to go at night, placing the printed materials in every home's mailbox or in the crack of the door. I began to do this only one month after I had started my cultivation. By now, I have almost covered all the major residential areas close to my home. I also use Dongtai.net to send information to other people in Internet chat rooms. Every hour, there are about 100 friends chatting online, and I post materials explaining the truth about Falun Gong. Once when I went out to post materials explaining the truth about the self-immolation, it was raining hard. I sent forth righteous thoughts while walking, asking Master to strengthen me. Miraculously, it stopped raining as soon as I arrived at the place where I had planned to post the materials. I finished my job without problems, experiencing the miracle of Dafa yet again.
Of course, the most effective way to clarify the truth is to talk with others face to face. For the sake of safety, I began to explain the truth about Falun Gong to my friends and relatives who live far away from me. After he understood the truth, one of my friends is now studying the Fa while preparing for his graduate exams. He said, "I must try my best to catch up with the others." My mother also gradually has become aware of the truth. She once received some truth-clarification materials distributed by practitioners. When I was clarifying the truth to one of my classmates, he even recalled part of what he had read from Zhuan Falun in the past. At present, I mainly use indirect ways to explain the truth to my classmates when talking to them or sending them e-mails with information about Dafa. As the situation changes, I will find opportunities to directly let them know the truth.
I think that no matter when we obtained the Fa, we must follow Master's teachings to do the Three Things well, since we have chosen to follow the path of the truth of the Universe. This is particularly true for new Dafa practitioners. Won't our diligence and our best efforts to clarify the truth combine with our sending forth righteous thoughts to help end this persecution earlier and save more sentient beings? Seen from this angle, aren't we opposing the old forces' arrangements? I now understand that the ability of new Dafa practitioners to step forward also negates the old forces and shows our responsibility to sentient beings.
December 5, 2004
