(Clearwisdom.net) I started cultivation of Falun Dafa in October 1997. Before that time, I had learned several different qigong practices, but after encountering Dafa, I understood that this is what I had always been looking for. When I first started practicing, I was studying for my doctorate degree at Peking University and my studies were very intense. During the day, I had to go to the lab, and at night I frequently had to research materials. However, I was always able to make time for studying the “Fa” and practicing the exercises. Practicing Falun Dafa not only did not interfere with my studies, but actually made me much more efficient in studying. During that time period, veteran practitioners frequently showed videos of Teacher’s lectures in their homes; I went almost every time. Teacher lectured in different places, and sometimes would lecture on the same issue from a different angle. Even if it were the same exact video, every time I watched it, I would have a greater understanding. Teacher’s lectures fascinated me. Since childhood I have listened to many seminars, especially during college, where there were many seminars. But none of the lectures I have listened to are like Teacher’s lectures, which capture my attention from the beginning to the end. Every time I watched Teacher lecturing, my eyes did not want to leave him. I would just sit there calmly, my entire being melting into the Fa, and I did not even want to move a bit. One fellow practitioner jokingly said to me, “When you watch the lectures, your eyes don’t even blink.” “Yes, this Dafa is that good,” I thought, “and I didn’t want to miss a single word of Teacher’s and didn’t want to miss a single facial expression. Teacher explained the many unsolved mysteries that had surrounded my heart for so long and allowed me to use a completely new thinking to view the world around me. Even though I was already advancing in a doctorate degree, the more I studied the more confused I felt. I felt that I was not solving the mysteries of the universe. Because the standpoint of modern science is wrong, going on this path to continually develop can only lead one further and further away from the truth. After obtaining the Fa, I understood what was the truth and understood the true meaning of life.
Besides changing my world-view completely, Dafa also miraculously changed my body physically. Ever since childhood, my health was poor. As a little boy I had colds and fever almost every week; one time the fever was so severe I almost died. At a doctor's suggestion, my tonsils were removed when I was six years old. After that, I did not have colds as frequently, but every time I had a cold, it would for certain cause a fever. Besides that, every once in a while I would have a severe migraine and could not do anything. Additionally, I had a stomach ulcer and toothaches and had to go to the hospital regularly. After practicing Falun Gong, I have not needed to take a single pill or go to the hospital even once. All my illnesses were gone, and my sickness record book at school was completely blank. During cold winters I would practice the sitting meditation outside, but I did not feel cold at all. Instead, I felt that my whole body was very warm, and it felt very comfortable. After practicing Falun Dafa, my health was no longer weak; such was the power of the Fa. I was able to obtain all of this from Dafa because I wanted to be a genuine Falun Dafa disciple—it’s not attainable by simply practicing the movements.
Like many practitioners, once I benefited from Dafa, I immediately thought of my relatives, friends, and classmates. I hoped that they too would learn Dafa and benefit. After hearing that I practiced Falun Gong, many classmates found me to learn more about it. There were quite a few classmates who admired Teacher and Dafa, and two of them even obtained the Fa. Even though there were a few students who did not believe Dafa, they all thought I that had very good character and was a very good person. I told them that it was because I practiced Falun Gong that I had changed so much physically and spiritually. Under my influence, my wife started to learn more about Dafa and went with me to a university’s auditorium to watch the entire course of Teacher’s lectures given in Dalian. When she first started listening, she felt sleepy, but the more she listened the more she became energetic and interested. After listening, my wife asked where we could buy the videos of the lectures because she wanted to mail them to her mother to watch. My mother-in-law’s temper was not good and she frequently had arguments with people, although she was very kind to me and had never been mad at me. My wife was hoping that her mother would learn Dafa and improve her bad temper.
During winter break, my wife and I brought the Jinan lecture videos and some Dafa books to my mother-in-law’s home to celebrate the New Year. Although my mother-in-law’s hometown is a small place, there were already many people practicing Dafa. I remembered that from the last time I was there. At that time, one morning I took a walk outside. I saw that in a square there were dozens of people doing the sitting meditation in a circle. The environment was very peaceful and I was attracted by it. After they finished, I went up to them and asked a practitioner, “What are all of you doing?” She said to me, “We are practicing Falun Gong.” These simple words made a deep impression in my mind, but maybe my predestined time had not come yet, because I did not obtain the Fa then. Later when I started going to school in Beijing, I borrowed a copy of “Zhuan Falun” from the local volunteer assistant. Only then did I truly decide the road that I would walk. At New Year’s time, many relatives visited my mother-in-law’s home, which was a great chance to spread Dafa. My wife and I used our own personal experiences to tell them how good Dafa is and how miraculous it is. During that time, my wife’s older brother obtained the Fa. One time when he was reading Essentials for Further Advancement, just as he turned to the page with the Falun emblem, the light suddenly went off, and he saw that the Falun was quickly turning. After a few seconds, the light went on again. From then on, he saw many beautiful scenes, which helped him be more confident in practicing.
Both my parents are in the navy. They were educated in materialism for many years and didn’t really believe there are beings in other dimensions. But they saw the physical changes in me after I started practicing, so they wanted to learn about Dafa. My mother said that when I was practicing and she was lying in the bed, after she closed her eyes she could feel flowers blooming in front of her eyes. And when my father practiced the sitting meditation, he could feel warm currents flowing about his legs. Although they did not start to truly cultivate yet, our compassionate Teacher had already started cleansing their bodies. Although my father never said anything, he knew in his heart that Dafa teaches a person to be good. One time, a classmate wanted to take me out to eat, and I said casually, “Can’t miss a free meal!” My father questioned me, “Would your Teacher Li teach you to do that?” I immediately understood that my selfishness had come out, and I also saw that, deep down in my father’s heart, he knew clearly that Dafa teaches people to be kind. It is just that he had too many notions that prevented him from starting to practice.
The times changed suddenly. Just when I was diligently cultivating and spreading Dafa, just when my parents eventually were about to genuinely start practicing, the evil persecution began. My parents, who had lived through many political movements and upheavals, thought that this was going to be another “Cultural Revolution” and they feared that I would be persecuted. At that time, my advisor and the Party Committee Secretary frequently found me to talk about Falun Gong, and tried using many methods to make me promise that I would give up the practice. They told me that as long as I just said that I would not practice anymore, everything would be fine; otherwise, I would not be able to get my degree. My answer was always, “Cultivators cannot lie. I will not give up practicing Falun Dafa. This is how I think in my heart, I don’t want to deceive you.” They saw that I was determined and could not do anything. Summer vacation intervened, so this matter was let slide. Many classmates and professors knew that I practiced Dafa. My mother also used to tell many of her friends, relatives, and co-workers that her son practiced Falun Dafa, and this helped many predestined people obtain the Fa. Therefore, after the persecution started, many people called to ask about me. I told every single one of them, “First, I still firmly practice Falun Dafa, and, second, do not believe the lies and propaganda programs on TV. At that time, I did not know the concept of “clarifying the truth.” I just felt that as a Dafa disciple, one must firmly stand up in such a situation, and also must safeguard the Fa. The evildoers, in order to deceive everyone, spread rumors that “this local assistant had stopped practicing,” or “that local assistant was 'transformed.'” Although these things did not move me, they affected many people in the general public that did not know the truth. So whenever I could get in touch with classmates and professors, I would always tell them about the truth. At that time, I also watched the propaganda programs on TV. I wanted to see what kinds of lies and tricks these clowns would fabricate, and also, I wanted to see scenes from when Teacher was first spreading the Fa in China. At that time, I missed Teacher very, very much. But one day, suddenly, the electricity went out, and when the electricity went back on, the propaganda program was already over. I understood that we should not watch these evil programs. If you knew someone was trying to dump manure on you, why wouldn’t you step away? You’d rather be polluted? My family also hated the television propaganda, and every time such programs came on, they would change the channel immediately.
My wife and I have a very good relationship. When Jiang and his gang started persecuting Dafa, she was very concerned for my safety, and so were my parents. They know that the government’s persecution of Falun Gong is extremely cruel. At that time, many students around me who practiced Falun Gong were arrested and beaten, and many of them were sentenced to forced labor or received prison sentences. My parents had heard of these situations, and they were afraid that a “frail scholar” like me, after being arrested, would be beaten to death or handicapped for life. Later on, I was detained and interrogated by the police. After my father learned of it, he was in such shock and fear that he could not walk. My mother and my wife came to look for me but the police would not let them see me. At that time, my wife was crying and begging them to let her see me. One of the policemen was touched and allowed her to go in. Later, I heard the policemen chatting and saying that they envied us, because they felt that our relationship was very good. From seeing me, they only saw how practicing Falun Gong brought truthfulness and kindness, and they only saw a harmonious family, revealing the lies on TV to be false.
Since the start of cultivation, I have never seen scenes in other dimensions, but it does not affect my firm belief in Dafa. As soon as I open a Dafa book, I am drawn deeply to the principles discussed in the book, and no matter how many times I read them I always learn something new. Simply put, the Fa principles Teacher has taught are enough for me to have confidence in practicing Dafa firmly. Other things to help are extra, not necessary, and cannot be depended on. Even though there were many elements that helped me obtain the Fa in the beginning, I enlightened that all of them came at a cost. They would be used to test me later. When I first obtained the Fa, I met some practitioners who could see through their third eye. The scenes of other dimensions that they described did help me be more confident in the practice. But after I was firm on my path of cultivation, I immediately encountered tests. For example, some practitioners whose third eye was open started spreading false scriptures or stopped practicing Dafa. These circumstances tested my heart. When I first started practicing, many people around me also practiced. This inclusive environment helped me walk through the door of cultivation quicker, but this beneficial element turned around after July of 1999. It became a test. Some practitioners around me stopped practicing and this tested whether my heart would be moved. There were also other tests, such as the people who helped lead me to obtain the Fa and who played a main role in helping me start cultivation later stopped practicing. This situation was a test. Though I have experienced many such tests, I still follow Teacher closely. That is a result of my persistently studying the Fa and genuinely knowing the power of the Fa, instead of depending on any outside or surface elements.
I want to use my personal experience practicing Falun Dafa to tell the world that Falun Dafa is a practice of great virtue that is hard to encounter in tens of thousands of years. Please value Falun Dafa, respect the Teacher of Dafa, and treat Dafa practitioners kindly. Please advise the people who help the evil to hurry to stop and make up for the losses they have caused; otherwise they may be forever nailed to history’s wall of shame. When this Fa-rectification period cultivation becomes history, the people of the future will see all the truth clearly.
