(Clearwisdom.net)

I am a student at Taiwan National High School. Since I started practicing Falun Gong, my views on the world and life have all changed significantly. Before I obtained the Fa, my mood was inconsistent. I had extreme thoughts in my mind. I always liked to make judgments based on my own standards. When things in my daily life did not meet my expectations, I became easily irritated. I was bothered by that, but I could not find the root cause and eliminate it.

Jinxuan (middle) practicing the exercises with classmates during a lunch break

Once when I was very annoyed in class, I thought I would talk about it to my history teacher. Unsure whether it was an accident or just meant to be, I happened to run into this history teacher (a Falun Gong practitioner) in the hallway. I told her what had been bothering me. She suggested that I read Zhuan Falun. After I read it, I realized that it was a sacred book that explained the principles of the universe. Many questions I had in the past were answered for me when I read the book. It seemed that a strong power was helping me control the beast in my heart.

My history teacher then taught me how to do the exercises. I took advantage of our half hour break at noon everyday to practice the exercise with other classmates. When I felt bothered, I read Zhuan Falun to understand more Fa principles, solve my questions, and upgrade my xinxing. Day by day, my mind became clearer. Unexpectedly, my grades improved significantly as well. My teachers were all pleasantly surprised by my improvement.

I obtained the Fa in the middle of my first semester. Recalling the significant changes I underwent in the first year, it has been unbelievable. I have benefited greatly from practicing Falun Gong!

My cultivation experience truly is that of "after passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead." I remember one time in particular when I was not feeling well. My throat bothered me a lot, and I thought it was just mucus, but after cups and cups of hot water, nothing seemed to help. I still felt dizzy and had all the symptoms of a cold. In the past, I would have run to the clinic to get some medicine to get over it, but this time, I hesitated. I thought of the Fa principles. Sickness is just a reflection of one's karma. If one goes to see the doctor, the sickness is merely pressed down temporarily or changed to another form. For example, your best friend may become upset with you or suddenly nothing goes well anymore.

I thought of Master's teaching, "When you are overcoming a real hardship or tribulation, you try it. When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible." (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation version) I decided to endure it. I then recovered quickly. This experience made me even more determined in cultivation.

One day during recess at school, I looked at the building next to my building, my eyes traveling from the fifth floor down to the first floor and then from the first floor back up to the fifth floor. Looking at the students running up and down, I suddenly had a revelation: "People on the first floor cannot see those on the second floor. People on the second floor cannot see the ones on the third floor. Those on the fourth floor cannot see those on the fifth. Similarly, people at different levels or in different dimensions in the universe do not see those in the other ones."

"Bystanders see more than the players." I was on the third floor in my building. I could see what was happening on all five floors of the other building. It was as if I could see through everything over there. But ,in fact, I was only viewing it from one angle and one level. And I could not see what people on the other floors in my buildings were doing. What I saw was absolutely not the truth of everything. But it could lead to self-righteousness.

At times, troubles in my daily life made me suffer. It was not easy to control my temper when things caught me off guard. I asked myself, "Why would a healthy person die suddenly in a car accident? Why was my exam result so bad when I prepared so well? Why was my best friend upset with me all of a sudden? Why do I have all these troubles?" There are so many whys that cannot be explained.

My understanding is that we are all at different levels. Therefore, we naturally cannot see the ultimate truth. We can only see the principles at our own level. We live in a maze. This is why, sometimes, when you tell somebody what you think the facts are, he/she can argue with you so hard, because that person has a different point of view.

I think "cultivating" is to continuously eliminate attachments and to assimilate with the cosmos' highest principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. "Practicing" is to practice the five exercises Master taught us. Recalling my cultivation journey as well as looking ahead, it is such a wonderful and unbelievable feeling!

Falun Gong is a great gong. Even when we are not doing the exercises, gong still cultivates us. It solves the problem of being busy at work and not having enough time to practice. The profound principles enable me to understand more truth. My history teacher told me that Falun Dafa is an advanced cultivation way of the Buddha School. At first, although I believed in it, I still felt that it was too abstract. As I studied the Fa more, I truly perceived the profound nature and wisdom of Falun Dafa. I hope more predestined people can be as fortunate as I am and that they can obtain the Fa and experience a different and wonderful life.