(Clearwisdom.net) I started to practice Falun Dafa in 1997, when I was only ten years old. I believed in gods and Buddhas' existence even at a very young age, and was envious about the myths and legends of Buddha's magnificent worlds. I followed my mother's path and started to practice Dafa after I witnessed the miracles that had happened to her. After practicing Falun Gong, my mother's many illnesses were eliminated and her temperament also improved. Many of my uncles and aunts at the practice site were so kind and gentle; the environment at the practice site was auspicious and tranquil. During my childhood, I was constantly getting sick and often did not have an appetite. From the moment I started practicing Falun Gong, Teacher's Fashen (Law Body) began to purify my body. When I awoke the next day, the skin over my stomach was covered with blisters; it looked like someone had poured boiling water over it. I endured the pain for a few days, then I had no more problems with food.

Just when our entire family was immersed in the happiness brought by Dafa, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started to spread rumors about Falun Gong. These aggressive actions were like strong ocean waves crashing down on a helpless little boat. Many good people were arrested and sent to detention centers and forced labor camps, just for practicing Falun Gong. The CCP issued orders that each school must force their students to sign documents opposing Falun Gong. When it was my turn to sign, I slipped out of the classroom when the supervisor wasn't paying attention. When my classmates saw me leave, they asked me if I was practicing Falun Gong. I didn't hesitate and replied "Yes". Falun Gong teaches people to be good, unlike the CCP's propaganda shown on television. My good friends told me that if I didn't give up practicing Falun Gong, they would not play with me, and my classmates scolded me. This sudden pressure came from all directions, and forced me to consider, "should I or shouldn't I continue my practice?" Deep down in my heart, I knew that there was nothing wrong with believing in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance and for being a good person. Teacher's mercy is just like a compassionate father to me. I can't sit quietly and not defend Dafa, when Dafa is suffering under false accusations.

Teacher said:

"I often say that if all a person wants is the well-being of others and if this is without the slightest
personal motivation or personal understanding, what he says will move the listener to tears." ("Clearheadedness" from Essentials for Further Advancement)

Therefore, I did my best to clarify the truth to my schoolmates. At first, they didn't understand what I was telling them, but slowly, some started to sympathize and show their support. My classroom environment improved. I was happy for my schoolmates for showing their knowing side. In the evenings I would go out with my mother to deliver the informational materials, hang the banners and put up signs. I frequently sent forth the righteous thoughts verse "The Fa rectifies the Cosmos; the Evil is completely eliminated." Other times, I would ride my bike with another young practitioner to a distant location, deliver the informational materials and post flyers in the home courtyards of some local police officers. On one occasion, a politics teacher told the students in my class many slanderous things about Falun Gong. I visited him after the class was dismissed, and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors behind him, then talked to him about Falun Gong. After listening, he told me that he would be careful about what he said in the future.

I gradually progressed to my last year of high school and was busy preparing for my college exams; I studied the Fa very little due to my laziness. Therefore, my mentality slipped back into an average person's level, sinking into the fame and fortune sentimentality of everyday people, and couldn't control myself. I chased and followed the current of every day living, and was governed by laziness and a desire for comfort, including the mentality of showing off, jealousy, the desire to look good, yearning for happiness with romantic love, and so on. I knew that this was inappropriate, but was unable to restrain myself. I felt disgusted with myself, and started to compare my cultivation path with other practitioners and saw that I had been left far behind. My heart moved each time I heard Ms. Jiang Min sing her famous song called "Awakening from a Dream" with verses like "Divine above was each life at first breath, Success and fame pass here like but fleeting clouds, Fame and wealth but of wisps of smoke are these, May we gain the way and awaken from the dream, To scale the height deep azure sky." Furthermore, I was shocked and immediately awakened when I read a poem written by a practitioner called "Turn righteous", and "Waking Up the People Next to You". The verses read, "When we heard that Lord Buddha would come down to rectify the Fa, we knelt down under Lord Buddha's feet and made vows to come down to help Teacher during the Fa-Rectification. The gods in heaven were all moved to tears by our magnificent behavior. After we finished our vows, we reminded each other that the clear-minded individuals should help wake up those who become lost in delusion. We must remember this!" Yes, there are many more sentient beings waiting to be saved. After many tears, I re-started my diligent cultivation of Dafa. Fellow practitioners, we've waited a million years just for this moment; be diligent.

Let us re-read from Teacher's Lecture,

"Dafa disciples are magnificent because you are here at the same time as the period of Master's Fa-rectification and are able to safeguard and uphold Dafa. If what you do is no longer worthy of a Dafa disciple, think about it, if under the greatest mercy since the beginning of Heaven and Earth and under Buddha's infinite grace you still can't do well, how could there be another chance? Cultivation and Fa-rectification are serious. Whether you are able to treasure this period of time is, in fact, a matter of whether you can be responsible to yourselves. This period of time will not last long, but it can forge the mighty virtue of magnificent Enlightened Beings, Buddhas, Daos, and Gods of different levels, and even Lords of different levels. It can also destroy overnight a cultivator who has reached a really high level but who has become less strict with himself". ("Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)

Fellow practitioners, let's do the three things well, and follow Teacher home!

4/15/2009