Western Practitioner: Developing a Compassionate Heart Through Practicing Falun Dafa

(Clearwisdom.net) I´m a Western practitioner from Greece living in Sweden.

I began practicing Dafa in September 1998. Since then I have experienced numerous situations confirming again and again the pure, sacred and immense power of Dafa. I used to disregard other people's needs and put my own selfish notions and ideas over others, not just sometimes, but always. That was just my frame of mind. Even if I did something that was beneficial for others, I always counted it as "something carried out by me that nobody else could or would do since it involved sacrifice of either time or money." Thus I regarded myself as a superior person. My good deeds were actually a form of self-confirmation.

Before becoming a practitioner, I used drugs, drank a lot of alcohol, and chased women, but I always felt empty inside. The more I consumed "external" happiness the more empty I felt. On August 18, 1998 I had a fight with the police and while I was in custody thinking over my life I firmly decided that I wanted to start a new life, a true life. I sincerely begged the universe, "Please, Universe, if it is beneficial for all other lives around me, I would like to start a new life, a true life." Then within two or three weeks a good friend of mine gave me the Falun Gong books and taught me the exercises.

Since then, sometimes even though I couldn´t always hold myself to a practitioner's standard, I never lost faith in Master Li or Dafa. I remember the day--20 July 1999--when Swedish TV reported on the persecution in China and they used the information that was given to them from the Chinese authorities. I immediately understood that this was a great test for me, for other practitioners, and for the people of the world, and that the defamation was untrue and completely false.

Recently I met a Chinese tourist group and had a chat with them. I explained to them that I had practiced Falun Gong for 10 years and that it is very good. The older person who was some kind of a leader became irritated, changed his friendly tone and insulted me. I smiled at him and kept talking to him. We again touched on the topic of Falun Gong and the Chinese Communist Party and he again became upset. Later, we parted in a very friendly way and I knew in that instant that he had received a good impression of how I reacted towards his actions.

Through practicing Dafa we really can develop a compassionate heart. In the process of focusing my attention on xinxing cultivation, I have changed from being selfish to one who thinks of others first. My health is good, and I try to uphold the principle of Truth-Compassion-Forbearance in my daily life. It is the greatest honor for me to be a disciple of Master Li Hongzhi.

From the bottom of my hearth, I hope that the Chinese people, all Chinese people, will cherish this opportunity to learn the truth about Dafa and the rich Chinese culture, and truly be proud to have been born in the wonderful country of China.