(Clearwisdom.net) I began to practice Falun Dafa in early 1998. One year later, the CCP launched the persecution against Falun Dafa. Since I was a civil servant, my workplace coerced me to write self-criticism statements and arranged for special staff to monitor me. Even so, I never gave up my belief in Falun Dafa. So what made me such a steadfast believer? I would like to share my personal experiences and understandings from three aspects.
1. Falun Dafa Is a Righteous Cultivation Way and the Chance of a Lifetime
By chance, I heard about Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) from a relative who called me at my home. After I finished reading Zhuan Falun for the first time, I was filled with admiration for the principles elaborated on in the book. When I finished the last page, I closed the book and couldn't help saying, "I never could have expected to find such a good book in the world. I must cultivate Falun Gong."
Why did I say this? I had practiced several kinds of qiqong before, but I gave up quickly since they only taught techniques instead of cultivating xinxing. After I tried for a period of time, there was no effect at all. But Zhuan Falun revealed the secrets that I had never heard of and answered the question of why one is unable to increase gong: "Without knowing the Fa at high levels, one cannot practice cultivation. Without cultivating one's inner self and one's xinxing, one cannot increase gong. These are the two reasons." (Lecture One in Zhuan Falun) The book told what cultivation is and how to cultivate. Cultivators must follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and be strict about it, be indifferent to fame and fortune, let go of all bad things, be considerate of others all the time, and gradually achieve the realm of selflessness and altruism.
Through reading the book, I realized that the significance of life is to return to one's true origin through cultivation. In my opinion, Zhuan Falun specifically targets people's minds and elaborates on the most profound principles in simple and plain language. Acting in the spirit of being responsible for society and the students, Falun Gong requires all its students to let go of fame and fortune and spread the practice free of charge. All these things made me believe that I had encountered a righteous cultivation way and that Falun Gong could guide people to higher levels since each page of the book sent out the radiance of the universal truth.
2. All My Diseases Disappeared after I Cultivated Falun Gong
Before I began to cultivate Falun Gong, I had a serious gastric ulcer for four to five years. My stomach hurt for about two hours after each meals. The condition was aggravated by cold, heat, hunger, or tiredness. My work involved lots of business travel, so I had to bring a bag full of medicine with me. Since my medicine was paid for by the state, I tried all kinds of traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine, imported and domestic medicine, and folk prescriptions. But they had little effect. Although I was 1.6 meters tall, I only weighed about 40 kg. In addition, I had tennis elbow, and it was hard for me to carry a kettle of water due to the pain. Also, I had skin allergies. At night, I developed a symmetrical lump on my skin. My doctor could not figure out the cause. He called it a "temperature difference" allergy. No matter what medicine I took, there was no improvement. Moreover, I developed moderate sclerotin proliferation. A physical revealed blood clots as big as fingernails in my vagina. Besides, I contracted chronic dermatitis and developed insomnia.
Soon after I began to cultivate Falun Gong, all my diseases disappeared. As I remember, in 2004, many people where I worked developed malignant diseases, so the workplace issued a directive that each employee had to have a physical. I was examined in the internal medicine department, the surgical department, the gynecology department, and an otorhinolaryngology department. All my results were normal. When the doctor found out that I had not taken any medicine for years, he said to everyone present, "If all the staff here were like her, imagine how much we could save in medical expenses. "
A Chinese proverb says, "Before age 50, people look for diseases; after age 50, the diseases look for people." I am over 50 now. Since I began to cultivate Falun Gong, I have never taken one pill and have never had any injections. Moreover, the dermatitis that I suffered from for more than 30 years also disappeared. Even my husband and my son, who was feeble and sick since childhood, never fall ill since they began to cultivate Falun Gong with me. For more than 10 years, our only medical expenses were for bandages and scald paste to guard against wounds or burns when cooking in the kitchen.
3. Cultivating Falun Gong Raises One's Mental Realm
Modern society is like a big dye vat that stains everything with selfish desires. It is hard not to be stained by the pollution. But people are hardly aware of it. Before cultivation, I valued fame and fortune and was attached to gain and loss. I liked to show off and was combative and jealous. When facing interpersonal conflicts, my first thought was to protect myself from any harm. My mind was totally preoccupied with self and selfishness.
After I cultivated in Falun Gong, I understood that the goal of life is to return to one's true origin, and virtue and karma are not just conceptual, but materially exist. When people do good deeds or endure hardship, they will accumulate virtue; they will accumulate karma when they do bad things or hurt others. As I cultivated, I gradually learned to judge everything based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and developed the habits of not vying for self-interest, looking inwards when running into conflicts, and being considerate of others at all times.
Here is an example. Promotions were being considered where I worked. There were a total of three staff members, including me, who qualified for the promotion, but the quota was just for two people. Others thought that the promotion must belong to me, based on qualifications and ability. However, to everyone's disbelief, I announced my withdrawal from consideration. When my boss asked why, I told him that a cultivator should allow nature to take its course and should not fight for self-interests. My colleagues commented, "In present society, it is rare not to grab interests, not to mention giving up interests."
With the lowering of morals, interpersonal relationships are becoming more complex day by day. Where I work is no exception. In 2001, my workplace underwent reform. As a result, the department that was involved in a severe disagreement was merged with my department. All of a sudden, it seemed everyone was drawn into the swirl of conflict, except me. I strictly followed the teachings of Falun Gong:
"We should all speak according to a practitioner's xinxing rather than create conflicts or say something improper. As practitioners, we must measure ourselves with the standard of the Fa to determine whether we should say certain things. What should be said will not present a problem if one complies with the xinxing standard for practitioners according to the Fa." (Lecture Eight in Zhuan Falun)
My colleagues, men and women, old and young, all liked to talk with me. When they ran into conflicts, I told them how to cherish the predestined relationship. When someone complained about others and stated their grievances, I explained the relationship between gain and loss to them. My colleagues said that my persuasion was different than that of others, and my arguments were really refreshing. I told them all that these insights were from the books of Falun Gong.
Years ago, during the most severe period of the persecution of Falun Gong. I clarified the truth to 80 percent of my colleagues, including my boss. On sensitive dates, my employer would call a meeting to arrange for someone to monitor me. Even so, I was elected as the advanced staff member with the highest percentage of votes each year. The deputy head said, "Telling me to monitor such a nice person is just a waste of time." The head said, "She is the most honest person in our department." Actually, all these things are due to Falun Gong. It is Falun Gong that changed me, raised my mental realm, and taught me to be a better person.
