(Clearwisdom.net) I had a first-time chance encounter with Falun Gong on Sunday, September 26, 1993. I usually listened to the radio while doing laundry. My favorite radio talk show program had a hotline that let listeners call in to discuss various issues with guest experts. Having tuned in that day, I heard something completely new to me. The host said, "Today we're very fortunate to have the founder of Chinese Falun Gong, Master Li Hongzhi, join us." It was unheard of to invite a Qigong master into a real-time talk show studio. I was curious to find out more.
Master Li provided background about himself and then began to explain what Falun Gong was all about. I stopped doing laundry after hearing Master Li's simple and modest self-introduction. All during the entire 30-minute program, many listeners called in to ask Master Li all kinds of questions. He gave enthusiastic and patient answers. Everyone was satisfied with the response. Miraculously, Master Li treated listeners' illnesses remotely; many people experienced immediate improvement in their conditions.
Master Li's introduction of Falun Gong let me know what the practice was all about. I understood that to have good health one must follow the universe's principles of Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance and be a good person.
I'd been plagued by numerous illnesses for the past dozen years. Even though I had practiced a form of Qigong for ten years, nothing seemed to really work for me. Many Qigong masters emphasized the importance of valuing virtue, but stopped short of explaining why. Master Li, on the other hand, made it extremely clear why we needed to value virtue.
At the conclusion of the radio program, Master Li mentioned an upcoming seminar he was scheduled to hold in a downtown location. I immediately decided to attend but then became hesitant because I wasn't too sure about having to take a bus all the way downtown with my poor health. When I learned that Master Li planned to hold another seminar in a suburb very close to my home two weeks later, I made up my mind to wait until then.
I had a day off from work on October 1, 1993, and went for a walk in the park at 7 o'clock in the morning. Seeing a group of people practicing exercises on the top of a hill made me feel unusually uplifted and peaceful. Without even thinking, I ran up the hill where I saw a banner promoting the Falun Gong exercises. I exclaimed, "So this is Falun Gong! I finally found you!" I immediately followed the practitioners to do the exercises. After we were done, I borrowed a copy of Falun Gong from one practitioner, sat on the hill, and read the book. I felt totally at ease. I had finally found Dafa!
About three hours after I had finished reading Falun Gong I hurt all over; my temperature soon reached 40 degrees Celsius. I thought, too, "It's such a beautiful day. How can I catch a cold?" Then I thought, "Something is different today. When I had such a high fever in the past I was muddle-headed and couldn't walk steadily. Moreover, I would have a splitting headache. Why do I not have a headache today and only pain in my body and a fever?" I then remembered what Master Li said in Falun Gong - that these sensations I experienced were eliminating sickness karma. Realizing that Master Li was helping me purify my body, I was filled with gratitude and happily spread the good news to my friends. A few friends of my friends I knew before that had practiced other Qigong also attended another one of Master's seminars about ten days later.
This "fever" disappeared all by itself after about eight hours. Dafa is truly miraculous!
I eagerly went to register the next day for the fifth seminar Master would present downtown. The auditorium that could hold several thousand people was packed. Every day after the class, practitioners who didn't know each other before shared their experiences - like they were old friends. Many attendees with long-time health problems talked excitedly about their renewed and improved health. My liver problem, stomach issues, and insomnia that had bothered me for more than ten years went away without a trace.
A few years prior to beginning Falun Gong practice, I had begun my career as a science researcher. My colleagues and I labored three years on a research project. When it was time to report the results, I had a relapse of my liver problem and had to check into a hospital. When I returned to work, I was shocked to discover that my name had been omitted from the submitted project. Moreover, even my original research team refused to acknowledge me as part of the team. I was extremely upset. The eight members on the team worked hard together on the project for three years. As a young researcher who had just started her career, I longed for recognition and prestige. Not only was my name crossed out, but I also had to endure rumors that I had not contributed to the project. My complaints to the supervisor did not bring me justice. Many senior researchers were harsh on me. One might imagine what kind of a blow that was to a young person.
However, Dafa totally changed me. After I began my practice, I was determined to be a good person following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. When I saw my colleagues again after attending Master Li's seminar, I no longer held any grudges against them. I took the initiative to greet them. To my surprise, they later apologized to me. Whenever I saw them, I chatted with them. We've been living in harmony in the same apartment complex for the past 17 years.
The benefits Dafa brings to humankind are beyond measure. I say from the bottom of my heart that Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.