(Minghui.org) I have known a senior Falun Gong practitioner since 1992. I have great respect for him. Many years ago, he helped me obtain a position in the company where he worked, and we have worked for the same company for the past 17½ years. We worked different shifts, so we saw each other only once in a while. We usually came across each other around 3 or 4 a.m. when he left his shift and I came for my shift. He always smiled when we greeted each other and he emitted strong energy. I don't remember when it was that I noticed to my surprise that he seemed to not have grown older since we knew each other, and he was always in a good mood. I thought that he must have been doing something right and that was completely different from what I had been doing. I knew that he was very interested in China and that he did a meditation practice as well. But I did not know what he was actually doing. I told him that I suffered from severe back pains and my health was poor. I felt that meditation might be helpful for me. I asked him whether he would like to help me. He said he would.
We had wanted to see each other more often since 2000, but something always interfered. A few years later when I mentioned to two of my colleagues that this practitioner didn't look older, one of my colleagues said that he heard that he practiced Falun Gong. This colleague regarded Falun Gong as an extreme religion and cautioned me to be careful about it. I began to waver and be fearful. A few years passed by again.
In 2009, I had a short conversation with that practitioner again. No matter what, I could hardly believe that he was a person who believed in an extreme religion. However, I still did not dare to mention about learning Falun Gong from him. I then figured that I would learn only the exercises to heal my back pains, and if anything strange happened, I would still be able to stop. At first when I practiced the exercises with other practitioners in public, I hoped that none of my friends would see me, and I attentively observed everything. I still did not quite understand what Falun Gong was and still doubted it after practicing it several times. That practitioner then told me that he would give me a copy of Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun. He suggested that I read these books from cover to cover. I was really afraid and thought that he was trying to bring me into an extreme religion.
However, I had great respect for him and he had always been kind to me, so in the end I decided to read the books. I could not concentrate when I was reading the books the first time and I was still afraid, too. I grew up in a Muslin country and became interested in Christianity in the early1990s. In fact, I had been seeking the truth but I had never found it. I always felt in my heart that there was more to being a living being and I often explored the meaning of life. Why did I come to this world? Deep in my heart, I was eager to find the answer and I had no doubt that there was an answer. Unfortunately, I was not able to read Zhuan Falun with a calm mind because of those negative comments made by my colleagues, and I kept thinking that somebody was trying to convert me into a Buddhist. Then I became less fearful. When I read Zhuan Falun again, I was completely convinced. I had tears in my eyes and did not know what had happened to me. My journey of exploration had finally reached the destination. It was Falun Dafa that my heart had been searching for. I had a feeling of going home and all my questions were answered. I was very grateful to that senior practitioner. I understood what he had done for me. After practicing Falun Gong for some time, my back pains disappeared.
Falun Dafa's Righteous Energy
My wife used to be skeptical of many things prior to my practice of Falun Dafa. But ever since I started practicing, she has been very supportive. I still find that surprising.
My wife told me recently, “You have changed a lot in a positive way. You are a lot more calm, and also considerate.” One of my old friends told me, “This is great. You are calm, and you can sincerely listen to what other people have to say.” I almost cried to hear them say that, because it just proved how magnificent Dafa is, and that my inner self had truly improved. Many people did not like to talk to me before. But now even strangers smile and greet me. I explained the facts about Falun Dafa and the Chinese Communist Party(CCP)'s persecution to two of my colleagues, the two who used to think that Falun Dafa was an extreme religion. They agreed with what I said. One of them even said that it was a good thing that I practiced Falun Dafa.
There is no way I can describe what a magnificent gift that I was given. I had wanted to practice Falun Dafa several times, but was repeatedly interfered with. Fortunately, I was still able to start the practice in the end. Through studying Falun Dafa, I was able to understand the Universe and myself all over again. Falun Dafa completely changed me. I understand the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and my life changed on a fundamental level. I deeply appreciate Master Li Hongzhi and I want to show my deepest reverence to Master.
The persecution of Falun Dafa is still going on in China. I want to try my best to expose the CCP's true face and those lies that the CCP has spread to discredit Falun Dafa. The crimes committed by the CCP against practitioners in China must be exposed.
I deeply thank revered Master for letting me become a Falun Dafa practitioner.
