My Leap Forward in Life Through Cultivation

(Minghui.org) I am a Western practitioner who started cultivation in Falun Dafa at a time when I was extremely lost in life. One of my core attachments appeared to be about an overall sense of fear and helplessness, which I carried with me since childhood. This was directly related to an abuse incident at the hands of my grandfather. As I grew up, I often re-experienced victimization in my endeavors at school, with family and friends, and, ultimately, employment. This could take the form of entering into situations in which I felt I was being taken advantage of, or blaming someone else for something I was unwilling to take responsibility for. I jumped around from friend to friend and from job to job, but had no idea how scattered my life had become.

This slowly started to change after I began practicing Falun Gong. I had tried other spiritual activities like yoga and meditation, but this practice was different somehow. The exercise movements were enjoyable and easy enough on the surface, but, to be honest, I don’t know what kept me returning on a consistent basis. I possessed deeply rooted fears and anxiety, which I wasn’t even aware of at the time. But on some level, I was fulfilling a predestined pledge I had made to myself many lifetimes ago.

As time went by, I found myself regaining a hopeful outlook and decided to join a local group for Fa study after practicing the exercises. The principles in Zhuan Falun were interesting, and it piqued my interest to hear about transcending the human realm. Looking back, I can see how immature and selfish my attitude about life had been. When one has acquired a victim mentality, his or her thoughts often get stuck in self-pity: “The world owes me something. I don’t know what exactly, but it better be good.” In essence, this amounted to me carrying a grudge. Little did I know that Master Li and Dafa's teachings were offering me the universe. The question then became, was I wise enough to recognize it?

A breakthrough came when a woman from our group asked if I would be interested in helping edit articles related to the persecution going on in China. I agreed and suddenly found myself as part of a team helping to clarify the facts to the world about the brutal persecution launched against Falun Dafa by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It took a lot of effort at first, but I found myself feeling a deep sense of wellbeing whenever I completed an article. I was also getting an opportunity to learn about the experiences of practitioners living in China, who had endured some of the most difficult situations anyone could ever imagine.

As I completed more and more of these articles, I began to learn the true spirit of the saying that goes something like, “Give of yourself freely and your returns will multiply.” As a result, I was cultivating into a more selfless being. I also realized that the hardships practitioners endured had a purpose behind them, that is, to elevate their heart-mind nature or xinxing. On a personal level, I would continue to experience what I thought were losses and blows to my ego. But this was no longer the same as being a victim in life.

Master Li said in Zhuan Falun:

“Think about it, everyone: Isn’t it you who suffers knowingly? Isn’t it your Main Spirit that sacrifices? As to what you have lost among everyday people, haven’t you knowingly lost it? Then this gong should belong to you, as whoever loses, gains.”

As a practitioner, I needed to get used to placing an emphasis on conscious awareness. First and foremost, I strived to assimilate my thoughts and actions to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I understood that if I could manage to examine my attitude and accept responsibility when facing a difficult situation, the opportunity to see things from a fresh perspective would emerge.

One of the opportunities a Dafa practitioner often gets is to introduce the exercises to newcomers as they pass by the practice site. I somehow got the urge to start approaching strangers who looked interested, people I would never have had an opportunity to meet otherwise. My opening lines to greet these folks stumbled out awkwardly at first, but I soon gained the confidence to just casually greet someone with: “How are you? Would you like to try out this free meditation practice?” It’s hard to describe the joy I felt in telling someone about a practice that could profoundly change his or her life. I then decided it was time to strike out on my own. So, I approached a yoga studio in my neighborhood, and they agreed to allow me to use their space to hold free weekly Dafa exercise instruction classes for beginners. Before practicing Falun Dafa, my fear and anxiety would have never allowed me to do such a thing.

I happen to live in a very urban area and started to realize that there were a number of places nearby that would be great for distributing copies of The Epoch Times newspaper. I rode my bicycle a lot, and it seemed natural to start my own paper route. Once again, I didn’t know where to begin this next step, but I knew that if I held the righteous thought that I was doing something good, openings would present themselves.

I started at the local library and walked right up to the reference librarian without hesitation. I casually explained that I wanted to drop off a free weekly newspaper called The Epoch Times, which contained news about China and the world, as well as in-depth articles on the arts, sciences, and travel. Permission was granted, and my route grew from there. At first, I noticed that a lot of these places often had information tables that were too crowded with other publications. But as I continued to follow through with my commitment, a curious development took place: The tables gradually become less and less cluttered, as if they were making room to accommodate this precious publication.

I now look forward to my delivery route and notice that not only are the people I encounter very friendly, but my bike feels as if it is being carried by the wind. Looking back, I feel a sense of wonder knowing that my paper route got started with just a single righteous thought.

The spiritual practice of Falun Dafa changed my life, and I know that it will offer a fresh start to many more people in the future. It is an honor for me to do my part during this historic period in time.