(Minghui.org) I live in Greece. I started practicing Falun Dafa nine months ago.
A series of events that happened one after the other led me to Falun Dafa. As far as I can remember, I have had questions about why I am here, where I came from, where we are going after death, etc.
Two years ago, something very dreadful happened to my family. Searching for answers, I began to read Christian books more often and listened to some lectures on the Internet. I obtained some peace, but still couldn’t find a resolution to many things that were troubling me.
One day, I was outside my house and looked towards the sea where the Marina is located and I felt that I wanted to be at the Marina at that particular time. At that time I was reading a book explaining how meditation can help people and at that moment I thought that I too wanted to learn meditation. Later that night, while changing TV channels, I saw some paintings of people suffering. I saw a man explaining about an art exhibition, an ongoing persecution in China and the three main principles of Falun Dafa and the practice site at the Marina. I found all this very interesting but the thing that struck me the most was when the reporter said: “If you want to have meditation lessons for free, go to the Marina. I wrote down that person’s phone number and promised myself to call him for information the following day. But as I had never before trusted anyone on TV, I hesitated to call.
After three days and after again closing the same book that I was reading, I turned on the TV and again I happened to stop at the same TV channel and I watched again the same painting that I first saw on the screen last time, then the same man talking about the same things that I heard before and then the reporter and so on. And it was then that I realized that this was by no means a mere coincidence. So the next day I made the phone call and went to the practice site.
The very first time I practiced the exercises at the practice site, I almost fainted, especially during the second exercise. I felt very strong pain in the lower abdomen when I did the third exercise. I understood that something important was happening. The practitioner told me not to be afraid and what was happening was for my own good. After the exercises, I felt my body was very light and the pain in my left knee – from which I had been suffering for about two months– had already disappeared and never came back.
All the practitioners who were present there seemed to have a true inner kindness and from the very beginning I was certain that I could trust them. After a discussion they told me that practitioners try to cultivate themselves and they mentioned a book, Zhuan Falun. At first –without any reason– I resented the idea of buying the book. Maybe it was because I thought that it would lead me on a path away from Christianity. But when I mentioned it to my husband later that night he told me: “Why didn’t you ask to buy the book? Anything that brings us knowledge is good.” So the following time I ordered the book and gradually I became a practitioner.
Falun Dafa has changed me in many ways. Through cultivation and ordeals that I’ve tolerated I’ve become less fearful, less shy, less impatient, less sentimental, more self-confident and more energetic.
I was raised according to Orthodox Christianity’s teachings. After cultivating in Dafa, gradually I came to realize that Master has always taken care of me and prepared for my finding Dafa long ago, and for that I have no words to express my gratitude. Nevertheless, doubts still emerge from time to time, but then it is mostly studying the Fa that helps me get rid of those doubts and also the strong support from my fellow practitioners who “awaken” me in a non-pressuring, thus effective way.
One day, I was thinking that my main concern is how to reach people's hearts while raising awareness, since a lot of people here are Christian and aren't acquainted at all with eastern ways of cultivation.While I was thinking about it, suddenly doubts about Dafa came up again, but this time this feeling was so strong that I was trembling inside. I knew that my thoughts were not right and I wanted to actively reject them. Sometimes listening to Pudu (instrumental music) straightens my mind, but this time it didn’t work. I was sure that this was interference and I decided to read one of Master’s lectures. When I started reading it, all of a sudden, everything became clear to me. What I was reading was exactly what I needed to read at that specific time. Master gave answers to my questions straight away!
Master said,
“People's ability to understand things, or lack thereof, and sentient beings' different thoughts and views on this, have become challenges for you as you validate the Fa and save the sentient beings of this world. But regardless of how they have behaved, we still need to save them, for their lack of understanding is on account of their being lost in delusion. They cause some challenges for Dafa disciples because they cannot see things as they really are. Whatever their reason for coming here millennia or eons ago, they have, all the same, been awaiting this final time. We cannot decide against saving them just because they conducted themselves poorly in one lifetime or did some particular thing wrong.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference”)
After reading that part and some more, I felt that the interference had gone; I was feeling calm again and my wrong thoughts had disappeared. I then sensed Master’s great compassion towards me. He hadn’t left me for even one split second although he saw me doubting. On the contrary, He helped me straight away the very moment I needed Him.
My understanding from all this is that if, whenever we feel the Old Forces’ interference coming at us, we immediately react and negate the evil that has taken over our thoughts and don’t let it stay there for long, then for sure Master will help us right away, as long as we have our hearts open to receive His help.
One evening, a month ago, I took my son to his last football course for the season. There was a kind of festivity. I always make sure to carry Falun Dafa flyers with me, except on that particular day I didn’t look in my bag before I left home. As the celebration was going on, I suddenly saw the Mayor of my town standing a few meters away from me. I had no idea he was coming. I thought it was a great opportunity to tell him about Falun Dafa, and only then did I realize that I had run out of flyers. I thought of a fellow practitioner who was at that time close to the place and he could provide me with flyers.
I gave a call to three fellow practitioners, one after the other, but none of them answered the phone. I wondered where they were when I needed them. But my exact next thought was that this was arranged by Master to give me a chance to take the initiative to do things on my own without depending on others and to try to find a solution by myself. After this thought, I calmed down and decided to go and talk to the Mayor, no matter what.
I didn’t know what I was about to say to him, but I had a strong belief that Master was leading the way. So I just went there and talked to him: I introduced myself as a mother of one of the football team’s students and that I am a Falun Dafa practitioner, adding that we would like to pay a visit to him. I then told him about Falun Dafa as briefly as I could. When I was telling him about the exercises he didn’t seem to be very interested, but when I started talking about the persecution there was a change in his reaction. “And what can I do for you?” he asked me. I then told him that we would like to find a place for the Art of Zhen-Shan-Ren Exhibition and to show the documentary Free China: The Courage to Believe. He immediately proposed a place where these events could take place. Before he left we agreed that I would visit him in his office in order to show him some materials about the above events.
After this experience, I realized that if I truly believe in Dafa and have no intention of doing things in my way in order to bring me a desired result in any circumstances, if I trust Master and leave my selfishness and my attachment of fear and shyness behind, I feel that Master and Gods are standing there next to me, watching me and helping me do the right thing at the right time. After all this happened I feel that it was not me but my true self who did those right things.
As Master said:
“As long as you are doing things out of a wish to validate the Fa and save sentient beings, I will affirm all that you do. And when you go do those things, there will be my Law Bodies or gods there to amplify it and make what you do yet more magnificent and extraordinary, and they will assist you.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference”)
Thank you!
(Presented at the 2013 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Copenhagen)
