(Minghui.org) “I used to feel like a fish on sand, dry and hopeless. Falun Dafa gives me hope and energy, allowing me to swim in water,” said Christine, one of the practitioner in France who wish to express their gratitude to Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, as the New Year begins.
Practitioners found Falun Dafa in different ways: some were searching for the purpose of life, some were look to have illnesses cured and improve their health, and some came upon the practice through interesting experiences.
Practitioners in Paris and nearby cities gathered at the Eiffel Tower, displaying the banner, “Wishing Revered Master Happy New Year.”
A Life-Changing Dream
Raimi owns an internationally renowned art gallery. However, his wealth did not stop him from seeking spiritual guidance. In fact, he read the Bible and Dao De Jing, and tried various forms of martial arts. But without finding a genuine master who could guide him, he felt lost and did not know what to do.
There was once a World Taiji Day celebration in his city. Thinking he already knew the people there, he did not plan to go. The day before, however, he had a dream, in which a firm voice told him, “You must come to the event. A qigong master from China will come, and you do not know him.” Raimi felt strange when he woke up. He hardly had dreams when sleeping, let alone dreams like this. He decided to give it a try.
He went to the event, met people he already knew, and stayed for an hour. As he was about to leave in disappointment, he saw a vendor nearby with a Chinese host. He went over and picked up a pamphlet with the words, “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.” Instinctively, he knew that this was what he had been looking for. Nevertheless, he wanted to check if this was real.
Raimi began to chat with the Falun Dafa practitioners in a casual yet provocative way. A practitioner, who was patient and smiling, answered his questions calmly.
Seeing that the practitioner's behavior matched the pamphlet's description, Raimi started to learn the Dafa exercises. He bought a copy of Zhuan Falun in French the next day and finished reading it within two days. By then, the questions he had about life and spiritual pursuit were all answered.
“Master Gave Me a Second Life”
Ms Liu, who learned Dafa in 2005, had gone through three surgeries and chemotherapy earlier that year. Seeing no hope for recovery, she turned to her mother, who told her, “Only Falun Dafa can help you now.”
After joining a local Dafa exercise group and studying the books, her health quickly improved. A blood test six months later showed that all of her parameters were within normal range. “Master gave me a second life,” she said in gratitude.
Jinhua, like Ms. Liu, also experienced physical improvement through the practice. But what surprised her more was the elevation of her mind and character: “I used to complain a lot. Those negative thoughts were gone after I started to practice.”
She said she now knows the purpose of life–that is, being considerate of others and returning to one's original nature. “To me, nothing in this world is better than Falun Dafa and the book Zhuan Falun.”
