New Practitioner from Iran: Falun Dafa Renewed My Life and Saved Me from Despair

(Minghui.org) Sanaz, 23 years old and from Iran, came to Canada last year to study. She used to be depressed, and at the age of 15 turned to drugs, alcohol, and smoking. She says she feels fortunate to have found Falun Dafa in 2020. After she embarked on the path of cultivation her depression was gone, and her life is now filled with hope.

Sanaz reads Falun Dafa’s main book, Zhuan Falun. 

Sanaz joined other practitioners in wishing Master Li a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival at Nathan Phillips Square in front of the Toronto City Hall on September 18, 2021. 

Sanaz wants others to know about her amazing experience after she found Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). 

Lost in Life

Sanaz always had many questions. She wanted to know why people existed and why people died. She kept searching for an answer but never found it. It seemed the people around her had no goals and did not care about the meaning of life. Sanaz began to fall into depression.

“I was even more confused after reading different religious books. I noticed that the people who followed those religions did not abide by the principles—on the contrary, they still did whatever they pleased. I no longer trusted any religion because I felt they were turned into tools to manipulate and control people.”

“I began reading philosophical books but none of them answered my questions. I felt I reached a dead end in my search for the true meaning of life. I felt depressed and exhausted because those who were much older than me were also unable to find the true meaning of life. I thought that if living meant acquiring material possessions, starting a family and then in the end, die—then I’d rather skip the meaningless process and just end my life.”

With these negative thoughts in mind, Sanaz took sleeping pills hoping to end her life. She was only 15 years old. Her parents brought her to the hospital after finding her unconscious the next morning.

Dreams While Unconscious

Sanaz had some vivid dreams while she was unconscious. She saw herself lying in bed but the people walking around her were unable to see her. She felt exhausted and could not sit up. Suddenly, the ground collapsed and her bed dropped down. This happened multiple times.

While she was unconscious Sanaz heard the doctors say that it was a miracle that she survived. No one thought that she would live.

Sanaz was remorseful for her actions but deep down, she still felt depressed and empty. To escape reality, Sanaz turned to drinking and drugs. She frequently became ill, often for long periods of time. Once again, she began having thoughts about committing suicide. She tried mental health therapy and other treatments, but none of them seemed to help.

Finding the Answer 

While Sanaz was sitting at the coffee shop where she once worked, she thought, “Is there something wrong with me? Why do others know how to enjoy life?” She wanted to give up searching for the answer, and told herself that perhaps people were supposed to live that way. 

She looked around when her eyes rested on one of her co-workers when she worked at the coffee shop for five years. 

Sanaz thought, “Yes, he is my answer! He always smiled and was gentle, calm and polite. I never saw him angry, upset or have an emotional break down.”

She realized that she always felt peaceful and calm when she worked with him. She remembered he mentioned a cultivation method he practiced. She went to him and asked, “What was the cultivation method that you told me about? What was it called?”

He was surprised, but happily explained that he practiced Falun Dafa. He told her that he and his wife practiced Falun Dafa for 10 years. He explained Falun Dafa in detail. He later gave Sanaz a book and taught her Falun Dafa’s five sets of exercises. He also quoted Master’s lectures to answer many of her questions.

Sanaz said she wept tears of joy after she began reading Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa. 

“My heart was calm and this feeling was something I never experienced before. I always had negative and distorted thoughts in the past. So, I always acted impulsively and was unable to properly eat or sleep.”

Sanaz knew she finally found the answer she had been looking for. She finished reading Zhuan Falun in one go and felt a powerful energy moving throughout her body from head to toe when she lay down in bed that night. She tried not to move because she wanted to experience this wonderful feeling as long as she could.

Her extreme headaches disappeared the next morning. “I didn’t even realize that I always had headaches. The headaches seemed to have accompanied me ever since I was young and I even got used to being in pain. For the first time in my life I was free of illnesses and I was able to hear birds chirping.”

Sanaz continued, “I read Zhuan Falun until I fell asleep and resumed reading when I woke up. I did not want to put down the book. The COVID pandemic was spreading world wide at that time and my relatives were scared. I, on the other hand, felt very peaceful and calm. My relatives saw how magnificent Dafa was when they saw the changes in me.” 

“My parents noticed the look in my eyes and said they saw light in them. My inner world was also elevated. I was able to experience the world and things around me. My family began to talk about faith and religion and began researching Falun Dafa and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance after seeing the change in my character.”

Grateful to Master for Renewing My Life

Sanaz has practiced Falun Dafa for three years. She experienced dramatic changes in her life and began contacting family members and resolving her difficult relationships with them. She also quit smoking and drugs. She became a completely different, positive person. From being impulsive and depressed, Sanaz became peaceful and happy. “My mother told everyone about my positive changes after I began practicing Falun Dafa,” she said.

She no longer had thoughts about ending her life after she began practicing. She felt fortunate that Master taught her many principles that she had once sought. She said that Master gave her the biggest blessing of her life, “Falun Dafa saved me.”

Sanaz said, “I once suffered like so many people and many of them are still tirelessly searching for the meaning of life. I want everyone to know how magnificent Falun Dafa is.”

After learning about Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing persecution, she said that she wants to spread the beauty and wonders of Dafa and tell people that practitioners are unable to freely practice Falun Dafa in China.

Sanaz said, “I will abide by Master’s teachings and do my best to follow the course of nature. I will put my heart into cultivation. I am able to tell people about the ongoing persecution now that I live in a free country.”

Lastly, Sanaz said, “No words can express my sincere gratitude to Master. Master has saved me from the darkness and led me to a righteous path. Thank you Master!”