(Minghui.org) Some young Falun Dafa practitioners in Michigan have either graduated from an Ivy League school or are currently employed by international companies. How do they conduct themselves while facing temptations, stress, and anxiety in today’s society?

They come from different family backgrounds but have one thing in common: they began practicing Falun Dafa with their parents when they were children. In celebrating the 30^th anniversary of Falun Dafa’s public introduction, these young practitioners talked about how the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance benefited them. They said that Falun Dafa is like a clear stream bringing them tranquility in the muddy world.

These young practitioners expressed their gratitude to Master and thanked him for guiding them on a healthy and righteous path.

“Cultivating Falun Dafa helped me make the right decision.”

Annie Chen is a nurse who began practicing Falun Dafa with her mother. Annie said, “I started practicing Falun Dafa with my mother when I was two years old. My mother brought me to many different Dafa activities. I imitated her when she did the exercise movements. When I learned to read, I read Zhuan Falun. Even though I was still young and did not understand why I should practice Dafa, deep down inside I knew that Falun Dafa was good, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance was good.”

Annie participates in the Tulip Time Festival in Michigan in 2018.

Temptations increased when Annie got older. She said, “Many young people tend to waste their money, host parties, do drugs, and drink alcohol. I was not deluded by life like them. Not only did Falun Dafa teach me high morals, principles, and a pure mentality, Falun Dafa also gave me a healthy body and made me a better person.”

Annie graduated from a university and began working as a nurse at one of Michigan’s major hospitals. She said, “I tend to my patients. Sometimes my colleagues ask for help to clean patients’ feces or do other chores that are not pleasant. I always help them to the best of my abilities because Falun Dafa has taught me to ‘let hardship then be treated as joy’ and to always be altruistic and put others first. When I was able to truly think of others, I was able to put my likes and dislikes aside. I started to truly help my colleagues and patients from the bottom of my heart.”

With World Falun Dafa Day around the corner, Annie said, “I know how precious Dafa is. Practicing Falun Dafa has upgraded my xinxing and changed my life. I would like to express my gratitude to Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, for introducing Falun Dafa to the world. If it wasn’t for Dafa, I would not have become the person that I am now. Falun Dafa has also helped me make a lot of good choices and helped me become a compassionate person.

From Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra to Attending an Ivy League School

Jin Jing, an environmental analysis consultant, graduated from an Ivy League university. She started practicing Falun Dafa with her mother when she was nine years old. She said, “My mother was very ill and started looking for a qigong practice. Hearing about a local Falun Dafa practice site she headed over. She enjoyed practicing Falun Dafa and wanted me to practice with her. We listened to Master’s audio lectures and I began to read the Fa with the adults.”

“The principles of Dafa were deeply rooted in my heart at a young age. I was able to differentiate what was truly good and bad. I understood karmic relationships and stayed on a righteous path. Master had also protected me from the dangers of the world. My friends told me that I emitted a bright energy.”

Jin Jing continued, “I was accepted to many prestigious universities during my third year of high school. Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra was established during that time and was looking for musicians. I auditioned and was accepted. I decided to forgo my chances of getting into a good university and joined Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. Although it was hard for me to let go of such good opportunities, I knew this was something I had to do. Being a member of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra laid a good foundation for my future university.”

Jin Jing attended Fei Tian Academy of the Arts during her practicum with Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Jin Jing said, “When I later reapplied for universities, one Ivy League School said they liked the message that Shen Yun Performing Arts brings to people. I was accepted to that school. This university was considerably better in ranking than the previous ones I was accepted to. There is a Falun Dafa Club at the school and we hosted activities to raise awareness about Falun Dafa. Chinese students at the university often disrupted our activities and even complained to school officials. Each time, we clarified the truth to them and our professors. In the end, those complaints always ended up in vain. We used these opportunities to tell them how the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is persecuting practitioners.”

Jin Jing said, “What I have benefited most from practicing Falun Dafa is the elevation of my moral standards. I am not swayed by society. Schools are degenerate nowadays with leftist thinking, and socialist ideas. Many of my friends are swayed by the media. By abiding by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I am not misguided by modern thought.”

“After practicing Falun Dafa my Chinese language skills have improved, and I am able to translate. By clarifying the truth to government officials, I also improved in public speaking. This has opened up another opportunity for me to raise awareness about Falun Dafa to people.”

“My life came for the Fa”

Kuan-Yu Hsiao, works as a sales manager in a top 500 international company. She said, “Everyone wants to get a good job offer while they’re still in college. However, the purpose of life isn’t for someone to get a good job, it has a deeper meaning. It is to bring a better future in the world. I know my purpose of life. Not only am I clarifying the truth to people, I am also spreading the universal principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Kuan-Yu Hsia wishes Master a Happy Falun Dafa Day.

Working for an international company sometimes means working in a stressful and competitive environment. Kuan-Yu said, “I started practicing Dafa when I was young, and Dafa’s principles are rooted in my heart. No matter how stressful things become or how many tribulations I have, I am still able to face everything calmly.”

“Many of my friends aren’t cultivators and they get anxious or stressed very easily. They often praise me for remaining composed, and ask, ‘Why aren’t you affected by all this?’ I tell them about Dafa and that I always think positively. I also strive to do well in every project. Everyone has different ideals and goals. Because I’m guided by Dafa’s principles I can look at things from a higher perspective and think of others, and see if I abide by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The same goes for when I clarify the truth, I often remind myself to think of others.”

She said, “I don’t know what I would have become if I did not practice Falun Dafa. My life came for the Fa. The purpose of my life is to cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The only thing I can do is to strive to align myself with these principles.”

Helping End the Persecution

Xu Xinming wrote in his college essay, “I started cultivation the day that I made the decision to stand up for Falun Dafa practitioners being persecuted in China.”

Xinming started practicing with his parents as a small child and did not know the true purpose of cultivation. He felt tired traveling from place to place while participating in activities to validate the Fa, and asked himself, “Why do we have to help end the persecution this way? Why do we have to stay out in the freezing cold in front of a Chinese embassy or attend the letter formations in New York in the hot and humid weather with sweat trickling down my back?” It was not until one day that his perspective changed when Xinming attended an activity to rescue a little practitioner’s mother in China.

He wrote in his college essay, “When I saw the sadness in the eyes of this little practitioner, I realized for the first time, that children in China do not understand why their parents were taken away from them. Why were their families torn apart by the CCP? I finally understood why we hold public activities. I wanted to help those little practitioners. They have witnessed their parents being taken away and being beaten by the CCP. This is all because their parents cultivate and abide by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Not only do they have to endure physical and mental abuse, their basic human rights were stripped away. I suddenly felt motivated to attend these activities to help end these atrocities.”

Xinming, now a college student, said, “I’ve known Dafa’s teachings from a young age. It is not enough to know what’s right or wrong and I need to put it into actions. Dafa has given me courage and has guided me on a righteous path. I have chosen to practice Falun Dafa because this is something more important than my existence. Participating in these activities is also helping to end this brutal persecution.”

Xu Xinming participates in the 2018 Washington D.C. candlelight vigil.

“No amount of words can describe my gratitude. Thank you Master for guiding me on a right path to navigate in this world,” he said.