(Minghui.org) I am a new practitioner in my twenties and I fortunately obtained Dafa at the beginning of 2011. At this historic time of Dafa spreading throughout the world for twenty years and with the May 13th experience sharing articles online, I took this opportunity to share how I was introduced to Dafa and the changes I experienced both physically and mentally after learning the Fa. I am deeply grateful to Master Li and want to help Master rectify the Fa.
I am a graphic designer, and my colleagues and friends said I have a good temperament, am creative, and also “trendy”. Many people found it hard to understand how a young man like me, in a creative field with experience and capability, would choose to cultivate in Falun Dafa. They thought I should hurry up and buy a house, a car, find a beautiful wife, and have an even better life. They could not understand how I could believe in cultivation, something deemed “superstitious” inside today’s China, or how I could believe Falun Gong when it was banned by the Chinese communist regime.
How I encountered Dafa
My best friend and I had shared an apartment for quite some time. In 2011, I noticed his bedroom door was shut whenever he was at home, and it had not been this way before. I was curious, and wondered what he was doing. One day my friend was not at home and his door was open so I went in and found two books on his nightstand. I opened them and was shocked. One was Zhuan Falun, the other was The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa. Wow, these were Falun Gong books! I remembered the media reporting that these books were to be destroyed. When my friend returned I asked him about the books. He was calm and replied: “Discovered?” and jokingly asked, “Did you report me?” I said “Of course not, but I am curious.” He said, “You can take a look and learn for yourself.” I refused, saying that I was not interested in banned books. He did not say anything. Several days later, maybe he trusted me and thought I might have a predestined relationship with Dafa and he no longer read the Fa with the door shut. He sometimes read out loud deliberately so I could hear.
One night, I was listening to music online, and even with the noise; I could still hear my friend reading the Fa. I stopped the music and quietly listened.
Master said:
“Then how can we do the assistant job well? First off, you should treat yourself as one of the students instead of considering yourself above them. If there is something that you do not know in your work, you should humbly discuss it with others. If you have done something wrong, you should sincerely tell the students, 'I, too, am a cultivator just as you are, so it’s inevitable that I’ll make mistakes in my work. Now that I’ve made a mistake, let’s do what’s right.' If you sincerely want to have all practitioners collaborate to get things done, what results will you get? No one will say that you are good for nothing. Instead, they will think that you have learned the Fa well and are open-minded.” (“How to Provide Assistance”, Essentials for Further Advancement)
I thought: “Oh, isn't this talk about things related to xinxing, teaching people to search within, and solve their problems?” This was so different from what I heard about Falun Gong. I thought,”It’s worth listening to!” I went to his room and joined him. From that point on, whenever he read Zhuan Falun, I would join him, and I would read when my friend needed a break.
Once I began studying the Fa, I truly could not stop. Using the simplest language delivers the most profound meaning, and I was deeply moved. The book answered many of my questions about life, the world and myself. I personally experienced the wonder of Dafa.
A Renewed Life after Obtaining Dafa
My career has me sitting in front of a computer for six to seven hours, and even sometimes ten hours at a time. Due to long term poor posture and the irregularity of my life style, I was in an unhealthy state, with all my muscles stiff, aching, with eye pain, watery eyes and nausea. I sought medical help and western medicine could not help me, and eastern medicine could only relieve symptoms for a short period of time. I gradually stopped visiting Chinese medicine shops for acupuncture or herbs. I looked forward instead to a daily massage to deal with the problem. At the beginning of 2011, I developed a bulging disc, although it had not affected the nerve yet. From a child I knew that this condition was very difficult to treat, so I stopped worrying about it. After I obtained Fa and read Zhuan Falun, everything changed.
When I first received the book Zhuan Falun, I did not know how precious it was. Instead of reading the book, I used software to break through the Internet blockade and downloaded the electronic version to my iPad. When I first opened the Falun Dafa website, the picture was pure and sacred.
When I read Zhuan Falun the first two times, it seemed familiar. It also stirred more curiosity, resolving many puzzles in my life. When I read the chapter regarding illness, I noticed that Master had already begun to cleanse my body. From top to bottom, I could feel Falun rotating on my head, eyes, neck, back and extremities. Even though I could not see or touch the Falun, I could feel them and I felt comfortable, as I no longer had the tension I had before when I read online. It was amazing and real! Just like the book says: Illness free! Even more amazing was that I could read until 2 to 3 a.m. and get up at 4 to 5 a.m. I was not sleepy or tired, even after working all day! I felt as if I was reborn: all my illnesses were gone, and I was full of energy. I believed in Dafa even more and I was determined to cultivate well.
Acknowledgment and Approval of My Changes
I have been cultivating in Dafa for over a year now, I no longer have any pain or discomfort and my working and living conditions have improved. Even though I still have many attachments not relinquished yet, under Master's compassionate protection I am able to abide by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. My company administrators, my colleagues have all acknowledged and approved of the changes in me.
In the past, I gave others the impression I was sleepy, tired, and withdrawn. After I obtained the Fa, my colleagues saw that I was full of energy, in good spirits all day, more calm and humble, no longer fighting with others and instead being considerate of others' needs. One morning I greeted a new colleague, even though we only had known each other for a few days. She thought I was a good person.
What amazed the company leaders and my colleagues the most was that I told them the mistakes I’d made in the past and wanted to make up for them, to rectify myself.
Everyone knows in China today, under the influence of the Communist Party culture, everybody is indulging him or herself and endlessly pursuing profits. There are unspoken rules in all walks of life: if one works as a company manager he would have many chances to earn extra income. If you want to achieve something in life, take these opportunities, otherwise people will view you as someone who is foolish. Before I obtained the Fa, under the influence of these unspoken rules, I also sought out some ill-gotten gains. Even though it was not much, after I studied the Fa, I understood that my life was already marked with a huge debt.
A human life is balanced: no loss no gain. If you gain you have to lose. If you are attached to so-called unspoken rules and petty gains and reap profits at the expense of others, and you don't cultivate, you will have tribulations to pay back in the future. As for a cultivator, virtue is the most precious thing, as we emphasis and safeguard virtue. It looked like I had some petty gains in the past but it did more harm than good. Because I understood this on the basis of the Fa, it was important for me to face those mistakes and rectify the situation and myself.
I informed my company administrators of my mistake and asked them to accept my repayment or be reprimanded. They were surprised but they also understood, as nowadays which company does not abuse power? And yet they did not understand me, a modern-day young man, who revealed his foul play, and was cutting off sources of revenue and requesting a reprimand? I told them, I have learned Falun Dafa, and I now understand the relationship between loss and gain and the moral code that one should uphold at work, and that was why I wanted them to know the mistake I made and to rectify myself. They felt my sincerity and my courage in making the right choice. From the initial surprise, upset, and misunderstanding to full approval, my superiors were deeply moved.
Later the administrators discussed the issue with human resources and accountants. My mistakes did not cause any loss for the company, and by approving my self-reform, they asked me to write a statement acknowledging my mistake and to promise never to make the same mistake again. With their consent, I returned my ill-gotten gains to the company.
From that point on, with more Fa study and improvement, I acquired more trust from my administrators and colleagues, and my responsibilities have increased. I have more opportunities at work to improve myself, accommodate Dafa, and clarify the truth. I know the acknowledgments and promotions at work, the improvement and elevation of my physical health and mentality have all come from Dafa and Master. Thank you Master, and thank you Dafa. I hope more people will understand the truth about Dafa and have a wonderful future.
