(Minghui.org) The 20th anniversary of Falun Dafa is a special date for practitioners. Twenty years ago, our Master started to teach Falun Dafa. Over these past two decades, there have been many stories of people who found their way back to their true homes. Many people regained their hope for happiness and health. There are practitioners of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) all over the world, and more and more people are practicing. The people of the world are now more able to understand the truth about Falun Dafa and our Master and are able to tell right from wrong.
Master Li teaches us that everyone possesses notions that prevent him or her from making righteous decisions. I learned about Falun Dafa at a time when I had many questions about life and the universe. These questions presented obstacles to my understanding of the Fa.
I grew up in a good home environment. My whole family, especially my grandfather, searched for genuine spiritual meaning. I was influenced by Christian beliefs and stories when I was young, but I felt there was something missing, so I continued to explore. I realized later that my family experiences were not accidental. In the end, the awareness of Buddhism helped us learn about Falun Dafa. I feel very fortunate and grateful.
When I was young, I always asked myself what the true origin and meaning of life was. I always tried to figure out what the largest and smallest particles in the universe were. I did not find answers in any books and no theory answered my questions.
My mother introduced the Fa to me when I was 18 years old. We were very excited after reading Master’s books. I found the answers to my questions in Zhuan Falun and I accepted many theories in the book right away. However, I still had some notions that prevented me from understanding the Fa more completely. I wondered what kind of person Master was and how he came to know the things he taught. Fellow practitioners patiently told us that we would find the answers by reading Zhuan Falun again and again. It was true. All my questions were answered in the book after I read it repeatedly.
I felt very warm when a fellow practitioner taught me the exercises. I came to understand later that my energy channels were opened and that the heat came from the energy. I felt very comfortable and relaxed. Many things were not so important to me while other things became very important. I felt I had improved. In my mind, improving meant having a better understandings of things. As in going to school, upgrading means you can go to a higher grade with deeper understanding. Cultivation practice is to purify ourselves and improve.
Cultivation practice made me energetic. I became stronger and more pure. I no longer felt tired and I could finish many things easily and well. I gave up many notions that prevented me from understanding the Fa and let go of my selfishness. I improved my moral character and broadened my mind. I now look at everything from a new perspective and I am a better person. I used to be lazy and indifferent and became upset quite easily. I am still trying my best to be diligent, more considerate and tolerant. Falun Dafa is really a good way to improve. You can cultivate in everyday life. It is very convenient because you can cultivate yourself any time and anywhere. You can read all Dafa materials online for free and start your cultivation right away. There are practice sites most everywhere.
I obtained the Fa 11 years ago. I did not even fully believe the Fa when I first read the book. At that time, there were many questions in my mind. It seemed very difficult for me to be enlightened in such a short lifetime. Now I have completely different thoughts. I think we can succeed in our cultivation practice, no matter how long or how short the road ahead will be. In the beginning, when I did the meditation exercise, I could only tolerate the pain and sit for 5 minutes, but now I can sit for 45 minutes. Sometimes, I experience the sensation that I am very big and at other times I feel I become quite small. When my cultivation state is good, I feel the energy flow freely through my whole body as I read the Fa or do the exercises. Sometimes, after introducing the Fa to others, I feel it as well.
Once when I was reading the Fa, I saw a shiny Buddha body sitting behind the words. Sometimes I can see that other fellow practitioners appear shiny also. Sometimes, as I talk with people, I can tell their wishes and ideas from their behavior, expressions and speech. I don’t have the ability to read others' thoughts. It was just that my awareness increased and my thoughts became very clear. I am not boasting, just sharing my experiences about cultivation practice. These are not imaginary, but very natural. My experiences are not worth mentioning compared to many other fellow practitioners. Some practitioners are not sensitive and may not experience things such as this, but that is really not important. What is important is to upgrade one's moral character continuously.
All my cultivation experiences were encouraging to me. I actually think the most encouragement came as a result of seeing Master during my dreams. In the dreams I always stay close to fellow practitioners and they sometimes point out conflicts in my life or tell me how to do well. It was wonderful to dream of Master. For example, I once dreamed that Master and I were going back home on a path. He looked serious and showed me how to send forth righteous thoughts and asked me to follow him. I followed and did as he asked. That dream was very intense, with feelings and thoughts of compassion and righteousness. It destroyed all evil and bad things. Master was reminding me to send forth righteous thoughts in the dream. Once I dreamed that I was doing the sitting meditation with fellow practitioners. My husband was sitting at my left side and he was trying to double cross his legs. I saw Master smiling at me. My understanding of the dream was that Master wanted me to know that my husband would indeed be able to double cross his legs and I did not need to worry about him. I know Master is truly taking care of me although I have never seen him in person.
I can say that cultivation practice makes my life fulfilling. My family life has become very harmonious and my husband and I feel happier. We have a child and the whole family is healthy. We are more fortunate than a lot of people who do not practice cultivation. My husband also knows that Falun Dafa is good. He has learned the five exercises and has read Zhuan Falun. He also has experienced Master’s encouragement to practice. He now behaves in a more compassionate and wiser way than ever before.
Our child always wants to read Dafa books and look at Master’s photo. He pointed to Master’s photo and tried to say “Master”. I once took him to attend an experience sharing conference and he was very happy and danced for 15 minutes. I know I have the responsibility to help my family in cultivation. The higher the standard that I require for myself, the better my housework can be done and the more harmonious my family becomes. My husband’s family likes me and everything around me goes well.
Actually, I am not saying that everyone must practice Falun Dafa. However, everyone should know in their heart that Falun Dafa is good and that Master is good. Everyone can be a good person according to his own path. This means he should be well behaved, not harm other people and treat other people with compassion and tolerance. If one is able to do this, he is not far away from the road of cultivation.
To practice cultivation is a good choice because this can help people find their true selves. Every being wants to go back to his true home and not suffer any more. Everyone wants to live a better life. A practitioner will encounter difficulties along the cultivation path that are arranged to help him improve. However, one will also be encouraged from experiencing these difficulties. The best suggestion I can give is to look at Falun Dafa seriously. Read the books of Falun Dafa and learn the exercises. Whoever does this will surely experience positive changes.
I’d like to use this article to wish our Master a happy birthday. I thank Master for his mercy, what he has done for me and especially his hints to me. All the hints Master gave me are shiny and precious memories. These memories will never fade out and these hints are still leading me even now. I will continue to be diligent and be a deserving Dafa disciple.
