(Minghui.org) I first heard about Dafa in 1996. Because my mother was in poor health, someone explained to her that Dafa could help her. When my mother studied Dafa, I followed along and learned it, too. However, I was too young to understand the practice. I only knew that Dafa was good and told her to keep practicing it. I just sometimes read the book. I listened when mother read Zhuan Falun. I didn’t study in-depth, but Dafa's profound truths took root in my heart.
No longer reluctant to study the Fa
In the summer of 1998, my mother and I attended a Dafa study group every night. Because my favorite TV show was on at the same time, I went with her reluctantly. Sometimes I argued with her because I didn't want to miss the show, but no matter how much I resisted, my mother insisted on taking me with her to Fa study.
As I studied Dafa in depth, I learned that Dafa is the cultivation of Buddhahood and that the purpose of being human is not to enjoy this life but to practice Dafa and return to one's original, true self. This understanding made me more willing to study Dafa so I could return to my original home. I have come to truly understand the meaning of life and now walk on the path to return to my true self and the world I originally came from.
Dafa gave me wisdom
Since I learned Dafa, I have changed. I was not smart when I was little. It was hard for me to count even using my fingers. My family thought that my IQ was not high and that I would have a hard time competing in today's society. I was afraid I would have difficulty completing school. However, after reading Dafa books in 1996, my grades improved a lot, especially in math, and later I was at the top of my class. This was truly a result of studying the Fa every day.
My family was having difficulties, so I couldn’t focus solely on studying and I did not attend any after-school classes. My middle school entrance exam score was still one of the best. Some of my classmates scored higher than me at school, but I scored higher on the final entrance exam. My younger cousin was recognized as the most intelligent in our families, and he also often participated in the Math Olympics and English classes after school, but in the end he and I scored the same on the entrance exam.
I was always one of the best students in middle school, high school, and college. I even earned the 5,000 yuan national scholarships twice in college. My family was surprised, since they thought I wasn’t smart as a kid and wouldn’t go to college, but actually I studied very well and even got scholarships. I would always say that, because I learned Dafa, it was Master who gave me wisdom.
Hard times
The worst year of the evil persecution was 2001. My mother was illegally detained, and I was on my own. Especially after the staged "self-immolation" event, the whole country was pressured into believing the Communist Party lies and hating Falun Gong. The world was blinded by lies and hatred of Dafa and Dafa disciples. As a Dafa disciple, I thought I should tell the truth about Dafa to the world, so I wanted to send out information exposing the persecution. But the local authorities was so aggressive that my fellow practitioners were either arrested or too scared to go outside.
Because my mother had been arrested and the government was monitoring our home, none of the local practitioners wanted to come see me. They were afraid of being caught. I asked them for information, the weekly journal, and Teacher's new articles, but they said they'd been sent elsewhere. I could hardly get any information about Dafa. At that time, I didn't want to lead government agents who tracked me to fellow practitioners' homes, so I deliberately walked in a round-about way to their homes. At that time, I was feeling really lonely and helpless. I wished my mother would return home, or a fellow practitioner would help me.
Later, a fellow practitioner who had just been released from labor camp found me and said that she knew my mother very well, and knew my situation. She gave me the weekly journal and new articles. She knew I wanted to clarify the truth, so she gave me a lot of informational pamphlets. I was preparing for the entrance exam at that time and had to go to school during the day, so I waited until late at night when the streets were quiet to go out and distribute them. I normally went out at eleven at night when almost no one was on the road. The apartment buildings where I left the pamphlets were also dark, but I was not afraid. I knew that Master protected me all the time. Sometimes I couldn’t finish, so I gave the rest to other fellow practitioners, and they were a little embarrassed.
A few years later, some fellow practitioners said I did well in those early years because few dared to distribute truth clarification information in public. I thought that, as long as we were Dafa disciples, we should validate Dafa regardless of the situation.
No place to live
In 2003, because the local Party officers kept trying to arrest my mother again, we rented out our house, and my mother rented a house somewhere else. Because I was afraid that they would learn where I lived by following me from school, I did not live with my mother.
At that time, some of our relatives got confused by the evil Party's lies and were tempted by personal interests. They wanted to evict my mother and me and force us to return home. I lived in my grandpa's home at that time. One day just after I got back from school, my grandpa had all my clothing and books packed up. Even though some of my clothes were still wet, he pushed me outside and told me to return home, saying that this house was his son’s, who let him live there, but I couldn’t live there.
I had no place to live, so I had to call my mother, who allowed me to live with her for a few days. At the time I was under a lot of pressure and didn't know what to do. My mother wondered why everyone was attacking us because we did not want to give up our faith. Just as Master said:
"Why are Dafa disciples ruthlessly tortured by the evil? Because they persist in their righteous faith in Dafa, and because they are particles of Dafa." (“Dafa is Indestructible” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
But now we are new lives in Dafa
"We've understood why people suffer,
We've understood clearly the destiny of life;
And the cosmos's formation and stasis.
The Party's indoctrination is no longer Truth [to us],
And the persecution can no longer confuse me.
A righteous mind leads me to walk the divine path,
And honor permits no looking back."
(“Honor Permits No Looking Back” from Hong Yin III).
We have Master behind us, we are Dafa particles, and we can’t go back to being normal people. Therefore, no matter how difficult our situation, we should remember we are Dafa practitioners and remember we have Master. When we act in accordance with Master’s requirements, there is no difficulty that we can’t resolve. At that point, I felt that, as a Dafa disciple, I had experienced a lot of misery in different lifetimes and had finally obtained the Fa in this life. I had searched thousands of places in different lives, until finally Master saved me back to heaven. My heart suddenly filled with infinite strength, and I felt that, in any big tribulation, I have Master right beside me, so I can face it calmly.
"If you are a true practitioner, our Falun will safeguard you. I am rooted in the universe. If anyone can harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe. What I have said may sound quite inconceivable. You will understand it later as you study further." (Zhuan Falun)
Although I was clear about the truth, things were no easier under the evil regime.
Later when I rented an apartment, the followers of the local regime harassed my father at work. My father then came to my place and had a big quarrel with me. He pounded the table and said that I had had a negative impact on his life and work. I really didn't know how to deal with his outburst. As soon as he showed up the next time, I left and got on a bus without checking the destination. After some time had passed and I felt that he should be gone, I rode back.
I was soon to take final exams, but because of the tribulations at home, I had no time or energy to study. I had to use school time to review. But on the final exam, I was still at the top. I know all I have was given by Dafa and that I should validate the miracle of Dafa. My mother told the family, "With such great tribulations, a normal child might have quit school, but this child learned Dafa and became a good student despite the challenges. This is a gift of Dafa."
My family witnessed how extraordinary Dafa is through my experience. Although my family played a negative role toward us early on in the persecution, I do not hate them. Grandpa’s health is poor, and my mother and I often take care of him. My father had issues at work. When I went to see him, I used the principles of Falun Dafa to enlighten him, so he now has a better understanding.
In recent years, I've often gone out with my mother and other fellow practitioners to clarify the truth to persuade people to resign from the three CCP organizations, and I have also told acquaintances the truth about the persecution of Dafa. Although there is a gap between me and good fellow practitioners or Master’s requirements, I will catch up.
Master said:
"The only path that lies before you, the disciples of Dafa, is one of real cultivation. There is no other path." (“What is a Dafa Disciple?”)
I will continue to practice in the future to get rid of my attachments, such as to fame, wealth, the show off mentality, sentimentality, lust, laziness, and other bad substances. I will require myself to meet the standard of a genuine Dafa disciple. I will be worthy of Master's compassionate and arduous salvation. I will meet the expectations of other beings to fulfill my vow in coming to the world.
