(Minghui.org) Whenever I recall my journey from being an atheist who came to learn about Dafa and later benefited from it to a true practitioner, my heart is filled with joy.
When I first met my wife in 1998, she introduced me to the goodness of Falun Gong. At the time, I thought that everyone who practiced qigong was obsessed. After we were married, my wife said she hoped that I would also practice, but I refused, because my mind was full of atheistic beliefs.
After the persecution started in 1999, my wife was arrested, beaten, and fined several times by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I advised her many times to stop practicing, but she refused to give it up. This made me angry but I deeply respected her.
Over the years, as I had more and more contact with Dafa disciples, I have observed how they treat others with kindness and do not nurse any hatred towards the evildoers who persecute them. Moreover, all of them – from the toddlers to those in their 70s and 80s – are healthy. They do not need to take any medicine, let alone go to the hospital. I thought this was very miraculous, and I was convinced Falun Gong was good.
I once had a toothache that would not go away even with medication. My wife had me read the article in Essentials for Further Advancement entitled “Illness Karma.” After I had finished reading it, I realized that my tooth had stopped aching! I was stunned. My wife again suggested I practice Dafa, but because I still had some doubts and was afraid of being persecuted, I did not.
In the following years, my wife often had me listen to Master's lectures with her. I understood a lot of Dafa's principles and also began to conduct myself by following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Gradually, my bodily discomforts disappeared, and my mood became better.
We have two children, and from the time my children could speak, my wife taught them to read Zhuan Falun and Hong Yin . They are both healthy and smart and are very good in their studies. Through my children, my parents and I witnessed the extraordinary powers of Dafa. Gradually, as my belief in Dafa grew stronger, I began to cultivate.
Before meeting my wife, I had never heard of Falun Gong. When we first met in the winter of 1998, she told me about the miraculous improvements to her health after she began practicing, and said she hoped that I would also practice. At the time I did not take it seriously and could not understand why practitioners were so steadfast.
Before I left, my wife said to me, “Take this copy of Zhuan Falun to read. Before reading it, make sure that you wash your hands. It would be best if you read through the entire book in one sitting.” I wanted to laugh but restrained myself. When I got home, I followed her instructions and washed my hands before opening Zhuan Falun , but only quickly read a few pages before putting the book aside.
On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin and his gang initiated the brutal persecution of Dafa. In 2000, despite being six-months pregnant, my wife wanted to speak up for Dafa and for Master, as she felt it was her duty as a Dafa disciple. She told me she had decided to petition to the county government.
At the time many practitioners had been illegally arrested for petitioning the government, so I asked her not to go. But she was very determined, and I knew that I could not stop her. Although I was upset, I also knew that Falun Gong did indeed teach people to be good, and I could not hold her back.
After my wife left, I continued to regret that I had not been able to stop her. I spent the entire night worrying about her. But, to my delight, she came home the next day. She told me that she and two practitioners had gone to the county government where they were greeted by fully armed police officers. The police arrested them without a word and held them the entire afternoon. That evening, the police took them to the detention center and held an unlawful trial. My wife was released because she was pregnant.
Afterwards, Party members came to harass us at our home many times. My wife was arrested several times and subjected to beatings and fines. Because she was persecuted, I lived in constant fear of the sound of police sirens, of the knocking on our door at night, and even of our telephone ringing.
Over the next few years, my wife often had me listen to Master's lectures with her. Listening to Master's words, each of which is the truth, I came to understand many of the Fa's principles, and began to conduct myself according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Gradually, without my noticing it, I realized that my health and mood improved greatly. Now that I think about it, I am sure that from that point, Master was already taking care of me.
My entire family, including our two children, have benefited from my wife's practice. My children are very healthy and have never needed to take any medication. From the time my children could speak, my wife taught them to read Zhuan Falun and Hong Yin. Our children are very intelligent and excel in their studies. My parents and I both witnessed the extraordinary power of Dafa through my children. Gradually, we too entered Dafa cultivation.
At first, I only read Dafa books and did not do the exercises. But through my Fa study I came to understand that, as Master clearly mentions in Zhuan Falun :
“Cultivating mind and body refers to cultivating one’s xinxing at the same time that one’s body is cultivated. In other words, benti is being transformed. In the process of transformation, human cells will be gradually replaced by the high-energy matter, and aging will slow down.” (Lecture Five)
After understanding this, I began studying the Fa and doing the exercises with my wife. Once, I was eliminating karma in the form of hemorrhoids. Although it was very painful, I was not afraid as I had faith in Master and Dafa. Instead, I persisted in sitting in the full lotus position and studying the Fa, and I recovered very quickly.
I have never been very attached to material things. Master has said:
“How should our practitioners treat losses and gains? It is different from ordinary people. What everyday people want is personal gain and how to live well and comfortably. Our practitioners are not this way, but exactly the opposite. We do not seek what everyday people want. Instead, what we get is something everyday people cannot obtain—even though they want to—except through cultivation practice.” (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)
Sometimes, I would be attached to something. But when I recalled the Fa that Master taught, I would let go of the attachment very quickly, and afterward my body would feel much lighter.
Since 1999, the evil Party has deceived countless people around the world through its persecution and defamation of Dafa. As a result, many people have unknowingly committed sins against Dafa. As a Dafa disciple, I feel that I have a responsibility to tell people, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!”
At first, my wife and I made banners with the words “Falun Dafa Is Good” and put them up in public places. I also printed and distributed information to clarify the truth and let more people know that Dafa is good.
Over the years, I have met people who – unaware of the truth - tell me, “Someone must be paying you to do this.” I respond by saying that no one is paying me anything. I have benefited from practicing Dafa, so I'm explaining the truth about it out of my own free will. I also hope that people do not believe the CCP's lies, that they believe that Dafa is good, and that they choose a better future for themselves. I want to tell them to quit the CCP, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers, so that they aren't eliminated along with the CCP.
My hope is that people will calmly and carefully read Zhuan Falun at least once and truly get to know the Dafa practitioners around them. You will find that your opinion of them will change, and then, just like me, you will want to declare, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!”
Thank you, Master!