(Minghui.org) I came across Falun Dafa about 18 years ago when I was in a disturbed situation both physically and mentally. I have since benefited from the practice in many different aspects of my life. I'd like to share how the teachings of Dafa have helped me answer the questions that I had about the true meaning of life.
The persecution of Falun Gong had started a few months before I encountered the practice, and the news of the ban on the practice gave me the wrong impression that Falun Gong practitioners were a group with a political agenda. I had no desire to get involved in political affairs.
My misunderstanding, though, gradually dissipated as I kept studying Falun Gong teachings. I discovered that Falun Gong practitioners not only harbored no political intention, but also never participated in any political activities. They never resorted to political means to resist the suppression, because their goal was not to save themselves, but to save those involved in the persecution and those deceived by the propaganda against the practice.
Like many people, I had many challenges in life before learning Falun Gong. I read many books, including psychology books, to try to find answers to my questions and confusion about life. I also tried other means. Sometimes I'd go to nature and listen to music to keep my soul away from the pollution of society and to improve myself. I also compared my own and other people's behaviors against the teachings I read in various books and quotes that I collected from well-known people.
There were many ambitions and goals in my mind that I worked hard to achieve. My anxiety of looking for answers lessened when I occasionally accomplished something that made me satisfied with and proud of myself. But I was not always successful when faced with ever increasing challenges. I felt bad about having to fight to get a foothold in society.
Master stated in Zhuan Falun:
“I have said that now people cannot distinguish good from bad. If one tells another person that he is doing something wrong, he will not believe it. Because human moral values have changed, some people seek nothing but self-interest and will do anything for money. ‘If a person is not after self-interest, heaven and earth will kill him’— this has already become a motto!”
I felt helpless facing these unrighteous behaviors, and I resented those who blocked me from advancing in society. I was disappointed, I was afraid of the future, and I felt it was just unfair most of the time. I thought that only by changing people around me, not myself, could a better environment be created for me.
In my view, the environment around me was full of controversy, duplicity and repetition, and I wandered in it looking for the truth of life. Sometimes I was so tired of everyday life that I found it meaningless. Deep in my heart, I knew that true life was not like what I experienced and that it must have deeper meaning. But I couldn't comprehend what that might be.
These questions became more intense when I started working as a nurse after graduating from college. The hospital setting gave me a different angle to experience life. While caring for dying patients or those with serious physical or mental problems, I wondered why they had such a fate and in the meantime was afraid of running into similar health problems. I was also disappointed that I was unable to help them.
I heard from elders that the world is a place for repaying karmic debts, but I did not have a deep understanding of it, because it contradicted what I was actually seeing in life. Many people had committed unpardonable crimes, yet they received no retribution at all. In the meantime, innocent people were made to suffer from physical and mental problems. The one question that bothered me was why people had such drastically different lives and fates.
I saw that some young people, who were full of thirst for life, died from accidents or illnesses. There were also people who wished to die, but didn't see death befall them.
I once ran into a reclusive man who abandoned the secular world in his youth and lived in the forest. He said that he prayed to his creator every day, yet in his old age he got stomach cancer.
There were also children who were born with disabilities or serious health problems. I always wondered by God would punish such innocent lives who had never committed any crimes.
I also had questions about a lot of events going on in the world. Why people across the world didn't have universal principles to follow. Why did they try to use religion, gender, skin color, or race to show that they were superior to others? Why did people even kill each other to achieve their goals?
When I witnessed tragedies such as war, floods, or earthquakes, I questioned why God would allow these things to happen if He was merciful. As I saw it, both innocent and sinful people became victims. Deep in my heart, I knew that God was fair, but I couldn't make sense of what happened in the world. I saw no justice in the things I went through or witnessed. This really puzzled me, and I couldn't get over it.
I felt that no one could escape the cycle of birth, aging, illness and death and that life was meaningless. It was just like a circular motion that was absurd and delusional. If life would end where it started, what was the point of having such life in the first place? But again, it seemed that we had no choice but go through this cycle.
With the advancement of technology, more and more platforms became available to ease and enhance communication between people. What puzzled me was that many people still felt lonely. They attended parties or got married to alleviate their loneliness. But still, they felt lonely.
Things changed after I started practicing Falun Dafa. Through studying its teachings, especially the sections about the characteristics of the cosmos, I was able to find answers to my questions about the true meaning of life. More importantly, I discovered the secret of creation, which was once an abstract concept to me. I came to understand that there are high moral standards for people and I was able to experience life with a clear meaning and purpose.
Master said:
“A person has a physical body, yet a person is not complete with only a physical body. One must also have human temperament, personality, character, and Primordial Spirit in order to constitute a complete and independent person with individuality. The same is true with our universe, which has the Milky Way, other galaxies, as well as life and water. All things and matter in this universe are aspects of material existence. At the same time, however, it also possesses the characteristic Zhen-Shan-Ren. All microscopic particles of matter embody this characteristic—even the extremely microscopic particles have this property.” (Zhuan Falun)
“No matter how the human moral standard changes, this characteristic of the universe remains unchanged, and it is the sole criterion that distinguishes good people from bad people.” (Zhuan Falun)
Dafa opened a great door for me. I have come to a deeper understanding of the universe's characteristics by following Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Through cultivating in Dafa, I came to see how to transcend the cycle of birth, aging, illness and death. If a person fails to understand the universe's characteristics and deviates from it, they are confined by this cycle.
I realized that the human world is a place full of illusion. People go after material gain on the surface, but deep down, they are looking for their true homes and wanting to return to their true selves. Only by understanding the true meaning of life and setting clear goals for ourselves, can we find our purpose. We believe that cultivating in the human world is the only way to return to our true selves.
I am grateful to Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, for providing me with the tools and solutions to deal with my problems. One of the key tools is to look within.
I can only look within to identify my shortcomings and to overcome them when encountering conflicts in the human world. I know that I can only change myself, not others. As such, I no longer cast blame on others and I no longer feel wronged. I am enjoying a stress-free life.
Category: Improving Oneself
