(Minghui.org) I started to practice Falun Dafa in October 2011. It may have seemed to be by accident at the time, but looking back now, I know that it's not the case. Here, I'd like to share my cultivation journey.
A Hint in a Dream
I've always had many dreams since I was young – vivid ones, ones that stay with me for a long time even after waking. For example, in one dream, I flew into the sky and then into the sun. In another, I was running from bad guys and had to jump out of a fifth-story window.
But of all these dreams, one of them stands out as exceptionally lifelike. To this day, every detail of this dream has been etched in my memory.
In this dream, my soul left my body and went to a strange mountain, where I saw pink and purple lotus flowers everywhere. The lotus flowers were so huge that an adult could lie down on them. I was somewhat scared, however; I was running and even occasionally flew into the air.
When I reached the bottom of the mountain, I saw a tall, thin man in a dark robe selling his wares. Among the precious items he was peddling, I grabbed a vase. However, when I held it in my hands, it looked like a standing buddha sculpture that I had never seen before. All the buddhas that I had seen up to that point were seated, so I found the standing figure strange.
It wasn't until many years later after I started practicing Falun Dafa, that I saw a picture of Master Li (the founder of Dafa) as a buddha. I recognized it instantly as the standing buddha I saw in my dream.
Dabbling in Meditation
One day many years ago, my friends and I were having tea when the topic suddenly shifted to Buddhism. Afterward, when I came home, I felt like I needed to meditate for some reason.
I found a Buddha's picture in a book and tried to mimic the way he sat in the double lotus position, with his legs crossed. I tried to close my eyes and meditate for a while.
A few minutes later, I felt that I had disappeared somewhere and that I didn't know where I was. It felt like I had melted away into another part of the universe.
I was very scared and immediately opened my eyes only to find myself still seated, at home. Relieved, I closed my eyes again. However, the feeling appeared again, so I stopped trying to meditate.
Out of curiosity, I tried to meditate again the next day, and the same thing happened again. It scared me out of trying to meditate on my own for a while.
But this experience ignited within me a desire to practice cultivation for real. I planned to go to a temple and ask for some Buddhist scriptures.
A Chance Encounter
So in October of 2011, I decided to visit a temple to borrow some books. On my way, I passed by a store owned by a friend I just met. I told her about my quest for a Buddhist book that would teach me how to cultivate.
“It is very hard to get any real scriptures these days,” she said.
I was shocked, but I soon realized that what she said was true. The scene that came to my mind was the story of A Journey to the West – before Tripitaka was able to obtain his scriptures, he had to suffer eighty-one tribulations.
This friend then invited me to her apartment and introduced me to Falun Dafa. She told me about the persecution, but also about how wonderful the practice actually is. I was very interested in the cultivation she spoke of.
Suddenly, she asked me, “Have you found a master?”
I was surprised, “Why do I need a master?”
She replied,
“Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun, 2014 Translation version)
Even though I didn't understand what she said, I was fascinated by these unusual words.
Then, she took out a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa, and asked me to read it.
Reading Zhuan Falun for the First Time
I liked to read and had a lot of time to spare. I opened the book Zhuan Falun. To my surprise, once I started reading, I couldn't stop at all.
I had heard many terms like “trance,” “Bigu,” “third eye” and “incorruptible body” before, but I had no idea what those terms meant. I simply felt they were very mysterious-sounding. After reading Zhuan Falun, I was able to understand those phenomena; they weren't so arcane anymore.
I finished this book twice in a few days by spending my every waking minute reading. While I was reading, I wondered, “Would Master take me as his disciple? I would believe it if I got a Falun (law wheel). Then, I would definitely start to practice cultivation.”
Immediately, I felt that a spinning sensation was in my stomach. I could even hear a spinning sound.
It was amazing! I was determined to become a Falun Dafa practitioner from that point on. Then I was thinking: Maybe Master will also help me purify my body?
Master said,
“Some people will even throw up and have diarrhea.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun, 2014 Translation version)
I thought that throwing up was gross; I'd rather have diarrhea only if my body was to be purified. Immediately, my stomach began to ache, and had diarrhea for a couple of days afterward. But not once did I throw up.
Being Persecuted Because of Not Eliminating Attachments
In the beginning, I was very diligent in studying the Fa and clarifying the truth to people.
However, just as Master said,
“Because many people could not maintain good xinxing in the past, many problems occurred. After their practice reached a certain level, they could not make further progress.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun, 2014 Translation version)
In my fourth year after I took up cultivation, I slacked off. I couldn't concentrate when I was studying the Fa. I totally forgot to look inward and often picked on fellow practitioners.
Once, when I was crossing an intersection, I saw someone wearing a T-shirt with the word “jealousy” written on it in Chinese. Even though I realized it might be a hint from Master, I didn't want to admit to myself that I was jealous, or that I wanted to eliminate the attachment at all.
For the next year, I made no progress in my cultivation. I did not work on my xinxing.
On a very cold day in 2016, I finished Fa-study and went out to distribute truth-clarification materials as usual. I did not send forth righteous thoughts before I left.
That day, I was reported by the security guard of a residential building and sent to the local police station. But I couldn’t blame anyone; deep inside, I knew it was because the old forces saw my attachments and took advantage of my flaws.
Amazing Encounters After People Understand the Facts about Falun Dafa
After I was sent to the police station, I remembered what Master said,
“That was because she reached that point through cultivation and truly arrived at that realm--"Now that you've arrested me, I haven't thought at all about going back. Now that I've come here, I've come to validate the Fa." So the evil was scared.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. III)
I decided that since I was already here, I would take the chance to clarify the truth of the persecution to every policeman I met. Three days later, I was sent to a detention center.
Master said,
“No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates.” (“Dafa Disciples's Righteous Thoughts are Powerful,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
So I decided not to cooperate with the guards. I continued to do the exercises, send forth righteous thoughts, and memorize the Fa every day. No matter who I met, I clarified the truth to them. Some people accepted the truth and were blessed. Here I'd like to share two of their stories.
One was about a girl whose name was Leilei. She was sent to the detention center because she got into a fight. After I clarified the truth to her, she told me that “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is definitely the truth” and loudly proclaimed that “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good.”
That same afternoon, she was set free. We cheered for her. I believe she was blessed after becoming aware of the truth.
On the contrary, another girl who was detained at the same time for the same reason as Leilei didn't believe what I told her about Falun Dafa or that practitioners were being persecuted. In the end, she was sentenced to 10 months in jail.
The other story involved a lady over 50 years old who accepted the truth as I talked to her. One day, she excitedly told me, “I got a letter from my family. Can you believe it? My first granddaughter can speak now!”
She previously told me that both of her granddaughters were mentally challenged, with the older one only being able to communicate through sign language.
I asked her, “How come?”
She replied, “I believed what you said, and I recited 'Falun Dafa is good' in my mind every day. I also prayed to Master Li to let my granddaughter speak – my prayers have been answered!”
Later she went to court. After she came back, she was even more excited. She told the female guard at court that she was really glad that she got the opportunity to stay at the detention center during this time, because in the detention center, she got the chance to know Falun Dafa and how wonderful it is. She also told the guard about the miracle that happened to her granddaughter.
What's more, her granddaughter was also at court that day. The lady called all the relatives to come to her one by one. Everyone in the court, including the judge and guards, witnessed how the little girl could now speak. The female guard was so touched that I saw tears in her eyes.
Later, the lady was sentenced to one year in jail. She told me that she decided to return all the money she embezzled and swore that she would not to do bad things anymore.
Because of this, the other prisoners in the same cell became aware of the truth and wanted to learn more about Falun Dafa. I also taught them the five exercises and told them to try to only think good thoughts and be kind at all times.
