SAN FRANCISCO, 21 OCTOBER, 2000
I have been a Falun Dafa practitioner for a little over one year. I am a research scientist by training. I received my Ph.D. from Stanford University in the early eighties and for many years I managed a research group. In 1992 I started my own business and last year, even after I had become a practitioner, I started a second business in fiber optic communication. So for 20 years I have been an ambitious student, a dedicated research scientist and a hard-working businessman.
Research scientists are inquisitive by nature. You're always questioning
experimental results and you adhere to scientific methods. Of course, many scientists are very humble and respectful of the mysteries of life and the universe. Still, most want to see clear evidence to be able to prove their theories.
And in all honesty, so did I. Some scientists even seek fame, and business
people are no different. They might seek fame as well as fortune, especially here in Silicon Valley.
So how can a person who is ambitious, hard working and seeking fame and
fortune, come to terms with Falun Dafa. Well, in my case my first contact with Falun Dafa actually began almost three years ago when I was given a book by someone at Ortega park in Sunnyvale. The book laid unread for over a year until my wife decided to read it. After reading it, she attended a few video-tape sessions of Master Li's lectures. Next she inspired me to attend the same lectures and this led to my starting to cultivate. Immediately, it had a fundamental effect on my overall well being and outlook on life.
I'd like to share some of my experiences as I began my cultivation. When I came
to the park for the first time, I felt uncertain. I could not sit in any kind of Lotus position, and I even had a hard time closing my eyes. I didn't quite know what to expect, especially since I had never done, or even heard of, Qi Gong before attending the video sessions. Still, I decided to start. Everyone was very friendly and I felt welcome as one of the few Westerners early that morning in the park.
That first time gave me an indication of the power of Falun Dafa. I gained a lot of
energy and during the sitting meditation I began to notice a strong blue-colored light spot. Over the course of the next several weekends - for the first ten months I only went to the park on Saturdays and Sundays - this blue spot gradually turned into an eye. For many weekends this eye was fairly small and mostly at an angle, but during one meditation it suddenly became large and looked straight at me. Eventually, the eye let me pass through it and from then on it has occasionally invited me to very brief, but very intense excursions in what can best be described as a whole new world.
These experiences convinced me how powerful Falun Dafa really is. Personally, I believe these experiences are different for everyone. In my case the Tianmu
experiences were completely novel. And I must confess, I hadn't done much reading and it's only after they had happened that I read about them in the Master's book. Another interesting aspect I have observed is that if I want to see this eye, it doesn't appear. So if I keep looking for it, it won't show up. It's only when I am as tranquil as I can be that it comes forth, but not all the time. So I have to be truly tranquil for this to happen; I cannot fool myself by pretending to be tranquil!
There have been a number of other significant improvements in my daily life. I
have a lot more energy, yet I don't seem to need that much sleep. My reaction to difficult situations has also improved and I seem to get less upset about things that used to upset me, such as delays in airports, being cut off in traffic, dealing with people who are rude on the phone, etc. By not being upset over such things, I also feel happier, look happier and get along better with everybody including my wife and our two children.
As I continue to cultivate, I am noticing that it doesn't get any easier. I am still
working on being able to sit in a double Lotus position. Presently, I cannot even sit in a single Lotus position for more than 30 minutes. I don't believe that this will happen soon, but one day I will be able to. In order to succeed, I am now going to the park every morning. As I have started this regimen, I recognize that I am devoting a considerable amount of time to Falun Dafa in general, and my own cultivation in particular. All of this has had further effects on my well being. Since I started I have not been sick for one day. My taste has also changed and in this year 2000, I have lost all desire for any alcoholic beverages, sweets and cookies as well as cheese. So, these food items don't interest me any more. I even don't go to the movies as frequently as before. Most trivial and violent "entertainment" movies have become completely uninteresting.
Still, as most practitioners know, there are always some attachments left. But this challenge is good and shows me that there will always be a reason to continue to improve. I am also happy to find new opportunities to practice benevolence, truthfulness and forbearance. As the president of a start-up company, I encounter new situations with people and their interactions every single day. A growing company is a great environment to actually practice and improve. My cultivation is helping me to set a good example by avoiding foul language and inspiring a cooperative atmosphere, which reflects the deeper meanings of Dafa.
In conclusion, I do not see any conflict between being a practitioner and being a
businessman. On the contrary, I believe such an occupation can be quite ideal since it provides ample opportunity for tribulations because of new challenges with situations and people every day. Also, cultivation brings balance into the hectic lifestyles of most of us here in Silicon Valley, and even points out to you when work has become too much of an attachment.
