(Clearwisdom.net) I have never written an article before, but today I would like to write down my experience of cultivating in Falun Dafa. I hope that people don't miss this precious chance to cultivate.
I suffered from many diseases for more than 10 years. I had pain in my back, which then extended to my legs, knees and feet. I also had diseases in my kidneys and liver. I suffered every day from these pains.
In 2001, I read a report in the newspaper about the persecution against Falun Gong, a qigong teaching of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." I didn't have to finish reading the report to figure out that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was fabricating lies. The CCP always lies, so it won't allow people to obey the principle of truthfulness. If every member of the CCP were truthful, the CCP wouldn't exist. I still remember how the Vietnam Communist Party deceived the military officers from Republic of Vietnam to give in. Once all the military officers were assembled, the Vietnam Communist Party broke its promises and brutally persecuted them, which caused many officers to die in labor camps. The brutality of the Communist parties can been seen from the concentration camps that existed in the Soviet Union, from the Cultural Revolution in China, and from the massacres in North Korea and Cambodia. If every member were compassionate, how could the brutal policies of the Communist Party be carried out?
What made me curious about Falun Gong is this: In such a materialistic world, where everybody is pursuing comfort, how did the founder of Falun Gong transform Falun Gong practitioners, so much so that they gave up attachments to fame and money, and stood up against the brutal CCP with their lives? Falun Gong practitioners come from every class in society, and include scientists, government officials, housewives and farmers. How could they give up their social positions and comfortable lives?
After reading Zhuan Falun I realized that Falun Gong is not a simple qigong that heals diseases. It is Buddhahood cultivation, which has never been publicized before. I know that all the Buddhahood cultivation methods before Falun Gong required people to leave their homes and become monks or nuns. Now there is a cultivation method by which I can cultivate Buddhahood in the human world. It is so wonderful. Falun Gong is a cultivation practice of mind and body. In the first chapter of Zhuan Falun, Master said:
"As a genuine practitioner, however, you cannot practice cultivation with an ill body. I will purify your body. The body purification will be done only for those who come to truly learn the practice and the Fa." "If they are not cleaned out, how can you, with such an impure, dark body and a filthy mind, practice cultivation toward a higher level?"
One night, after practicing Falun Dafa for a while, I experienced bad diarrhea, and could not fall asleep at all. The amazing thing was that I didn't feel tired. I went to work the next morning, and felt very comfortable. This miracle gave me confidence in cultivation, and so I tried to do better. After cultivating for a period of time, I understood more about the principles in Zhuan Falun. I asked myself if I really wanted to cultivate and if I could really give up all attachments.
At the beginning of my cultivation, I often cried. I had a feeling of having been lost for too long, and sometimes I felt happy to be returning to my true self. A few months later, I felt some very small electric currents going through my body, and later the currents became stronger and stronger. I felt that all my energy channels were opened and the current flowed quickly through my body. The Falun kept rotating at the places where I always had pains. The Falun rotated at one place for several days and sometimes one month. After a period of time, all the pains that I had were gone. The feeling of the small electric currents was replaced by the flow of energy.
One day, I felt that there was a big Falun rotating at my belly. I knew that Master had installed a Falun for me. When the Falun was rotating, a warm current flowed through my body, which made me very comfortable. Master said:
"When [the Falun] becomes a part of your body, when you have adapted to it, you won’t feel its existence." ("Teaching the Fa and Answering Questions in Changchun," The Law of Zhuan Falun Explained)
When I am hungry or tired, I can feel Falun rotating for a few minutes, and then all the uncomfortable feelings will be gone. I experienced a miracle: I had a bad toothache which caused my whole cheek to swell. However, I didn't feel pain at all, because numerous small Falun rotated at my face. Every time I listen to "Pudu," I feel that the energy current goes faster in my body and then my whole body feels comfortable. I know that many practitioners have had similar experiences, because Falun Gong cultivates both the body and the mind.
I first saw Master at the Fa conference in San Francisco in 2004. Right before Master came to the stage, the Falun in my belly suddenly started to rotate very fast. I knew that there was a very strong energy field in the conference hall. Master entered the conference hall just as I had that feeling. Later, on the website, I read a story of a female Western practitioner. She said that she had very bad pain in her knees, but when Master was giving the lecture at the conference, she did not feel the pain at all the whole time. Master has eliminated sickness karma for many practitioners. More than 100,000 practitioners attended Falun Gong workshops in the early days of Master spreading the Fa, and all of their sickness karma was cleaned away by Master.
Master said in Lecture Four of Zhuan Falun:
"As karma is eliminated piece by piece, the legs will feel a little better after a piece is eliminated. Soon another piece comes up, and the legs will feel the pain again."
When I started to do the fifth exercise, I had pains in my feet. I was happy about it because I knew some karma had been eliminated. After I practiced for a while, the pain was gone, and my body started to lean backward and forward. Master said:
"Some people will lean forward during the sitting meditation. Because the circulation in one’s back is opened better, one’s back will feel very light while the body’s front will feel heavy. Some people lean backward and feel their backs are heavy while the fronts of their bodies feel light. If all of your body is opened well, you will feel as if you are being lifted up, like levitating off the ground." (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)
After practicing for a while, I felt that I was not touching the ground, but rather sitting on something very soft when doing the sitting meditation. One night, I felt that my body disappeared in the air, but I could still hear the exercise music. I asked myself where my body went. As I was asking myself, I saw that my body was gone, and I only had one thought—"I am doing the exercise." The feeling of tranquility was very wonderful.
When all the energy channels in my body were open, I felt very energetic every day. My body was weightless. I could not even feel my breath or heartbeat. The comfortable feeling, which I never had in my whole life, was indescribable and incomparable. However, my xinxing was not very high, so the wonderful feeling only lasted for one day. Still, I will never forget that feeling.
After I gave up more attachments to fame and money, I saw light in my forehead. Later, I saw light with different colors. One night, when I was doing the sitting meditation, I saw many Falun came from far away. One of them stopped in front of my eyes and rotated slowly. Its color was different than the one on the cover of Zhuan Falun. Master said:
"The dimensions composed of microcosmic worlds are the real heavens that gods refer to. The more refined and microcosmic a substance is, the more quintessential and refined the surface it composes." (Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference, 1999, Los Angeles)
The Falun I saw were very beautiful. Later, I saw a dimension which consisted of numerous golden particles.
Sometimes I could see things even when I was not doing the sitting meditation. When I lay down and was about to fall asleep, I could feel the energy current flowing in my body. I recall Master's poem:
"Calm, but without strain of thought—
The truly wondrous can be seen."
(from "Abiding in the Dao" in Hong Yin, translation version A)
When I am "calm, but without strain of thought," I can feel energy flowing in my body, which enables me to reach tranquility. In that state, I can see things through my forehead, although the objects often are not very clear. I realized that I should not be attached to what I see. As soon as I want to see more, my ordinary flesh eyes will be re-activated, and all the wonderful things will disappear and become completely dark.
Master said:
"From the outset of cultivation practice one will constantly move up and let go of human attachments and various desires, and one’s gong will also constantly grow until the final step in cultivation practice." (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
I've also felt difficulties during cultivation. Out in everyday society, my human attachments and notions often show up. No matter how difficult it is though, I need to do my best to break through it, as I am very blessed to have Master guiding me in cultivation. Master said in Hong Yin:
"Cultivating gong has a path
mind is the way
On the boundless sea of Dafa
hardship is your ferry"
("Falun Dafa" in Hong Yin, translation version A)
When I do the exercises alone or with others, I often sense the fragrance of sandalwood. One fellow practitioner also smelled it. The smell is very subtle. I don't think it is from practitioners, but from another dimension. In fact, I can feel the energy at every moment, especially on my hands and face. The feeling keeps reminding me that I am a cultivator, on the path toward divinity. I need to follow the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," and I need to get rid of my everyday person's attachments.
Finally, I would like to quote one of Master's poems to end this article. I hope those who are still hesitating will take this precious opportunity to cultivate.
"Plum Blossoms (in Yuan verse)
In the chaotic world, like pure lotus flowers—
plum blossoms, a hundred million
Cold winds only accentuate their beauty
The interminable snowfall and rain
are the tears of gods,
Who look longingly for the plum blossoms’ return
Never, ever get preoccupied with worldly things
Steel your righteous thoughts
For all [that you have gone through] since ancient times,
Was for none other than this time around."
(Hong Yin Volume II, translation version A)
I sincerely thank Master for teaching us the Fa, which is priceless.
