(Minghui.org) Pondering the truth of life and the universe was part of my life before I started practicing Falun Gong. I enjoyed reading books on philosophy when I visited bookstores, I tried religion once when I felt helpless, and I found myself wanting to learn more about the universe as a result of my curiosity about the Mayan prophecies.
From my own research, I came to realize that life, soul, religion, and the universe are interrelated. I began to expect huge changes for the universe and mankind, and I believed that a Sage from China would be the catalyst of such changes. But I didn't know much else.
I had stayed in this sort of rut until July 2012, when I met a woman who introduced me to Falun Gong. I read the book Zhuan Falun per her recommendation. I was pleased to find the answers I had been looking for and started to practice Falun Gong with her.
I became clear about the cause of sicknesses after practicing Falun Gong. With my righteous thoughts, the majority of my sickness and physical discomfort went away. However, the pain I suffered during my menses was a challenge, so I took a break in doing the exercises when I had my period during the first month of my practice.
The next month came, along with my usual menstrual cramps. Those few days I threw myself onto the sofa as soon as I got home after work. The woman who introduced me to Falun Gong, whom I'll refer to as my practitioner friend hereafter, came to visit me one day.
While talking to her, a thought arose all of a sudden that I needed to practice no matter what. So, I decided to practice that evening. Amazingly enough, I felt no pain whatsoever.
I tried to not think about the discomfort when the pain started again, and little by little the pain subsided. I used to avoid touching cold things during my period, but now I could wash clothes with cold water and enjoy eating ice cream worry-free.
The sitting meditation with both legs on top of each other was a challenge for me at the beginning. There seemed to be a 40-minute upper bound set for my sitting meditation. In an attempt to encourage me, my practitioner friend shared a western practitioner's observation with his Celestial Eye that Master was adjusting practitioners' bodies while they were meditating.
Encouraged by the sharing and other practitioners' persistence during hour-long meditations, I managed to meditate for one hour for the first time.
Master said in Zhuan Falun:
“When you are overcoming a real hardship or tribulation, you try it. When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible. If you can actually do it, you will indeed find: 'After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!'”
I became more confident knowing I was capable of meditating for one hour, but the next two weeks saw me in tears every day during meditation. My legs hurt so much that my mind wasn't at peace either. I wanted to take my legs down, but a voice told me that I had to continue. I said to Master in my heart, “Master, I won't take my legs down.”
Half a month later, I didn't feel the pain as much as I did before. The friend and I continued to encourage each other during the sitting meditation. Now I can feel a strong energy field during the sitting exercise, and am often able to enter the state of tranquility as Master said in Zhuan Falun, “...you should feel wonderful and very comfortable as though you are sitting inside an egg shell...”.
I enjoyed reading, as I majored in liberal arts. I even set a goal for myself when I just started to practice Falun Gong – I'd still read some ordinary books everyday, 50 pages to be exact. Later I realized that Falun Gong or Falun Dafa books are essential for my practice, so I need to read them more to guide my cultivation.
I gradually got rid of my desire for reading other books, even when I felt those books might be helpful for my work. I realized that they carried various messages that could interfere with my practice, such as those of different cultivation ways or culture influenced by the Chinese Communist Party.
That being said, the relevant knowledge and skills in those books are still needed in order to be a successful student or research scientist. For instance, learning a foreign language is necessary for those who are planning to study overseas. The key is to strike a balance between Falun Gong books and ordinary books. We need to read ordinary books in order to acquire knowledge needed for our job, but cultivation is always our top priority, which means that we should read Falun Gong books as much as possible.
With the progress in my practice, I have found that I am wiser than before, and that I also became more capable and efficient at doing my job.
In the past, I got used to surfing the Internet for news and blogs. I developed various attachments, such as a curiosity about news, a competitive mentality from debate or negative news, and an attachment to lust. It was hard for me to stop surfing the Internet even after I started to practice Falun Gong.
Master reminded me of the problem several times. The computer was disconnected whenever I wanted to surf the internet. I got the message, but then proceeded to promptly forget about it. I continued to surf the Internet, even though I swore to stop.
Master reminded me of this problem in a dream, in which my arm was covered with cobwebs, on which crawled a spider. I realized my problem with indulging in the Internet, and I was determined to change after I woke up. Right away I felt peace in my heart, and tranquility during my meditation. Interestingly enough, there have been no Internet connection problems ever since.
Indeed, our human heart interferes with our practice, as Master said in Zhuan Falun:
“If you want to improve yourself, you should search your inner self and work hard on your heart—only then can you truly ascend and achieve tranquility in sitting meditation. The ability to achieve tranquility is gong, and the depth of ding indicates one’s level.”
My cell phone was stolen on the way back to my hometown to visit my mom during the holiday season.
Initially, I was worried because my cell phone contained Dafa books, my resume and other personal information. I calmed down once I hoped that the person who got my phone would learn more about Falun Gong.
As I promised, I called my mother after I returned to my own home in the afternoon. However, nobody picked up the phone. Nobody seemed to be at home when I called several times in the evening. I was worried again and afraid that the family was in trouble as a result of the stolen cell phone. I wasn't able to concentrate on my Fa study and couldn't help crying.
The practitioner friend suggested I should remain calm with righteous thoughts, and assured me that things would be alright. Following her advice, I started to recite “What’s to Fear” in Hong Yin (Volume II)). I became calm half an hour later.
My friend reminded me it could be that my mom's phone had some problem. I heeded her advice and called my hometown's telephone company the next morning. Soon my mom called me, saying the phone problem had been fixed.
I came to see that the whole thing was a test to determine whether I could remove my attachments. The situation might have turned into a bad one if I had been overwhelmed by what had happened.
I used to wear make-up and dress up every day, but paid less and less attention to my appearance after I started to practice Falun Gong. Instead, I focused more on making progress in my cultivation. Gradually I wasn't interested in new clothes, nor did I use makeup. I wore a pair of large glasses and looked very plain.
My roommate bought a pretty dress the other day and wanted to sell it to me. I tried it on and compliments poured in. When I visited a middle-aged practitioner with this dress on, she said to me, “You look so beautiful in the dress. It is important for our Falun Gong practitioners to dress up like this.”
I agree with that practitioner. Dressing up appropriately without attachments is what we need to do. I have resumed wearing makeup and dressing up ever since. When we look put together, the people we clarify the truth to will be more receptive of the topics we bring up.
It was a challenge for me to get rid of the competitive mentality in my cultivation because of the way that I deal with disagreements or conflicts. One of my colleagues is a detail-oriented person, and she liked to scrutinize every little detail in her projects. I became upset whenever she tried to correct my mistakes.
I tried to put up with her criticism, but it wasn't easy at the beginning. One day I felt bad and ended up with tears in my eyes after arguing with her. But I was determined to do better next time, at least on the surface. She seemed to improve somehow as well.
Although things turned different ways at times, I noticed that her behavior changed if I remained positive. In other words, the environment changed with the change in my own heart. It was in fact an opportunity for me to improve myself, and I should have thanked her for providing me with such an opportunity.
As I improved further, she also changed significantly. We have become good friends, eating and walking together. She has also gotten a better understanding of Falun Gong. In fact, Master has removed so many bad things from me when I was determined to do better.
Studying the Fa is very important for my cultivation. With my busy schedule, I tried to get up early to study the Fa as much as possible. Encouraged by my practitioner friend and other practitioners, I have begun to go to my neighbor's home at 5 A.M. everyday to recite the Fa.
While assimilating to Dafa, I have made substantial progress in my cultivation. Now I don't care about many things as much as I used to. When encountering a conflict, I can remain calm and control myself as Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“When you always maintain a heart of benevolence and compassion, you will have time or room to buffer the confrontation and think, should a problem arise suddenly.”
From Fa study, I became clear about the Fa Rectification and the danger that the Chinese people are facing. I wanted to help save sentient beings. So I began to make phone calls, distribute literature, and talk to people directly so they can become aware of what was going on regarding Falun Gong.
Talking to people on the phone can be a reflection of how well I have cultivated and whether my heart is pure and calm. If I read the news related to the Chinese Communist Party and my competitive mentality emerges, the person on the phone usually argues with me. Thus, studying the Fa more helps me in saving people.
One day a person asked me, “Are you afraid of me reporting you?”
I replied, “This is for your own good. I hope you can be saved. You are likely a kind person and I bet you won't do such a thing.”
My righteous thoughts changed him. We had some discussions, and he told me that he had actually read Zhuan Falun before.
The old forces interfered with me at times when I tried to make phone calls. One day I felt a terrible stomach pain prior to making phone calls. I said to Master, “Master, please help me negate the old forces' interference so that I can save more people.” And I was fine when I actually began making phone calls.
I hope that my experience in the last two years can be of help to new practitioners. Let's improve as one body, live up to Master's expectation and fulfill our vows.