(Minghui.org) My path of learning Falun Dafa has been long and difficult. Although I had known about and wanted to learn Dafa twenty years ago, I took up the practice only two years ago. The following is my story.
Journey to Dafa
I came across Falun Dafa by chance twenty years ago. At the time, I was young and naive. I had a feeling that this was what I was looking for. But before I had a chance to really learn Dafa, I was deceived and used by others to commit a crime. As a result, I was sentenced to 18 years in prison, even though I did not pocket a penny. I lost my family, my job and my future. I felt deeply humiliated and wretched.
When I was heart-stricken, my mother sent me a copy of Zhuan Falun and some articles by Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa. I read them in secret in the prison, and they saved my life. I understood that the tribulation I was facing was the result of karma accrued from many lifetimes. I used to have a strong desire to fight for fame and self-interest, but I was forced to give them up in order for me to awaken to the truth. Even though I couldn't fully understand the Fa, I did grasp that only Master can save the world's people and that only through cultivation can one reach Consummation.
I was released on May 10, 2015. That was the day I formally started cultivating myself in Falun Dafa. My mother, who was in her eighties, held my hand and said, “I have been waiting for you to come home and start cultivation. There is nothing more important than Dafa. Master will watch over you as long as you cultivate.” We read Zhuan Falun together. Mother showed me the exercises and how to send forth righteous thoughts, and she generally brought me up to date. I have been wholeheartedly cultivating in Falun Dafa since that day.
Cultivating Diligently
We have group Fa-study at my mother's place. We study Zhuan Falun on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I study Master’s new articles with my mother on the other days. I always have new understandings when I study the Fa. I have also benefited greatly from practitioners’ sharing their understandings and experiences. Mother and I go out every morning to talk to people about Falun Dafa and the persecution. We give people printed materials and sometimes post flyers.
I used to have rheumatism so severe that I couldn't sleep at night from the pain. Since I started doing the Dafa exercises, the pain has been greatly relieved and is sometimes non-existent. I used to take medicine every few days for ulcers and gastritis, and I am now cured through the practice.
I understand now that the hardship I went through was to help me get rid of human attachments. I now have little interest in fame and self-interest. I spend my days studying the Fa, doing the exercises, sending forth righteous thoughts, and telling people the facts about Falun Dafa. Every day is fulfilling.
After the New Year, I started riding my bicycle to faraway places with fellow practitioners. We call people from our cell phones to tell them about Dafa and advise them to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations to avoid being implicated in the crimes the Party has committed in persecuting Dafa. At first, I was reluctant to talk to people because I had tried it once before and the result was not good. I knew that I didn't have enough righteous thoughts then. Fellow practitioners kept encouraging me and taught me how to get started. I decided to try and was able to advise six people to withdraw from the CCP. The next day, eight people agreed to withdraw from the Party. I knew that Master had given me the courage and wisdom and that I should continue my effort.
I know that my cultivation is far from mature. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate in my understanding.
