(Minghui.org) Jianwu was a rebellious young man who always challenged authority. He felt textbooks were old fashioned and dull, but he was smart and was admitted to a renowned college where he majored in English.

In the field of literature and art, people are expected to have differing opinions. Jianwu studied literary theories and literary criticism, and read books about existentialism. Going with the trend in society, Jianwu developed a habit of criticizing people and things.

As a result, he tended to go to extremes and often complained about his hardships. How could such a young man change his life?

A Troubled Youth

Jianwu graduated with an English major, and many people would have worked for a foreign firm or become an English teacher. But these “ordinary” jobs did not appeal to him. He thought if he worked hard he would have a huge income. So he tried all kinds of jobs including renovating old houses, running an art studio, gallery administration, and translating documents. He also worked temporary construction jobs and sold eggs at a farmer’s market. But everything turned into a dead end.

Considering himself a smart person, Jianwu could not understand why he kept failing. So he tried harder and even moved to Australia. After three months and despite his good English, he could not find a job. When he worked at a restaurant, his boss became angry with him for no apparent reason and he was fired.

After working hard Jianwu still hadn’t made any money. He was puzzled and wondered why his good college education did not lead to a successful career. Ten years passed, but he still hadn’t achieved any of his goals.

Years later he realized he was influenced by socialism. “I now realize that socialism is rooted in communism. It’s disguised on the surface such as ‘equal rights’ but there’s cause-effect karmic relationship. ‘Equal rights’ implies that one does not need to repay one’s karmic debts,” he said.

Surviving a Car Accident

Many friends suggested that Jianwu look for a better job, but he refused to listen, “I was like a hedgehog. Whenever someone told me something, I would respond with sharp words, as if I was the only person in the world who was right.”

After he returned to Taiwan, Jianwu had difficulty finding a job. When they saw his hot temper and bad attitude no one wanted to hire him. Even his friends stopped contacting him.

After trying many times, Jianwu finally found a contract job working for the government. It was at a remote location and he had to drive nearly 70 kilometers each way every day, even during bad weather. In addition, working for the government had lots of pressure, unlike the freedom in the art industry. Jianwu became depressed—he would be fine, and a minute later he was irritated. After an argument with his girlfriend, the doctor prescribed medicine for depression.

The huge pressure, lack of sleep, and medication often made Jianwu drowsy when he drove. He had a car accident and hit a tree. Although his car was totaled, he miraculously only had minor bruises.

Stepping on the Cultivation Path

These setbacks made Jianwu wonder if he had some problems. “I felt these adversities could be a reminder from the divine that I should have done better,” he said. When he was ready to change, an opportunity came.

At that time Falun Dafa was already practiced in over 100 countries and there were many practitioners in Taiwan. But because he was cynical, Jianwu never paid attention. Jianwu joined an online reading club, and a friend often talked with him about the universe, Buddhism, and he later mentioned Falun Dafa. “Each of us read Zhuan Falun (Falun Dafa’s main teachings) on our own at home. I didn’t understand some parts, but I understood later when I continuing reading.”

For example, one time Jianwu thought about becoming a fortune teller after practicing Falun Dafa. He was surprised to find an answer for this in another chapter. He felt what Master Li (Falun Dafa’s founder) said was very good and he wanted to memorize the words. He thought about highlighting the sentences he liked with a pen, but the book was so clean that he thought perhaps he shouldn’t write anything in it. He then read the following two days later,

“Some people just cannot improve their enlightenment quality. They casually make marks in my book. Those of our cultivators with the celestial eye open can each see that this book looks very colorful, golden, and shiny. Each word bears the image of my fashen. If I were to tell lies, I would be deceiving everyone. That mark you made looks very dark. How do you dare to make marks in it so casually?” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)

After he read Zhuan Falun, Jianwu said many of his questions about life were answered. “It was as if many empty spots deep in my soul were filled, leading me to a more productive life,” he said. He started practicing Falun Dafa.

Jianwu does the second set of Falun Dafa exercises.

After he began practicing, Jianwu realized that in the past he only pursued money and fame, and thought he would succeed if he worked hard. When he didn’t get what he wanted, he complained that his fate was unfair. As a result, his life did not go smoothly, and it felt like the road became narrower and narrower.

After he began practicing, he realized that instead of pursuing material things people should strive to achieve a higher spiritual level and become better people. “My mentality of constantly complaining is gone. I understand there’s no reason to resent anyone. Gains and losses, and unfair things don’t happen without reason. There’s a cause and effect relationship to everything we experience in our lives, and my troubles were created by my own karma,” he said.

Jianwu’s old friends are impressed by his positive changes. He became kind, calm, and able to listen to what others said. “After I began practicing I was able to face setbacks calmly and treat them as a test. Before I would get irritated when I encountered difficulties,” he explained.

Following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance at Work

After he began practicing Falun Dafa, Jianwu’s job problem unexpectedly ended. In the past, he tried every means to find a job, but now job opportunities came to him.

Jianwu is the gallery association’s manager, responsible for media relations and marketing. He applies Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance at work. When problems suddenly arise, he handles them calmly. “It's not because I think others were wrong and then I tolerate it; I really feel that others aren’t wrong. After I began to practice, my heart’s capacity expanded and I have a different understanding of many things. If I go by the previous standards, I might think that this person or this thing is very bad, but now I no longer have these thoughts,” he said.

Jianwu said he now always maintains a compassionate and kind opinion of everyone.

As his character improves, Jianwu is increasingly able to see the essence of things and grasp the key points. He’s also able to take on extra work. His performance at work keeps improving and his career is stable.

“Because we practice kindness and are easygoing, many people are willing to work with us. Through cultivation, we can see the core of things and know what to do to achieve the best results, and our work performance will improve,” Jianwu continued. “The better I get, the more stable my life will be, and the better I can perform and learn at work. This is something I couldn’t imagine in my previous troubled life.”

Artistic Aesthetics Change

Jianwu’s aesthetics also changed, and he now appreciates beauty and art. “Working in this field, I noticed many modern artworks depict the pain of life. After practicing cultivation, I realized that art should present beauty and kindness,” he said.

Because many people have challenging lives, he feels they should examine themselves so they can improve. “After reading the history of art, I found that the great artistic masterpieces handed down from generation to generation express the beauty of divinity or the beauty of humanity,” he explained.

Jianwu also felt that there is great beauty in the natural world. “Heaven and earth were made by the Creator. That kind of beauty is everywhere, and there is no need to ask for anything. You can see that the sky is beautiful after a storm,” he added.

He found that his perception of things before and after practice was completely different. “When I was in that angry state before, when it rained, I would think it was raining again and the weather was not good. After practicing, when it rained, instead I feel the air is fresh after the rain,” Jianwu explained. “My perception changed after I began practicing. My life became better after I began practicing.

“Cultivation can help the body and mind return to the best state, so that a person can face life positively,” he continued. “If you don’t want to practice, no one will force you. But if you truly practice, what you get is incomparable to anything in the world.”