(Clearwisdom.net) The first time I ever heard of Falun Gong was March 1998. I had gone to Qinghua University in Beijing on business, and I stayed on the Qinghua University campus. My roommate was a physician who had traveled from Chengdu to see her son.
I saw her sitting cross-legged and reading a book every night, and early every morning, I always saw her outside when I was coming back. I thought she probably went jogging. One night she told us she was practicing Falun Gong. She said she went outside to practice the exercises every morning, and she said there were nine practice sites at Qinghua University alone. Many college students, graduate students, PhD students, and professors and their families practiced Falun Gong. She also said that, in China, no matter where you went, you could always find a Falun Gong practice site. In other words, Falun Gong practitioners were all over the country. She said there were practitioners in foreign countries, too, and that Falun Gong could heal illnesses miraculously. She explained that the main text of Falun Gong was called Zhuan Falun, and it taught people how to be good by following the standards of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She also said the moral standards in our society were going downhill but that Falun Gong could reverse that trend and give us healthy bodies, that it was very good.
She kept on talking, but my mind wandered, and I was thinking that qigong was for the sick and retired people. How come young, energetic, healthy college students practiced, too? Why had I never heard of this huge national phenomenon? She said with certainty, "I am sure there are practitioners where you live." I did not believe her. She handed me a copy of Zhuan Falun and asked me to look at it. She said the campus book store sold it. The book was covered with a white book cover, and I believed she really treasured that book! She gave me permission to open the cover. I first saw the Falun on the cover. I did not know what it was and did not think much of it. I then opened the book and saw Master's photo. It was the first time I had ever seen Master. My first impression of Master was that he was very handsome, kind, young, and genuine. In my mind, qigong masters were usually big and heavy, and powerful and evil looking. However, the Falun Gong Master looked so compassionate and kind, very different from the others. I saw a flower bud on the back cover, a red flower bud on a green stem, and I wondered how this book was related to this flower. Why didn't this flower bloom? Would it bloom later? I knew qigong had some supernatural power, and that was why I had those thoughts. I learned about Falun Gong, finished my business there, and then returned home.
I bought a ticket for a sleeper train, and I was on the lower bunk. I noticed the traveler across from me was a man about 40 years old. My father always warned me to be vigilant when traveling, so I never talked to strangers. I was awakened in the middle of the night and saw him sitting facing me cross-legged. I was startled. In the morning, I saw a few books on my side of the table, as if they were meant for me to read. I picked them up and saw they were Falun Gong books. This man was also a Falun Gong practitioner! I had come across Falun Gong again. What a coincidence!
The man told me he was from Qiqihar and was on a business trip. His whole family practiced Falun Gong. There were so many people practicing Falun Gong where he lived, and usually the whole family practiced. He said, "Falun Gong teaches us to be good people and to elevate our morals." He said that, after he started to practice Falun Gong, he returned all the bribes he had been given, and that he would not take advantage of others. He also told me how one of his relatives had benefited from practicing Falun Gong.
My business trip was less than ten days, and my biggest gain was learning about Falun Gong. After coming home, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I told my colleagues what I had heard about Falun Gong during the trip. That October, I was diagnosed with hypertension and was told I would have to take medication for the rest of my life. I was only 36 years old at the time. I felt I was still young and could not accept the fact that I needed treatment. I was hoping to find a way to control my illness, and then I remembered qigong. I believed qigong surely could cure hypertension, but where could I learn it?
Then came the most memorable day of my life. It was Christmas night, 1998. I was playing with my child in the apartment courtyard. I saw many people dancing, most of whom were my colleagues, and they asked us to dance with them. Dancing is good exercise, but even though I wanted to join them, I just could not get my feet moving. I thought, "This is not what I am looking for." A childhood friend (also a colleague) told me, "If you don't want to dance, you can practice qigong at the recreation center for the retirees. Many people are practicing there tonight." Really? I was bursting with joy and asked her, "What kind of qigong? Who is practicing?" She said, "I don't know what kind of qigong, but you know almost everyone there, so go take a look." I ran over to the recreation center, and, sure enough, there were ten or so people each holding a book. I saw another childhood friend, Shasha, with her whole family there. I went in and asked, "What are you practicing?" Shasha said, "Falun Gong." My heavens, I had found Falun Gong! It was just as the practitioner I met at Qinghua University said: Falun Going was everywhere in China. There were so many people practicing around me, but I did not even know it. I sat down and said to Shasha, "I did not know your whole family practiced. I just recently heard of Falun Gong. I want to practice with you!" Shasha immediately gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun and said she would be very happy to have me practice with them. She gave the book to me as a gift. These chance situations and occurrences looked coincidental, but they gave me the chance to obtain the Fa. I came to obtain the Fa!
That night, I finished reading Zhuan Falun for the first time. I learned that the purpose of life was to return to our true original self, and I learned what "illness" is and about cultivation. I learned that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the only standard to determine whether a person is good or bad, and it was also the first time I understood that gods had built the universe and created man... I was shaken. I felt this was a very good book, and that Master used the simplest words to explain the deepest knowledge. I clearly felt the fundamental changes of my own view of the world, and I decided to genuinely practice Falun Gong.
I needed to cultivate and do the exercises. I was involved in every group study, watching the group lecture, and group exercise. My xinxing elevated very quickly, and my chronic insomnia disappeared, and I stopped taking anti-hypertension prescriptions. I did not feel dizzy anymore. I understood that enduring hardships and pain can eliminate karma, and that we gain as much as we lose. I put myself whole heartily into studying the Fa, doing the exercises, and letting more people know about the Fa. I understood the meaning of life, and my daily life was full.
Six months after I started cultivating, on July 20, 1999, the CCP started the persecution of Falun Gong. They made use of television, newspapers, and every possible tool to fabricate and spread rumors, and stir up hatred toward Falun Gong. The entire trend was turned upside down. Is this still a good qigong? Who should we believe? Should we continue the path of cultivation? At the time, it was a serious test for every practitioner. I gave it serious thought, but in the end, I still believed Falun Dafa was good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance was good, and that Master was good. No rumors, threats, or brainwashing could alter my belief in Dafa. Once my father said, "I raised you, and you always listened to me and respected me. How come you now obey someone else after reading a book?" That's right, I came to this life only for the Fa. Of course I will follow Master!
After the persecution started, I heard from a fellow practitioner that the red bud on the back cover of Zhuan Falun had blossomed! I ran home and opened the book cover, and I saw a beautiful lotus flower had bloomed. It was magical and holy, a bud can blossom for real! I think this was encouragement from Master. Master was giving us encouragement to endure the hardships, and it also symbolized the bright future.
I has been eleven years since I started cultivation. I am thankful to Master for changing me from someone who was full of karma and selfishness and had filthy thoughts and did not know the purpose of life into a cultivator with a healthy body, elevated morals and character, and has cultivated myself in harmony with the universe, returning to my original true self. During this process, even though there are obstacles, Master is here and the Fa is here, so I will surely overcome the hardships, continue to cultivate myself, and let more people know: "Falun Dafa is good!" I hope many more people will have a beautiful future.
September 15th, 2010
Posting date: 9/29/2010
Category: How I Became a Dafa Practitioner
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/9/15/229653.html
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