(Clearwisdom.net)
Beginning a new life after obtaining Dafa
I was fortunate to learn Falun Dafa in the summer of 1997. When I began my cultivation, even though I was young, I had all sorts of illnesses. I had headaches whenever the weather was hot, sore throat, indigestion, gynecological diseases, irregular periods, rashes on my hands, chronic pain in my left wrist during weather changes, and a reoccurring fungal infection on my feet. I took lots of different types of medicine over a long period of time, but nothing alleviated the symptoms or cured the conditions. Instead of taking care of me, my husband ridiculed me.
Since medicine could not help, I tried to find a cure by practicing qigong. As there were volunteer instructors near my home, I purchased a copy of {{Zhuan Falun} and wanted to give Falun Dafa a try. I had heard others highly praising Falun Gong, saying that among all the qigong practices, it had the strongest energy field. I thought that if I took the medicine and did the exercises at the same time, my health had to get better. Later on, I heard from a fellow practitioner that when you practice Falun Gong you do not need to take any medicine, and the healing results are just as good. At first I objected to that, but when I began to read the book, I was too busy to prepare my herbal medicine mixture, and yet I felt better. When I finally cooked up a batch of medicine, I burnt it twice, and then I wondered, "Maybe I should not take the medicine anymore." I devoted myself to doing the Falun Gong exercises every day, and my health improved gradually.
Soon I was able to eat just about anything. My rash was gone, my periods became regular, and my headaches were also gone. Our compassionate Master had cleansed my body and given me my good health. Even though I was determined in my exercise practice, changing my mind took more time. But my body felt better day-by-day. Whenever I went through illness karma, I passed large clots of blood, yet at that time, there was only one thought in my mind: "I have Master, I have the Fa, what is there to be afraid of?" This thought saw me through numerous life and death tests. During my individual cultivation, the wonders of Dafa became deeply rooted in my mind, and these were the happiest two years of my life. I exercised and studied the Fa daily. My life was full, and I was happy in everything I did.
Shortly after I began cultivation, my marriage broke up. It could have been because my heart and mind nature (xinxing) had not elevated yet and because my ex-husband had been tired of my poor health for such a long time. He took all the savings out of our bank account and kept the house. I took my clothes and my Dafa books and moved into a dormitory at my workplace. I was left with 20,000 yuan in debt, half of which was his and half my sister's. The interest on the loan was 2 percent. My salary at the time was less than six hundred yuan, and as I had not completely regained my health, I knew that if I did not continue cultivating in Dafa, I would either die or go insane. Falun Dafa made me calm so that I could handle my life well. My ex-husband has never yet re-paid his debt to me. With the money he took at the time, I could have purchased a house of 80 square meters. Six years ago, I smiled and tore up the agreement for the re-payment of that debt. I understood that everything has its karmic relationship, and Dafa made me calm and composed in facing these difficulties.
Clarifying the facts in the classroom
When the persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20,1999, the evil descended with an overwhelming force. I was dumbfounded. I began asking myself, "Is Dafa good? Am I being deceived?" I sat in front of a flower garden for over an hour lost in thought. This Fa had changed me so much, and I personally experienced all the changes. I truly believed that Falun Dafa is good and vowed that I would practice until the end.
Initially, fellow practitioners were afraid to see each other. Later on, we got together to walk along the river, and we gathered at a fellow practitioner's home to watch Master's lectures. We gradually became aware that we should step forward, so some practitioners went to Tiananmen Square in Beijing to appeal for justice for Dafa. Yet I still had attachments of fear and was not sure how to validate the Fa.
From studying the Fa I understand that everything to do with cultivation relates to Fa validation. I began to see how I could make use my career as a teacher to clarify the facts about Falun Dafa . All students in China have been brainwashed with the Chinese Communist Party's CCP doctrines and propaganda. They are impulsive and disrespectful of their parents, they fight and smoke and date at a young age. They do not believe in justice because they do not know the traditional Chinese culture that focuses on kindness, loyalty, etiquette, wisdom and belief, filial duty, moral integrity, and justice. Whenever I mentioned Falun Dafa, the young kids laughed about it. At the beginning, when students saw me in the distance, they would make fun of me because they knew I practiced Falun Gong. I was upset at first, so I waited until I was calm and could use the Fa to judge how I should deal with this situation. I knew this did not happen by chance. I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate all evil factors behind them, and when I found those students, I was able to talk with them rationally, explaining my reasons for cultivation and just how much I had benefited from Dafa and how it has been embraced all over the world. After talking with them, many students changed their attitude toward Dafa and were able to greet me warmly whenever they met me.
In the classroom, I began to incorporate Chinese traditional culture into my lessons. For instance, when I taught Confucianism I would add in ancient Taoist and Buddhist philosophy. We then could discuss how modern day science is responsible for the enormous damage done to our natural environment. When the students could see the difference between modern day practical science and ancient Chinese science, they began to eliminate their atheistic ideas and they could then see the limitation of modern science.
When I talked about Falun Gong I gave examples from modern life, such as when TV, movies, and atomic bombs are controlled by people who do not value precious virtues, they not only spread lies and slander, they can also start wars. People then cannot distiguish between right and wrong and are manipulated by wicked influences. Under such circumstances, Falun Gong was suppressed and slandered. Through my clarifying these facts, many students understood the damage caused by all the previous "movements" under communism, including the devastating "Cultural Revolution." From that point on, some students expressed their clear support of the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and opposed any violence aimed at Falun Gong. The process of clarifying the truth to all sentient beings was also a process for me to eliminate the remnants of the Communist Party culture in myself. From initially being very timid, I was able to speak in an upright and self-confident way and was able to clearly speak out, and I gradully rid myself of fear and worry.
Next, I used small, everyday things in life to guide the students to abide by Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. For the students who understood the truth, I noticed that their mentality improved and their grades also improved very quickly. Compared to other students in different classes, you could see a huge difference. Half of them were above the average.
Always looking inward and paying attention to sending forth righteous thoughts
As a cultivator, one should look inward unconditionally, and only then can one improve in heart and mind. Then it's easier to find the source of our attachments, eliminate all arrangements by the old forces, pay attention to sending forth righteous thoughts, and always be aware that Master is nearby. Only then is one able to create a safe and consistant cultivation environment.
One time, a substitute teacher lost his temper at the students in my class and he threw his cup, stating that he had never seen such class in his entire life. I was quite upset after I heard about his outburst. Even though I was upset, I still looked inward and I found that heart of mine for pursuing fame, wanting others to praise me, and the fear of being criticized. I spent two days and nights looking inwards to find these attachments, and when I finally calmed down, I felt the compassion in my heart also much improved.
Through sending forth righteous thoughts along and clarifying the facts to people, I found that the environment around me improved, as my karmic debt was paid off. I have two houses now. My family is also doing well, because they understand the truth about Dafa and this has brought them fundamental happiness. A fortuneteller told my eldest sister she would have a huge tribulation before the New Year, but she understood the truth, and recited in her mind, "Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good," and she passed the tribulation. My mother had an illness this year, and she also recites "Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good." She is very healthy. Our family has benefited enormously from Dafa, and we witnessed the compassion of Dafa in the midst of brutal persecution. Unfortunately, my father and my other sister have not quit the CCP yet, so I will try my best to rationally help them understand the truth more deeply.
With deep gratitue, I thank you, Master! It is you who saved me, cleansed me, and changed me from a hopeless person to a Dafa disciple. Master, thank you!