(Minghui.org) I was a graduate student in China when I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1999.
I was fragile, often sick as a child, and I became an introvert. As I got older, I became bitter and tired of life. I yearned for the lifestyle of a monk – cultivating in a temple deep in the forest.
My roommate’s friend mentioned Falun Dafa to me at the beginning of 1999. I met him again in March of that year and asked to borrow Dafa books.
I finished reading Zhuan Falun, Dafa's main book in one sitting and knew this was what I had been looking for. The first several months of practicing were the most precious time in my life – doing the Dafa exercises, studying the Fa with other practitioners, and on the weekends several of us went to nearby villages to introduce the practice.
Escaping Danger
After the persecution began in 1999, I tried to let people know more about Falun Dafa.
When I went to my adviser's home to discuss my thesis. I arrived a little early, so I decided to put Dafa fliers in every mailbox. When I left my adviser's home, several policemen were checking on students. I remained calm and left without the police noticing me.
Another time, I was going to deliver informational DVDs about the practice to another practitioner. I got up early and took the intercity bus. I strangely experienced horrible motion sickness that made me vomit.
Several policemen were waiting at the bus stop in that city and searching every passenger getting off the bus. Since I looked so sick, they did not search me and let me go. I felt fine a short while later.
Memorizing the Fa
I came back to New Zealand in October 2004. In a comfortable environment, I began to gradually relax my cultivation state. I did not have the desire to study the Fa as I did in China. It became a formality and I did not take the Fa to heart.
I became more and more like a person who did not cultivate and did not look within when I faced conflicts. Thus, I decided to memorize the Fa. I am now memorizing Zhuan Falun for the third time and also Hong Yin and Essentials for Further Advancement.
When I finished memorizing Zhuan Falun for the first time, I experienced the same feeling as I did when I first began to practice Dafa.
When I encountered problems, the Fa would come to mind. I followed the Dafa principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
During the process of memorizing the Fa, several of my wrong states were corrected. It used to be difficult for me to get up at 4:00 a.m. every day to get my practice in. Even when I did get up on time, I would feel tired the whole day. Now I can do it easily and do not feel tired all day.
I could not do the meditation exercise for an hour in the past. Whenever my legs felt painful, I needed to move them a little bit to ease the pain. Now, I can do the meditation exercise for one hour with my back straight and without moving my legs. Gradually, I was able to calm my unsteady mind.
Tian Guo Marching Band
Although I have been in the Tian Guo Marching Band for 11 years, I did not practice diligently or improve my skills. I used the excuse that I did not know a lot about music and it was good enough that I made the effort to participate.
I now know that I must do well in playing my instrument, so people will not have a negative impression of the marching band.
I decided to go to a young practitioner's home to learn how to improve my clarinet playing. He was very responsible and gave me different notes to practice every week.
I knew music is bestowed by the divine, so I should calm my heart and pay attention. I practiced in front of the mirror and paid attention to what I did right and wrong. In the evening, I practiced proper breathing techniques. I also communicated with my instrument, so we could work together to produce beautiful music to fulfill our mission.
Forbearance
My capacity to forbear increased with my memorizing the Fa. The attachment to validating myself is also not as strong as before.
I have changed my attitude when promoting Shen Yun. I do not worry about how many tickets I sell but focus more on telling people about the beauty of the show. I have listened to the Shen Yun training recordings multiple times. I also carefully read the audience feedback to know which words to use when promoting the show.
At our kiosk, I focused on creating a compassionate environment. The passersby were able to feel the beauty of Shen Yun and I could hand out more fliers. I was able to sell more tickets than before.
Our local Shen Yun coordinator found a good location for our booth where the atmosphere was peaceful. Almost every shopper took a flier. One lady stopped and listened to my introduction. She bought two tickets even though she was not sure who she would give the other ticket to.
Two Korean students listened to Shen Yun's introduction and bought tickets for their mothers, even though they did not have much money.
Talking to Chinese Tourists
Eden Mountain is a famous tourist attraction where Chinese tourists visit. I often go there to do the Dafa exercises to show the tourists the beauty of the practice.
When I meditate with a pure and peaceful mind, the Chinese tourists passing by let their guard down. Some read the words on my shirt out loud, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
After I finished the meditation exercise with two other practitioners, a Chinese tourist talked to me. I told him the facts about the practice and the persecution.
My mind was very pure, and I was given the wisdom to clear his doubts and suspicions about Dafa. Chinese tourists from two buses came over to listen to our conversation. When they left, many gave us thumbs up. Some also shouted, “Falun Dafa is great!”
