(Minghui.org)
An Incidental Email Led Me to Falun Dafa
When I was in fifth or sixth grade, I started suffering from spontaneous pneumothorax, a rare disease that can result in the collapse of the lungs. I started having occasional chest pain and difficulty breathing. After I graduated from middle school, my symptoms steadily increased in frequency.
When I was in tenth grade, I received an email that explained the facts about Falun Dafa and the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of the practice. This was a turning point in my life. My understanding of Falun Dafa was shallow, but the email contained information on how to break through China's Internet firewall, which piqued my interest.
I followed the email's instructions and installed the anti-censorship software. I was then able to obtain information about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation hoax and the April 25, 1999 peaceful demonstration of Falun Dafa practitioners at Zhongnanhai.
As a comparison, I also went to the China Central Television's website and other major news websites in China to look at their self-immolation reports. However, the original reports and video footage had been removed. Only some speculative and poorly substantiated interviews were left.
I gradually learned more about Falun Dafa, and Dafa's healing properties stirred my interest in the practice. I found the complete set of Falun Dafa books on the Minghui website. When I read Zhuan Falun, I identified with the book's profound teachings of elevating one's mind and moral level. I also noticed that the book answered many questions that I had about religion and spirituality.
Over time, without noticing it, my pneumothorax episodes stopped. When I told others that my disease had healed on its own, many people did not believe me, as this condition can only be cured by surgery. This miraculous healing furthered my understanding of the power of Falun Dafa.
Forced to Leave School
Had I not been forced to leave school, I would now be in my second year at a university.
One day last year, I went to the entrance of my school to pick up an express delivery package. I gave the delivery man some information about Falun Dafa. I told him, “When you read and understand this information, you will be blessed!”
However, he reported me to the university authorities. During the next several days, I met more members of the school's leadership than I had during the past year. At one meeting, faculty members tried to brainwash me, and they tried to make me write a letter “admitting my wrongdoing.”
I had only given the delivery man some information and told him facts about Falun Dafa and the persecution. I had only been upholding his right to free information. What “wrongdoing” had I committed?
Instead of caving into their demands, I wrote a letter about my experience practicing Falun Dafa and how I had benefited from the practice. I also stated that I hoped they would learn the facts about the persecution.
Unfortunately, after reading my letter, the school board took an immoral course of action. Without my knowledge, they summoned my father from our hometown and expelled me from the university.
I lost my right to an education. My father, however, kept consoling me and told me that I had taken the right course of action. He had seen for himself how I had benefited from the practice.
On my last night as a student, my classmates held a farewell dinner for me at a restaurant outside the university. Of the 63 students in our class, over 40 students attended. The restaurant owner said to me, “I've hosted many farewell parties for students at my restaurant, but none of them had a turnout as large as your farewell. At most, they would have only 20 or so attendees.”
On the journey home, I asked myself, what was I going to do now? Yet, in my heart I did not have one shred of regret about my actions.
The Demeanor of a Dafa Disciple
This year, while doing some self-study in graphics design, I started working part-time as a salesperson in a jewelry shop.
I was hired with two other salesmen who were older than me. Both colleagues were very unhappy and often complained about the shop owner's supervision methods, which could be very aggravating. One time, I suggested an improvement to our boss. However, he replied sarcastically, “So, you want to be the shop owner?” I kept silent.
There were several other incidents like this that would have riled up my colleagues, but I always tried to hold myself to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion- Forbearance, and I did not react negatively.
My two colleagues soon quit, leaving the owner and myself to run the shop. Some time later, I received news that my grandmother had been hospitalized, so I told my boss of my intention to resign. He asked me not to quit so soon, as he could not cope on his own and needed time to hire and train a new salesperson. I agreed to his request and continued working for another half a month until he found a replacement.
During this time, I also spoke to him about Falun Dafa. He was very receptive, and he even began treating me much better. When my boss gave me my final paycheck, I noticed that he had given me his past month's earnings as well! This was something that he would never have done in the past.
This incident reinforced my resolve to stick to the principles of Falun Dafa and be a good person. One may suffer losses and be taken advantage of at first, but ultimately one will receive the good fortune that one deserves!
