(Minghui.org) I used to be a devout Buddhist ten years ago. I started practicing Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) when I was 32 years old, after my cousin had introduced it to me.
I now know the meaning of human existence and I conduct myself according to Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. All of the questions that I've ever had about life have been answered after reading Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Gong. I now understand why humans have come to this world and why they should not waste this life pursuing ordinary people's goals.
My entire family initially had strongly objected to my decision to practice Falun Gong. This was due to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) relentless slander campaign designed to defame the practice. It was a very emotional time for me. I also found it hard to understand why it was so difficult to practice in such a righteous school.
However, due to my determination to practice Falun Gong, my family eventually stopped objecting. After they had learned more about the practice from the informational materials that I had given them, they all quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
My parents and mother-in-law also started to practice Falun Gong several years later. My entire family began to help clarify the truth about the Chinese regime's persecution of the practice. Over time, most of my relatives and friends also renounced their membership in the CCP.
I eventually learned how to break through the Party's Internet blockade, prepare Falun Gong informational materials, make banners, and produce CDs.
Upgrading My Heart Nature
I initially felt that Falun Gong was good, as it requires adherents to conduct themselves according to high-level principles. I later realized that the practice required me to be selfless and to rid myself of human attachments and notions.
I had a strong personality, and as such, I always wanted to get my own way. If anyone raised objections to what I wanted to do, I would make their life miserable. I rarely, if ever, took other people's opinions into consideration when I made a decision.
After practicing Falun Gong, I realized that my need to control both people and circumstances, was a severe character flaw. So, I began to be more patient and tolerant of my husband. I finally learned how to discuss important matters with him without getting upset.
Both my husband and my mother-in-law said that I had changed and had become more gentle and virtuous.
As a result, my husband began to support my decision to practice Falun Gong. Even though he does not practice, he still drives me around to do Falun Gong-related work, or helps me carry boxes of fliers and brochures.
When I ran into conflicts with fellow practitioners, I listened to Master Li's teachings and looked inward for the cause. Once, my 66-year-old father and I delivered several heavy boxes of CDs to a fellow practitioner's apartment. As soon as we had completed our task, the practitioner reproached us, saying that we had an attachment to doing things. We were both stunned.
“What's wrong with you?” I thought when my father and I were outside. “It's not easy to deliver those heavy materials using a tricycle. If you're so good at studying the Fa, why don't you do it yourself next time?”
Master Li said,
“No matter what it is you have encountered as you've gone about validating the Fa, it is all, I will tell you, a good thing--and that's especially so in these years of persecution--for those things have come about specifically because you do cultivation.” (from “Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference” in Teaching the Fa at the Conference VIII.)
I realized that my grievances towards this practitioner were due to my human attachments. After I shared my understanding with my father, he never brought up the subject again.
I began to recite Master Li's poem:
Who's Right, Who's Wrong
“As a cultivatorOne always looks for one's own faults'Tis is the Way to get rid of attachments most effectivelyThere's no way to skip ordeals, big or small[During a conflict, if you can remember:]“He's right,And I'm wrong,”What's to dispute?”(From Hong Yin III)
I reminded myself not to fall into the trap of creating gaps between fellow practitioners. “I should thank the practitioner for his comments,” I thought. All ill feelings towards the person had completely disappeared by the time I had reached home.
Raising Awareness at a Court Hearing
I recently drove two hours to attend a court hearing involving local practitioners who had been arrested more than a year ago. When I had arrived, I saw that the area had been cordoned off and there were many uniformed and plainclothes police walking about.
I was allowed to go inside to attend the hearing. I was touched by the four practitioners' and their lawyers' defense statements. The judge kept interrupting the lawyers during the hearing and ordered several unnecessary breaks.
Only eight family members (two from each family) were allowed in the court room, yet 32 seats were occupied. I learned later that the “610 Office” had arranged for 24 government employees to also attend the hearing.
“Didn't I come here to raise awareness about Falun Gong?” I asked myself. So, during a hearing break, I loudly exclaimed: “How many of you are family members of the defendants? My family members are not allowed inside, but you are. The defendants follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in their daily lives; they strive to become good people.”
“Did you know that Falun Gong has spread to over 100 countries in the world? Practicing Falun Gong is allowed in every nation except China. My friends in other countries practice Falun Gong. What law is Falun Gong violating? What crime did these four defendants commit?”
Everyone in the room lowed their heads and then left, one after another. Although none of them had answered my questions, I knew that they were contemplating my righteous and solemn words.
