(Minghui.org) I began to practice Falun Dafa in December 2018 when I was 54 years old. I did not know what Dafa was at first, and there were no practitioners around me. But fortunately I came across Dafa on the Internet and became a practitioner.
Getting to Know Dafa
I was abandoned by my parents, and grew up in a Catholic monastery. While I didn’t have my parents by my side, the nuns who raised me probably gave me more love and respect than many children who lived with their parents. I have rarely been ill since childhood and my life has gone well. I’ve always felt I was a lucky person. I sometimes even told others that my life could have been much worse had my parents not abandoned me. After beginning to practice Falun Dafa, I realized that my life had long been arranged by the divine. Currently I am the director of a Catholic kindergarten and also a college instructor in early childhood care and education.
I knew that Catholic doctrine does not believe in reincarnation, but I have always believed its existence. Because of my job, I often looked up information and read news on the Internet. In my spare time, I also explored some interesting videos and audios about prophecies and the divine. I also paid attention to reports about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Upon learning of the forced organ harvesting by the CCP, I was shocked and terrified – how could there be such a vicious regime in this world?! In one online video, the host said that the Creator has come to this world, which caught my attention. I wondered to myself, “Is this true? How can I find Him?”
Having been exposed to the Bible since a young age, I knew that the Creator is the reason behind everything in this world and that the divine would come again to conduct the Final Judgment. Has the divine really come? The video mentioned above also talked about “Falun Dafa.” I became curious and searched online for more information about it. In the end, I found the website of Falun Dafa in Taiwan.
I started listening to Master’s nine-day audio lectures during my commute and finished all the lectures in a few days. I then followed the tutorial video on the Internet and learned the five sets of exercises. I remember the day when I tried the first exercise set. I felt my abdomen being pressured inward shortly after I did the exercise. But the sensation lasted only a short time and I’ve never experienced it again. I figured Master could be installing Falun in me, though I was not 100% sure. Nonetheless, the feeling was wonderful. After that, I spent about six months reading Master’s other lectures, which taught me the importance of attending group study and exercises. But my family was not supportive and I could only attend group study and exercises occasionally. Most of the time I just cultivate on my own and I need to do better in the future.
Being a Better Person
I was a devout Catholic before I took up Falun Dafa. However, I found myself hardly improving in the church. Every time after the worship service, I was still my old self. The confession to God hardly changed anything either. When encountering conflicts with others, I felt I still had to prove who was right and who was wrong. That is, staying in religion had not brought me inner peace. It was not until after I began practicing Falun Dafa that I learned that only Falun Dafa could truly change a person fundamentally.
Master said:
“Our practice has a well-defined focus. It really makes your attachments evident and sees to it that they are removed. This accelerates your spiritual development.” (The Fifth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Upon learning the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I tried to follow them in my daily life and be considerate of others. For example, when a store clerk made a mistake, charging me less in the past, I wouldn’t bother to return to the store to correct the mistake. This changed after I became a Falun Dafa practitioner. I once bought some saplings and the store owner undercharged me by 90 New Taiwan Dollars (about US $3) because he mistakenly categorized them as another kind of plant. I didn’t realize this until I returned home. Although the amount was not much and the store was far away, I still went there on another day and paid the money back. The owner was very thankful. Thinking back, I should have told him about Falun Dafa.
Improving Mind Nature
Being a Falun Dafa practitioner means constantly working to align with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and improving xinxing. In my kindergarten, there is a policy that children should be picked up by 6 p.m. But some parents arrive late and I am the one who needs to stay and wait with the children. From time to time, I would lose patience and warn the late-arriving parents to come earlier next time.
Once a parent arrived after 6 p.m., and I blurted out, “You know, it is already past 6.”
She replied, “Why can’t you be considerate of others? What if I had an accident trying to rush here?”
I immediately realized Master was probably using her to tell me that I should have been more considerate of her. From then on, I always tried to put myself in the parents’ shoes. After all, no parents would like to be late if they could come earlier.
Some xinxing tests occurred during the construction of my house. There seemed to be problems at every stage of the project. It just so happened that the neighbor across from my family was also building a new house. Their workers always tossed trash in my lot. They even urinated and defecated there. I was upset by these things initially and even returned the trash to the other lot. When thinking it over, however, I realized this was inconsistent with the principle of Forbearance. Were I to do this again, wouldn’t I be just an everyday person? Plus, these are opportunities for me to improve my xinxing.
My own contractor ordered more building materials than needed and took possession of the unused portion. I did not find out about this until paying the building materials supplier. I had to pay over 100,000 New Taiwan dollars (about US $3,200) extra.
I reminded myself not to fight with others. Since then, I was hardly disturbed by troubles or conflicts that occurred during this project. I am grateful to Falun Dafa for giving me a calm mind.
Clarifying the Facts and Promoting Shen Yun
From Dafa's teachings, I learned that it is also important to clarify the facts to people, in addition to studying Dafa principles, doing exercises, and sending forth righteous thoughts.
Master said:
“You need to know that clarifying the truth is extremely important for Dafa disciples. You aren’t just doing personal cultivation—your own cultivation is saving the beings in the gigantic cosmic bodies that you represent. When you clarify the truth you are saving even more and even larger additional cosmic bodies and the beings in those cosmic bodies, because this is the responsibility Dafa and history have bestowed upon you.” (“Teachings From a Tour of North America”)
Because my husband is not a practitioner, it is difficult for me to go out and attend activities. For now, I often mail truth-clarification letters and send text messages to tell people the real story of Falun Dafa. I also plan to talk with my husband thoroughly, so he can understand all these things.
Shen Yun promotion is also something that I have participated in. In the beginning, I watched the performance with my family. Later on I started to recommend the show to others. Because of my job, I know many people from mainstream society, such as child education professionals, college instructors, and parents. But I did not have the righteous thoughts to step forward.
I attended a conference of the Taiwan Early Childhood Education Association this year. Many directors and supervisors of the association are very talented. I proposed a Shen Yun introduction session to the chairman and he agreed. The presentation went well and seven directors and supervisors bought tickets on the spot. Because of rising Covid cases, however, they were concerned about the safety of the children under their care should they go out and get infected. As such, they ended up not going to the performance. I was sorry to hear that. By looking inward, I found my loopholes. Although I had overcome my fear of promoting Shen Yun, the success of my presentation triggered my zealotry. I plan to do better next year so that more people can attend.
Conclusion
It has been an honor for me, a devoted Catholic for 54 years, to become a Falun Dafa practitioner.
I am also very fortunate. Master said:
“Indeed, do you realize something? You are Dafa disciples, and countless beings above, beings simply limitless in number, envy you. If today I were to offer any high-level god, no matter his greatness, the chance to come and be a Dafa disciple, he would leap at the opportunity in a split second—the instant my words reached him he would come. He would be simply elated, for everyone who is aware knows that this way he could not only save himself, but also the countless sentient beings of his world. That is simply the most extraordinary thing in the future cosmos.” (“What is a Dafa Disciple,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
I was very touched by these words and am very thankful. In fact, my gratitude is beyond words. Having practiced Falun Dafa for nearly four years, I feel like a new person. But there are still many areas I need to do better, including putting my heart into studying Dafa principles, not skipping exercises in the mornings, and concentrating when sending forth righteous thoughts. Of course I need to do better in clarifying the facts to people and helping save them, instead of just going through the motions in my truth-clarification efforts. I would also like to thank practitioners who have been helping me and reminding me to do better. I will do better.
Thank you, Master. Thank you, fellow practitioners. Above is my experience-sharing and please point out anything inappropriate.
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