(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2014. It is such an honor to be a Falun Dafa practitioner during the Fa-rectification period. I feel blessed every day and bask in Master Li’s (Falun Dafa’s founder) immense compassion.
When Master published How Humankind Came To Be, I believed it signaled the beginning of the Fa rectifying the human world. I want to tell everyone how wonderful Falun Dafa is—how I regained my health and improved my moral character, as well as my journey of clarifying the truth about Dafa to the people around me and in China.
As a child in China, I was weak and sick, suffering from one thing or another. Every time someone sneezed, I worried I’d catch a cold. Taking medicine and getting injections were as common as having a meal. My mother who was a physician, raised me in a “sterilized bubble,” and meticulously cared for me. To improve my health, I jogged every day at a nearby park. I also tried Tai chi for a while. In the 90’s, there were all kinds of qigong classes advertised in newspapers. My mother urged me to try them, but I was not interested.
After we moved to the U.S., my husband said many people practiced spiritual beliefs and suggested I try attending a church. I tried different churches in my area, but they were not what I was looking for. I remember going to a big Christmas party at a local church. There was great entertainment, delicious food, and everybody was having a great time. The pastor was very pleased when he heard I had not been baptized. He couldn’t convince me to commit to his religion as it just didn’t feel right.
A few months later, my husband noticed that I had not been to church for a while. When he asked why, I told him none of them felt right to me. He sighed, “What on earth are you looking for?”
I missed the opportunity when Master held the nine-day seminars in my city in the 90’s, but Master gave me another chance.
I had a sudden sharp pain in my left knee one day in 2014. I felt as if I was stabbed by knives—I couldn’t walk and couldn’t turn in bed. My husband bought me some crutches but they were difficult to use, and it was hard to go up and down the stairs. The doctors performed all kinds of medical tests, including X-rays, but they couldn’t find the cause of my problem. All they could do was to prescribe painkillers.
I seldom watched television, but immobilized by pain I spent hours on the couch in front of the TV. By chance, my husband found the New Tang Dynasty (NTD) channel in Chinese, which I enjoyed watching. I later realized it was predestined that I obtain the Fa this way.
Through an NTD program, I learned about Falun Dafa—a spiritual practice of the Buddha school that enables one to cultivate to high levels. I was so excited I couldn’t wait to learn more about Dafa’s principles, as well as how to do the five sets of exercises. I found and watched Master’s demonstration videos. Movement by movement, I learned by copying Master. My left leg hurt, so I put my weight on my right leg when I did the standing exercises.
Within just three days, I was able to walk. The night after I received the book Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, from Tianti Books, Master purified my body. I felt light as a cloud. Delighted, my husband booked a cruise to the Caribbean. I brought Zhuan Falun with me and kept reading it.
Master said, “In cultivation, one should mainly cultivate one’s xinxing.” (Lecture Five, Zhuan Falun)
Through studying the Fa, I learned that going back to one’s original, true self is the ultimate goal when one practices Falun Dafa. Cultivating one’s xinxing is essentially cultivating one’s heart. If a person can consistently and solidly work on his or her heart, he or she must be a good person. Dafa enables people to achieve this, therefore it is truly a wonderful and extraordinary cultivation way.
The very first day I started reading Zhuan Falun, Master opened my celestial eye. I saw Master doing guanding (pouring energy into the top of one’s head) for me. Since then, I often see beautiful and extraordinary scenes that others cannot see—sometimes at home and sometimes at the group practice site.
My health improved greatly the first month I began practicing, and my morals and outlook on life changed as well.
Shortly after I began practicing Falun Dafa, my body went through a series of incredible changes. I gave off a sweet-smelling scent that lasted several days. Not just me, my husband also noticed it and asked what perfume I was using. He had in fact bought me some brand name perfumes, but I rarely used them.
I experienced something else that’s quite extraordinary. I can walk fast and my feet barely touch the ground. While standing, I sometimes feel that my legs have disappeared and only my upper body is left. It eventually felt like my entire body disappeared and only my consciousness remained. It’s had to describe but I never feel scared when this happens.
When I meditate, I often feel my body levitating and moving up and down. Once at group practice, a practitioner and I sat together on a big slab of flagstone and meditated. My eyes were closed, but I felt the slab moving up and down the entire time. When the exercise was over, I asked the other practitioner, “Why is the slab moving so much today?”
She smiled and said jokingly, “Maybe you’ve practiced in your previous life.”
I nodded,“Oh, maybe,” not fully comprehending what she meant.
Master said,
“There was a practitioner in Qingdao who was sitting in meditation on a bed during lunch break when no one was around in his office. As soon as he sat there, he levitated and moved harshly up and down, as high as a meter. He would come down after rising up, and this kept occurring. His blanket was even bounced to the floor.” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)
Six months after I began practicing Falun Dafa, my skin became fair and soft, as if a rough outer layer sloughed off. When a friend from China visited she mentioned it, and said, “How did your skin become so nice?” I just assumed it was the lighting.
The next time I video chatted with my young sister she said, “Wow! Your skin looks so fine and delicate, and you have a rosy complexion. You look really good.”
My husband also asked one day, “What skin care product have you been using? It makes your skin so smooth. You look really pretty.”
I didn’t pay much attention when just one person commented, but when three people said the same thing, I took a good look at myself in the mirror. “Wow! It’s true,” I thought. I looked completely different—my skin was fair and radiant.
I felt a stream of warmth running through the bottom of my right foot one day and it hasn’t stopped since. It’s not warm to the touch, but I can feel the warm current under my right foot all the time.
While I did the third exercise, Penetrating the Cosmic Extremes, at group practice one day, I raised my right hand past my head following Master’s instructions and felt a beam of warm energy shooting out of my palm. It kept going and shot far into the sky. This lasted until the end of the third exercise.
One time, I got up after finishing the sitting meditation to help take down the Dafa banners. When I turned around to grab my mat, a practitioner pointed to the ground looking surprised. I looked down and saw a U-shaped mark on the spot where I was sitting. It was dark and shiny, as if newly polished, and stood out from the rest of the ground. A practitioner wondered if it was wet. I touched the mark and my clothes but they were dry. I checked my mat and it was dry as well. We realized then it was one of the many extraordinary things manifested by Dafa—all are good things.
I had a layover in Washington DC when I came back from a Fa conference in 2018. While waiting at the terminal, I struck up a conversation with a few passengers. I told them about Falun Dafa, and the ongoing persecution in China that targets the spiritual practice.
After boarding the plane, I was about to sit down when I suddenly heard the melody, “Pudu.” It was loud and everyone should have heard it. I thought maybe another practitioner was playing music on an MP3 player. I stood up and looked around but couldn’t find the source. When I noticed the other passengers looking at me, I realized no one was playing “Pudu,” or could hear it. I later told some practitioners about this and they said that I heard music from another dimension.
During the flight, I looked through the window and saw a golden Falun carrying the airplane. I wanted to take a picture but couldn’t find my camera. When the scene appeared again, I tried to show it to the person next to me, but they seemed to be asleep. The third time I saw it, I just sat there and took it all in.
I was curious as to how the golden ring of the Falun disappeared. Was it blocked by the clouds?” But the sky was clear and there were no clouds. The Falun somehow read my mind—it demonstrated to me how it disappeared into another dimension without moving. It was such an amazing sight. Every time I think of what I saw that day, I subconsciously look to my right at the same angle, and out of my window into my back garden. From that angle, my circular garden appears oval. But on that day, I had a three dimensional view of the Falun and the airplane it was carrying, as if I was looking down from above, instead of from the inside of the plane.
I have also seen through my celestial eye, the white energy channels inside my body intersecting vertically and horizontally. I can touch the Falun embedded in my abdominal area. It rotates nine times clockwise and nine times counterclockwise.
While promoting Shen Yun, my legs were sometimes sore after walking for hours passing out fliers or door tags. One time, I saw in another dimension that both my legs swung back and forth weightlessly in the air like two pieces of paper. It is amazing to recall the many extraordinary experiences I had since I began practicing Falun Dafa.
I recently read the cultivation story of Tao Yuanming, a famous Chinese poet and politician who lived during the Six Dynasties. I learned that there’s a saying in the cultivation community, “Without cultivating the Tao, one is already in the Tao,” referring to some people having masters that guide them in their cultivation journey without them knowing it. These people don’t appear to be cultivating and they themselves may not even know that they are cultivating, let alone having any clue that they have masters watching over and guiding them. But they are able to conduct themselves well consistently during their lifetime. If their masters are from high levels, they won’t follow anyone else, or cultivate in a different school, as their masters prevent that from happening.
After reading this story, I understood why I did not join a religious group before I began practicing Falun Dafa. Master was watching over me and making sure I eventually obtained the Fa and practiced Falun Dafa. It all makes perfect sense now.
Although I obtained the Fa late compared to many other practitioners, I cherish very much this precious opportunity. The first time I read Zhuan Falun, my face was often covered in tears.
Master said,
“Lao Zi once made this statement, “When a wise person hears the Tao, this person will practice it diligently.” When a wise person learns of the Tao, he thinks, “Finally I’ve obtained a righteous cultivation method. Why wait and not start practicing today?”” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
After I read this passage, I wrote on a piece of paper, “I will cultivate as a ‘wise person’ would.”
I strive to meet Master’s requirements for practitioners and cultivate diligently. Beside studying the Fa every day, I also began to memorize the Fa shortly after I took up the practice. I recite On Dafa and poems from Hong Yin every day. Memorizing and reciting the Fa have become part of my daily routine. I’ve recited “On Dafa” more than 3,000 times and the entire book Zhuan Falun seven times.
I didn’t know anything about clarifying the truth when I first started practicing and there were very few Chinese people in my circle of friends and family here in the United States. However, whenever I talked to my family and friends in China, I always told them how lucky I am to obtain the greatest Fa of the universe. I told them that Falun Dafa has immense virtue and Dafa cultivators practice the highest principle of the universe—Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
I set my heart on practicing Falun Dafa from day one and was determined. My parents are highly educated, intelligent, hard working and kind. They set great examples for me. But fear of retaliation was deeply rooted in my father as he and his family were targeted by the Communist regime during nearly every one of it’s political movements.
I didn’t believe a person who truly practices Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance would act irrationally like they are portrayed in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s propaganda. I watched NTD programs that debunk the Tiananmen Square self-immolation hoax that was orchestrated by the Communist regime to demonize Falun Dafa and practitioners. The Party’s slander is all too familiar to me—it repeatedly used the same tactics in each of its political persecutions.
I was eager to tell everyone the truth. I wished they could see right through the CCP’s lies, just as I did, and not be fooled and turn against the great Fa of the universe. Each time I talked to a friend or relative in China, I couldn’t help but talk about how wonderful Dafa is. Everyone laughed at me and said I was deluded, but they gradually learned the truth and agreed to quit the CCP and its youth organizations.
Without clarifying the truth and saving people, I knew I wasn’t truly cultivating like a Fa-rectification period Dafa practitioner is supposed to, regardless how well I could recite the Fa. Wasn’t I deceiving myself? And more importantly, wasn’t I deceiving Master? I felt I was letting Master down. But Master’s compassion is boundless. When COVID spread like wildfire at the beginning of 2020, Master arranged for me to join the global platform that makes truth-clarification phone calls to China.
I usually make phone calls to government officials and agents involved in specific persecution cases. The persecution is rampant in some regions and the people involved are isolated and close-minded. Afraid of Chinese citizens finding out about its evil nature, the CCP exhausts all means to prevent people from receiving overseas phone calls. They block the calls, and threaten and downright forbid people from taking such calls. It’s sometimes very challenging to clarify the truth to people and many times I don’t feel I can continue.
A practitioner on the platform once analyzed the data and found that less than 15 percent of the phone calls we made were picked up. I could spend an entire morning making phone calls and only a few were answered. It seemed like a waste of time. Should I continue? However, if most Chinese people are still prejudiced against Dafa, they risk being eliminated. Master is worried because this is a very serious matter.
Master said,
“Let me remind you that you can’t neglect to help people withdraw from the Party. This is something critical! It determines whether people and the countless lives behind them will be saved. You need to treat this with all due sincerity. I should add that divine beings are keeping count of how many people have withdrawn from the Party, so don’t underestimate its significance.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the New York Fa Conference Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Dafa’s Spreading,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIV)
Thanks to Master’s help, I overcame my doubts and continued making phone calls. I believe it’s also a direct result of consistently reading the Fa. Each day, my mind is either focused on Fa study or clarifying the truth. I even dreamed of talking to different people about Dafa. No matter how hard the CCP tries to block these calls, or how many times our accounts are suspended on China’s social media, I use all my free time to call China and help people quit the Party.
Not being able to see the other person poses the biggest problem in this form of truth-clarification. If the person hangs up too soon he or she may lose the opportunity to hear the truth. How can I keep the other person on the phone a little longer? This is the most crucial thing—it determines whether I can get my message across and make the other person understand why it’s so important to separate oneself from the CCP.
When I first started, I compiled a log list of talking points. I was able to help a few people quit the Party, so I felt pretty good about myself. Therefore I stuck to my script and read it whenever someone answered the phone. But this approach became less and less effective. Most of the time, the other person hung up as soon as I greeted them. Even when one or two people agreed to quit the Party, I knew it was Master encouraging me not to give up.
I examined myself and realized no matter what I do, I should always maintain the state of a true cultivator. A true cultivator strives to always improve him or herself instead of being stagnant. In truth-clarification, we should also look to improve and perfect our approach—this is a reflection of how well we cultivate.
I quickly adjusted my attitude and changed how I made the phone calls. When I receive my list—usually five phone numbers—I try to find out more about each person I’m about to call and edit my introduction accordingly.
If I can keep the person on the phone for a few minutes, I usually have a pretty good chance of clarifying the truth in depth and helping them quit the Party. Each time a person hangs up, I immediately analyze when and why they hung up and make edits to improve what I say. I try to fine tune everything to retain the person’s attention, from my tone of voice to my talking points.
I also put myself in the other person’s shoes and think about my approach. I am a Dafa practitioner of the Fa-rectification period and I need to be guided by Dafa at all times. What I say must carry the power of Dafa to save people. Making truth-clarification phone calls to China has become one the three things I do every day, and I try to do this better each day.
I’ve helped many people quit the CCP over the years, from professionals to executives, law enforcement officers to judges and attorney generals, from guards to directors of brainwashing centers, detention centers, and prisons. After learning the truth about Dafa, some not only quit the Party but also said they’d help protect practitioners. Some thanked me repeatedly and some said they’d say, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
Many times, two or three people out of my list of five phone numbers agree to quit the Party. One time, all five quit. I’ve been able to help at least one person quit the Party every day.
It’s not about showing off or proving how capable I am, as I know it’s all done by Master. I am only able to do this through studying and assimilating to the Fa. Master arranged for those who are predestined to learn about Dafa to pick up my phone calls. Master has continually encouraged and strengthened me on this journey of clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings. It is also a direct result of great teamwork of all the practitioners on the platform.
Thank you Master! Thank you fellow practitioners!