(Minghui.org) My cultivation journey began in 2003. I started working in Chicago in 2001 and often had to pass the Chinese Consulate. I noticed people practicing the Falun Dafa exercises in front of the consulate. After a long period of observation and personal exploration of Dafa, Master’s teachings deeply resonated with me. Through studying the Fa and practicing the exercises, and with Master’s blessing, I became a firm Dafa practitioner.
I was so excited and felt that my entire world was beautiful. I felt that I was such a lucky and happy person. I’ve since calmed down, and although I no longer have the excitement and sweetness I once felt, I treasure those beautiful moments, and the memories inspire me to practice diligently.
Improving My Character
Before I started practicing Falun Dafa, I had many serious illnesses. After I began practicing, my physical condition completely changed.
Master said,
“I do not talk about healing illnesses here, and neither will we heal illnesses. As a genuine cultivator, however, you cannot cultivate with an ill body. I will purify your body.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
I can truly feel that Master is helping me cleanse my body every day. I had a serious bronchial disease, and the doctors said it was incurable and could only be maintained with medication. I believe in Master and stopped taking medication after I began practicing. For more than 20 years, Master has helped me and cleansed my body. Every day I see bad things being expelled from my body, from a lot in the beginning to very little now – almost nothing. I no longer feel the fear and pain of being tortured by illness. I experience the great grace and miracle of Dafa every day. Dafa has given me precious health. Every time I hear that relatives and friends are afraid, worried, and in pain because of illness, I can’t help but be grateful to Dafa from the bottom of my heart.
By aligning my actions and thoughts with Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, I’ve learn to examine myself and identify my attachments. This process is not always easy, but is very beneficial. For example, I let go of my desire for gain. I no longer get excited or worried about daily gains and losses. I treat everything in my life with a peaceful mind.
I realized that being firm in Dafa is also an important aspect of xinxing cultivation. I always maintain a pious and respectful heart toward Dafa and strive to put Dafa first.
Through cultivating my xinxing and looking inward, I gradually let go of many attachments. I now handle situations with a calm and kind attitude, which has improved my relationships with my family, friends, and colleagues. I try to look inward and identify my own shortcomings. For example, I used to be very critical of others. Through cultivation, I learned to be more tolerant and accepting. Cultivation means eliminating all kinds of human notions that do not conform to Dafa and to let Dafa correct oneself, which isn’t easy. This transformation has brought me inner peace and blessings.
Cultivating in front of the Chinese Consulate in Chicago
After I began practicing Falun Dafa, I often went to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago to practice the exercises and clarify the truth. Over the past 20 years, the Fa-rectification situation has undergone tremendous changes.
In the early days, the Chicago police, who didn’t know the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution, weren’t very friendly, but now they are on our side and are very friendly to us.
Many people have expressed their support and admiration for us. Many people learned the truth about the persecution and have stood by our side. Even the security guards hired by the Chinese Consulate have stood with us. I went there to practice the exercises almost every Saturday, and several times the security guards secretly gave me a thumbs-up. A few weeks ago, I was late, and the security guard was very happy to see me. He came over to talk to me, saying, “I thought you were going to Chinatown for activities.” He knew that we staged peaceful protests and truth-clarification activities in Chinatown as well.
The behavior of the Chinese Consulate staff also changed dramatically, from physically assaulting us, to calling the Chicago police to harass us, and now to hiring security guards to “protect” them 24 hours a day. They switched from being on the offense to the defense, and retreated into the evil den of the Chinese Consulate. Sometimes I wonder: Our protest is so peaceful—we do not make any physical contact or threaten them, why do they make such a big fuss and waste money and hire so many security guards to protect them? This actually shows the real fear in the hearts of those aligned with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) after their crimes are exposed. They are afraid because they have committed crimes.
Cultivation Is Serious
During the parade in Chicago’s Chinatown last year, I was making a flag to carry in the parade, when I accidentally slashed the palm of my hand. The wound was large and deep. My heart tightened and I was a little frightened. I covered it with tissue and tape and continued preparing for the parade. My daughter is an emergency medical worker. After she found out, she kept asking me to go to the hospital for a disinfection shot, worried that the wound would get worse. I didn’t go.
The blood vessels and muscles grew back on their own every day, and the wound healed slowly. In the end, it was fine. I know that every test like this is serious, and every cultivator faces the question of whether they can make it or not. This is cultivation. It is serious. It is a matter of faith or not believing, and whether one chooses to walk the path of a cultivator or the path of an ordinary person. Relying on the power of Dafa and Master’s grace, I was fortunate to make it every time. Dafa once again demonstrated its omnipotent power. Thank you, Master.
This year I went to Washington DC to participate in the July 20 activities to expose the persecution. I recognized only a few practitioners, and many familiar faces were not there. Although I felt a little sad, I saw the reality and seriousness of cultivation, which strengthened my belief in Dafa and my determination to cultivate. I realized that true cultivation is not easy and is not something to take lightly.
Our cultivation is real and serious. It’s similar to climbing a mountain. The farther up we go, the more difficult it becomes. There are tests. Some people can’t keep climbing and can’t pass the tests, so they go back down the mountain and leave; some people don’t want to travel anymore. Others want to continue, but they can’t make it and lie down.
This is inevitable—otherwise, it would be fake cultivation, just like some temples where commerce is booming and the place is crowded with people. The closer you get to the end, the less lively and exciting the path of cultivation seems to be. This is the reality of cultivation. I believe the key to achieving the goal of cultivation is being rational and persistent. I decided that I must be resolute and unyielding.
I remember a conversation I had with my brother-in-law 20 years ago when I first obtained the Fa. He was a devout Catholic at the time. He graduated from a prestigious university in China and attended a prestigious university in the U.S. He gave up his high-paying job as a software engineer at a major company and went to a monastery to study theology and become a priest. He kept telling me to give up Falun Dafa.
I understood his good intentions, but told him, “In 20 years, you may no longer be a Catholic, but I will definitely still be practicing Falun Dafa.” Why was I so sure? I think it’s because I was born at the bottom of Chinese society. I’ve been sick since I was a child and always seemed to struggle on the brink of death. All my life I’ve searched for the origin and true meaning of life.
When I began practicing in 2003, I was already middle-aged. After going through countless hardships, I had finally found Dafa. Falun Dafa perfectly answered my life’s questions. It perfectly explained the mysteries of the universe, life, the human body, and everything in it, and pointed out a golden road to eternal life.
I used to read the Bible, and wept when I read that God loves sentient beings. I made comparisons and thought about my personal experiences. I believe that Falun Dafa is the best and only credible path. My choice of Dafa is well thought out and rational, not a momentary impulse. My life belongs to Dafa. I know that I will always follow Dafa and practice Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and I will follow Master forever. The real and wonderful experience of my cultivation every day has strengthened my initial confidence.
More than 20 years later I feel very lucky to have passed many tests and I’m still a firm Dafa disciple. My brother-in-law, who was a very devout Catholic, has stopped believing in Catholicism.
My wife was disturbed by the New York Times attacks on Falun Dafa. She forwarded me many bad articles and posts. I tried my best to clarify the truth to her. I told her: “Can the lies and deception of these liars and evildoers who are hostile to Falun Dafa change my wonderful experience? Can their lies make me forget my own true and wonderful experience? Do you want to listen to the lies of those people, or do you want to listen to your family members who have practiced for more than 20 years and never gave up? Who is more qualified and who is more trustworthy?”
I also told her: “I have met many Shen Yun dancers during the Shen Yun tour. They are all very stable and happy. There are only so many dancers in each Shen Yun dance company. Everyone’s program is full, and every dancer is needed. If they didn’t treat their injuries, then they would all be disabled. How can they still perform hundreds of shows? If they really didn’t need to treat their illnesses and could still perform, then wouldn’t that be a miracle?”
My father-in-law supports Dafa, but this time he said, “Falun Dafa is not good if you can’t take medicine.”
I explained, “It’s not that I don’t take medicine. I have taken countless medicines, seen countless doctors, and been to countless hospitals. But they didn’t give me health, so I chose to practice Falun Dafa. Falun Dafa cured my illnesses. Since taking medicine didn’t cure my illness, but practicing Falun Dafa cured my illness, then why should I still take that medicine?”
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Selected article presented at the 2024 Chicago Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)
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