(Minghui.org) The New Year signifies new beginnings for everyone. With Chinese New Year just days away, a group of young Falun Dafa practitioners in Toronto talked about their cultivation experiences and said they were grateful to Master for guiding them. 

Falun Dafa practitioners in Toronto Wish Master Li happy New Year.

Understanding What Cultivation Is

Karen wishes Master a happy Chinese New Year.

Karen, 22, started practicing with her parents when she was a child. Her father earned a high salary before Karen was born, but he was fired for practicing Falun Dafa due to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution. “I admired my father’s steadfast belief in Falun Dafa, and I always believed in it. However, I was too young to know the true meaning of cultivation. It wasn’t until I was accepted into Shen Yun as an erhu musician that I realized the true meaning of cultivation. Practitioners abide by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

Karen began attending high school at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in 2017. She did her practicums by participating in Shen Yun shows, and said, “Our main goal is to have a successful show. Once, after I practiced for a long time I wept because I felt my melody was not touching enough. When the others saw that I was crying, they encouraged me. I was able to relax during the show and wasn’t nervous. I even did better during the performances than when I practiced. All the members help each other and their hearts are all one.”

Karen graduated from high school three years later. After she was accepted as a Biological Sciences major at the University of Toronto she truly appreciated Shen Yun’s reviving of traditional culture and said, “We were taught traditional culture and weren’t exposed to any violence or pornography in high school. My classmates were not only kind and considerate, but we did not compete against each other. The university students are very competitive and everyone is under pressure. They go to bars and drink. I never went to bars and only focused on my studies. I keep telling myself to stay pure and not follow bad habits.”

Karen invited one of her Chinese classmates to watch Shen Yun. However, as soon as her classmate saw information about Falun Dafa in the program book, she began to repeat the CCP’s lies. Karen told her that she was a Falun Dafa practitioner and that the self-immolation in Tiananmen Square was staged by the CCP to defame Falun Dafa. 

Her classmate said she met a Falun Dafa practitioner at an airport. The practitioner approached her abruptly and that left a bad impression on Karen’s classmate. Karen explained how her father was fired in China for practicing Falun Dafa. She also said, “Practitioners have limited ways to spread the truth about Falun Dafa therefore they desperately want people to understand the truth, especially when they see another Chinese person.” Her classmate began to have a positive opinion of Falun Dafa and said she would see Shen Yun the next time it came to Toronto.

Karen said, “I will cultivate even more diligently in the new year and not let Master down.”

Bedridden for Seven Years

Matthew is grateful to Master for restoring his health.

Who could have thought that a once energetic boy would be bedridden for seven years from a brain injury caused by a hockey puck? Matthew recalled what happened to him in 2014. He was bedridden for seven years and even though he was young, his health deteriorated, “The pain in my head intensified and in June 2021, it seemed to reach a climax. I felt my life was about to end.”

Matthew’s mother told him that many people regained their health after they practiced Falun Dafa and she suggested he try it. She began practicing Falun Dafa when Matthew was one year old. Even though he knew Falun Dafa was good, he was interested in everyday peoples’ pursuits. After his injury, his mother suggested that he try practicing, but Matthew did not believe it would help. 

It was hard for Matthew to even open his eyes for 10 seconds in August 2021. He finally decided to read the Fa and practice the Falun Dafa exercises. He said, “For the next four months I listened to the lectures all day, every day, and did the exercises. I didn’t see any improvement until New Year’s Eve. My body still felt weak that day and I started to read five pages of Zhuan Falun as usual. When I finally made the decision to improve my xinxing and not do bad things anymore, a miracle happened. I went from being able to only read five pages to reading 170 pages the next day. I thought that this was Master’s way of encouraging me.

“Not only did I regain my health, I also had a good job. I became more peaceful and compassionate after I eliminated my attachments to fame, profit, lust, arrogance, and negative thoughts. Cultivation is not about healing illnesses but about upgrading one’s character and becoming a better person. Only by genuinely adhering to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance will you have a healthy mind and body.”

Matthew is deeply grateful to Master and said, “Master guides countless people to do better and gave me the life I have today. I will tell more people about Falun Dafa—cultivation can upgrade their character and change their lives.” 

A Major Breakthrough After Eliminating Resentment

Tian Tian wishes Master a happy Chinese New Year.

Tian Tian is a PhD student in immunology at the University of Toronto. She researches the production of safe and effective next-generation vaccines, and she also participates in her team’s patent development. She was perplexed by experimental results that often fell short of her expectations. In order to achieve quicker results, she always worked under great pressure. Over the years, the failures and lack of cooperation with her colleagues made her feel depressed and anxious.

The conflict between Tian Tian, her coworkers, and her mentor escalated in July 2022, and no one gave in. She could not sleep due to the intense conflict and said, “I wanted to make everyone miserable. I knew this was wrong, but I couldn’t control my resentment and depression. I felt that the only way to vent it was to take revenge.” She intended to bring the conflict out into the open and ruin her coworkers. 

One alumnus who attended the university with Tian Tian graduated at the top of her major and went to the U.S. to further her studies. When Tian Tian told her about the conflict and what she planned to do, her friend advised her not to have such ideas and suggested she read Zhuan Falun. Tian Tian decided to give it a try.

She said, “I felt a hand gently patting my head when I first opened the book. I easily fell asleep that night. I felt very energetic the next day. It was a deep, restful sleep—not like when I took sleeping pills. I thought it was miraculous! I started to read Zhuan Falun and while I read, I had many questions. However, those questions were often answered in the following paragraph. On the third day, my body felt light and as if I were walking on clouds. I felt very comfortable.”

Tian Tian went to her counseling appointment on the fourth day. She planned to complain to the counselor about her workplace and colleagues’ faults. However, when she tried to talk, her throat felt hoarse. Tian Tian realized that Master was reminding her not to complain and to cultivate her speech. Tian Tian was almost done reading Zhuan Falun by the fifth day and her strong resentment disappeared. She said, “I wanted to apologize and reconcile with my colleagues.” She decided to send an email to her mentor and apologize. Tian Tian was surprised to find that her mentor had already sent an email apologizing half an hour earlier. She was enlightened, “My environment changed when I became compassionate. Everything I experienced was an outward manifestation of my heart.”

Tian Tian learned to have consideration for others after she eliminated her resentment, “Other people are also experiencing challenges. My mentor has to remain balanced and look at both sides. I was too harsh on my colleagues and I was unable to forgive them when they made mistakes.” 

She feels that Dafa’s principles help her to be self-reflective, tolerant, and understanding, “Dafa’s principles are aimed at a higher level for humans and the world. It is far beyond the reach of existing scientific research.” She is grateful that her life has been reshaped by Dafa. “Master helped eliminate my negative thoughts and also created opportunities for me to resolve conflicts with others. I’m able to take myself for who I am and step out of my issues. I feel the power of compassion. I want to share the tolerance and compassion that Master has taught me with others.