(Minghui.org) This year’s May 13 World Falun Dafa Day reminded me of a beautiful vision I had when I first started practicing Dafa. I would like to share it with everyone to prove that Falun Dafa is here to save people and bring hope and light to those who are feeling desperate.
Before I began cultivating, I was in a detention center in 2001, due to a very unexpected criminal case. I had always thought of myself as a high-minded intellectual, so when I was detained, facing a criminal sentence, it was a huge blow to me. I realized I could lose my happy family, my career, my dreams and everything I had. I felt as though the sky had fallen and it was so mentally painful that I couldn’t even cry. I just sat in a daze on the wooden bed. I didn’t want to live but I don’t know how to die.
A few days later, I was starting to face reality, but there was fear in my heart. I wasn’t afraid of going to prison – I was afraid that I don’t know how to be a good person anymore. I had always considered myself a good person and was often praised by others for starting my own business and working hard at it. Yet, I ended up committing a crime.
I was scared that I couldn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t commit another crime or mistake in future. I realized I don’t know the correct principles to be a good person. People nowadays talked about being a’n outstanding, elite, law-abiding, civilized or positive person. But these are all surface attributes and can’t control one’s heart. These traits are of no use during conflicts of interest, when one’s benefits are at stake. I didn’t want to be like this anymore, but felt that I would still be the same, even at the end of my term.
Many people were detained in the detention center – a 30 to 40 square meter cell held more than 30 people. During the day, everyone sat next to each other facing the wall. A kind-looking middle-aged woman sat next to me. I asked her quietly why she was there. She replied, “Falun Gong.” I was astonished, “There are Falun Gong people here?!” She said, “There are many of us here,” and pointed out all the Falun Gong practitioners. I asked, “Isn’t Falun Gong just about exercising? How did you get here?” She replied, “Falun Gong isn’t just for keeping fit. It’s cultivation.”
I was stunned by the word “cultivation” as I’d never heard people talking about it before. I knew cultivation was a good thing. Just like in “Journey to the West”, Tang Monk Xuanzang and his disciples went through many hardships and eventually consummated.
That night, I closed my eyes and talked to myself silently. I asked myself, “If you have to go to prison and waste a few years of your life, why not use this time to cultivate? Don’t just waste the time, but use it to cultivate Falun Gong so you can finally consummate.” I answered seriously in my heart, “I want to cultivate. I must cultivate, and ascend to heaven.”
The next day, an elderly practitioner sat next to me and I said to her, “Auntie, I want to learn Falun Gong. What do you have? How do I learn?” Hearing this, she exclaimed, “Of course, let me teach you!”
With that, she started reciting sentences from Falun Gong books and I learned sentence by sentence. I first learned “Wealth with Virtue” from “Essentials for Further Advancement.” I memorized it quickly. I was stunned by Master’s article and understood that if one wants to have money, one must first have virtue. Virtue is the most precious. Without accumulating virtue and only knowing how to fight for what one wants, life will be dangerous. These principles were what I had been searching for. It was so good to learn the right thing.
The next article I memorized was “On Dafa (Lunyu)”. I was like a thirsty person who had finally found water and couldn’t stop drinking. I memorized one article after another. The more Fa-principles I memorized, the more I understood and the more I believed in Master and the Fa. I became happier. I memorized all the articles that the practitioners in the cell could remember.
The practitioners also shared their cultivation stories with me, which I loved hearing. This is how I became a new Falun Gong practitioner. I stopped dwelling on my past mistakes and dedicated myself to memorizing the Fa. It was a blessing in disguise that I could obtain Dafa and start practicing there. I understood that the true meaning of life is to return to one’s original true self. I felt so fortunate that I could practice Falun Dafa. Nothing was as important as that! Dafa purified me and I began to assimilate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance into my life. Even though life in the detention center was tough, I didn’t feel it because Falun Dafa had given me the greatest happiness and joy in the world!
One night after I decided to cultivate, I was memorizing “On Dafa” when I lay down and closed my eyes, but my mind was very clear. Suddenly, a scene appeared in front of me (even though my eyes were still closed): I was in a dark, empty room, sitting on a little stool in front of a small square table. I lay my head on my hands, resting on the table. I saw myself raising my head slowly and standing up, before turning my head to the right to take a look around. Everything was pitch dark and I couldn’t see anything. I then looked to the left and saw the shape of a door and window. Strangely, there was a shape of a frame but no window, just bright lights shining through the frame. I got up slowly and walked towards the door. When I got there, I looked down and then stepped out.
As I stepped out, a vast ocean of white clouds appeared before me. There was no ground; instead, I was standing on clouds, which were pure white, with no color mixed in. Boundless white clouds rolled around like waves. There was no end to the clouds. It was an incredibly grand and beautiful scene.
Later, I told the other practitioners what I had seen, and I learned that Master was now protecting me. I had only been cultivating for a few days and had only memorized a few articles, but Master had already opened my celestial eye and lifted me out of hell into heaven. Master gave me a ladder to ascend to heaven in one step and clearly showed me the beautiful scene to encourage me. I was so excited that nothing could express my gratitude to Master. Fellow practitioners were happy for me and shed tears of gratitude.
More than 20 years have passed, but this scene will be forever clear in my mind. Thank you, Master, for your compassionate salvation and for giving so much to me!
(Selected submission in celebration of 2025 World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)
Copyright © 1999-2025 Minghui.org. All rights reserved.
The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Your donation can help more people learn about Falun Dafa. Minghui is grateful for your support.
Support Minghui
