(Minghui.org) On the National Taiwan University campus in Taipei, people occasionally see a student standing by the roadside handing out flyers containing the same information his father was given 10 years earlier.

The student’s name is Gao Zhongwei. The flyer he hands out introduces Falun Dafa and Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Flyer Not Read for Over a Year

Ten years ago, Zhongwei was in the third grade. One day, while the whole family was out shopping in the Ximending district, his father accepted a flyer from a Falun Dafa practitioner. When they returned home, he set it aside, where it remained for over a year.

When Zhongwei’s father came across the flyer again, he scanned its QR code and read the introduction to Falun Dafa. He then began reading the book, Zhuan Falun.

His father was deeply interested in the book and was moved by its contents. He told his family, “You don’t often find such profound meaning in ordinary books.”

Soon after, his father decided to start practicing Falun Dafa. Many years later, he still believes that the flyer was a truly miraculous stroke of fate.

Zhongwei noticed changes in his father after he began practicing. “Dad used to suffer from lower back pain; he couldn’t stand for long periods and lacked the strength to lift heavy objects. On top of that, his busy work schedule often left him utterly exhausted.

“After he began practicing, his back pain completely disappeared. The biggest changes, however, were in his behavior and attitude. He disciplines us with gentle guidance, and he smiles a lot more often.”

Changing the Way He Thinks

In his second year of middle school, Zhongwei began practicing Falun Dafa with his father’s guidance.

Zhongwei had been interested in supernatural phenomena and ancient stories of spiritual cultivation since childhood. After he read Zhuan Falun for the first time, he experienced a sudden sense of clarity. “I felt that everything in the book was absolutely true. I realized that there are other dimensions, and I accepted the teachings quite naturally.”

Soon, Zhongwei noticed changes in himself. “Each time I read the book or finished the exercises, I had fewer negative thoughts. I tended to see things from a positive perspective and felt very energetic.

“The most obvious change is that I could finish my homework much faster. I used to get distracted easily. When I had a lot of homework, I felt really stressed and even complained that I didn’t have any time to play. Now I can stay focused and even enjoy doing my homework.”

Gao Zhongwei doing the second exercise. (Minghui.org)

Regaining Self-Discipline

After starting high school, Zhongwei faced new challenges in the new environment.

With everyone using smartphones, Zhongwei gradually developed the habit of spending long periods playing games on his phone each day, often without realizing how much time had passed.

He said, “Because of the heavy course load, I was really tired. When I got home, I just wanted to relax, so I’d naturally end up playing games for a while.

“There is so much online. I get distracted easily, especially by short videos. They are short, but sometimes I can’t stop scrolling through them. Before I know it, time has slipped away.”

After entering college, Zhongwei joined the school’s Falun Dafa club and resolved to “get his life back on track.” He deleted the video media apps from his phone. It was not easy, he said. “Even after deleting them, I still found myself thinking about them, and a few days later, reinstalling them.”

After much inner struggle, he realized that using his smartphone was no longer a way to occasionally relax—it had become a habit. He asked himself how he could genuinely change.

Based on his previous experience, he firmly believed that strength comes from reading the Dafa books. “The more I read Dafa books, the more righteous my thinking becomes. I know what the right thing to do is, and I choose to exercise self-control. By gradually changing my mindset and eliminating those desires, I can break that bad habit.”

Zhongwei expressed gratitude to Falun Dafa for giving him the strength to gradually develop self-discipline. “In college, I have a lot of free time. If I were not self-disciplined, I would likely waste it in chat rooms or playing video games.”

He is grateful to his parents for instilling discipline in him from a young age. “I used to get upset about it, but now, I’m truly grateful.”

Willing to Listen to Others

By reading Dafa books daily, Zhongwei gradually developed self-discipline and positive thinking. (Minghui.org)

Zhongwei follows Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in his daily life. At first, he worried that doing so might make him too different from his peers, but the opposite happened.

In the past, when classmates brought up negative topics, he couldn’t bear to listen. When they criticized him for having outdated ideas, he became upset. Later, he realized the problem might lie with him.

By studying the Falun Dafa teachings, he came to understand that what people see and absorb shapes their views, and that they speak and act based on those views, which may not reflect their true nature. So he began trying to understand others. Once he let go of his tendency to reject others, he became more patient and more willing to listen to their ideas. Sometimes he could even recognize his own attachments in what they said.

While overseeing preparations for the high school graduation ceremony, he noticed some students were eager to express their thoughts without considering others’ feelings. This reminded him, “When speaking, I must keep the bigger picture and others in mind.”

At the same time, he also discovered some selfishness within himself. When he set his selfishness aside and began thinking about others and how to do a better job, things went more smoothly.

One day, while attending a Falun Dafa event, Zhongwei sat outside the venue during a break. An elderly woman approached and persistently tried to persuade him to join her religion. She also made comments about Falun Dafa.

Zhongwei said, “I calmly listened to her with a smile. After she finished, I shared some facts about Falun Dafa with her. If I wasn’t a practitioner, I definitely wouldn’t have had the patience to listen to her for as long as I did.

“I felt this was a significant change in me. After practicing Falun Dafa, I can listen to others with an open mind, without immediately resisting or forming negative thoughts. I take time to reflect and compare what I have heard with the Falun Dafa teachings.”

Measuring himself against the Fa and reflecting on his thoughts and actions not only helped Zhongwei better understand and be more tolerant of others, it also helped him recognize his own preconceptions and attachments, let them go, and gradually live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Handing Out Flyers on Campus

Since both Zhongwei and his father benefited from practicing Falun Dafa, he wanted to share his experiences with others.

In high school, he was too embarrassed to talk about the practice because he feared others wouldn’t understand. “But in college, I faced my fears and did my best to overcome them.”

Once on campus and handing out flyers, he realized it wasn’t nearly as scary as he’d imagined.

“Actually, many people are willing to stop and take a brochure or listen to a brief introduction. After all, human nature is inherently good. My intention is to help others, and that comes from a good heart.”

For Zhongwei, that flyer was more than just a piece of paper. It connected the dots between his father’s practice of Falun Gong, his own journey, and his ongoing process of developing self-discipline and learning to understand others.

He is grateful for Master’s guidance and hopes to continue handing out flyers with positive and uplifting messages so more people can learn about Dafa and experience the beauty and hope it can bring to their lives.