(Minghui.org) Every day, Chang Yuanchang is able to stay calm and composed, while watching the fluctuations of financial markets and corporate news. The quickly changing numbers do not make him anxious. This calmness does not stem from years of experience, but from something he learned about in a high-school history classroom.
Over 20 years ago, his history teacher shared how she had been battling cancer, but became healthy through practicing Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). That moment changed Chang’s life. As a student and later as a reporter, his belief in Falun Dafa has become a guiding force in everyday life, at work, and in relationships.
New Direction in Life
At Chang’s first history class in high school, his teacher, Ms. Pei, introduced herself with a smile. She then shared how she was able to return to teaching after beating cancer—her practice of Falun Dafa had restored her health, and given her a new life.
One of Chang’s good friends was miserable due to a relationship break-up. After listening to Ms. Pei, his friend believed Falun Gong might help him gain peace of mind. He asked Chang to learn the exercises with him.
A few faculty and staff members at school taught the exercises during lunch breaks. Chang’s friend stopped after a while, but he continued. During his high school years, he did the exercises with nearly 30 students and teachers at noon time, enjoying those peaceful and serene moments on campus.
Experiencing Changes
Chang soon started feeling physical changes. “A month later, I felt my body vibrating during the exercises, like an electric current was passing through,” he recalled. “On cold winter days, I often broke out in a sweat while doing the exercises.”
One morning, he was meditating at home, and for a moment he couldn’t feel his body weight, like there was no gravity. “It was a strange feeling,” he said. “My body was weightless, and it felt like I could almost levitate.”
Like many teenagers, Chang suffered from acne. Six months into the practice, his skin became fair and clear with a rosy complexion. His health kept improving, which made him more determined to keep practicing. In his sophomore year, he remembered his teacher had recommended he read the book Zhuan Falun. He finished reading it in a few days.
“After I read the book, I regretted that I hadn’t started earlier,” he said. In the book were answers to all his questions about the meaning of life, and the connection between man and the universe. “When I started high school, I wasn’t quite sure how to interact with others, and how to live a life that could benefit the world,” he said. “What Master Li said in the book was far beyond anything I knew at the time.”
When he stayed focused while studying the Fa, he could feel heat emerging from within his body. A question soon entered his mind: “I had to make a choice. Do I believe what I had always assumed about the human world, or walk the path Dafa was pointing to?” He quickly found his answer. With the progress he had made after learning the practice, and the peace of mind he found while studying the Fa and doing the exercises, he chose to genuinely cultivate Falun Dafa.
Treating Others Differently
Chang began to adhere to the teachings which are based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Through studying the Fa frequently, he gradually stopped being so emotional, and discarded many attachments.
Besides the physical improvements, he experienced positive mental changes as well. “Whenever I let go of an attachment, it felt like a weight was lifted off my head, which became very light. When the bad substance was removed, I felt a breeze blowing through my head, which was refreshing and comfortable.”
Chang Yuanchang slowly let go of his competitive mentality, and treated others with a peaceful, open heart. (Minghui.org)
In Chang’s senior year, his classmate Dong started to slander and criticize him behind his back for something he didn’t do. “If I hadn’t practiced Falun Dafa, I would’ve fought back, because I was popular at school,” he said. “But I clearly knew that I shouldn’t do that as a practitioner.”
The teacher rearranged the class seating one semester, and Dong happened to be sitting right in front of Chang. “Every time Dong was rude to me, I asked myself to look within,” he said. “When I felt that I was about to lose my temper, I’d take out Zhuan Falun and start reading to find my shortcomings.”
Chang later realized that things weren’t as difficult as he had originally thought. He realized that he didn’t have to hate Dong for the ill-treatment. One day, Dong tore up his test paper before passing it to him. Instead of getting upset, Chang bowed and thanked Dong. On Dong’s birthday, he even gave Dong a snack.
A few months later, Dong’s attitude softened, and he began to initiate conversations with Chang, whose kindness and tolerance had melted the estrangement between them.
Sharing Censored Information Across the Strait
In July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched its brutal persecution and smear campaign against Falun Gong. Due to Internet censorship, many Chinese people had no way to find out the true situation regarding Falun Dafa in China.
In his spare time, Chang would send information online to mainland Chinese. He said, “While my friends were playing online games, I spent my time exposing the evil persecution. I did so willingly. The fulfillment, peace, and happiness I felt in the process surpassed any satisfaction online gaming could bring me.”
Many Chinese people he met on the Internet were brainwashed by the CCP’s propaganda about Dafa, and responded to Chang with bad intentions and nasty words. He began to struggle, thinking, “Will I be swayed by my emotions and fight back? Or will I be able to patiently answer their questions?” He was barely 20 at the time, and it was a difficult test for him.
One day, Chang was chatting online with a college student in China. The student became hostile, and refused to believe what he said. Instead of arguing, Chang stayed calm and explained the facts. To his surprise, the student’s attitude changed, and toward the end of the conversation, he wanted to know what the practice was about.
Another person Chang chatted with kept asking for the same information each time they connected, as if they had never spoken before. Feeling strange about this, Chang remained patient and continued to clarify the truth about Dafa. One day, the person said the cell phone belonged to a group of Christians being persecuted by the Chinese authorities, who were on the move to avoid being arrested. So he was actually talking to a different person each time he connected with that phone.
Chang was moved by this experience, and said, “For people in Taiwan, getting online is just a form of entertainment to pass time. For those who become destitute in a totalitarian society, every word we send them is a precious ray of light in the darkness.”
Loss and Gain
After graduation, Chang became a financial reporter. Every day at work he follows the changes in markets, industries, and business operations. Even when meeting with friends, the most common topic of conversation is what to invest in and how to make more money. His peers’ moods shift with every market change.
Chang’s cultivation practice guarantees him inner peace when it comes to money and personal interest. “There is a set of principles in my mind. I understand that what should be mine will be mine, so I don’t blindly pursue what doesn’t belong to me. If I don’t profit from an investment, it means that the money wasn’t mine to make. Falun Dafa allows me to view this tempting world from a broader perspective.”
From personal experience, he has also learned that by sincerely putting himself in others’ shoes, many troubles and conflicts can be resolved over time. “I used to mess things up quite regularly, and unintentionally created frictions in relationships,” he said. “When I realized how to face people with a mindset of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, things started changing, and my environment became harmonious.”
The inner peace that comes from years of cultivation not only makes Chang look younger than his age, but also allows him to stay calm and confident.
Looking back on over two decades of cultivation, from a teenager to a middle-aged man, Chang has a big smile on his face: “This is truly the best thing that ever happened to me!”
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