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"Clarify the truth thoroughly, eliminate the evil with righteous thoughts, save all beings, and safeguard the Fa with determination" (Dafa is Indestructible) Peace In My Heart (Shared at 2001 Nordic Conference) Roland Odar from Sweden
Greetings to our Master and greetings to you all,
My name is Roland and I am a 27-year-old Falun Dafa disciple from Sweden.
I've been practicing Falun Gong for about seven months. I first encountered
Falun Gong in autumn 1999. At that time I passed a park where I saw a few people
practicing. I thought it seemed interesting, so I asked for information. After
that, I practiced a few times, at different practice sites. I had also bought
the book China Falun Gong, which I found in a store. Doing the exercises
were difficult and I only read a few pages of the book. After a while I didn't
think about it any further.
I had a lot of problems in my family life during my early years. At a very
young age, crime, drugs, and violence came into the picture. I started to
practice various fighting sports, which, to a certain extent, kept me from
getting into trouble.
I knew that I had gone astray in society. I had stolen from others, deceived
others and harmed other people. Since I'd been so lost, I thought that maybe I
could try to find a better path in life, maybe even the righteous one. Although
I didn't know where the righteous path was, I just had a feeling that there was
one.
I've been in and out of different prisons since I was nineteen. I could never
find the meaning of life, and always tried to find peace in my heart. But after
my brief encounter with Falun Gong in autumn 1999, I started to think in another
way. I didn't realize that it was because of Falun Gong that my notions seemed
to change.
From then on I was going to be a good person. I had always liked to try
different things, so I thought, "Why not try this one too, after all, life
is quite short." I tried my best to turn myself away from stealing,
fighting and lying. I got rid of the things that I had stolen or bought with
stolen money, which was almost everything I owned. So all of sudden, I had
nothing left and no job either. I needed to get a job and earn my own living!
But all the jobs I started lasted only a few days, or a few weeks, because I
didn't have enough tolerance. Again I started to experience a sense of
worthlessness in this environment.
Then one day, when I met the practitioner who had taught me the exercises.
She hugged me and I felt ashamed, because I was about to cry. I didn't know why.
I had only met her once a year ago and hadn't had any contact with Falun Gong
practitioners since then. I took some more information and reread China Falun
Gong, which I had not been able finish reading a year ago.
Later I began to read Zhuan Falun. After reading half the book, I went
to the police and turned myself in for the wrong things I had done. The police
were very surprised. Here I was turning myself in willingly, when normally they
have to track down criminals.
I started to practice more and more. I read through Zhuan Falun, and
went to the nine-day video lecture, but I still couldn't manage to go out in
public with my yellow Falun Gong jacket and hand out flyers or collect
signatures for the petition. "What if some of my old friends see me?"
I worried. I later understood that it was a xinxing [mind and heart nature]
tribulation, so I put my Falun Gong jacket on and started to hand out flyers,
collect signatures, and practice with other practitioners in the middle of the
city. Everything was so beautiful in a way. I only wanted to be there with the
other practitioners among all the people, with my yellow Falun Gong jacket,
exercising and collecting signatures all day.
Since becoming a practitioner, my health has improved remarkably. I sleep
better, feel very calm and harmonious, and sometimes people I know can hardly
recognize me.
I understand how important it is for the world to know about the cruelty that
is going on in China. I hope everyone will do their best to help bring an end to
this brutal persecution of Falun Dafa and its disciples.
I try as often as I can to spread the Truth through various Hongfa [spreading
Falun Dafa to people] activities. When I see how much the practitioners in
China have sacrificed for the Truth, tears fall down my cheeks. When the tears
stop falling, I feel how Shan [Benevolence] has grown in my heart.
My happiness for the opportunity I have been given to take part in
Fa-rectification, and my gratitude towards Master Li is beyond words.
Thank you.
Posting date: 8/13/2001 |