(Clearwisdom.net)

I am a 24-year-old man who once lost his way. I was lucky to learn about Falun Dafa when I was released from prison last May. I was awakened, convinced and determined to cultivate myself following the guidance of Falun Dafa. It has been over five months now and I have changed into a completely different person and found my way again.

I remember when I was in prison, my heart remained wild even though I agreed to mend my ways when released. I thought I would not do any illegal activities anymore, but rather, I would devote myself to making more money and compensating for my lost youth. My brain was full of ideas on how to make a fortune.

But my heart was in great pain after I read Master Li's books on Falun Dafa. I regretted all the bad things I did and all the bad karma that I have added to myself daily. I realized that I was a bad person going against the fundamental principles of the universe: Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance. My family was trying to make me a better person, but I did not see the incentive of being good and thought being a bad person would be more beneficial. Consequently, I never wanted to be good. Master Li revealed the reasons why one should be a good person by discussing the universal principles, human nature, moral standards and the existence and development of the human society. It made me realize what kind of a person one wants to become is a crucial issue regarding whether or not one can be saved and enlightened. I am determined to be a disciple of Master Li, start to be a good person, assimilate myself to the universal principles "Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance", and return to my true nature.

The difficulties in cultivation, however, are from many aspects. Similar to other practitioners, the first conflict often comes from his or her own family. I was a young man, but it was very difficult for me to find work since I was only a middle school graduate and the experience in prison did not help either. Nobody in my family liked the fact that I only stayed home and did not work. In addition, I read Master Li's book and also did the exercises at home, which my family members could neither understand nor accept. I was always scolded for no reason. I treated these as obstacles that I had to overcome and opportunities for me to improve my Xinxing. I set out to be a good son at home and be a good person in society. No matter how bad other people treated me, I always looked into my own heart to find my shortcomings, measured all things using the standards of Falun Dafa and acted as it required. After I started cultivation, I volunteered to do all the housework and cultivate my Xinxing through studying Falun Dafa. I gradually got rid of many bad habits that could not be abandoned earlier. Nowadays my family is no longer irritated by me anymore and is much more pleasant. Even though I still have many things that need to be improved, I have changed a great deal from the inside and have become a real person. I am also more energetic.

There is one more story I would like to share. There was a big flood last year in my hometown in July. My family was remodeling our house. We bought some sand and placed it downstairs. After the flood, some people who lived nearby came over and planned to steal the sand. My dad tried to stop them but nobody listened. When I found out, I rushed down to reason with them before I gave any thought to the matter. Even though the whole thing did not escalate, I did say some bad things such as " I'm not afraid of death" to scare them off. They all knew my past and did not dare to proceed. I regretted this a great deal after this incident, as my competitiveness was revealed. I realized that I did not pass this test. Of course, I did not yell at or hit people like before. If it had been the old me, I would have seriously beat them up if I was taken advantage of, not to mention they were stealing sand from my house. In the past, people who lived in our building were afraid of me and also hated me; they often rolled their eyes and gave me dirty looks. When I was sent to prison, everybody smiled and felt relieved. When I came back, they all thought that the troublemaker was back and disasters were going to happen. Their opinions completely changed after I started cultivation in Falun Dafa. For instance, during the flood, I voluntarily made a boat and traveled two miles to obtain clean water for everybody to use with a few other young men. The sun was baking hot and the water was cold and dirty. The ground was burning hot and my feet blistered. I did not complain; I felt that I was a practitioner of Falun Dafa, and this was something I ought to do. I also helped people from other buildings to move. I swam out to buy food and drinks for everybody. Actions are far better than words. Everybody complemented me and smiled.

Of course, making people treat me well was not my intention. Cultivation in Falun Dafa, however, has generated this positive effect. I would not have done so if not for Falun Dafa. Indeed, I have changed. My morals have improved. I am more determined to cultivate. No matter what obstacles I will encounter in the future, I will use Falun Dafa as my mirror and teacher, discipline myself and upgrade myself. I will reach the criteria of a true Falun Dafa practitioner, and project my image as a good person and contribute to society.