(Clearwisdom.net) I started to practice Falun Gong when I was attending my third year as a student in university. I purchased the book Falun Gong (revised edition), which I later learned was a pirated version in 1995. Under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime's control, it is not easy to publish the authorized version of the book through regular publishing channels.
I read the entire book in one sitting, and I was deeply touched by the concept of "returning to one's true self" and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. From that moment on, I immediately knew that I would cultivate for the remainder of my path of life.
At the same time that I was studying very hard at the university, I also actively participated in promoting activities for Falun Dafa. With the positive energy I had as a result, I found that it was much easier to understand the materials being taught at the university and enjoyed my studies even more. After graduation, I went on to do postgraduate studies and later studied to obtain a PhD degree.
At that time, we (students) practiced Falun Gong exercises on campus twice a day, once in the morning and once during lunch time. We also studied the Fa several times a week, and had discussion on how to be good people and how to improve our xinxing. All of us were all diligent in cultivation and also worked hard in our studies.
In 1997, there was a celebration of the 5th anniversary of the spreading of Falun Dafa in our region which was on May 13. Many local practitioners participated in a variety of activities such as painting, embroidery, calligraphy and various other activities. The site was very spacious and was full of all kinds of displays attracting many people. There were local practitioners, non-practitioners, and many fellow practitioners from elsewhere who also came. A lot of them wanted to have a picture taken in front of Master's portrait. I was assisting with maintaining order at the site. Because there were so many people, I rushed those who were taking photos and asked them to move on quickly. Some fellow practitioners criticized me for doing so, saying that these practitioners were so happy that they could have a photo taken in front of Master's portrait, how can I be so inconsiderate of their feelings? I felt really ashamed and became more respectful of Master and Dafa.
I had learned much in cultivation through that event, and the most unforgettable moment was when I met Master. Those who got to see Master were mostly students from our university, among them were practitioners and everyday people. Master said that the celebration event brought boundless virtue. Mater said that the Chinese culture was the best, he also talked about cultures of other nations. I could not understand the real implication of Master's words at the time.
After I started practicing Falun Gong, my mom also took up the practice. Earlier, a friend of hers had given her a memorial tablet for worship that contained all those animal spirit kinds of things. After my mom started to practice Falun Gong, she immediately threw the tablet away. She became a cheerful and healthy person making my entire family very happy.
When one family member cultivates, the whole family benefits. The practice was passed on from one person to another, and more and more people in our region started to practice Falun Gong. There were five or six practice sites in every park having every residential district with practice sites, some with dozens of practitioners and the large ones had as many as several hundred people.
When the CCP started preparing for the persecution in April 1999, my university began an investigation on us. We wrote to the university leadership and told them about the facts of Falun Dafa and asked them to support us. Leaders of the university also met with us and advised us that they had conducted investigations and found that the students who were practicing Falun Gong all did very well academically and they were all good students who possessed a good reputation among others.
After the persecution started, my cultivation path became rocky. I have experienced much which includes being detained, investigated, monitored, expelled from the university, etc. My heart was never moved, I always kept a calm mind in the face of all these tribulations. Even after my family was shattered and we were forced to leave home with a young child, I still maintained a jovial mood in studying the Fa, cultivation and work. At the same time, I clarified the facts to people. I often think of just how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to study Master's teachings. I often cleanse myself with Dafa so that my thoughts would become cleaner and purer. I'm able to keep a very calm mind when I'm meditating feeling peace within me. This is also a very pleasant experience physically.
It has been 15 years since I started to practice Falun Gong. I found that I no longer harbor any resentment for anyone. Whenever there are conflicts, I would look within myself instead of accusing others. Master told us that it has not been easy for today's mankind, who are worth cherishing, so I started to pay more attention to the people around me. I strive to improve myself, so that they can also benefit and have a right understanding of Dafa enabling them to start practicing Falun Gong at their predestined time.
We hope the beauty of Dafa will once again unfold in mainland China! We hope the evil will soon be eliminated, so that more people can be saved. We long to see Master's gratified smiles.
