(Minghui.org) I am an eighteen-year-old girl who immigrated to Australia in 2011 with my family. Before going abroad, I had developed many bad habits, including smoking, drinking, and hanging out with delinquents.

As a result, I developed many health problems. My health worsened, and I began asking my parents what I could do to relieve my suffering.

My mother repeatedly advised me to practice Falun Dafa and read the book Zhuan Falun. My father, though, is not a Falun Dafa practitioner, so he could only comfort me from the perspective of an ordinary person.

I now wish to share some of the experiences I have had during my Falun Dafa cultivation since June of this year.

“I’ve Grown Taller”

For several years I was severely addicted to playing computer games. At one point, I was playing games almost continuously, day and night. I consequently developed an abnormal curvature in my spine, and chronic back pain. The skin around my waist changed color, turning dark.

However, soon after I began studying the Fa and doing the exercises, compassionate Master purified my body, cured my illnesses, and even helped me grow taller. Outwardly, I now look younger than fellow schoolmates of my age.

Before I began cultivation practice, I constantly felt lethargic, regardless of how many hours I slept. My stamina has now vastly improved, and seven hours of sleep is more than sufficient. In addition to no longer playing video games, I quit smoking and drinking.

Having personally experienced the detrimental effects of such activities, I now try to advise my friends to quit smoking and drinking. I also encourage them to reduce their visits to Internet gaming cafes.

Recovering Flexibility in My Fingers

At the beginning, while sending forth righteous thoughts, my fingers made cracking sounds and felt stiff when forming the lotus hand position. I realized that the many years I spent playing computer games caused this karmic manifestation.

Over time, as I continued to cultivate, my fingers gradually recovered their normal mobility.

Purifying the Body and Eliminating Karma

Soon after I began cultivating, I experienced my first karma elimination episode. One day after lunch at school, my stomach began to hurt.

While such minor symptoms would normally disappear within a day, my stomach pain unexpectedly persisted over the next few days, and I found myself frequently going to the bathroom late at night.

I came to realize that Master was purifying my body and eliminating my karma.

This tribulation occurred while I was in the midst of taking exams, and my mother’s encouragement during this difficult time helped me maintain righteous thoughts and trust in Master and the Fa.

I recovered within four days, and I subsequently had much better stamina and an improved spirit.

Telling My Classmates About Falun Dafa

Soon after my recovery, I decided to tell my schoolmates about Falun Dafa. This was a difficult decision, as I was extremely fearful of telling others that I practiced Falun Dafa.

My first attempt occurred one morning before the start of our exams. I ran into two fellow students, and resolved to overcome my fear and talk to them about my practice.

I began the conversation by asking if they believed in any religion, and then told them that I practiced Falun Dafa. As soon as these words left my mouth, I felt something heavy dissipate from within my chest, leaving me with a light, happy feeling.

I gratefully thanked Master for removing this karmic substance, and proceeded to tell my fellow schoolmates about the Chinese Communist Party’s practice of harvesting organs from living practitioners, and the truth behind the Tiananmen Square Self-immolation. I also gave them the link to the website containing the complete Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and asked them to read it at home.

One fellow classmate missed the exams that day due to gastric ulcers, and when we met the following day, I asked her to call me if she needed help. She did so, and I took the opportunity to tell her about the miraculous cures I experienced from practicing Falun Dafa. During a break in between our papers the next day, she came over and asked me many questions about the practice.

I ran into another classmate while we were in the midst of studying for our exams, and I took the opportunity to tell him the facts about Falun Dafa. This classmate expressed interest in understanding further, and asked me many questions, each of which I answered in detail.

Reduction of Thought Karma

As a result of my addiction to computer games, social media, movies, and television shows, I had developed serious thought karma. I only managed to perceive this problem after curbing my addictions through cultivation practice.

These entrenched human notions were having a frighteningly huge influence on my daily thoughts and actions. This horrifying realization strengthened my determination to continue cultivating, so that I could eliminate these foreign concepts and thought karma.

At the suggestion of an older practitioner, I started sending forth righteous thoughts more often. My thought karma was further reduced after I memorized the section “Your Main Consciousness Should Dominate” in Zhuan Falun.