Hello fellow practitioners. First of all, I want to thank everyone for your help these years since I got the Fa. Today I have 3 points in my experience sharing piece that I want to share.
Diligently study the Fa, staying on the correct path.
I obtained the Fa in October of 2012. In September of that year, my health was very bad. I was suffering from immune dysfunction, gastroesophageal reflux and functional dyspepsia, cervical disease, depression and other illnesses. After my husband retired, we moved from Syracuse, New York to Atlanta. When I just arrived, a friend told me that she had a friend who was taking care of her after her cervical spine surgery. That friend is over 70 years old, in very good health, and is also a Falun Gong practitioner. My friend also just started practicing Falun Gong, and asked me to join them. I learned that Falun Gong is a form of qigong. In the eighties, I practiced something known as standing stance gong, so I know that qigong can cure illness, so I immediately accepted her invitation. However, I still did not know much about Falun Gong. I did, however, see people in quiet meditation at the entrance of Chinese Consulate in New York. There were banners that read “Falun Gong”. I asked a person nearby: what are they doing? The answer was “it’s about politics”. I am not interested in politics, I thought that they were probably wrongly accused in court in China and were seeking justice. I had a little sympathy at that time but left afterwards. Soon after, I saw the Epoch Times newspaper at a local Chinese supermarket. The lady owner said, “this newspaper is totally free of charge but it talks about politics.” I have no interest in politics and no time for it either so I didn’t pick it up. When my friend introduced to me Falun Gong and told me the website, I was somewhat interested in the exercises. After two weeks of self study, I called to ask my friend and see if there is anyone in Atlanta practicing Falun Gong. She told me: It’s in the Epoch Times newspaper. This is how I found the practice site in the park.
Local practitioners taught me the exercise and also asked me to study Zhuan Falun. I replied, “Study what Fa? What’s the use? I just want to do the exercises.” I didn’t care at all about their suggestions, I just wanted to do the exercises and that’s it. I only picked up the book 2 months after starting, even then I was selectively picking sections to read, and not taking it seriously. Master said, “Qigong is cultivation and something supernormal, as opposed to everyday people’s physical exercises. One must focus on xinxing in order to cure illnesses and increase gong. (Zhuan Falun Lecture One). True practitioners have to cultivate the heart, and I only care about the exercises. I didn’t diligently study the Fa, consequently, my illness was not cured. Until after about 6 or 7 months since I started the practice, a practitioner’s daughter came to my house to play. She told me about her mom’s cultivation story and about herself as well when she is diagnosed with a severe cervical disease in high school and requiring surgery as a result. She diligently studied the Fa for one whole month and she gradually got better, and didn’t have to undergo surgery. I finally realized the importance of Fa study and why other fellow practitioners kept encouraging me to study. From that day on, I began to study the Fa diligently. I was tired, dizzy, and once when I was mediating, I was sweating so much that I almost passed out. Sometimes, when practicing, I felt short of breath, tightness in the chest, and a variety of uncomfortable karmic symptoms. This continued for almost a year and a half. I also felt pain as if being massaged with too much force, increasing in severity, even till today. I’m often uncomfortable even since I started the practice but I know I have a lot of karma. It is because of Master’s compassion who is constantly purifying my body. Even though I’m in pain, a lot of diseases magically disappeared over time. I even gained 15 pounds. I also stopped taking sleeping pills that I was doing for decades. Not once did I go to the doctor for the past year. Thank you Master for saving me.
The miracles that happened to me.
After eight months of Fa study, one day I suddenly developed rashes. Some spots are larger than a quarter. Slowly, the hives came up and slowly they disappeared until all parts of my body was affected. It looked very ugly, I could literally see it appearing and disappearing. It is a little itchy but not severe at all. It quickly died down after 4 to 5 days. At that time, it felt strange to me, I thought this was due to the exercises purging the toxins from my body. Later on, I read from various Master teachings which said that this is the symptoms when he is clearing the body of animal possessions. I realized I have animal possessions on me! I mentioned this a few paragraphs up, I was practicing some qigongs in the 80s. There was a qigong master who wanted everyone to jump, then tens of people will be jumping around non stop. When he said “Shout” everyone will be jumping around shouting. When he said “Stop”, everyone would suddenly stop. I thought he had supernormal powers, but he was actually a sham animal possession qigong master. Thank you master for clearing these animal possessions for me, otherwise the consequences could be disastrous.
About a year and a half after starting the exercises, I was shocked to discover the toilet was full of red hematuria one morning. Is it urinary tract infection again? (I used to have that disease). I realize that Master is getting rid of the root of the disease so it’s definitely a good thing, therefore I ignored it. At about 9 am, it happened again. I asked my husband to take a look (he doesn’t practice, I wanted to double check with him). He said I should immediately go to a doctor and said that if I wasn’t practicing, I would on the way to the ER. But I am a practitioner, so I ignored it. The hematuria died down in the afternoon and I was completely fine the next day. Since that incident, my husband’s view on practice changed, sometimes he even said, “oh you are doing the exercise, oh you are studying the Fa.”
Facing tribulations with a correct mindset
Master said, “Cultivation must take place through tribulations so as to test whether you can part with and care less about different kinds of human qing and desires. If you attached to these things, you will not succeed in cultivation” (Zhuan Falun, Chapter 4). I encountered very severe tribulations on my cultivation path because of my strong attachments to sentimentality. In my mother’s eye, I was the most obedient daughter, I had good relations with my brothers as well. I took care of their children, allowing them to graduate in the States and looked for job afterwards. Suddenly, our relationship reversed 180 degrees; they even wanted my house. They said we lost contact for many years and didn’t know my phone number and address. I was devastated. I felt like the sky was falling. If I hadn’t got the Fa, I probably would have gone the easy way and committed suicide (I suffered from depression). Master said, “Of course, you will not be informed of a tribulation or conflict ahead of time. How could you cultivate if you were told everything?” (Zhuan Falun, Chapter 4) Because my xinxing isn’t that high, I didn’t keep my composure. I was angry, and I was sad. But after constant Fa study, my understanding of the Fa improved. Master said, “These are all your own tribulations that we use to improve your xinxing, and you will be able to overcome them.” (Zhuan Falun, Chapter 4) I understand this is all because of the karma that I owe. Now I am not affected. I used to always go to church. I know about “Practicing only one cultivation way” and I don’t really like to go, but I was always uncomfortable about not going when church goers would contact me personally. After this incident, I did not let sentimentality control me anymore and I never went to church afterwards, settling down and focusing on my cultivation. I’m not angry with my brothers anymore, only feeling disappointed at their actions. My views on a lot of issues are different, and I understand how to follow the course of nature.
Even though my attachment to sentimentality has changed massively and I can view things lightly now, I know that if I ever relax, evil forces will take advantage of me. I will again be unhappy and depressed. There are also other ordinary people attachments that are still affecting me, so I cannot relax on my Fa study. I need to constantly remind myself that I am a practitioner, use the standards of a true disciple to measure myself and cultivate myself to be a true disciple of Dafa. I will make more effort to follow Master, taking advantage of our individual unique situations and doing a better job in the Fa rectification.
The above is some of my personal cultivation sharing. If there are any inadequacies, please point them out. Thank you Master, thank you everyone!
