Cultivation Experiences of a New Practitioner

Hi! My name is Ola and I am a boy of 18. In February of this year, I began cultivation in Falun Gong in earnest. The discoveries and the improvements I have made have been great. I have read Zhuan Falun five times now, and my wisdom about the Fa has grown. I know why I live and how to reach the goal of life. Our lives are meant to be something big, and this is something we, as practitioners, will appreciate very highly!
Personal cultivation

I have many thoughts about the Fa and life. I have, among other things, thought that the road to major improvements is through small improvements. From the beginning, I have recognized the wrong things that I have done. When I had a test, I did not think of it as a test and just ignored it. But afterwards I knew that it had been a test and an opportunity to raise my xinxing! This happened many times. But if I do small things like cleaning up when it is messy, picking up the paper by the side of a rubbish bin, etc., it is easier to pass the trials as they come. These small deeds are very valuable because they remind me that I am a cultivator, and what I should do here in this world. If one day I forget to read or skip doing the exercises for a couple of days, I am more likely to fail tests, make mistakes and fall. Therefore, I believe that it is very important to read everyday, because it reminds us of our tasks and keeps us focused.

I read some time ago in Zhuan Falun that Master said that the enlightened beings on higher levels think that the more you suffer, the better. Right away, I thought this has profound meaning, and knew that when you suffer, you pay back karmic debt. After I realized this principle, I changed a lot. When I stand out in the garden to do the exercises and a mosquito bites me, I try to endure. Thanks to you, Master, I can take a small step up the steps!

When I sit in meditation, I know that karma is eliminated and converted into “de.” It really hurts, but as long as I know that I am going to improve, I can sit a long time and endure.

I have now finished secondary school after 12 years. In Norway, we are called graduates. A graduate goes to parties and celebrates continually from May 1-17. This is something people look forward to for 10 years! A lot of alcohol is consumed, and there are other unhealthy activities that practitioners should not do. I solved this by stopping drinking before that time. I was the driver and ran errands for my friends. Under these circumstances, I experienced a lot of wrong things. I really saw that the human moral standards have fallen to lower limits and how much wrong people do. While the others drank and celebrated, I went aside and read Zhuan Falun, but I also participated in the parties and cultivated a lot of “ren.” When I was at a big event with many fellow graduates, it was easy for me to recognize myself as a practitioner, because what I saw made me feel like someone who was not fully involved in the gang and a bit of an outsider. And that is precisely what we are; we are not like other people! Our life and our whole thinking are completely different from that of ordinary people. Here, we can notice one thing: It's lonely to be a practitioner. We have a lot of things we want to talk about that we cannot say to ordinary people, and that's why it's so important to create a good cultivation environment among ourselves.

One encounters attachments at various layers, just as Fa has different levels. If one imagines a spiral that goes up, then one faces the same attachment again and again on the circular rings, only it becomes more difficult to see and accept. For example, I have a show-off attachment. From my early days as a small boy, I was very strong physically and I could perform somersaults and other feats of strength. I performed to get attention and recognition, which is absolutely unacceptable! I have stopped doing that. But now I face this show-off mentality again when I am among friends. When we talk together, I show how tough I am. This is the same attachment; only it manifests itself in a different way.

I notice how difficult it is to behave as a practitioner when I'm with my friends. When the boys are together they want to be the best and the toughest. We see this in nature too, when two males meet and begin to fight in front of the females. I was once with a family where two men began a discussion. They would both tell me something historical in order to teach me something. One was highly educated and was a bank manager while the other was a blacksmith. Both were very good and explained many things in detail. But after a while they both began to turn their attention away from me to talk to each other. They came up with more and more details. I studied them and found out that they both had a strong need to excel. Both were out to prove something. Common people call it natural, but we call it an attachment.

Truth clarification

A few months ago, I read an article from Master on the Clearwisdom website that practitioners should expose the evil of the CCP (Chinese communist party). I thought, maybe I can do something here, since I study at a high school and come in contact with many people. Just then, I got a message from a friend who knew I practice Falun Gong. She said that their religion teacher had mentioned Falun Gong, and asked if anyone knew anything about the persecution. I took this as a hint and decided to speak about the persecution to all the classes at school. I was up many nights reading everything I could find about the persecution. Then I asked the religion teachers whether I could hold some lectures on the subject.
When I held a lecture, everyone looked at me wide-eyed and followed my every word! They asked me about Falun Gong and wanted to know more about it, so I told them what it is and how it has helped me as a person. Many were interested and I lent them some books. Some have read more while others less, but I have allowed them to position themselves.

Because exam time came as the end of the term approached, I could only give three talks. However, I came in contact with a journalist to whom I had spoken before, and asked if she could write about the persecution and Falun Gong in the newspaper. And so she did! She interviewed my dad and me. We got a whole page in the newspaper. After that, I took dad and some other athletes to do the exercises in a local park and we received good responses. Some have called and asked for the books, and others have learned the exercises.

Finally, I would say that I am forever thankful that I have been given this unique opportunity to return home. One should take full advantage of this limited time. I will do my best to expose the evil of the CCP, rescue sentient beings, and study the Fa. I think that if a practitioner finds himself not progressing in cultivation, reading the Dafa books and looking inwards for further improvement will help. Thank you for listening to me!