I came across the Fa in 1997. One of my colleagues was studying the Fa in the office and lent me the book Zhuan Falun. After I finished reading it, I found this was a book that teaches one how to be a good person. What impressed me most were the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Due to various reasons, I didn't continue to study the Fa. However, whenever I came across trouble, I picked up the book and selectively read some of it to help me let go of my anxiety. In my heart I didn't regard myself as a practitioner.
With the help of fellow practitioners, my wife and I started to practice the exercises and study the Fa together in 2006. However, we did it on and off. Though we regarded ourselves as practitioners, we behaved just like students that followed Teacher's instructions passively, rather than from our own will. We were not strict with ourselves. We only read Zhuan Falun and not other articles or lectures.
My work eased off a bit in 2008. Practitioners invited us to join the group Fa study. So we went to the first group Fa study. The atmosphere and the energy field there instantly attracted me. It was so good. I felt so calm and comfortable. I remember that we were studying Master's new article "My Version of a 'Stick Wake-up'". It shook me completely. Master said, "Some people say, 'I only read Zhuan Falun, I don't read the new scriptures.' Are you still my disciple?" Master pointed it out directly to me. Master also said, "I can tell you all that the difference lies in just that one thought; the difference between humans and gods is that one thought. If you can let it go, you are a cultivator; if you can't, you are a human being." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Houston") We realized that we hadn't genuinely cultivated ourselves. On one hand we held human things tightly while on the other hand we also held divine things. Our purpose of studying the Fa was impure. Listening to practitioners' sharing, my wife and I realized that we were far behind the whole body of practitioners. We felt anxious and made up our minds that we should cultivate diligently and catch up.
Looking back, we felt that we indeed had changed a great deal since we started to join the group Fa study one year ago. We read all of Master's new articles at least four times and we began memorizing Zhuan Falun. We had a better and deeper understanding of the Fa. Though we had read Zhuan Falun over ten times before, we understood the Fa from the surface and thought that was the Fa. Now however, every time we read or memorize Zhuan Falun, we feel that the Fa is so profound and the meaning is so huge. We always feel that we should study the Fa more. Before, we still took medication while we were practicing. Because I am a doctor, from the medical point of view, how do you cope with your diabetes if you don't take medicine? My wife had high blood pressure. In the past year however, we haven't taken a single tablet, yet our health has never been better. Sometimes we have the symptoms of "sickness," yet we know it is a test. We can quickly pass the test without any panic.
Before our life was meaningless. Sometimes we played cards and sometimes we watched other people play chess, yet we felt very bored. However, now we are doing the three things every day. We study the Fa, practice the exercises and send forth righteous thoughts. We make materials about the truth of Falun Gong and the CCP's (Chinese communist party) persecution of Falun Gong. We distribute them and clarify the facts to people, thus saving them. We feel we don't have enough time. Every day we have so much to do. Except sleep and having meals, we don't even have time to eat the fruit on our table. We wasted so much time before and saved so few people. There are still so many people waiting for us to save them. We wish we each had two bodies so that we could do twice as much.
We know we are still not meeting what is required of us by Master, though we have improved. We will continue doing our best to do the three things well and be worthy of Master's compassionate salvation.
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