We All Come to Dafa from Different Directions

I have always found it easy to express myself and how I felt about situations where people were being given less than their fair share of choices. I have always been a doer and felt driven to do what I could towards helping people who were willing to help themselves.

I was always running to and from, joining Adult Literacy Groups as a tutor, setting up outdoor pursuits clubs for those who could not afford a Scout Uniform for their children, setting up Women’s Groups for the purpose of Personal Development, etc. There were many more. I thought I was doing ‘good’ and that I was using my skills to help others. I felt that education was the way forward.

It gave people the benefit of Literacy Skills and from their reading they would get information and this would eventually give them choices as to how they could change their lives.

On a day in the summer of 2001, I heard about Falun Dafa. Having signed the petition, I was angry that a government could treat people this way. It was abusing their basic civil rights. I was ready to march and take up the banner of protest. I reacted in my old usual way.

I felt frustrated and helpless as I thought of all the evil and suffering in the world. It seemed that the world was helpless to do anything about it, as the powerful people in governments around the world didn’t seem to care. I was so depressed and felt that it was useless to try. So I buried myself in my work. At least here I felt I was doing something valuable to help in a little way.

A few weeks went by and my partner was practising the Falun Gong exercises every night for an hour or more. He had talked to me about them but I have always been lazy about doing physical exercises. He told me that these were not just any exercises, that they were from an ancient practise and that it was not just for the body but for the mind and spirit too. I had chronic asthma and had been admitted to hospital several times and was on constant medication which did not seem to help much. I did not believe that a few slow exercises could make a difference or that I would have the energy to do them. But, my partner was patient and convinced me to try with him.

When I began to learn the exercises I noticed that I could breathe a lot easier and that there was calmness and peacefulness. It was as if I had found this space of quietness that was just for me. I began practising the exercises on a daily basis and admittedly moaned about the difficult parts. Several weeks went by and I noticed a change in my partner. He became easier to talk to and we began having conversations again. This had been lost along the way, bringing up the family and working. We never seemed to have time.

One evening he gave me a book, Zhuan Falun [The main text of Falun Gong]. I began to read the book and had dozens of questions after each chapter. I got annoyed at him for not engaging in a discussion on my questions. He just said to keep reading the book to the end and if I still had any questions we could talk about it then. As I continued reading, I realised why he did not enter into discussions. I stopped asking questions and continued until I had finished the book. Half way through Zhuan Falun I began to cry for seemingly no reason at all and was quite emotional about everything. Sometimes I could not see the words because of the tears. I remember on a couple of occasions when people asked me how I was, I would start talking to them and the tears would come too. It was a bit embarrassing.

One day while cleaning the house I began to throw out all my medicine and cleared out the boxes where they had been. Three months had gone by and I had had no Asthma attacks. The wheezing had gone. This was the longest time in years that I had gone without being ill and ending up in hospital. But, I knew while I was clearing out that I would never need medicines again. The belief was so strong. I just knew that this was the right thing to do. I didn’t even think about it. A year has gone by. My asthma and arthritis have gone. If I feel discomfort now and then, I know it is a karmic debt that needs to be paid back and I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.

I have been given the greatest gift of my life. My life has taken on new meaning and there is joy in my life. I have had to turn my thinking around and it all makes perfect sense. It just took a practitioner who wanted to share his joy in Dafa to point the way, the rest is up to me and with Teacher’s help I will do my best to cultivate according to the cosmic principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance and share this great Falun Dafa with others.

I now have my life in perspective. I now know that I can’t change the lives of others. I know that I can’t change my own life. Only Dafa can change my life and change the lives of all those who obtain the Fa.

Dafa has shown me what the important things are. Sometimes when I slip up and don’t deal with tribulations the way Teacher says I should, I would feel that I am an average practitioner and let the demons get the best of me.

Now, when I feel that I have not done as well as I should, I read page 384 of Zhuan Falun where Teacher says, “To a genuine practitioner, I would say that it is very easy and not something too high to reach”. Also, on page 385, “As a truly determined practitioner, one is able to endure everything and give up and care less for any attachment in the face of various self interests. As long as one can do that, it will not be difficult”.

My attachments are still quite strong and from time to time I need reminding, but I am becoming aware of each attachment and lots of others I was not aware of, and I am so grateful to be a tiny particle of this Great Dafa.

I am grateful for each day that I can cultivate more and help to spread the Fa to others. It is the greatest gift a practitioner can share with others.