Before and After Studying the Fa

By a Dafa Practitioner in Taizhong

I am a judge working in the judiciary for over thirty years. Presently, I am the presiding judge for the local office of Taiwan’s high court in Taizhong. I have studied the Fa for a short period of less than a year and a half. Last year, at the end of July, my good friends Mr and Mrs Guo gave me a copy of “Zhuan Falun”. At first I did not know much about Falun Gong. I had seen reports in the newspaper and media regarding the persecution of Falun Gong in China but at that time, I thought it was a kind of exercise for improving one’s health and belonged to the category of Taiji, or another particular Qigong practice [a traditional Chinese practice which at a low life is for healing and fitness] I had heard of. Thus, I did not find out more about it.

Mrs Guo had once suffered from a malignant tumour (cancer of the lymph nodes) for many years. She went to Shanghai three times to seek treatment from local reputed doctors and the doctor sent Chinese medicine to her from Shanghai so that she could take it for prolonged periods. Until last year during the transitional season change from autumn to winter, she had another relapse. By that time her cancer reached the final stage and the tumour had spread throughout her whole body. The doctors in China could do nothing and she had to be admitted into the Taida hospital for chemotherapy. My wife and I went to visit her when she returned home from hospital to recuperate during a respite from chemotherapy treatment. Her body was very weak, nearly on the verge of death and her hair had fallen out completely from the chemotherapy treatment. My wife and I listened to her husband speak about her illness. On the way back home, our hearts were very gloomy. Judging from the seriousness of her illness, the most Mrs Guo could only live for was two, three months, perhaps only half a month or one week. Thus we both had the same premonition that the next time we would hear from them it would be the sad news of her death, it couldn’t be anything good. Later we learnt that Mrs Guo had miraculously recovered after practising “Falun Gong”. Not only had the tumors in her body disappeared, her newly-grown hair was even thicker and darker than before. It is inconceivable that someone who suffered from final stage cancer could recover without treatment within such a short period!

I read “Zhuan Falun” once within three to four days. Although the book was very easy to read and understand, the knowledge imparted from Master Li was something I had not heard of nor come across before. Thus I only had a scant knowledge of what was written in the book after the first reading. But the parts that were simple and I could understand was enough to make me feel intrigued. Master said that as long as you are a true practitioner, he will help and be responsible for you. If it wasn’t for Mrs Guo’s example which verified what was said in the book to be true, I would never have believed there exists such an intriguing exercise on earth.

The Fa principles explained by Master in “Zhuan Falun”, which explained the difference between a good person and a bad one, the relationship between loss and gain, the different attachments of ordinary people etc, are meticulous and exact. Before, I regarded myself as one who treats everyone with kindness, am on good terms with close ones and neighbours, carry out my work responsibly and try cases justly. I had a clear conscience about all my actions. After reading “Zhuan Falun”, I was shocked to realize that all along I was unknowingly trapped in a maze; all my thoughts, notions and actions deviate very, very far from the real truth and there are too many areas that I need to correct.

Take my driving for instance. I am an impatient person. Every time I was in the driver’s seat, I would glance at my watch from time to time and anxiously think of reaching my destination earlier. When I saw a green light a long way off, I would quickly accelerate for fear of the lights changing to red and I would have to stop. I always worried that there might be traffic congestion ahead, and hesitated as to whether I should change lanes. If someone went against the rules and overtook me, my heart burned with uncontrollable anger. After studying the Fa, I realized these shortcomings but it was difficult to overcome them all at once. One morning as I was returning home from the practice site, I made a detour and entered a two way street that was wide enough for only two cars. There were several cars parked on my left. As I overtook the first car, a car came towards me, approaching from a distance. The section of the street it was on was still quite wide but he had the audacity not to stop where he was or reduce speed so as to give way. Instead he sped on, charging into my path and only stopped when he was close to hitting me. It was obvious that he wanted me to reverse and let him pass. At that moment, I thought this person was really unreasonable. There were cars parked on his lane yet he was so overbearing. Although I hesitated a while before reversing my car, my heart was reluctant. As I turned back to see the driver’s face and his numberplate, both had already gone far away. For some time, I could not regain my composure. Thinking back after the matter, wasn’t this the test of a practitioner’s xinxing (heart-nature, moral quality), like Master Li had said? As a practitioner you should not fight back when beaten or sworn at and you even have to thank them in your heart. Therefore shouldn’t I give way? It was obvious that I did not pass the test this time. Subsequently, such incidents happened continuously and like the first one, it was only after it happened that I realized my xinxing had not raised. When met with conflicts suddenly, I could not regard them with a compassionate heart.

After reflecting and self-examining again and again, I am now used to thinking of others first before myself. When driving, if I see a car approaching me, I will instinctively reduce speed and find a suitable spot to avoid confrontation. No matter whether the traffic lights in front are red or green, I still maintain the same speed and proceed unhurriedly until I reach the traffic lights and then I react accordingly to the colour signals. If it shows red, I stop. If it is green then I proceed. When there is an appointment, I try to leave early and not anxiously try to rush to my destination once I get in the driver’s seat. Regardless of whether a car approaches from the side of the road, or a car tries to cut in from a side road, or someone wants to get ahead at an intersection or a car behind wants to overtake, I can naturally adopt the necessary actions to coordinate or give way. Driving with such a mentality, I then realized that the road is wide, my heart is forgiving and I feel exceptionally relaxed and open hearted. Previously every time I drove, I always worried about this, was afraid of that and couldn’t attend to one thing without neglecting the other. Thus my nerves were always tight. Even my intestines seemed to be bound together and there was not one moment when I was relaxed. Why subject myself to such misery?

Before I started studying the Fa, if there were several complicated cases on my hands, my heart weighed as heavy as a stone. I could not relax and would always think of quickly finishing trying the case. Thus I was unknowingly giving myself tremendous pressure. In actual fact, when a judge handles a case, it is not like “new cases will not come if old cases are not finished”. Instead even if old cases aren’t completed, new ones come continuously. It is impossible to clear all the cases on one’s hands. Furthermore, the more one rushes to close the case, the more one cannot handle every aspect of the case properly. Consequently, the quality of the final judgment is affected. Now, no matter how many big cases on hand that I have not completed, I can regard them with a calm heart. In the past, when I tried cases, I could not help being affected by the attitude of the litigant. When the case was complicated and tiresome, I would also feel very worn-out and my thinking became chaotic. Now with Dafa as my teacher, no matter how bad the attitude of the litigant, I can still maintain a heart calm like water and listen to them patiently. This helps to clarify the facts of the case, which will speed up the process of concluding it.

I was born into a poor farmer’s home and only studied for a year and a half in junior high school before I had to drop out to help around at home. It was only during the time when I was enlisted in the army that through self-study, I enrolled in the entrance exams, passed the exams while serving in the army and was subsequently assigned to the transportation department by the examination institute. After leaving the army, I immediately reported to my assigned position. While working in the transportation department, I continued to take part in advanced exams and as hoped, successfully passed the exams to become a judge and participated in the training course for judge. I was not only quite young but outstanding in my class where nearly everyone was a graduate of the law faculty. I graduated amongst the top of the class with excellent grades. I was promoted from first level judge to first level presiding judge to second level judge then second level presiding judge, all along staying ahead of graduates of the same batch. Be it exams or career, it was smooth sailing for me. I only attended school up to junior high level, yet I could ascend to a position in the judiciary department, reaching the top grade civil official in the country’s current governing structure, holding the position of fourteenth level etc. When you think of these achievements, what more could a person ask for? Everything in my life has been smooth sailing, therefore by rights I should be living very happily. However as I said before, I drove myself hard while taking exams, worked diligently after graduation and together with my impatient nature, I always thought about the cases on my hands that were not solved, thus bringing tremendous pressure on myself. Sometimes, I even dreamt of working on cases in my sleep. I did not have a relaxed moment in my life.

On the contrary, since studying the Fa, Dafa has guided me to let go of all my attachments, to regard fame and gain lightly, take the natural course in all things including family, children and career. Dafa has helped me to release all the external pressure, which once filled my heart and mind. All of a sudden, my mind is clear, my heart is open, my thoughts are even more meticulous and the efficiency of my work has increased. Now I lead a very fulfilled life, no worries, no anxieties, nothing that I cannot let go of. Every morning I go for my exercises at a practice site near my home and go to work as normal during the day. I eat and sleep well and all the symptoms of insomnia as well as indigestion have completely disappeared. During this one year of studying the Fa, I truly feel happy and relaxed.

I have not been able to do much work for exposing the persecution in of Dafa, because of my job. I can only introduce Dafa to friends and relatives when we meet up. Many people do not know much about Dafa. They have a negative impression of Dafa because they heard that it is banned in China. Thus clarifying the truth and dispelling their misunderstanding is rather important. Before, I was not a moderate drinker and now after studying the Fa, I stopped drinking. When friends or relatives ask me for a drink, I take the opportunity to explain that it is because I am practising Falun Gong that I have stopped drinking. I further explain that Falun Gong is a form of high level cultivation practice. It is not a religion and does not have any religious rites or formalities. It does not treat diseases but as long as one truly cultivates, then one’s body will be purified. I once invited relatives to attend an introduction class. One relative brought the information home and when his wife from China saw it, she was terrified and told him not to practise Falun Gong, practising it would lead to “cultivation insanity”, that many people had committed suicide after practising Falun Gong etc. Obviously, ignorant people had been deceived by the lies created by the Communist party as an excuse to persecute Falun Gong, thus bringing about misunderstandings towards Dafa. Actually, Master said precisely in “Zhuan Falun” that “cultivation insanity” does not exist at all and such things would not happen. Also, Dafa prohibits practitioners from killing and is a form of cultivation practice of both mind and body. Practitioners cultivate their xinxing and their bodies will be purified, thus changing their body. This shows that practitioners treasure life. Those that truly cultivate will never “commit suicide”. After clarifying the truth further, their misunderstandings were dispelled.

Falun Gong is a righteous cultivation way. It does not emphasize outward forms, is easy to learn, does not cost any money and has no register. People are free to come and go as they wish. Master Li has opened the most convenient door, giving practitioners the opportunity to practise cultivation in the normal environment of everyday people. Be careful not to lose it just because you have obtained it easily. Let’s all encourage each other, remain steadfast on the path of cultivation, quicken our steps and make progress courageously.

Translated from: http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200301/15891.html