(Minghui.org) Everyone is pursuing happiness, but what is it? To ordinary people, money, a house, a car, children, and fame are the desires that they have worked hard for all their lives. People are happy when they have achieved their wishes and sad when they don't.

I was surrounded by various unfulfilled desires and felt that I lived a bitter life. When I became ill in my 30s and was searching for ways to end the suffering, I was fortunate to hear about Falun Gong, a spiritual practice of mind and body, in 1992.

Dafa has given me a new life. It allows me to understand the true meaning of life, teaches me to look inward when I face conflicts, and tells me to be kind to others.

Recovering from Illness

I was a medical worker. I had an abortion in the summer of 1992 and suffered puerperal fever after the surgery. I tried Chinese and western medical treatments, but none worked. Then I was diagnosed with second stage rheumatic heart disease.

I could no longer work and was short-breathed when just doing light house chores. I had to wear heavy clothes during the hottest days of the year.

Before the surgery, I dreamed that I was tangled up by vines. This told me that my diseases would be hard to get rid of. My whole family was depressed and in sorrow.

Then, someone gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Gong. I read the entire book that night. Although I did not understand the higher level principles, I felt that this was a very good book. The Dafa principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” resonated with me.

Thinking that Dafa was good, I signed up for the second class of Master's Fa teachings in Jinan. When I arrived at the train station, my palms had turned a healthy color. Another student told me that Master had cleansed my body in advance.

While listening to Master's lecture I felt a great shock. Nobody had ever told me the principles I heard that day. I had not known that there was another way of life! Master taught us to be considerate of others and other principles. This was what I had searched for.

A man sitting next to me said that a woman is yin and the man is yang. He could sense a stream of cool air surrounding my body. Later, I realized that the cool air emanated from my body when Master was purifying me.

On the fourth day of the class, Master waved his hands and I immediately felt that I had recovered from my illnesses. After the class, I felt so light and floated out of the gym.

When I got back to the hotel, I thought, “Master, I have waited for a very long time for this. I finally found what I was after. I am determined to follow you and cultivate to the end.”

I had a yellow waxy facial complexion when I left home for the class, and after the class, my face turned ruddy. My husband was very happy.

Changing into a Different Person

Before I began to practice Dafa, I was selfish, greedy, and combative. I was in bad shape, mentally and health wise.

I used to work in a small operating room. It was very common that people took home things from work. They did not feel they were stealing, and felt good for being able to take advantage of their surroundings. I was one of these people who found excuses for taking what did not belong to me.

On one occasion, my work unit organized a cruise. I had a conflict with a person of another tour group. I threw a glass of water on this person's face, and a fight broke out.

After attending Master's lectures, I changed within a short period of eight days – I could differentiate between right and wrong. I knew what kind of a person I wanted to be and became a Dafa practitioner.

Master's Fa teachings continued echoing in my mind, and I underwent big changes. At work, I was no longer picky about assignments, but accepted anything without complaint.

I bought the ink cartridge for the printer to make up for the losses because of my stealing in the past. Seeing my changes, more than 10 people at my workplace also started to practice Dafa.

To celebrate my son's college acceptance, my husband dined out with his department chief. The chief charged the bill to the corporate account. I convinced my husband to pay for it the next day. The restaurant worker did not understand the reason. I explained, “I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. Dafa teaches us not to take advantage of others. Everything you have seen about Falun Dafa on television is a lie.”

I did not like my mother-in-law and planned not to fulfill my filial duties. After I became a practitioner I encouraged my husband to move his mother to the house across from ours, so that we could look after her better.

Dafa helped me eliminate selflessness and resentment. I have taken care of my mother-in-law by following the Dafa principles. She praised me in public and said that I have treated her better than her own son has. My sister-in-law thanked me for being nice to her mother. I said, “You should thank Dafa. If it were not for Dafa, I would not be able to do so.”

Dafa Teaches Me to Be a Good Person

When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution against Falun Gong in 1999, every employee at work was forced to attend a meeting to learn something about Falun Gong. In the meeting, everyone looked at me. I took this opportunity to speak up for Falun Gong. I told them about the miracles that happened to me and my physical and spiritual changes. My colleagues applauded at the end of my speech.

I have been illegally detained in a hotel, detention center, and labor camp. I felt resentment and hatred in the beginning. I was afraid of the police and the patrol cars. I hated them for slandering Dafa and defaming our great Master. I hated them for telling lies.

My family members were threatened by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials who demanded that I give up the practice. I refused.

The Dafa principles continuously rectified me. Master taught us to be considerate of others and to look inward when facing conflicts. Thus, I feel very bad every time when I hurt other people.

Master said,

“Things will work out well if you are always compassionate and good to others, thoughtful towards people, and handle whatever situations you get into with people by first pausing to consider how well your actions will go over with the other party and whether anyone will be hurt by them. You should hold yourself to high standards and raise the bar still further as you practice.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

Master taught us that a person doing bad deeds will lose virtue. A person who is devoid of all virtue will face the extinction of body and soul. Losing virtue is a horrible thing, and the persecution of Dafa and practitioners is the worst. The policemen, practitioners' family members, and other persecutors who do not know the truth are victims of the CCP's policies. That is why Master wants us to tell them the facts about Falun Gong.

I would be saddened whenever I saw anyone doing bad things. One time, The police officers arrested me and took me to the police station. What I thought about first was how to save my Dafa books. But I quickly realized that I was being too selfish. I thus decided to save them and not to let them become victims themselves.

When I clarified the truth to the police officers, they asked me if I hated them. One officer said, “I arrested you. Don't you think I am vicious?” Another said, “Look, what have you guys done to make her look like this?”

What this person said really hurt me like a knife stabbing in my heart. I thus decided to firmly cultivate more diligently in order to save them. I was released a few hours later.

On one occasion, one man rebuked me when I told him the facts about Falun Gong. I continued to talk to him calmly. I mentioned the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He asked if forbearance meant that I would not be angry even when I was being scolded.

I said, “We practitioners have suffered from the persecution. But we ignore our personal safety and are not afraid of losing everything. I only want to tell you the truth and hope you won't be implicated when the Party is destroyed. We firmly believe in Dafa and still tell the truth to the world. Isn't this forbearance?”

This person agreed. He finally understood the truth and why we practiced Dafa.