My Personal Experience of Practising Falun Gong

My name is Kevin. I am 22 years of age and I live in Partick. I have been practising Falun Gong for over a year. When I first began to learn Falun Gong I was unemployed. Through ill health I was unable to work. At present I am only 22 years of age. My parents are divorced. When I was seven years of age, I moved from Paisley to Glasgow to stay with my father and his wife. Throughout my childhood, my father always tried his best to be responsible to me and my future. He worked hard so as to give me a good life. Around the age of 14 however, I began drinking alcohol and smoking. Gradually I began to disrespect my parents and those around me. As my behaviour deteriorated, I became more and more selfish. When I reached the age of 17, my father sent me away to stay with my mother. My behaviour and outlook on life had turned very bleak. In order to please myself I was prepared to hurt those around me. Eventually, my mother also asked me to leave. I moved in with my girlfriend at that time. It was around this period in my life that I began to abuse drugs and alcohol. I never approached heroin, but I inflicted a lot of damage on my body by smoking cannabis and drinking. At the time, I never realised that I was inflicting permanent damage on myself.

When I reached the age of nineteen, my body had deteriorated very badly. My hair began to fall out. I developed several infections in my body and I suffered from constant fatigue, headaches and depression. At times I felt so low that I didn’t even want to live.

I will never forget the first time I practised the Falun Gong exercises. It was in Hillhead library. I learnt about the classes from a leaflet. On the front of the leaflet, the words ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance’ were printed. At the time I never paid much attention to these words. What attracted me to the practice were the words – ‘Suitable for all ages’, ‘Relieves stress’, ‘Increases energy levels’, ‘Improves health’, and ‘Free and easy to learn’. These were exactly the very things in my life, which I needed.

That evening I learnt the exercises. While practising the exercises, I felt extremely warm, comfortable and wonderful. There was a very real presence of strong energy around my body. It was a very unique experience and one, which is difficult to describe in words. After the class, I went home feeling very peaceful, energised and content. I knew that I had obtained something very wonderful and precious. Two weeks later I was lent a copy of the main text of Falun Gong called "Zhuan Falun" to read. I finished reading the book within one week. During that week, my fundamental thinking and concepts of life transformed entirely. Again, it is difficult to describe this transformation in words. Through my study of "Zhuan Falun" I have come to realise that human moral standards and moral values are extremely important. Mr Li Hongzhi states “A person is like a container : he is whatever he contains”. (“Dissolving into Fa” form Essentials for Further Advancement) I have come to realise that the contents of one’s mind is very important. Mr Li Hongzhi also says “One’s behaviour is dictated by one’s thoughts” (“Dissolving into Fa” from Essentials for Further Advancement). This is very true. I have learnt from my practice that we should always look inward at our own minds. I have found that whenever I encounter a problem, the solution is to look within myself for improvements. Mr Li Hongzhi states “You must cultivate your inner self and not pursue things externally. So many people are seeking things externally. They pursue one thing today and another tomorrow” (Zhuan Falun P23).

Sadly, for most of my life, I have always been looking outward for the source of my problems. This has led me to blame others and to fight and argue with others. When I think back over my life, I can see my fundamental problem. I never looked within or questioned my own behaviour. I placed too much importance and emphasis on my own self- interest.

Mr Li Hongzhi states “When different social interactions unfold among everyday people, one will commit wrongdoing for personal gain”. ”(Zhuan Falun P82) My understanding of this is that we live alongside other people. The way in which we live our lives affects others. If we only care about ourselves and our own self-interests, then it leaves no space in our minds to consider others. If we do not consider others in our actions, we will inevitably hurt people.

Mr Li Hongzhi states “You should always maintain a heart of benevolence and a mind of kindness. If you suddenly bump into a problem, you will be able to take care of it properly. When you always maintain a heart of benevolence and compassion, you will have time or room to buffer the confrontation and think, should a problem arise suddenly. If you always think about competing with others and fighting back and forth, I would say that you will start a fight with others whenever there is a problem”. (Zhuan Falun P144). I have found that this is definitely true.

Over the past year, my study of Falun Gong has made me a much more considerate and kinder person. I have found that there is genuine beauty and freedom in caring for others. My own selfish search for happiness was in fact making me miserable and unhealthy. My understanding of life has changed considerably. To me, this is the beauty of Falun Gong. I think back to when I first discovered that leaflet with the words ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance’. Although Falun Gong can improve people’s health, this is only a side effect. Falun Gong is based upon ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance’. These are the main guiding principles in Falun Gong. Practitioners of Falun Gong cultivate these principles from within. These principles are the highest standards, which a human being can live by.

I firmly believe that I was saved by this practice. My body is now very healthy. Before I learnt Falun Gong, I was scheduled for an operation due to problems with my testicles. My heart beat was very irregular. I was very weak, tired and depressed. I have not had to visit the doctor now in over a year. I have not required any operation. I have lots of energy and I work very hard for my money as a commis- chef. More importantly, I genuinely do care and think about others. In my daily life, I always try to hold my every action and every sentence to the principles of ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance’. I have gained so much from this wonderful practice mentally, physically and spiritually. To this day it has not cost me a penny.

Today Falun Gong is practised by an estimated 100 million people in over 60 countries. For his outstanding contribution to humanity, Mr Li Hongzhi has been nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 2000, 2001 and 2002. As a result of the vicious propaganda by Jiang Zemin’s regime, many people believe that Falun Gong is a cult with political motives. This is absolutely wrong. Falun Gong is a high- level ancient cultivation system. In China today, a horrific form of genocide is being carried out against the kindest and most innocent of people. People who practise this peaceful practice of Falun Gong are being subjected to imprisonment, torture and murder. If I lived in China, I would also be subjected to imprisonment, torture and even murder. As you can see from my experience, my practice of Falun Gong has made me healthier and kinder. Do people deserve to be tortured for this? For following “Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance” practitioners of Falun Gong can only benefit society, with their high moral standards and conduct. It is inconceivable that in China, the kindest and most honest people of society are being persecuted.

Thank you sincerely for listening.