(Clearwisdom.net) I am 61 years old and my husband is 73. We began to practice Falun Dafa in February 1996.
1. Illnesses healed after practicing Falun Dafa
My husband used to have pulmonary heart disease, asthma, an extruded lumbar disc, and peri-arthritis. He was cold all the time. When his shoulder hurt, he couldn't get any rest. When his heart disease worsened, he wasn't able to lay down or breathe. He coughed all the time and had to stay up all night. When he couldn't sleep, neither could I. I went everywhere to find good doctors, new drugs, and fill prescriptions, but nothing worked. I tried different forms of qigong and prayed to all kinds of gods and deities, but his illnesses only got worse.
At the same time, I found out that I also had health problems. I had a ringing in my ears, which never stopped, so I couldn't hear properly. The ringing got louder at night and I couldn't sleep. I saw many specialists, and they told me that I was gradually becoming deaf.
I had to work and take care of the children and household chores. My husband was busy at work. We were both under tremendous pressure.
In January 1996, I visited a friend. During our conversation, I mentioned to her that my husband and I were suffering from serious health problems. She told me about Falun Dafa. My husband and I watched Teacher's lecture tape a few days later. After we finished listening to the lectures, I understood what illnesses were really about. Our health improved without taking a single pill. Gradually, all the illnesses that used to torture us for years disappeared completely.
We quit smoking and drinking after we began to practice Falun Dafa. My husband had smoked for 50 years, but he was able to quit cold turkey. He had been nearsighted and had blurred vision since he was in high school. He could not live without glasses. After practicing a short while, he did not need glasses anymore and could see clearly. The two of us now knew how to be good people, how to look within when conflicts arose, and how to work hard and be responsible. We stopped fighting and quarreling. My husband used to be skinny and hunchbacked. Now he looks strong and healthy and walks with his back straight. I used to be 5'6" tall and weighed only 100 pounds. Since then, I have gained about 30 pounds. I look younger and my complexion is rosy. I now feel that I have unlimited energy. The two of us have witnessed the wonder of Falun Dafa.
2. Unforgettable days
Every morning before work, we would go to a park to do the exercises. After work, we studied the teachings with other practitioners. We offered to bring the exercise music and Falun Dafa posters to the practice site, so that we could teach new practitioners the exercises. We had Falun Dafa books, Teacher's pictures, and a Falun emblem in our backpack at all times, so that people could buy the books from us at any time. Doing things so that more people knew about and practiced Falun Dafa gave me a kind of happiness that was beyond words. I felt very gratified that the work I was doing was sacred. I still remember that feeling.
3. The persecution begins
Early in 1999, our practice site was no longer a peaceful place. When we exercised, there would be someone taking our pictures; when we went home, someone would follow us. Sometimes a few people would stop us and ask us questions, such as our name, address, employer, our responsibility among practitioners, and how many other practitioners we knew, all the while taking notes. One day a group of seniors came to our practice site. They yelled and talked loudly as we exercised. Sometimes they grabbed us by the arms to prevent us from doing the exercises. On July 20, 1999, we heard that a practitioner in charge had been arrested. The Department of Public Security had been circulating a secret document to begin the nationwide suppression of Falun Dafa.
On July 21, I was told to attend a meeting. The entire afternoon I was shown documents from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) central government and the State Department about "banning Falun Gong," that "CCP members were not allowed to practice Falun Gong," etc. I began to realize that this was becoming a serious issue. After I got off work, I discussed what had happened with other practitioners in our study group. We decided to go to the provincial government to appeal and tell the authorities that suppressing Falun Gong was wrong. We wanted justice for Teacher. We planned to asked the authorities to allow us to have an environment to practice free of interference; to allow the publication of Zhuan Falun; and to unconditionally release practitioners who had been illegally arrested.
The next day we arrived at the provincial government building at around 2:00 a.m. We stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the staff to come to work. More and more practitioners showed up. We lined up in an orderly fashion on the sidewalk and did not block traffic. We waited quietly. The provincial government was under special martial law, so there wasn't anyone on the street nor were there any cars driving by. We saw black cars drive by with people inside videotaping us. There was also a camera on top of the building across the street from the provincial government building.
At around 7:00 a.m., several buses carrying armed police pulled up on the street. They got out of the buses and dragged us away one by one. They pushed us and kicked us. If someone resisted, several of the policemen would surround him and beat him up. I saw a policeman take away the walking stick of an old man and push him to the ground. I tried to help him up, but the armed policeman threw me and my husband into a bus.
The bus took us to a large square. We sat down and began to recite Lunyu. There were many of us, and it was absolutely magnificent sight. Later a loudspeaker broadcast told us to leave or we would be sorry. The square got so crowded that we were taken to different school campuses in buses. At around 3:00 p.m., the loudspeaker began to broadcast a China Central TV (CCTV) program, defaming and slandering Falun Dafa. Afterward, the authorities sat us down and put down stacks of paper on a table. They talked to us individually and told them to sign statements promising not to practice Falun Gong or appeal in Beijing. We and other practitioners nearby decided not to write or sign anything. At around 6:00 p.m., 20 to 30 of us left the campus.
When we got home, three supervisors from my husband's workplace were waiting for us. Soon, four supervisors from my job were at our house as well. They launched into a vicious attack on Falun Dafa, slandering Teacher. They accused the two of us of being ignorant and misinformed. We explained to them that, based on our own experience, the things said in the CCTV programs were lies and propaganda. We asked them to read Zhuan Falun. When they saw that their tactics weren't working, they threatened to fire us from our jobs, to remove us from the CCP, and to prevent our children from taking college entrance exams and getting jobs. My husband and I were interrogated in separate rooms. However, we gave them the same response: "Even if we have to lose everything, we will still practice Falun Dafa because it is so good." We also proposed that "if we are not allowed to practice Falun Gong, we will quit the CCP immediately." Our supervisors left because they had nothing left to say to us.
We received notices from work, the police, the street office, and the residential office, saying that we needed to turn in all our Falun Gong books or we would be responsible for the consequences. We turned in nothing. The two of us and our children protected all of Teacher's lecture audiotapes, videos, pictures, Falun emblems, and fliers.
4. Waking up consciences and saving people
The authorities attempted to use our employers, the local police, the street office, the residential office, and our children against us by holding them responsible for our actions. They threatened them with the loss of their jobs, promotions, or other financial interest, if we went against their rules. We received pressure and interference from a lot of people. Almost every day there were people calling us, coming to check on us, and asking us to write a statement on where we stood on Falun Dafa. Even our neighbors were keeping tabs on us: who came to visit, the purpose of the visit, how many people came, and how long they stayed for. Our attitude was, no matter who came and for what purpose, as long as they came to talk to us, we would tell them with our own experience what Falun Dafa was, how wonderful it was, and how the government had made a mistake by suppressing it. Some of them did understand and said that they would practice after they retired, and some even read the books. Some people understood that the persecution was wrong. We validated the Fa wherever we were.
For many years the CCP has been defaming Falun Gong using every means available. The authorities have tortured and killed many practitioners and even sold their organs for profit. They try to cover up the facts of the persecution and lie to the rest of the world. We expose every bad thing the CCP does because this is what it fears the most.
We have been distributing Falun Dafa DVDs, books, pamphlets, fliers, and posters and have hung all kinds of banners trying to make people aware of the evil persecution. We want to stun the evil and awaken people's consciences. I remember the first time we posted flyers, I used a broom to brush homemade paste onto the walls. It was a very cold winter, and I did not want the paste to freeze, so I put the paste in a large rice bowl and then put it in a schoolbag, which I wrapped with my thick coat. When we posted the fliers, I brushed the paste on the walls, and my husband put on the fliers. We had to move very quickly, otherwise the paste would freeze and the flyers wouldn't stick. When we got home, we were covered in paste. We laughed, feeling very joyous and content.
Before, we knew nothing about computers. Thanks to the help of our children and fellow practitioners, we established a home materials site in 2003. For many years, we have printed fliers and pamphlets in our home. This work has become part of our lives and is helping Teacher to save sentient beings. Our fliers can be seen anywhere in big cities or small towns, day or night, summer or winter. We will continue to spread the good news of Falun Dafa to more people so that they may choose to have a bright future.
Everything I have done since I began the practice is what I am supposed to do. I have realized that only when I do what Teacher asks us to do well will I completely negate the old forces' arrangement and walk Teacher's path.
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