(Minghui.org) I could not calm my mind as the twentieth anniversary of Master teaching Falun Dafa drew near. I was introduced to Falun Gong by a kind person on June 18, 1996. It has been 16 years of difficulty but I continue to firmly believe in the universal Dafa. I deeply appreciate the kind person who introduced me to Dafa and deeply thank Master for bringing Dafa to sentient beings.

An Encounter That I Will Never Forget

Back in May 1996, my father had surgery for stomach cancer and my older sister and I were taking turns caring for him. Every time a nurse called us to pick up medicine, I would slowly stand up and painfully walk to the door. The nurses were surprised to see how I moved and asked, “Who is the patient anyways?” I said, “Both of us. When my father gets well then it will be my turn to have surgery.” At the time, I not only had a herniated disc, but also had severe heart disease as well as other illnesses. I said to my father, “Now I'm taking care of you, and when you get well, you can take care of me.” Later, when the doctor saw my diagnoses, he said, “You are still young. Why do you have the illnesses of an elderly person? If you have surgery for all of these, you may not be able to leave the operating table.” I was 36 at the time.

In the ward there was another lady who was taking care of her husband. She was a bit different from everyone else. All other people were only concerned with their own problems, but every day when she came in and made all the necessary arrangements for her husband, she would then clean the entire ward. We were touched by her selflessness and warmth, and we all helped her. She saw that I was in bad health and said she wanted to lend me a book. I saw that the name of the book was Zhuan Falun. I didn't know at the time what kind book it was and I was not interested in qigong so I just randomly picked out some paragraphs to read, and didn't understand why such a healthy person would practice qigong.

My father finally had his stitches taken out and was able to go home. Because the hospital refused to let me have surgery, I thought that I would at least try Falun Gong, and so I went to the park with my child to look for Falun Gong practitioners. I found the practitioners just as they were finishing their morning exercises. Some were about to take down the banners, while several elderly practitioners were still doing the sitting meditation.

The practitioners warmly answered all my questions and carefully showed me the essentials of the sitting meditation. Before then I had never sat in the lotus position, but that day I immediately achieved it and was able to hold the posture for 15 minutes. The practitioners encouraged me to value the precious opportunity to learn Dafa and continue coming to the exercise site. They also asked me to read Zhuan Falun often and reminded me that Falun Gong is a cultivation practice and “cultivation” comes before “exercise.” They also emphasized that one must cultivate the mind and one's moral values. I said to myself, “This qigong is so different!” I then understood why the kind person in the hospital practiced Falun Gong.

I Won a Big Prize

I continued to go to the park every morning to do the exercises, and whenever I had time, I also joined the nightly group Fa study. After studying the Fa, everyone talked about their shortcomings during the day and helped each other look for ways to improve. The atmosphere was peaceful and warm, and everyone was trying to be a better person every day. It was indeed a pure land. I used to think that I was a pretty good person but then realized that I was far from meeting the standards of Dafa. I then began to try hard to cultivate according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and gradually I became a Dafa practitioner.

After some time, miracles happened to my health. I used to need to rest after climbing stairs to the second floor, but after practicing Falun Gong, I was able to walk as far as I wanted without needing to rest. I later climbed Tai Mountain, Huang Mountain, and Fenghuang Mountain. Being cured not only saved me all the medical expenses, but with the heart disease and herniated discs gone, I once again was able to experience what good health felt like. Also, I used to get angry very easily but after learning the practice I became much more broadminded. It was such a happy and miraculous feeling.

I often thought about cultivation practice as winning a big prize, and even smiled about it in my dreams. I had found such a precious practice!

The 1998 Asian Sports Festival

The Falun Gong team at the opening ceremony of the 1998 Asian Sports Festival

On August 20, 1998, the opening ceremony of the 1998 Asian Sports Festival was held in Shenyang. I was part of the Falun Gong team. We wore yellow exercise outfits and demonstrated the first four sets of exercises. We also demonstrated the fifth exercise, the sitting meditation. We were all healthy and energetic and many reporters came to interview us and take photos.

The periodical China Youth Daily published an article entitled, “The Festival of Life” on August 28, 1998. The article stated,

“The Falun Gong team, formed by 1,500 Falun Gong practitioners, was very amazing. They sat in the burning sun for six hours, looking neat and dignified the entire time. After I [the reporter] went up to the practitioners to interview them, they told me of their experiences in practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Liu Juxian used to suffer from osteonecrosis of the femoral head. After being introduced to Falun Gong in the summer of 1996, she soon started to practice. After a while, her health greatly improved.

“Ms. Wang Xiaoyan was a retired doctor from Shenyang Medical University, who was in her seventies. She previously had more than ten diseases, including coronary heart disease, asthma, and emphysema. Every year, she had to be admitted to the hospital, and required daily oxygen treatments. Because of past injuries, Ms. Wang had to walk with the assistance of a cane. After she started the practice in the spring of 1996, she stopped taking medicine and became very healthy.

“Ms. Chen Guihua is 84 years old and was previously a teacher at the Shenyang Music Institute. She had coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. After she started the practice, her health improved significantly and her experience inspired many others to do the same.”

The August 28, 1998 report from China Youth Daily

You Tell Me Whether It's Worth It

In fact, out of the 1,500 Falun Gong practitioners, as well as the rest of the nearly 100 million Falun Gong practitioners, everyone has had unforgettable experiences of the benefits they received from practicing Dafa.

Just to give an example, my father was 70 years old when he had his surgery, and 4/5 of his stomach was removed. He was also required to have chemotherapy afterward. He saw the miraculous changes in my health and knew how painful the chemotherapy would be. He said, “I don't want to have chemotherapy. Falun Gong seems to be very effective, so I'll practice Falun Gong, too.” He was not able to go to the park at the time, so I taught him at home. He was gradually able to walk to the park and also gave up bad habits, including smoking and drinking. Today, he's 86 years old, and healthy and happy.

I was once someone whom the doctor worried wouldn't be able to leave the operating table alive, yet I became a completely healthy person. I participated in the opening ceremony of the Asian Sports Festival. I have also experienced 13 years of persecution by the Chinese Communist regime. Today, I am still firmly walking the path of Dafa cultivation.

I have practiced Dafa for 16 years. After the persecution started, I persisted in my belief, was sentenced to prison for three years, and also lost my job. Someone asked me, “Is it worth it?” I said, “When I was working, my salary could not even cover my medical expenses, and now Dafa has given me health. You tell me whether it's worth it. More importantly, Falun Gong teaches Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Is there anything wrong with telling people how to be good? If trying to become a better person is wrong and conducting yourself according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is wrong, then what meaning would life have?

From the Call for Submissions to Commemorate the Twentieth Anniversary of Falun Dafa’s Introduction