(Minghui.org) I'm 69 years old and obtained the Fa in 1997. After 15 years of cultivation, I now understand that enlightenment and suffering are crucial for us to improve ourselves. I feel very regretful when I can't get over a tribulation, and when I'm able to pass a test, I feel very happy. I would like to share my experience of successfully getting over some tribulations to encourage fellow practitioners.
Eliminating Attachments
In 2006, I compromised with the evil while being held in a brainwashing center. I was then released. Nevertheless, I said that I'd continue to practice Falun Dafa. After I was released, my health was poor and my body felt very uncomfortable. Every night my heart, chest and back were in extreme pain, as though something was moving under my skin. I believe in Master and Dafa. Whenever I began experiencing these pains, I would sit up and read Zhuan Falun for two to three hours. Soon the pain disappeared, and I felt very energetic and no longer sleepy.
In the daytime, I tried hard to do the three things well and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate any wicked beings that interfered with me. I also looked inward and found that I was not compassionate enough to save people. Therefore, I spent more time clarifying the truth to people. Besides handing out informational booklets about Falun Dafa to people, I also mailed letters and made phone calls to officials. I often used money with truth-clarifying messages written on it. As I continued to tell people the facts about Dafa and give them booklets, the pain stopped.
In April 2010, Master gave me a hint through my son, who told me, “Stop looking for a job for me. From now on, stay out of my affairs.” My wife had been complaining that it was my fault that our son was still unemployed. She was unhappy and said that I spent most of my time practicing cultivation, instead of looking for a job for him. In fact, that wasn't the reason for my son's unemployment; everyone has their own fate.
To satisfy my wife, I'd started to help my son look for a job. Thus, I'd spent a lot of time reading employment ads. When my son told me to stop helping him, I eliminated my attachment. As a result, my body was cleansed.
Believing in Master and Dafa Helps Me Pass a Life-and-Death Test
For a while, it felt like there was a rock in my stomach, and I couldn't eat or drink. If I forced myself to eat or drink a little, I'd throw up a few hours later. I also wasn't able to defecate or urinate. When my wife realized this, she insisted that I go to a hospital. I told her that I was fine because I was a practitioner, and that Master was purifying my body.
After a few days, I became very thin, yet I felt very energetic. I felt like I was floating while walking. When sending forth righteous thoughts, I felt a very strong power and as though my body was a giant pillar. I felt very comfortable.
One morning, a friend came over and while we were talking, he said, “My entire body is tingling just standing next to you!” A while later, he shouted, “My leg stopped aching! Indeed, Falun Dafa is such a good practice!” I asked him why he had pain in his leg, and he showed me the scanned image that revealed a tumor; he said it had been very painful.
After this experience, he said he believed in Falun Dafa and agreed to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. He also read Zhuan Falun.
My wife cried when she saw that I had become so thin. She said, “Our son hasn't even married yet, but you're already in such poor health.” She contacted several of our relatives and asked them to persuade me to go to a hospital. Trying to convince me that I needed to go, they told me that one man who had liver ascites refused to go to a hospital and died.
I replied, “That person didn't listen to Master. He did not study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts. He was not a true practitioner, so when it was time for him to die, he died. My heart used to ache. But it stopped when I studied the Fa for two hours. I didn't have any illness and felt very energetic. A friend told me his entire body tingled just standing next to me, and his leg stopped aching. It was very magical. If you send me to a hospital, you'd be wasting your money.”
In the end, I didn't go to a hospital. Instead, I spent two to three hours studying the Fa every night. During the day, I went out to distribute booklets and tell people about Falun Dafa. I also made phone calls to clarify the truth.
Twenty days later, I was able to eat and drink again. I was completely fine. When I went to my brother's home, my sister-in-law was very surprised: “You look great! Why did they say that you're very sick?”
Master said in Zhuan Falun:
“So to put it another way, you have to care about character cultivation, cultivate by the nature of the universe—to be True, Good, and Endure—and get rid of those ordinary people’s desires, those character flaws, and those thoughts about doing bad things. As long as your level of awareness goes up even just a little bit, those bad things of yours are shed some at the same time. And along with this, you have to experience a little hardship, go through some hard times, and eliminate some of your karma, and then you can raise your level a bit, meaning, the universe’s nature won’t have as big a restriction on you. The cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master. The master gives you a gong that increases your gong, that gong takes effect, and outside your body it can take your virtue, which is material, and evolve it into gong.”
Through this test, my xinxing was improved and karma was eliminated. Master increased my gong and my level was upgraded.
Walking Out of Brainwashing Center with the Power of Righteous Thoughts
Earlier this year, 610 Office personnel took me to a brainwashing center. As soon as I got there, I told them, “Falun Dafa has given me a new life. If it hadn't been for Falun Dafa, I would've died from heart disease and stomach cancer. Whenever I felt uncomfortable, I recovered after studying Zhuan Falun for two to three hours. It was very magical. Now that you've brought me here, I'll continue studying the Fa and doing the exercises.” Only one person said something bad about Dafa and Master.
When they asked me if I had any requests, I said that I must study the Fa and do Dafa exercises. I refused to answer any other questions, except to tell them the facts about Dafa. I sent forth righteous thoughts.
One person who refused to listen said that I practiced Falun Dafa because I wanted to be healed. I replied, “You're wrong. I will continue to practice cultivation and will do it all the way to the end.” He called me some bad names and left.
A few other people were sent to talk to me. After I told them about the wonders of Dafa, they didn't say a word. I continued to send forth righteous thoughts and recited “Lunyu,” as well as the following four poems:
“In life, nothing sought,
In death, regretting naught;
Washing away all wrong thought,
Buddhahood, with less
adversity, is wrought.”
(“Nothing Kept,” Hong Yin)
“Dafa is what you carry everywhere,
Zhen Shan Ren, rooted in the mind;
A great Arhat walks the earth,
Gods and demons fear with awe.”
(“Benevolent Might,” Hong Yin)
“A Great Enlightened One fears no hardship
Having forged an adamantine will
Free of attachment to living or dying
He walks the path of Fa-rectification
confident and poised”
(“Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions,” Hong Yin, Vol. II)
“Imprisoned as you are,
don’t be sorrowful or sad
Carry on with righteous thoughts and actions,
and the Fa is with you
Calmly reflect on the attachments you have
Remove your human thoughts
and evil will naturally die out”
(“Don’t Be Sad,” Hong Yin, Vol. II)
After dinner, officer Wu came to “talk” to me. I said, “Please don't waste your time.” He left dejectedly.
A while later, another person from the 610 Office came to pressure me to give up my faith. He told me his name and position. I said, “By bringing me here, you've broken the law. What you're doing is illegal. Falun Dafa gave me a new life. How could I not practice?”
He tried to convince me to give it up. He said he believed in atheism and that his name was on the list of evildoers who persecute practitioners. I replied, “You believe in atheism, but I believe in the existence of gods. We really don't have anything in common!” He immediately left.
Then Wu came in again and began talking about Buddhism. I tried to tell him about Falun Dafa, but he refused to listen. I said, “I am not interested in Buddhism, and I don't wish to talk about it.” When he continued talking, I stopped him and said, “We have the freedom of religion. You can believe in whatever you want. I have my own faith, and I don't wish to listen to you.” He started to say something bad about Falun Dafa and then said, “You cannot practice Falun Dafa because the CCP doesn't allow you to.”
I replied, “Let me recite a poem for you,” and recited the following:
“In life, nothing sought,
In death, regretting naught;
Washing away all wrong thought,
Buddhahood, with less
adversity, is wrought.”
(“Nothing Kept,” Hong Yin)
He said he didn't know what it meant, so I shared my own understanding. Then he left dejectedly.
Afterward, no one tried to persuade me to stop practicing Falun Dafa. I did the five sets of exercises every night. I refused to watch the wicked Party's slander on television, but instead kept reciting the Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts.
On the third day, it was said that provincial officials were coming to visit. When they came to me, I said, “Falun Dafa is good. Falun Dafa has given me a new life. My illnesses disappeared after I studied Zhuan Falun for two to three hours.” One official held out his hand, but I refused to shake hands with him. He waited for a long time, but I still refused to take his hand. Then he left.
On the fourth day, the 610 Office director told me, “You can do the exercises. But you cannot post or hand out anything. When officials want to talk to you, you have to speak to them.” I didn't listen to him.
On the fifth day, a city official wanted to talk to me. I told him the facts about Falun Dafa and how Jiang Zemin (former head of the CCP) had launched the persecution out of jealousy, even though many other Party officials had not agreed. I also told him that Bo Xilai (high-ranking CCP official accused of corruption) was recently punished because he had been actively involved in the persecution. I said it's true that Heaven will disintegrate the CCP. He said that he didn't believe it.
In the end, he said, “You can return home after one to two days. I will ask someone to send you home.”
Then it was said that some provincial officials would come to visit, so they held me for two more days. This time, there were more people than the last time. They took photos of me, but I refused to cooperate and turned away from them. Then I started to loudly tell them the facts about Dafa.
After they left, a stubborn person from the 610 Office said, “You can't return home. An 'expert' will come to 'transform' you tomorrow.” I refused to accept their arrangements. I constantly recited the four poems and “Lunyu.” I also sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate all wicked beings that controlled them to persecute Dafa practitioners.
As a result, I was released and returned home.
During the nine days that I was held in the brainwashing center, I did the exercises, recited the Fa, sent forth righteous thoughts and clarified the truth every day. Since then, no one has tried to “transform” me, and no one has tried to make me write any statements to renounce my faith.
Master said:
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughts
Master has the power to turn back the tide”
(“The Master-Disciple Bond,” Hong Yin, Vol. II)
While I was in the brainwashing center, I had a dream. In the dream, I flew up into the sky to a height that I had never reached before. It was wonderful! After I returned home, fellow practitioners said that I looked great. I felt more comfortable than ever before.
Please point out anything inappropriate.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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