(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Gong in 2008. You might not believe what a depraved man I used to be before Falun Gong transformed me completely.
My Life of Crime
I was born and raised in a farming village in China. My parents are simple farm folks, but I was a notorious thug in town--no one messed with me. Even though I grew up in a farming family, I didn't tend to work in the fields. I sold counterfeit cigarettes and stolen salt and coal. I stole the fruit off people's trees, I'd do anything for money. I even had the town mayor and the local police chief sell my second-rate merchandise to schools and hospitals.
No one interfered with my business, because they knew I was a friend of the mayor and the police chief. I do not exaggerate when I say that I made 10,000 yuan a day. I committed so many crimes that I knew I could be sent to prison at any time. In short, I was a thug and a gangster.
The money came and went quickly, and before long, I spent every penny I had. My family was constantly worried sick about me. My father eventually collapsed and got sick because he knew my money was not earned by honest means. My younger brother went to jail once and he was worried that this would be my fate, too.
I stayed out late every night, drinking with my pals. My wife fought with me often about my lifestyle. I taught my son martial arts so that no one would bully him at school.
In short, I was a scoundrel.
When I Give Up My Dishonest Ways, the Police Try to Arrest Me
My wife started practicing Falun Gong in 1998 and all of her illnesses disappeared. When I witnessed her transformation, I decided to change myself and start a new life with her.
However, the Chinese communist regime banned Falun Gong the next year. The local police kept my home under surveillance for a year, constantly attempting to arrest my wife. When I saw the police, I threatened them, “If you break into my home, I will treat you as a thief and kill you!”
One day, three officers broke into my home and attempted to arrest my wife. I grabbed a knife and kicked them out. Then another group of officers came, but I was not afraid of them. I was ready to confront them with a knife although they were carrying guns. They gave up and left.
The third time the police chief came with a group of officers. I grabbed a kitchen knife and reprimanded them, “I used to do a lot of bad things, but you never arrested me. Now that I want to be a good citizen, you want to arrest me. What for? Get out of my sight!”
They were stunned and left. The next day they asked me to come to the police station, but I ignored them. They never bothered my wife and me again.
Cultivation Is Serious
I was diagnosed with pharyngitis and respiratory infections. I had treatments month after month, but nothing helped. My wife suggested that I try Falun Gong for a change. I felt much better within just a few days. I didn't know what cultivation meant, but I knew I should try to be a good person. Once I knew that Falun Gong was good from my own experience, I told people that Falun Gong was not at all what the political propaganda said it was on TV.
I ran into a friend in 2010. He told me he was diagnosed with late stage stomach cancer and he had already had two surgeries. He told me he was going to die. I recommended the practice to him, and he was interested. He stopped chemotherapy in August 2010 and decided to try practicing Falun Gong. He went through a complete transformation, got well, and gained a lot of weight back.
It was a wake-up call for me. I realized that I must be serious about my own cultivation and catch up with him. Many of his relatives started practicing Falun Gong as well.
One day, my wife and her older sister went grocery shopping together when they ran into my friend. Her sister was shocked to see him because she thought he had died of stomach cancer. Yet he was standing right before her with a healthy glow on his face!
I cannot imagine what I would have been today had it not been for Falun Gong. Falun Gong has steered me in the right direction and saved my marriage. All the dirty money I made is gone, and today I am making an honest living. My son has also changed. He used to spend all his income and even asked me for money, but he has learned to spend sensibly and even saves.
I must thank Falun Gong for everything I have today. Thank you, Teacher, for saving my life!
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