(Minghui.org) I am a 64-year-old, barely literate farmer named Lan. Falun Dafa saved my life and brought my family closer. Even my husband eventually became a Dafa practitioner.
I was born in the countryside. As the youngest in my family, I was showered with love by my parents. My husband also loved me dearly. However, no matter how hard I tried, my mother-in-law stubbornly refused to accept my presence in her life, slandering my name throughout the village. Having only heard praise since youth, it was a shock to encounter such criticism. An introvert and timid person by nature, I could only bottle up my feelings of anger.
There is a saying, “Hate will harm your body.” Before long I started suffering frequent and prolonged periods of menstrual bleeding and episodes of high fever alternating with extreme chills. My symptoms worsened after my son was born. I started wearing thick cotton jackets in summer, despite the extreme heat.
My mother-in-law had no sympathy for my declining health. Not only did she refuse to help care for our child, she even sneered at us. Instead, our neighbors took pity on us and took turns to help care for our child.
Once, I was bleeding so badly I could only lie in bed. My husband had no choice but to take our young son to the cornfields. When they returned, I noticed my child’s face had been badly scratched by the corn plants and my distress grew. Seeing my exhausted husband and hurt son, my hatred for my mother-in-law grew even more and probably caused my illness to worsen.
Later, we moved to a nearby town and I started earnestly consulting both Western and Chinese medicine doctors. However, my symptoms did not improve. In one instance, a Western medicine doctor gave me sixty streptomycin antibiotic injections continuously, in an attempt to alleviate my fever and inflammation. However, this extreme treatment method did nothing to alleviate my symptoms.
In another instance, a Chinese medicine hospital prescribed fifty doses of herbal soup, and advised me to finish the entire course in order to cure my frequent menstrual bleeding. Each day, my husband diligently brewed the herbs and prepared five large bowls of medicine. Before long I grew so sick of drinking this medicine that I spent many torturous hours trying to force it down my throat. Though I managed to hang on until the end of the prescribed fifty doses, my illness again showed no sign of improvement.
Eventually, I stopped believing in Western and Chinese medicine. By then my lips had turned purple and my face frighteningly pale. My heartbeat became irregular and I suffered from chronic exhaustion due to lack of blood. I was barely able to stand, much less do household chores and take care of my child. This duty fell to my exhausted husband, who would rush home daily after work to cook, clean and take care of our child. Instead of voicing appreciation for his efforts, I frequently vented the frustration and anger I felt due to my illness on him. Over time, the depressive atmosphere grew and a dark cloud settled over our home.
In March 1997, my sister-in-law visited and advised me to learn a qigong called Falun Dafa in order to cure my illness. Some visitors from the city had come to our town in order to hold classes. Having given up all hope of finding a cure, I was not keen to attend. However, because of our close relationship, I finally gave in to her persuasion.
Although I failed to master the exercise movements during the first day of lessons, I continued attending the subsequent classes as I had nothing else better to do. By the end of the entire series of classes, I had yet to master the full set of exercise movements or figure out the entire scope of this practice. Thereafter, I learned the rest of the exercise movements from my neighbors and practiced with them daily.
After practicing the exercise movements for over twenty days, an acquaintance at the practice site asked me to accompany her to the city to obtain Dafa books. I immediately declined, as I suffered from severe motion sickness. Even short car rides caused severe dizziness, nausea and vomiting. However the acquaintance persuaded me to change my mind and said, “This practice can heal illness and keep you fit. Just go. Everything will be fine.” The bus was so packed I was unable to find a seat. Though I was forced to stand for the entire duration of the forty-kilometer journey, I felt neither motion sickness nor exhaustion. At the end of the day, I reached home still full of energy! This experience proved beyond a doubt that the practice was working!
Before long I found myself completely restored to good health! My husband and I could hardly believe our good fortune.
Convinced of the healing powers of Falun Dafa, I began to treat cultivation practice seriously. I quickly found a copy of the book Zhuan Falun and started reading. However because I attended less than two years of school, I was unable to recognize many of the words inside. My husband, who received a more extensive education than me, was able to breeze through the book quickly. He told me, “This is a good book. It can heal illnesses and moreover teaches you how to be a good person. I fully support your choice to cultivate.” In this way, I officially became a Falun Dafa practitioner.
I spent my days studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. Whenever I encountered an unfamiliar character, I would ask my husband or child for the meaning and pronunciation. I also copied these difficult characters onto pieces of paper and wrote similar sounding words from my limited vocabulary beside it. I stuck these paper notes on the walls, bed and tabletop counters of our home, memorizing them whenever I passed by.
As I continued to cultivate, I began to recognize the greatness of Dafa. I began to understand the importance of cultivating according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. My heart gradually opened and my resentment towards my mother-in-law faded. My improved health and stamina allowed me to take over the household chores. My fiery temper and depression disappeared and my outlook became more cheerful. My husband was overjoyed to see this change and remarked, "Falun Dafa has resolved all three of my greatest worries. Firstly, I no longer need to worry about leaving you alone at home while I head out to work. Secondly, I no longer need to do any more housework. Thirdly, I no longer need to pay for your medical bills. I too have benefited from your practice.”
After becoming a Falun Dafa practitioner, I tried persuading my husband to practice with me. He turned down my numerous attempts telling me, “Just focus on your practice. You will always have my firm support.” On reflection, perhaps the largest stumbling block was his chronic smoking habit. My husband knew that Dafa practitioners did not smoke and drink. However, his smoking addiction was so bad he was hardly able to live without it.
Then five years ago, he had a serious financial and emotional dispute with a close friend and business partner. This incident was a strong blow to his psyche and in the midst of this, he started reading Zhuan Falun in an attempt to alleviate his depression.
This time, he was able to see the deeper meanings behind the text. My husband eventually realized that Falun Dafa is a cultivation practice which allows practitioners to elevate in levels and return to their heavenly paradise. With this understanding, he was determined not to miss the opportunity to cultivate. Towards the end of April 2014, he made his decision and became a Falun Dafa practitioner.
A few days after my husband started practicing Dafa, he found himself unable to stand the smell and taste of cigarettes and immediately stopped smoking altogether. The speed at which he was able to quit astounded him and further raised his regard of Dafa’s powers. Now my husband is a changed man, happy, carefree and kind.