(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
On May 13, 1992, Master Li started the first Falun Dafa teaching session at the Changchun No. 5 Middle School. I was one of the students then and I have since been practicing Falun Dafa for over 28 years. At that time, there were fewer than 200 attendees in the lecture hall of that school. Now, Falun Dafa has spread to over 100 countries with millions of people benefiting from the practice.
I remember Master said in that session, “Here you came. This is the first session and it is a great opportunity. What I give you is something you cannot obtain even after years of practice [on your own].”
Yes, we came for the Fa and we came for the sentient beings. In the past 28 years, I have followed Master rain or shine. I have witnessed the compassion of Master and the profoundness of Dafa.
Below are some of my experiences.
Overcoming Tribulations
I am 82 and my husband is 84. We have two sons and one daughter. Before practicing Falun Dafa, I was often hospitalized due to over a dozen illnesses. Less than 6 months after I became a Falun Dafa practitioner, all my symptoms disappeared.
The worst symptom I had was rheumatoid arthritis. My legs were curved and I had taken all kinds of medicines. My case was so special that the hospital had to specifically save medicines for me. My legs underwent surgeries and had basically no feeling. I had also been to Xingcheng Sanatorium in Liaoning Province for recovery. But that did not help. It wasn't until I started to learn Falun Dafa that Master gave me good health in a short time.
I also had a couple of physical tribulations. Every time I would have fever, purple blisters would appear on my legs. One day I had fever again, but I still attended an event at Changchun Culture Square to promote Falun Dafa. Upon returning home, my fever was gone and blisters also disappeared. I knew the karma on my legs had been eliminated. Gradually I regained feeling in my legs and I was able to walk normally. I finally came to enjoy an illness-free life.
When I first did the sitting meditation, my mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts. Master helped me clean them out and slowly I was able to become calm. The random thoughts in my mind stopped and I could reach deep tranquility. My body was also able to levitate. It was a magnificent experience just like what Master described in Zhuan Falun.
After the persecution started in 1999, I had a big tribulation which I knew was not merely eliminating karma; rather it was an arrangement by the old forces to take my life. So I was clear on that. It was 2014 and I planned to go to a shopping mall to talk to people about Falun Dafa. But I fell right after walking out the door. On the following day, I could not get up and stayed in bed for over 20 days. I had to crawl to the bathroom and I cried a lot due to the pain.
My children insisted on a medical examination and I was diagnosed with having spinal disc herniation. Hospitalization was recommended. Knowing myself to be a practitioner, I knew I would be fine and returned home.
In 2015, many practitioners submitted criminal complaints against former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin for persecuting Falun Dafa. I did not fully recover yet at the time, but I decided to join the effort anyway. After placing several pillows in the bed, I sat in the middle to write the complaint. I could only write a few lines each time. But I continued and finished it in the end.
As a practitioner, I know the importance of doing Falun Dafa exercises. But I could barely stand at that time. Nonetheless, I leaned against the wall and could do the exercises for a few minutes at a time. As time went by, I could do the exercises longer every time. Later on, whenever I leaned against the wall, my limbs would cramp with discomfort, and I knew it was time for me to stop using the wall as a support. After a few months, I could do one hour of exercises. Right now, my back is straight and I am totally healthy. I am happy to go out again telling people the facts of Dafa and clarifying the defamatory propaganda from the CCP.
I have faith in Master and Dafa. As long as we do things as genuine practitioners, the situation will improve and we can overcome difficulties.
Appealing at Tiananmen Square
When persecution started in July 1999, I was really saddened: Dafa is so good and Master is good. A large number of people have regained health and found happiness. Why did the officials not allow us to be better citizens? So I went to the provincial government appealing for Dafa.
Some other practitioners also went there and the police took us to a stadium. There were so many of us from across Jilin Province. Lots of practitioners also saw Falun rotating in the sky. We knew Master was encouraging us since we had done the right thing.
The suppression continued and it got worse. I knew Dafa was wronged and decided to go to Beijing to appeal. Several practitioners and I went together in September 1999. After getting there, we did not find local practitioners on the first day and, without our ID cards, we could not stay in the hotel either (we did not carry ID cards to avoid being identified and retaliated against by local officials). So we ended up staying next to a flower bed in a park. It was already cold in Beijing at the time. But we were very warm and everyone slept well. We knew Master helped us and we were very thankful.
On the second day, we got in touch with a Beijing practitioner who took us to a quadrangle courtyard-style residence in the suburb. We walked over 10 miles to get there. We were all sweaty with clothes soaked and feet with blisters.
Over 130 practitioners lived in that place and it was very crowded. As a result, about 5 or 6 days later, we moved to a different place. The owner of the first residence we stayed bade a farewell to us as if we were one family. He walked with us for a long distance as we left and said, “Please feel free to come back at any time.” We were all moved to tears.
Master said, “Dafa disciples are one.” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in the Midwest-U.S.) In the past, I did not understand this very well. Now I came to see that all practitioners were thinking the same thing and having the same goal.
We stayed at the new place for 22 days. There were practitioners from all over China and we went to appeal to different places every day, including at the Tiananmen Square. In the end, the police arrested us and took us back to Changchun. My son saw me handcuffed at the train station in Changchun and cried. I assured him and said, “I always told you to be a good person and do good deeds. Falun Dafa is innocent, and one day you will be proud of your mother.”
I was taken to Balibao Detention Center from the train station. After one week, I was transferred to the local street committee and held there for another week. I refused to give up my belief and since then officials often came to my residence to harass me. The director at the Organization Department of Nanguan District said to me, “You have to choose between the CCP and Falun Dafa.” So I submitted an application to renounce my CCP membership.
The harassment got worse later on, but I knew my path. Four practitioners and I went to Beijing again. To avoid interception by police, we changed transportation several times. Four of us divided into two teams and we had the banners ready. But the areas near Tiananmen Square were all guarded by police and we did not have a chance to unfold the banners. In the end, I put a banner near a subway station entrance. Many people came up to watch and I also mingled myself with the crowd. Police officers came, but they could not find out who did it. So we left there safely.
Later on, I heard a song composed by a Dafa practitioner with a title of “Tiananmen Square, Please Tell Me”:
Tiananmen Square, please tell me, how many disciples have been here for Dafa?Clouds high in the above have seen all,their peace and compassion amid the harsh persecution. Kind-hearted people are shedding tears for them, as upright voices are telling their stories. To clarify facts on behalf of you and me, they have been tortured tremendously.
Tiananmen Square, please tell me, how many banners were put up high above the head?Breezes and winds have clearly heard all,the voices of “Falun Dafa is good” are still echoing in the air. Kind-hearted people are shedding tears for them, and upright voices are telling their stories. For you and me, and all Chinese people,they came and gone, and nowhere can they be found.For you and me, and all Chinese people,they have lost their lives, only their voices are still heard in the wind.
Whenever I heard that song, I would be in tears. So many practitioners have sacrificed so much to validate the Fa and it is truly remarkable.
Saving People
To help more people learn the facts of Dafa and break away from the CCP lies, I have been to many places including big cities, small towns, and tiny villages. I talked about the wonderfulness of Dafa, the compassion of Master, and the viciousness of the CCP. I distributed materials and talked with people wherever I went. When running out of materials, I would write materials myself.
One day at a shopping center, I met a middle-aged woman. I told her how Dafa practitioners were being mistreated for striving to be better citizens, and why one should separate oneself from the CCP for a better future. She agreed with me and decided to quit the CCP organizations. I also gave her an amulet. She was very touched and wanted to give me her diamond ring on her finger as a token of appreciation. “Please do not thank me or give me anything,” I replied, “Our teacher, Mr. Li Hongzhi, taught us to do so. You can thank him.”
One time I ran into a farmer in the shopping mall. I told him about Falun Dafa, the persecution, and quitting the CCP organizations. He had joined the CCP’s Young Pioneer at a young age and asked me to help him renounce the membership. A shopping mall security officer heard our conversation and threatened to report me to the police. I had no fear at all and politely asked him to leave me alone. Surprised by my calmness and upright manner, he walked away.
Once on a snowy day in early winter, the wind was strong and several of us decided to go out anyway. Although it was cold outdoors, I was able to help three people quit the CCP organizations at the bus station. One of them was from another city and he carried two big bags with him. I helped him get things organized and got on the bus with him. As he thanked me, I briefly chatted with him about Dafa. He was happy and accepted the materials from me.
There were many times when I encountered police officers including plainclothes agents, but I was not afraid. One day I went out to distribute DVDs with another practitioner. While waiting at the bus station, I saw a middle-aged man and chatted with him.
He put the DVD I gave him in his pocket and said, “Do you know what I do?”
“I guess you are a police officer,” I replied, “But many police officers are also good people and willing to help others. You know, blindly following Jiang’s policy to persecute innocent people won’t do you or me any good. Right?”
His attitude softened and I continued talking with him. I said that without the persecution, many more people would have benefited from the practice like me with good health and a happy family.
In the end he was moved and said, “I know, and I won’t do silly things arresting practitioners anymore. It is so cold today and please take care of yourself.”
One day in the summer, a group of people were buying roasted corn on the cob from a street vendor. I also came up and talked to a woman about quitting the CCP. I shared with the woman how I benefited from Dafa and what harm the persecution has done to practitioners and the society in general.
It turned out her husband was a prison director and herself was a manager in the prison. She agreed to quit the CCP and said she would no longer mistreat practitioners. She lived close to me and whenever we met after that, she would greet me and treat me like her sister.
The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are important for everyone. With so many people brainwashed and misled by the CCP, I know there is a long way for me to go.
Protection from Master
Looking back at my cultivation journey, I am always grateful for the help from Master.
When I was arrested in Beijing one time, I had a Dafa book with me. Seeing the police officers body searching practitioners one by one, I was worried that the book might be confiscated. I then noticed a needle and thread near the window, so I sewed the book to the inside of my coat, and the police did not find it. After being sent back to Changchun, I met my son at the train station and gave the book to him.
Right before the 2002 Chinese New Year, one neighbor came to me saying Qiuyan, another practitioner living in a building next to ours, had just been arrested by police. Although this neighbor was not a practitioner, she specifically came to alert me about this. I thanked her and was able to escape right before the police came to my place.
After that I went to my son’s place. About three weeks later on March 5, I saw from television the videos practitioners played by intercepting cable signals. This incident shocked CCP officials and they escalated the persecution in Changchun with about 5,000 practitioners arrested.
Later on I moved to anther place. One day when going to a material production site to pick up printed pamphlets, I ran into police as I left there. I heard later that the police ransacked the site and detained several practitioners for over a year. Had I left there one or two minutes later, I would have been arrested, too.
After the persecution started in 1999, many practitioners hoped to have a place for group Fa-study. I started such a group in my home in 2003. My neighbors knew many practitioners were visiting me, but none of them reported me to police.
Master said, “And in the course of all this, just by being problem-free you have dealt the evil its greatest blow.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Fa Conference Marking the Tenth Anniversary of Minghui’s Founding”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. X) I am very grateful to Master for his help through these years.
Entire Family Blessed
In my family, not only I have benefited from Dafa, my family members have also been blessed for their support during the brutal persecution.
My daughter had surgery due to pituitary tumor. The doctor said her chance of getting pregnant was only 2%. In August 1992, my entire family, including my daughter, attended Master’s third teaching session. By that time, my daughter had been married for 8 years and she had no child yet.
About one month later, in a dream she saw a bird flying into her. She later became pregnant. When I went to Master’s 7th teaching session in spring 1994, I saw a girl from heaven come down and sit on my lap. As I arrived home by noon, I was told my daughter just had a baby girl. Everyone was so happy as we knew Master had blessed us with the girl.
Everyone in my family, now spanning four generations, supports my practice and respects Master. From time to time, they also share with others how great Falun Dafa is. My husband never complains when fellow practitioners come to our home for group Fa-study. My daughter always stands up to defend Dafa whenever she hears anyone slander the practice. Her daughter and her brothers' daughters all know Falun Dafa is good and they have been blessed too. One of my granddaughters landed a coveted position at a bank which had nearly 200 applicants.
I've felt a stronger energy field in recent years as the Fa-rectification progresses. I often see a giant Falun spinning on the ceiling as I do the exercises.
I owe it to Master to be able to come this far after 28 years of cultivation. Master has done so much for me and other practitioners, but we are far from meeting Master's requirements yet.
Master said,
“You have already made it through the hardest part of your cultivation, so walk well the final leg of your journey, and cherish the path that you have covered! It hasn't been easy, and you have made it through unprecedented ordeals. You need to treasure that.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VIII)
I will do better on the remaining cultivation journey and return with Master.
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