(Minghui.org) My 90-year-old mother lives with my older brother, and my younger brother and I live in another province. My mother fell one night last April. My older brother found this out the next morning, had his son carry her downstairs from the 7th floor, and took her to a hospital.
After looking at the X-rays, the doctor recommended surgery, to circumvent serious consequences. She could be paralyzed, and need a wheelchair to get around. Due to her advanced age, the doctor let the family make the final decision.
I asked my younger bother to book a flight so that I could see my mother.
My younger brother called me later, and said that his wife consulted with a former classmate who was a doctor at the provincial city hospital. After looking at a copy of the film, the friend suggested surgery, since it was a fracture of the femoral neck. Given her age however, he said she may or may not recover. But without the surgery, she would not be able to walk.
My younger brother was worried about the risk of the surgery. I said that we should hold off on making any decision until I looked at mother’s condition.
Illiterate Mother Learns to Read Zhuan Falun
My parents, older brother, sister, a nephew, and myself are Falun Dafa practitioners. I began to practice in 1997, and my mother a year later. She recalls many incredible experiences in her twenty years of practicing Dafa.
My mother became a practitioner when she was almost 70-years-old. She had a hard life, and never went to school, so she was illiterate.
She listened to Master’s (the founder of Falun Dafa) lectures, and did the exercises. She was envious of us for being able to read Dafa books. I told her that many practitioners who were also illiterate, were eventually able to read Zhuan Falun. I asked her to give it a try.
She started to learn and memorize, word by word, then sentence by sentence. She asked for our help when needed, and never gave up on it, regardless of others’ attitudes.
My mother worked on learning and remembering, day and night, and often figured out how to pronounce certain words during the sitting meditation. When there was no one around to help her, Master showed her how to pronounce a particular word by sending messages to her mind.
Master helped her because of her wish to cultivate. She was gradually able to read Zhuan Falun, although very slowly at first.
My mother lived with me for some time about seven years ago. I noticed that she pronounced some of the words incorrectly, so I sorted them out, and wrote down the correct pronunciation. My younger brother printed them out, and my mother memorized them. Once she remembered the proper pronunciations, she compared them with the ones in Zhuan Falun, and memorized the entire sentence.
Her reading speed eventually increased, and she was able to read the entire sentence. My sister-in-law joked, “You look like you are preparing for college.”
Helping my mother to read gave me an opportunity to eliminate my attachments to impatience and irritability.
My mother’s hair was completely gray before the practice. Eighty percent of her hair turned black and the varicose veins disappeared after she learned the practice. She has not seen a doctor or taken any medication for the past twenty years.
Recovery without Surgery
I flew home three days later.
My mother couldn’t get out of bed, and couldn’t sit up without help. She had a bad cough, was wearing a disposable diaper, and was in a poor mental state.
I talked to her and asked, “Who do you listen to?” She did not know the answer.
“Who are you? Are you a Dafa practitioner? Who should practitioners listen to?” I continued. She suddenly realized something and said firmly, “I listen to Master’s words.”
I mentioned the story that Master recounted in Zhuan Falun about an elderly woman who was dragged by a car for more than ten meters, and fell, but wasn’t hurt.
“We have said that good or evil comes from a person’s spontaneous thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
I told my mother that she could wear a disposable diaper to catch urine, but my sister and I would take her to the restroom for bowel movements.
My younger brother and brother-in-law reminded us to not let mother get out of bed or allow leg movements too soon, and let her rest in bed. My nephew’s wife was worried too. She said her grandfather had a similar injury, did not undergo surgery, became paralyzed, and died a year later.
I was anxious when I saw my mother’s condition, but I knew she was going through a difficult time. And because of her age, I needed to help her overcome the tribulation with righteous thoughts.
Although mother treated herself as a patient, and wanted us to take care of her, she did not forget to study Master's teachings. She sat in bed and read the book every day, and washed her hands before studying, out of respect for Dafa and Master. She studied two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.
My mother stopped coughing, and did not need disposable diapers after ten days. I told her that reading the book was not enough, and that a practitioner should also do the exercises.
She could not bend her right knee at the time, and could not stand up. Her leg had to be straight, and could not bear any weight.
Although she was diligent in studying, she did not want to move around, let alone do the exercises. She wanted to nurse her injury since the leg hurt whenever she moved.
I talked to her patiently, “We cannot treat ourselves as ordinary people. We are practitioners, so shouldn’t we improve our xinxing? The five sets of exercises cannot be skipped. If you have a hard time bending the knee, then cross your legs loosely when you meditate. You can try crossing one leg later, even if it hurts.”
My mother sat on the bed and meditated. I asked her a few days later if she could get out of the bed to do the exercises. “I can’t even stand. How can I do the exercises?” she replied.
I encouraged her and reminded her that Master was with us, so she should not worry. She said, “Okay, I will do the exercises!”
“Why don’t you lean against the door,” I said. “And I’ll hold you from the front. Stand for as long as you can.” She put her arms around my neck, and I held her around her waist. I carried her to the doorway, closed the door, and had her lean her back against the door.
She could not stand still because her legs were still weak, so she propped her entire body against the door, and did the second exercise. Her body started shaking uncontrollably, and she was soaked in sweat within three minutes.
The next morning she continued to read the book. I asked if she wanted to do the exercises after lunch. She looked terrified, so I reminded her of Master’s words:
“When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
“I’ll do the exercises!” she said. Her body shook, and she sweat profusely after practicing the second exercise for six minutes.
I encouraged her to increase the exercise time 3 days later, and she did the 2nd exercise for 16 minutes.
I asked 10 days later, “Since you can do the second exercise, how about the 3rd exercise? You can try leaning against the door.” And she did it!
It was easier said than done for an injured 90-year-old. But my mother was very diligent in reading Zhuan Falun, and thus had strong faith in Master and Dafa.
She did the exercises every day. Her body shook and she was drenched in sweat each time. It was a process of breaking through humanness, and a test of faith.
Although she practiced the exercises by leaning against the wall, she dared not stand on her own or walk. Her legs were weak, and she was afraid of falling. But she continued to read the book. Her fear gradually diminished, and her righteous thoughts and confidence grew stronger.
I encouraged her a month later to do the exercises without leaning against the wall. That was a big challenge, for she had to let go of fear and human notions.
At first, it was a matter of persevering for a few minutes. She did one exercise at a time, took a break, then did the next exercise. Each exercise was accompanied by shakes and sweats, but her faith carried her along.
My mother made a breakthrough every few days, and her condition kept improving. It was truly like what Master said, “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
Her cultivation level increased bit by bit, she was able to sit in full-lotus position to meditate, and do the other exercises standing.
One hundred days later, she let go of fear, and walked 6 meters after 100 days. As her steps became more stable, she was able to go up and down the stairs.
Falun Dafa is truly amazing! In the absence of surgery and medication, a 90-year-old who was seriously injured was able to stand up and walk. All it took was faith in Master and Dafa, perseverance in reading Zhuan Falun, and doing things according to the requirements set forth for practitioners.
After seeing the wonders of Dafa and how my mother overcame the tribulation, my younger brother, my older brother’s wife, and my nephew’s wife began to practice too. Because of my mother’s experience, my 90-year-old father, brother (almost 70), and sister (in her 60s) have gained more faith in Dafa. My family is truly blessed!
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