(Minghui.org) I am 67 years old and began practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. On my cultivation path, I have experienced many tribulations and difficulties.
I was a full time working mom with twins. The pressure of work and maintaining a household was too much for me to handle. My health started to decline when I was young. I suffered from liver disease, nephritis, and trigeminal neuralgia. I lost my temper a lot and felt there was no hope. To relieve my mental stress, I became a devoted Buddhist.
Dafa Brings Me Health and Joy
In 1996, an old Buddhist friend asked me if I was still going to the temple. I said I was. She said she’d stopped going and was practicing Falun Dafa, a very good Buddhist qigong. She said that all her illnesses disappeared after she started practicing it. That same day she gave me her copy of Zhuan Falun to read.
I finished it in two days. I thought the book was very good and made so much sense! Later, I was fortunate enough to have my own copy of Zhuan Falun, which I read every day. I started to do the exercises two months later. In less than two days, the symptoms of my diseases disappeared.
After a short time, Master Li Hongzhi purified my body again. Small blood spots appeared on my sweat pores from my navel to my ankles. They lasted one week. One night, when I seemed to be sleeping, I very clearly saw Master holding a liver and saying to me, “I’ve fixed your liver. Take care of it in the future.” I woke up crying. I had to go to work during the day, so Master cleansed my body at night.
I had a fever every night, but I was fine during the day; it didn’t affect my work at all. I began to have some understanding of Dafa and thought to myself, “Falun Dafa saved my life. I will follow Master to the end!”
I gathered up all the statues and Buddhist books in my house and took them to the temple.
I worked in the food processing industry. All the employees had to apply annually for a health certificate to work in the workshop. For the previous 10 years, I could not pass the exam, so I purchased fake certificates. After I started to practice, I knew that Master Li had purified my body, so I went for an exam. A week later, with anticipation and some trepidation, I went to get my results. When I was handed my own health certificate for the first time, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I held it firmly in my hand and cried all the way home.
When I showed it to my husband, he thought it was incredible and encouraged me to cultivate diligently. I knelt down in front of Master’s photo and showed him my health certificate, weeping. I didn’t know what to say!
Appealing for Dafa in Beijing
In July 1999, former Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin defamed and persecuted Falun Dafa. Many practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for justice. On November 20, 2000, I could not sleep. I thought to myself, “Falun Dafa is so good. Why does the government persecute a righteous practice?” After thinking about it all night long, I decided to go to Beijing and appeal so that they could clear Master's name.
The next day I left a letter and a divorce agreement for my husband to keep him from being implicated. I wrote, “Falun Dafa is being defamed. I am going to Beijing to tell the government how I have benefited from Dafa. My conscience does not allow me to keep silent. I don’t know what the consequences will be, but I must go. If I don’t come back for a while, please take care of our children. I believe there is nothing wrong with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” I bought 10 buns and three packages of pickles and took the train to Beijing with four fellow practitioners.
In Tiananmen Square, I met a young practitioner from the countryside who had no money left. I gave her all the money I had, which was only about 60 yuan.
It was a beautiful day. I took out the banner I had taped around my waist and shouted in my loudest voice, “Falun Dafa is good! Clear my teacher’s name! Falun Dafa is being wronged!” Tears were streaming down my face.
When two armed police officers came to arrest me, I ran in the square holding the banner as they chased after me. When they caught me, I struggled to get free, and they couldn’t do anything to stop me. Then two more armed officers came. Two of them held my legs, and two of them tried to pull my arms down. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t pull the banner away. So I was thrown into a van with my arms holding up the banner that read, “Falun Dafa is good.” The van was full of Dafa practitioners.
I was taken to the Chongwen District Detention Center. As soon as I arrived, two inmates stripped me naked and took turns pouring ice-cold water over my head. It was freezing cold in Beijing in late November, and the water should have been bone-chillingly cold. They tortured me like this for about 40 minutes, but I never felt cold. On the contrary, the two inmates were exhausted. I knew that Master was protecting me, and I thanked him in my heart.
The first time I was questioned, I was ordered to give my name and address. I didn’t give them any of my personal information, so they gave me a number: “E83.” The person who questioned me was a section chief, and another young officer took notes. The section chief asked me why I’d come to Beijing. I told him I was there to appeal for the right to practice Falun Dafa.
I told him how I benefited from the practice both physically and mentally: “After learning Falun Dafa, I became a better person, my temper improved, and I no longer fought with my husband. My kidney disease and hereditary liver disease disappeared. I haven’t taken a pill for several years. Isn’t that a good thing? Why doesn’t the government let us practice? Isn’t this a great injustice?”
I kept telling them about Falun Dafa and that it didn’t cost me a penny. I said: “There is nothing wrong with being a good person and behaving according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” The officers listened to me all morning and sometimes asked questions. I also demonstrated the exercises. From that day on, these two officers who interrogated me every day listened to me clarify the truth to them.
On day 11 of my detention, the young officer bought me a train ticket and released me. When he escorted me to the train station, he said, “Ma’am, I won’t inform your local police station about you because I believe all of you are good people.”
When I got home, I mailed him the money for the train ticket. I believed that he would be blessed because he treated Dafa practitioners well.
Practitioners Helped Me to Overcome Tribulations
Without a cultivation environment, I gradually did not study the Fa well and stopped doing the exercises every day. My thought karma became severe. Gradually, I became ill and suffered from severe memory loss. I could not find my home or even recognize anyone in my family.
At this critical moment, fellow practitioners found me. Three older practitioners came to my house and stayed with me. They studied the Fa, did the exercises, and sent righteous thoughts with me. Later on, more practitioners came and sent righteous thoughts for me. I didn’t recognize my family members at that time, but I knew my fellow practitioners. I was also able to read Zhuan Falun.
Later, a fellow practitioner took me to stay with her at her home so she could take better care of me. We studied the Fa together. Another practitioner took me to a Fa study group to be around more practitioners. At times, there were more than 20 people in the Fa study group. They studied three lectures and sent forth righteous thoughts on the hour.
After over 40 days, with Master’s protection and fellow practitioners’ help, I finally came to my senses. I moved back to my own home.
However, I could not remain diligent and suffered from severe muscle weakness afterward. I could not open my eyes, and my limbs were weak. I could not study the Fa or do the exercises. I was taken to a hospital and was diagnosed with a thymoma (a tumor of the thymus gland) in my chest.
I had an operation. After the operation, I was lying alone in the ICU, and I couldn’t put into words how I felt. I knew all this happened because I had slacked off in cultivation. I regretted it very much, and I begged Master in my heart to save me. I wanted to study the Fa and do the exercises. I felt helpless, lonely, and a little scared. I thought to myself, “How wonderful it would be if Master’s Fashen (law body) could come to me.” So I called out to Master in my heart.
A miracle happened! I saw Master’s Fashen come and sit on the chair at the end of my bed, and it was real. I felt so warm, and I fell asleep under Master’s care. I was so happy!
Shortly after I was discharged from the hospital, I did the exercises every morning and set up a Fa study group in my home. I wanted to make up for time wasted, so I clarified the truth to everyone I met.
I have a close family member who is also a fellow practitioner, and we studied the Fa together every Sunday. She was very diligent and did the three things very well. However, when we shared our experiences, I knew she had resentment in her heart. To my surprise, the old forces took advantage of her loophole and took her life all of a sudden one day. I felt very sad.
One night, I dreamed of a deep and far away dimension. The gate there was completely different from how a gate on earth looks. Suddenly a little elephant came out of the entrance. It was shining with golden light. Then Master’s voice said it was my family member’s personal mountain.
The scene faded away before my eyes. I woke up. I knew Master was encouraging me. I had slacked off and failed to improve again and again, but Master was always protecting me. Master was so compassionate! I must not let Master down. Now I take every moment to study the Fa, do the exercises, and clarify the truth. I am trying my best to do the three things well.
I appreciate my fellow practitioners’ help. Without their encouragement, I would not have had the determination to face my tribulations. I am infinitely thankful to Master, who never gave up on me. I will be a diligent and qualified Falun Dafa disciple and follow Master to return to my true home!
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