(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998 at the age of 46. At that time, I suffered from multiple diseases, especially lumbar disc herniation, which compressed the sciatic nerve and caused severe pain in my hip and leg. I did not have surgery in the hospital for fear that I might be paralyzed if the operation failed. My body always leaned to the left side, and I had a hard time standing, sitting, or lying down. I thus had to take an early retirement. The health problems and the financial stress made my life so miserable. I cried every day.
When my husband and I were in despair, someone introduced Falun Dafa to us, saying that it has miraculous health effects. I was dubious about how Master Li Hongzhi (the founder of Falun Dafa) could take care of me when he had so many practitioners to protect. My husband, who was also in poor health, suggested that we try it out since it was free.
My husband initially took me by tricycle to a Falun Dafa practice site in Taoranting Park in Beijing. An assistant suggested that we could go to a practice site closer to our home. On the following day, we went to the site nearby, and my husband did the exercises with the group. I watched them from the sidelines because I couldn’t stand up. Those practitioners told us that cultivation would also include reading books. I then joined a Fa study group.
An elderly practitioner said that the pain would stop if I let things take their own course. But I did not understand how I could ignore the pain when it was there. After practicing the exercises for a while, my condition did not seem to improve and I almost gave it up. Then, the pain became so severe that I started to take medicine. But the more I took the medicine, the worse the pain became. I felt helpless and cried. I begged Master for help.
I said, “Master! I want to cultivate. I have poor enlightenment. I do not know what ‘letting things take their own course’ means. The pain was unbearable, and no one can help. What should I do?” At that moment, I had a whim why I could not do the exercises if everyone else at the practice site could, regardless of their ages. I was determined to continue the practice. I later realized that it was actually a strong righteous thought.
My health condition still did not improve after practicing Dafa for quite sometime, but I began to understand that my pain was the result of karma elimination. I was calm and decided to keep on practicing. I went to the practice site by bike every day. On the way to the site, my back and legs did not hurt, and I could sit upright like a healthy person. But the pain started once I got off the bike. I endured the pain and persisted in doing the exercises. Slowly, I could let go of the pain.
Seeing my improvement in my xinxing, Master hinted to me in a dream. He said that I still had attachments even though I knew the pain was not a disease. I knew that Master wanted me to look inward for shortcomings. However I did not know what the attachments were or how to look for them. As I became anxious, my husband advised me not to be obsessive and get stuck. He was right. So we did the exercises in the morning every day. We not only studied the Fa at home but also joined a Fa study group. Gradually, my xinxing improved.
My tests were still not over yet. One day, we had a water pipe leak in the house. I was the one who fixed things at home, but I was presently unable to stand upright. I begged Master to help me temporarily stop the pain so that the repairs could be done quickly. As soon as I had this thought, the pain in my hips and legs disappeared, and I could stand upright. I was very excited and, after the repairs, walked around the house back and forth with joy. But the pain returned afterward.
From this experience, I understood that Falun Dafa is an extraordinary qigong and Master is a profound teacher. This encouraged me to firmly believe in Master and Dafa and to persist in cultivation.
One day, I suddenly realized my back and legs did not hurt and that I was able to keep my body upright only when I rode the bike. I wondered if riding a bike might be an attachment of comfort. I thus decided to get to the practice site on foot. I stopped two or three times halfway there due to pain on the first day. My back and legs hurt badly as I arrived at the site, but I quickly joined the group to do the exercises. On my way home I did not have to take a break and could easily walk straight up to the sixth floor without any problems. What a significant difference! I finally identified this attachment and got rid of it.
I walked to do the exercises every day, but I still could not do Exercise No. 4 (Falun Cosmic Orbit) because I could not bend down. I asked Master for help again. Then, another miracle happened – I was able to bend down and do the exercise. Of course, my exercise was not perfect all at once, but it got better and better. Everyone was happy for me when I finished the exercises. I knew Master endured the pain for me. Many thanks to Master!
Although I was a new practitioner and did not understand the Fa well, I firmly remembered what Master said, “True cultivators have no illnesses...” (“Explaining the Fa for Falun Dafa Assistants in Changchun,” Further Discussions on Falun Dafa) This understanding helped me go through many sickness karma tribulations.
After continuing to do the exercises at the practice site, all my diseases disappeared completely. I could walk lightly. Falun Dafa gave me a new life. Now, I am already 71 years old and many people comment that I look like someone in their 50s. My face is ruddy and my back is straight. I am slender and look elegant. To many people who know me, my great changes are evidence of the extraordinary miracles of Falun Dafa.