(Minghui.org) As a child, and all the way to adulthood, including while working and having my own family, I often pondered, “What is the meaning of one’s life?” and “Why are we alive?”
I was a devout lay Buddhist prior to cultivating Falun Dafa. I often wanted to understand life so I could relieve myself from suffering. However, even though I had read all kinds of so-called scriptures and practiced all kinds of fake qigong, I was still confused and didn’t truly know anything.
Fortunate to Encounter Dafa
I saw a book stand on a busy street in spring 1996, which had all kinds of books on display. As soon as I saw Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, I picked it up.
When I first saw Master Li Hongzhi’s picture, he looked familiar to me. It was as if we had known each other a long time ago.
The content of Zhuan Falun was something I had never heard of. It was phenomenal. So I decided to buy a copy.
Back home, I began reading Zhuan Falun immediately and finished soon after. I felt it was a precious book, as it was for cultivating Buddhahood. I was extremely excited and filled with hope, for I understood that I obtained the true Fa and had a true Buddha looking after me. I felt like the most fortunate person in this world.
I also came to understand the predestined relationships behind one’s suffering and happiness, which isn't accidental. If one doesn’t obtain the Fa, one will never know how to live one’s life.
The reason I decided to practice had nothing to do with healing illnesses or keeping fit. I only felt that Falun Dafa was wonderful, that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance was wonderful, and that one could return to one’s original, true self by practicing it. Because of these thoughts, I embarked on my cultivation path.
Master said:
“The entire cultivation process for a cultivator is one of constantly giving up human attachments.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
The above sentence truly revealed a heavenly secret. I thought I already knew how to cultivate, as I’d cultivated in the temple for many years. I had learned to burn incense, worship Buddha, and read scriptures. But I had no idea about cultivating xinxing among ordinary people.
Falun Dafa is very profound. Even though I didn’t begin cultivation because of an illnesses, all my illnesses, including heart disease, severe systemic arthritis, cholecystitis, cervical spondylosis, etc., disappeared within a month. I also became rejuvenated and could walk very quickly.
I knew I needed to be steadfast in my cultivation, and that I needed to follow only one cultivation way, according to Falun Dafa’s principles. And since Buddhism no longer had anything to do with me, I thus disposed of everything I had from my prior practice, including bronze statues, so-called scriptures, Zhouyi Bagua, Fengshui, and more.
Spreading the Fa
I’ve obtained Dafa, which was hard to come by, and is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Falun Dafa is truly a blessing.
This thought helped me realize that I should let more people know about Falun Dafa. I thus worked diligently with practitioners from the assistance center to go to the remote countryside to spread the Fa.
I sometimes couldn’t return the same day, but a few days later, which impacted my relationship with my husband. In my day-to-day life, I was the one who always took care of the household chores. At that time, I wasn’t retired yet, but he never did anything around the house. He only picked on me, and had temper tantrums. I did not know what to do.
What was more important? I knew clearly deep down. My husband didn’t understand me, but I had to let it go and do the things I was supposed to do.
At that time, I didn’t know how to cultivate myself, nor look inward, or harmonize my family. After a while, he got used to me not being home as much, and learned how to take care of the house by himself. It was Master who helped me resolve this family conflict.
I then became a liaison between the town and the countryside. At that time, my finances were rather tight. But I nonetheless used the little money I had saved to spread the Fa, and buy Dafa books, videotapes, cassette and VCR players, and tapes for countryside practitioners who had little income.
Never Wavering
I participated in the “April 25th” appeal to the government in 1999. On June 18th of the same year, I went with another practitioner to the Beijing Appeals Office to demand justice for Dafa and practitioners.
On July 20, 1999, the former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin and its rogue regime began this crackdown of practitioners. As a result, I was illegally held at a forced labor camp, and sentenced a total of seven times.
Ten practitioners, including myself, went to the countryside to deliver Minghui calendars in winter 2013. We were reported by people who didn’t know the true facts, and then held for 15 days. We didn’t cooperate with the evil authorities. When I was asked to sign the paperwork, I wrote, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good! I will cultivate until the very end!”
The same night we were taken to the county detention center, we did the group exercises, studied and recited the Fa, and sent forth righteous thoughts. We also clarified the facts to the police officers and helped them quit the CCP. Most of them decided to quit.
When I left the detention center two weeks later, my family came to pick me up. A police officer said to my husband, “Don’t give her a hard time when you go home. Falun Dafa is truly great!”
I went out to clarify the facts one day in 2018. I was followed by evil people and then arrested. I was interrogated at the local police sub-bureau, but refused to cooperate with any requests from the evil. I clarified the facts to them and shouted, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” With my voice getting louder, the police officers became quiet. One of them covered his ears and said, “Don’t shout please. We already knew about that.” After being held at the police station for six hours, I was released, and returned home safe and sound under Master’s protection.
I’ve cultivated for more than 20 years, and it has never been easy. My husband tried to force me to give up cultivation. He didn’t allow me to read Dafa books, do the exercises, or send forth righteous thoughts.
At that time, I had just come back from the labor camp. I lost my cultivation environment and couldn’t do what a practitioner was supposed to do. I didn’t eat for four-and-a-half days. I didn’t resent my family, but cooked for them as usual. After my son learned this, he quickly went with his father to the countryside to fetch those Dafa books for me.
One day while I was studying the Fa, my son claimed that he’d throw the Dafa books out the window. At that time, we lived on the top floor, the eighth floor. I said, “My son, my Dafa books are here and I’m here. Don't you dare do that.” Seeing that I was so steadfast, he quickly changed and said, “Mom, you do your own thing, I’ll return the books to you.”
One fall morning I had just come back from buying Chinese cabbages downstairs. My husband had a temper tantrum and kept punching me. I remained silent, but he beat me harder and harder, to the point where I couldn’t move. After my husband’s sister learned about this, she asked me to go see the doctor, but I refused. But she didn’t give up. In the end, I thought that I would just go to prove how terrible and unreasonable he was.
She then took me to the local hospital for a check-up. The x-ray showed that I had a cracked third rib on the left side of my chest. After I walked out of the hospital, I tossed the x-ray. I knew that no medication would have any effect on me. I just believed in Master and Dafa, and soon enough I was back to normal.
Because I was steadfast, Dafa displayed its extraordinary powers in me. It also helped to have a good cultivation environment.
My family stopped saying that they would no longer allow me to practice. Moreover, they stood on the side of justice and spoke up for me. During the so-called “zero-out” and “knocking on the door” campaigns run by the evil Party, they didn’t come looking for me.
One day, my husband told me that Secretary Wu from the local management committee had brought a few forms. One of them was partially filled out by other practitioners, about giving up cultivation. He asked my husband to fill it in for me and then sign it.
I wasn’t home at the time. When my husband saw it, he told my son, “I couldn’t sign it, as I couldn’t say something behind her back. What if she found out about it? That wouldn’t do! We can’t do this kind of thing.” He then returned the form without filling it out.
Respecting Master and Dafa
Every day I get up half an hour early, before doing the exercises, to wash my face and brush my teeth. I then dress properly to burn incense in front of Master’s portraits and kowtow. I then follow by playing the exercise music and doing the morning exercises.
When listening to Master’s instructions while doing the exercises, I always feel very nice. Doing the exercises by following Master’s instructions shows respect towards Master.
I also never place Dafa books randomly. Before reading the book, I wash my hands and sit properly, and I don’t drink or eat. I keep my speed normal or just read quietly. I never walk around the house wearing topless or backless clothes when there is no one home. I even wear long pants when I am in bed.
Breaking Through Illness Karma Tribulations
I have gone through a few illness karma eliminations during my 20-plus years of cultivation. In the summer of my second year of cultivation, I often went to use the washroom. I had urinary urgency, excruciating pain, and blood in my stools. I knew it was not an illness, but rather Master eliminating karma for me. So I didn’t take it to heart.
Master published the article entitled “Digging Out the Roots” in July 1998. In order to have fellow practitioners see it, despite pouring rain, I went to every Fa-study group to pass it on. After that, I went to the suburban area to deliver cassette players to spread the Fa. I never took my illness karma seriously.
When I began to cultivate, I understood that I should not kill lives, and that this matter was very serious.
My sister gave us a big rooster in the fall of 1998. When my husband killed it, he asked me to help by holding down its legs, but I refused. As I figured as an accomplice, helping him kill it was also killing a life. But he cursed me. So I had to do as I was told while in tears. After that, my legs hurt for two years. When I went out to clarify the facts with practitioners, as soon as I stepped out the door, my legs hurt terribly. I understood that I had committed the crime of killing a life. I repented. After I went out every day to save people, my legs stopped hurting.
I came to understand through studying the Fa, that we should not be subjected by regular people to do things against the Fa. I’m a practitioner. When there was a discomfort appearing in me, I never tried to feel it. Things like herpes, arrhythmia, upset stomach, etc., passed in less than two days, or in some cases in a flash. They were probably spirit possessions. If you ignore these symptoms, or turn a blind eye to them, they will feel that they cannot harm you, and will leave.
When I felt pain, I never told my family. By doing so, it saved me a lot of trouble. I always managed to pass the xinxing tests on my own, and never bothered practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts for me.
My Husband Changed
It was in the Spring of 1996 when I first started practicing Dafa, and for the past 20 plus years I have always had something I couldn’t let go. When I didn’t know how to cultivate myself, I didn’t make breakthroughs in my family environment, which created very tense situations at home.
My husband was once so upset that he slammed Master’s portrait to the ground. After that, I always hated him for not recognizing his mistake.
My husband became ill and emaciated in 2022. His weight dropped from 190 lb to 150 lb. He suddenly fell out of bed one night, at midnight. I wasn’t nervous, nor scared. I had him listen to Master’s recorded lectures, and his high temperature quickly dropped.
He sincerely recited “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” and he got better every day. After the Chinese New Year, he held up his hands and told me, “I’m repenting to Master. I let Master down. Benevolent Master, please forgive me. I was wrong.” I was so touched that I cried. He finally realized his mistake and made a solemn declaration.
He has since changed for the better day after day. He appreciates Master deep down and recites “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” every day.
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