(Minghui.org) I am 74 years old and feel fortunate to have obtained Falun Dafa at the end of 1997. Master Li (the founder of Dafa) purified and transformed me from a person burdened with karma, and sentenced to death by physicians, into a Dafa practitioner during the Fa-rectification period. My gratitude cannot be expressed in words, and I can never repay Master for his compassion.
I overcame illness tribulations three times, with the protection of Master, my righteous thoughts, and my belief in the teachings.
The first time was in 2006. Three other practitioners and I established a truth-clarifying materials site for printing copies of the book Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. As practitioners from other areas also came to us to get the books, the workload was substantial.
On a Saturday in the winter, it was extremely cold and we were in the middle of a heavy snowfall. Each of us carried a large bag of books to be delivered to the practitioners from other places. As we were boarding a bus, one practitioner got on, and as I was stepping up to get on, I accidentally slipped and fell. My head hit a metal shovel held by a soldier who was clearing the snow around the bus station. The impact was severe, and the soldier helped me get on the bus. I felt numb and heavy from my back to my feet but had no pain.
However, when I returned home after finishing the task, intense pain hit me as soon as I opened the door. I couldn’t take a step, lie down, sit, or stand without pain. My husband, who is not a practitioner, suggested that I go to the hospital. I refused because I am a cultivator, and Master is taking care of me.
In the evening, I lay on the bed and heard a cracking sound in my lower back. I thought a bone might be broken. What should I do? I couldn’t stay in this condition, I needed to do the exercises, and only by doing the exercises could I recover. However, the pain was so intense that I couldn’t move any parts of my body.
I recalled Master’s poem:
“ Righteous Thoughts, Righteous Actions
Great enlightened beings fear no hardshipTheir will is cast of diamondLife or death, they have no attachmentForthright and broad-minded on the road of Fa-rectification”(Hong Yin II)
I gritted my teeth, sat up, despite the difficulty, and crossed my legs to do the sitting meditation. Even though I trembled in pain and sweat soaked through my clothes, I didn’t give up. The following morning, I did the five sets of exercises while enduring the pain. On the third day, two practitioners who helped me to print and distribute the books and pamphlets came to my place. They said that the practitioners from other areas would come to pick up the materials in a few days, and a good amount of the materials needed to be produced so they could have them that day.
However, the two practitioners were not able to do that much on their own, they needed my help. I became anxious, thinking that I needed to recover immediately and I couldn’t delay awakening people. On the fourth day, around 6 p.m., realizing there was no food at home, I went sideways down the stairs, and took about half an hour to get to the nearest market -- it generally takes five minutes, picked up some groceries, checked out, and walked back home. As soon as I entered, I realized: Oh, I just walked back home normally, I recovered. I was extremely grateful to Master. After that, I went to the materials site to make the needed materials with the other two practitioners.
The second time I overcame an illness tribulation occurred one night in December 2022. As I returned home, I missed the last step on the stairs and sprained my ankle. I was unable to get up and was in severe pain. A neighbor helped me get inside.
I saw that my left foot was swollen, purple, and black. I immediately looked inward: “What have I done these past few days that didn’t align with the Fa?” I remembered that a few days ago, in order to buy good and large garlic bulbs, I overturned the vendor’s garlic basket and picked out the three largest garlic bulbs I could find, and when purchasing two kilograms of sweet potatoes, I took the best ones the vendor had. My actions were clearly not in accordance with the Fa.
I endured much pain that night and it kept me awake. In the morning, after forcing myself to do the five exercises, my foot was visibly less swollen, and I could use a chair for support. In the afternoon, I was able to go out to clarify the truth.
The third one happened in mid-July 2023. While sorting out some old items, I stacked the empty cardboard boxes and stepped on them to compress them down while thinking about selling them for money - my attachment to profit. Right then, I fell and couldn’t move my left arm. My left palm turned purple and black, rendering the left hand non-functional. I was worried, and gripped my left arm with my right hand and shouted: “Reposition! Reposition! Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I kept reciting these words without stopping.
My children insisted on taking me to the hospital, but I refused to go. One son-in-law brought his doctor friend to check my arm. He said the bones were dislocated and fractured, I must go to a hospital, or the arm might not function properly in the future. Seeing that firmly refused to go, he bandaged my arm to secure and stabilize it.
The arm continued to ache for several days and nights, making it impossible to sleep. After a week, the arm was still untouchable. I thought, “I can’t go on like this, I need to go out and awaken people.” I said to Master in my heart: “Master, please help me practice the exercises.” I did the sitting meditation by holding my left arm with my right hand and trying to maintain the correct posture despite the pain. I used a small stool and cushions for support.
I set a goal for myself: I could only make progress but not regress, aiming for daily improvement. At the same time, I used the time to study the Fa more and read slowly to ensure that every word entered my mind to avoid my previous habit of skipping characters while reading. After a month, I was able to leave my home again to clarify the truth to people face to face.
Looking Inward After Reflecting on Significant Tribulations
Reflecting on the significant tribulations I’ve experienced, I understood that I need to look inward thoroughly and cultivate well. The following is what I found.
For the convenience of our second daughter taking care of our daily lives, my eldest daughter rented a bright and beautiful high-rise apartment near our second daughter’s home. The moment I saw the apartment, I thought: “This place is so beautiful. I have been living in a shabby place by comparison.” Wasn’t this an attachment to material comfort? I hadn’t realized it at the time.
I have a great fondness for my eldest grandson. My son-in-law is receptive to the facts about Falun Dafa that I told him, and he acknowledged that Master had blessed him with a lot of virtue. Hearing his words made me happy, and I developed a strong liking for his son. He often sent me videos of the grandson growing up, I enjoyed watching them, and I had spent quite some time doing that, which distracted me from doing the important things.
Occasionally, while discussing matters with my husband, I would watch TV with him, even though I knew it wasn’t good. It had become a habit that was hard to break.
I am a dominant presence in our home and do things my way without considering others’ feelings.
Despite years of cultivation, I realize that I still have many selfish thoughts, which have made my heart feel like a knife was cutting it. Today, I expose these attachments and will no longer tolerate them.
Through these tribulations, I’ve seen the inadequacies in my cultivation. In the future, I will study the Fa more, eliminate my attachments, and awaken more people.
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Category: Improving Oneself
