(Minghui.org) Qiaofang was born in Guangdong Province, China and entered an arranged marriage to a Taiwanese man by what seemed a coincidence. This cross-border marriage marked the start of her predestined cultivation path.
“My husband’s original intended betrothed was not me. He had proposed to another girl, but the arrangement fell through. My relative got wind of the news and quickly introduced me to my future husband. We unexpectedly hit it off and agreed to get engaged a day after our first meeting.”
Prior to this, Qiaofang had gone to many matchmaking sessions, but all of them had ended in failure for various reasons. “My mother thought it was a bit strange. She later visited a fortune teller who told her that I was protected by gods and Buddhas.”
This explanation remained a mystery until after Qiaofang married her Taiwanese husband, encountered Falun Gong, and started practicing. Only with the benefit of hindsight did Qiaofang realize that these milestones in her life were not ordinary coincidences. “It was arranged so I could immigrate to Taiwan and obtain the Fa.”
The Answers to My Questions Are All Here
Since childhood, Qiaofang had felt a deep connection to Buddhism. She often visited a temple to pray. She recognized the existence of gods, Buddhas, other dimensions, and the cycle of reincarnation. But the answers to her deeper questions remained out of reach until her husband started practicing Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). His improved character led Qiaofang to realize that Falun Dafa was the righteous way she had been searching for all her life.
“My husband used to be irritable and selfish. For example, he refused to give way to others when driving and insisted that others should give way to him instead. Yet he later became courteous and would even volunteer to help strangers. His speech became gentler and more polite, a vast difference from before. He started thinking of others first in his everyday life.
“My husband returned home late once. I was angry and kept scolding him, but my husband kept his head down, quietly entered the kitchen, and started to cook. After serving our meal, he gently asked me, ‘My temper and health have both improved after practicing Falun Gong. Yet why are you still so angry?’”
His sincere words caught Qiaofang offguard and she started thinking about it more deeply. Her husband’s frail health had meant he had often caught colds. At one point, his health insurance card was downgraded from an “A card” to an “I card.” [Editor’s note: Each Taiwan health insurance card allows a citizen to see a doctor up to six times. Each person starts with an “A” card, which downgrades with multiple uses. An “I card” means the person has visited the doctor more than 50 times in one year.] Her husband’s character had changed for the better, and his health had improved to the point that he no longer needed to see a doctor. She really had no reason to be angry.
In 2007, Qiaofang read the book Zhuan Falun out of curiosity. After reading it, she came to a sudden realization, as if waking up from a long dream. “My deep interest in Buddhism had triggered a 20-year search. I didn’t know what I was looking for and I never found my answers until I read Zhuan Falun. Now I understand everything, and the answers I had been hunting for were there all along.”
“Every Word in This Book Shines”
Qiaofang also had a profound experience while reading. “Zhuan Falun truly is a divine book!” she shared. “While I was reading, each word shone brightly.”
After studying Zhuan Falun for a week, Qiaofang saw a large eye blinking at her from above while she was asleep one night. “I felt a little scared,” she recalled, “but knew from reading the book that this big eye was actually my own.”
Qiaofang reading Zhuan Falun
When Qiaofang first visited an outdoor park to practice the second set of exercises, the discomfort was so bad that she was ready to give up and stop. Yet just as she was prepared to do so, she saw a large cloud of black substance above her head.
“I completely believe in Master’s words, because I have experienced many of these things myself. After seeing this black substance, I knew this was the karma Master had described in his book. As I practiced the exercises, the quantity of black substance started to reduce, and I knew Master was taking away my karma.”
After seeing Master purify her body, Qiaofang’s determination to practice became stronger. “Every day, rain or shine, I come to the park for morning exercises. Although it hurts to sit cross-legged for the meditation exercise, my body feels lighter afterward.”
Heartwarming Restaurant Stories
Qiaofang is the owner of a popular restaurant, serving delicious food that attracts customers from all walks of life. “Working in the food industry is very hard, but after practicing Falun Gong I don’t feel tired. I greet everyone with a smile and feel energetic.” Some of her regular customers have commented, “You give off a different feel, and we see you smiling every day. What has changed?”
Qiaofang interacts with her employees and customers according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Customers poured in one day soon after the restaurant had opened its doors, but the restaurant had no rice to serve because an employee had forgotten to start the rice cooker. Qiaofang remained unfazed and even reassured her employee that it was okay and that it was natural for people to make mistakes. Several customers happened to overhear and began praising her, “You have such a good temper!”
When a customer accidentally dropped his tray of food, Qiaofang rushed over to clean up the mess and calmly reassured the customer, “It’s okay, there is nothing to worry about. Go and pick a new tray, I’ll clean this up to prevent others from slipping on it.” Customers seated nearby were amazed. “This lady boss is outstanding!” one said. “She let the customer refill his food for free and even cleaned up the mess by herself.”
A customer once paid for a meal with a 1,000-yuan bill. Qiaofang returned the correct change of more than 700 yuan to her, but the customer forgot and kept insisting that Qiaofang had not given her change. Qiaofang remarked, “In the past, I would have argued with her. But Master’s teachings have taught me to view losses and gains lightly. If that money was mine, it would be mine no matter what I did. And if not, I would never get it back, no matter how hard I tried.”
Qiaofang did not contest the customer’s claim and gave her another 700 yuan. Unexpectedly, the customer discovered the first lot of change in her bag after getting home and hurried back to the restaurant to return it, thanking Qiaofang for her kindness and tolerance. Qiaofang smiled and told her she was able to do so because she practices Falun Gong.
A customer once remarked about how comfortable and warm she felt while talking to Qiaofang and that Qiaofang’s words always made sense. After attributing these positive qualities to her cultivation of Falun Dafa, Qiaofang gave the customer a truth-clarification pamphlet. When dining at another restaurant, this customer overheard some other people talking about Falun Gong. She stood up and told them, “I know a lady boss who practices Falun Gong. She’s a very nice and kind person. Falun Gong is good.”
Before cultivating Falun Dafa, Qiaofang was a jealous person who resented others. She cared dearly for people who treated her well, and ignored people she could not see eye to eye with. “But after practicing Dafa, I told myself to see the good instead of the bad in others. No matter the situation, I am determined to eliminate the resentment I had toward people I disliked in the past.”
Giving People the Opportunity to Learn the Truth and Change Their Lives
When Taiwan opened its doors to Chinese tourists in 2008, Qiaofang was determined to let more of her countrymen know the truth about Falun Gong. She began visiting Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan. While holding truth-clarification display boards and materials in front of the building, Qiaofang greets tourists with a smile. Her friendly demeanor has helped change many people’s perceptions and corrected their misunderstandings of Falun Dafa.
“I encountered a young Taiwanese man, who quietly observed our actions from the sidelines. He later presented us with some drinks and praised our truth-clarification efforts. I have also encountered foreigners who promised to help us spread the word about the persecution. I’ve seen many good people and I am moved each time I see their righteous and kind sides.”
Of course, there are also tourists or citizens who make unpleasant remarks. A couple ran into a fellow Falun Dafa practitioner who was in her 90s and criticized her for being near a tourist attraction. With her hunched back and slow movements, they accused her of giving the city a bad image.
Qiaofang calmly told them, “Although this grandmother can’t walk very fast, if it weren’t for Falun Gong, she would have died or become bedridden a long time ago. It is common for elderly people to fall sick. Family members must care for them, and a lot of money is spent on their medical fees as well. But because she practices Falun Gong, this 90-year-old grandmother remains healthy and can walk independently on her own. She just wants to tell people that Falun Dafa is good and the CCP should not persecute its practitioners. From this viewpoint, do you think Falun Gong is good or bad?”
After listening to Qiaofang, the couple’s attitude changed and they were eager to learn more about Falun Gong. They even struck up a friendship with her.
Over the past decade, Qiaofang has made time in her busy work schedule to visit various tourist attractions to clarify the truth about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong. No matter how indifferent or disdainful people are, Qiaofang knows deep down, these people are struggling to find the true meaning of life. Qiaofang earnestly hopes that more people will come to accept Falun Gong, the wonderful practice that has changed her life.
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