(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996, and I am 80 years old now. On December 25, 2023, when I went to the bathroom to wash up before doing the morning exercises, my walk was a bit unsteady. I thought it was because I was sleepy due to getting up early. When I returned to my bedroom, I felt something was wrong. I couldn’t lift up my right leg when I walked. When I walked to the bedroom door, my right leg wouldn’t move. I held the door with my hands, but my hands didn’t listen to me. I sat on the floor and climbed onto the bed with great effort. I then began sitting with my legs crossed and did the fifth exercise for an hour. I started to feel confused when I opened my eyes, so I didn’t dare to open my eyes. When I did open my eyes, I felt confused, nauseous, and started vomiting. At the same time, my tongue was stiff, my heart beat fast, and I was short of breath. At that moment, I knew I was going through a test. I used to be a medical staff person, and I knew that these were the symptoms of a stroke. But at that instant, I didn’t acknowledge it.
I live with my eldest daughter and her husband. They usually went to work during the day. I did the housework, took my grandson to school, and picked him up. Given my condition, it’s wasn’t proper to stay here. I picked up my phone and called my second daughter. She lives 50 kilometers away (she was not working at the time). I asked her to pick me up and take me to their home. My second son-in-law started practicing Falun Dafa in 2020.
My second daughter and her husband arrived. My eldest son-in-law said to them, “Let’s convince our mother to go to the hospital quickly, and delay any longer.” I said, “It’s not the right thing for me to go to the hospital. You have to listen to me. I have practiced Dafa for 28 years, and my practice would be in vain if I went. I just want to believe in Master and Dafa. I know what to do. I know you are worried about me, but you can rest assured, I will be fine.” My heart was calm and steady.
When we arrived at my second daughter’s house, after getting out of the car, my son-in-law put his arm around my waist, and my daughter pulled my right leg with her hand (I couldn’t move my right leg at the time). We finally got into the house with great effort. My daughter and son-in-law talked about buying toilet assistance equipment and other things the next day. I said to them, “There is no rush. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.” The next morning, my daughter got up to make breakfast, and I wanted to do the Dafa exercises. She brought me a big cushion to lean on, fearing that I could not sit up. In the end, I finished all five sets of the exercises, the only problem was that it was a bit strenuous.
The first two days, I did the exercises sitting on the bed. On the third and fourth day, I did the exercises by sitting at the edge of the bed; this way my movements were more accurate. On the fifth day, I did the exercises standing up and leaned against the end of the bed. After that, I tried to move away from the edge of the bed a little bit every day until I could do the exercises without support.
Looking back on the entire process, I was in an incorrect state on the first day. Starting from the second day, I was improving and moving more and more towards the correct state daily. I knew I had made the right decision. Master had been encouraging me.
On the afternoon of the second day, there were no symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations, shortness of breath. I asked my daughter to bring me a slightly heavier stool. I asked her to watch me from the side, but not to help me. I pushed the stool and moved one step at a time, and it seemed okay. I then told her that there was no need to buy any toilet assist equipment, I could use the toilet without a problem. On the fifth day, I could walk around the room by holding onto the wall. My situation improved each day.
My second daughter took her children for a vacation on January 17, which they had booked a long time prior. I went back to my eldest daughter’s house. By then, I could walk around the living room without holding onto anything. My daughter and son-in-law got up early every day and prepared lunch for me before going to work. In the evening, they cooked dinner after returning home; and helped their child with homework. I thought to myself, “I am a cultivator, I cannot treat myself as an old lady or a patient who needs care. I must resume my normal state as soon as possible.” I started cooking for myself a few days later.
This tribulation was very serious. I looked within and thought, “What was wrong with my cultivation? The old forces were so cruel towards me.” When I thought about it, I broke out in a cold sweat.
My eldest daughter moved last May, and I was busy packing things. I then needed time to organize things again after we moved into the new house. I was so busy that I couldn’t keep up with studying the Fa and doing the exercises. Later on, I became addicted to watching TV. In fact, I haven’t watched TV since I started practicing Dafa. My neighbor next door told me that the TV in her living room was broken. The technician said that it became damp because it had not been turned on for a long time (I live on the first floor). She told me that I had to turn on the TV frequently to avoid it becoming damp. I turned it on and off often, and in this way I became addicted to TV series and movies. In short, no matter what the reason was, I was not strict with myself and unknowingly fell into a trap set by the old forces. Every time I finished watching TV, I felt guilty, but I was not able to let go of the attachment. It was just like being stuck in a quagmire and unable to get myself out of it. I know cultivation is very serious, but I was not aware of the seriousness of the matter, and just muddled through. I remembered all the illnesses I had before cultivating. Master had removed them all, yet I became lazy and I was not diligent. When I thought about this, I felt heartbroken. Why am I so disappointing? I really felt that I hadn’t lived up to Master’s expectations.
After realizing this, I decided to catch up. I doubled my time studying the Fa and doing the exercises. I firmly believe in Master and Dafa. There is no stroke, it’s an illusion! This tribulation happened because I was not diligent in my cultivation, and it was a test I had to pass. With the guidance of Master and the Fa, I vowed to definitely pass this test. With Master’s strengthening, my body recovered quickly.
My family was worried about me during this period, which of course is only natural. But it also became an obstacle for me. At moments like this, we must firmly maintain righteous thoughts and cultivate on the basis of the Fa. Especially for elderly practitioners, it’s possible that our lives were extended for us to cultivate. We therefore must regard ourselves as cultivators—100 per cent—and completely dissolve ourselves in the Fa in order to pass the test.
After experiencing this tribulation, I have a deeper understanding of the Fa. Master said:
“Cultivation practice is extremely arduous and very serious. If you are being careless for a moment, you may stumble and become ruined at once. Therefore, one’s mind must be right.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
The old forces are watching practitioners’ every thought and every move with a covetous eye. If you relax a little, they will trip you up and make you fall. If you do not have a solid foundation in cultivation, you may fall and be unable to get up, and all your previous efforts would be in vain. Therefore, in future cultivation, I must study the Fa earnestly, because the Fa is the source of the wisdom and strength given to us by Master. How I study the Fa is directly related to whether I can achieve Consummation in cultivation. We should take cultivation seriously, walk well the path arranged by Master, and be qualified Dafa practitioners.
This time when I passed the test, I could feel Master’s boundless compassion from deep within my heart, and the preciousness of Dafa. I have no way to repay Master’s compassion. I can only make a greater effort to fulfill my prehistoric vows and return home with Master after reaching consummation. I am truly grateful to Master.