(Minghui.org) I am an 88-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner from the countryside. My parents sent me to my future husband’s family as a child bride when I was nine years old, and I married my husband at 18. I never attended school and cannot recognize the characters of my own name. Our family was impoverished, and my mother-in-law had poor health, so I had to handle most of the housework, even during my confinement period after childbirth. I constantly fell ill, and severe migraines gave me the most trouble. Year round, especially in summer, I needed to wear a hat to avoid getting migraines.
My overworked husband also came down with a variety of chronic diseases, including schistosomiasis (a disease caused by parasites), ascites due to liver cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis, headaches, cold sweats, and sensitivity to cold temperatures. His health deteriorated to the point that he could no longer farm our fields. Despite trying various folk remedies and hospital treatments, his condition did not improve.
1. Chronic Illnesses Vanish After Practicing Falun Gong for Less Than a Month
Toward the second half of 1995, my husband and I went to stay with our youngest son. We moved in to help take care of their child, because my youngest son and his wife both had to work. When my daughter-in-law’s mother heard about my husband’s poor health, she paid us a visit and introduced Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) to us, telling us about its miraculous benefits in curing illnesses and improving health. My husband had previously practiced many different kinds of qigong, which had only worsened his physical condition, so he was very reluctant to listen. He told her, “Thank you, but I don’t intend to practice qigong anymore.”
My daughter-in-law persuaded him, “Falun Gong is really good. My mother’s physical and mental health has improved since she started practicing, and many others have also picked up the practice. Please give it a try.” Despite his skepticism, my husband was desperate to relieve his suffering, so he reluctantly agreed to try. My daughter-in-law’s mother even gave him a copy of Zhuan Falun.
The next morning, my daughter-in-law’s mother took my husband to a nearby park to learn the exercises. On the fourth day, my husband happily told me, “This exercise is really good! I’ve been able to eat and sleep well these past few days, and my pain has significantly decreased. This is the first time I’ve felt so comfortable in the past ten years. I want to practice this exercise, and you should too.” Although I was delighted to see that his health had improved, I told him, “I have many chores and don’t have time. It’s okay if you practice Falun Gong on your own.”
A migraine struck me ten days later, confining me to bed with intense dizziness. I could barely move and was vomiting and groaning in pain. My husband used to anxiously hover over me whenever I had a migraine attack. This time he calmly advised me, “Your migraine can’t be cured by modern medicine. Just practice Falun Gong with me, and it will definitely get better.” I replied, “If Master Li can rid me of my headache, I will practice Falun Gong with you.”
My headache disappeared as soon as I finished speaking and the feeling of comfort was indescribable. I thought to myself, “How amazing. I haven’t even started practicing, but with just this thought of wanting to practice, my headache was gone.” The next morning, I got up and told my husband, “I want to practice with you.” I forgot to wear my hat when we went out, but I did not feel cold.
Because I was unable to read, I listened to my husband as he read the Fa. I also watched and listened to the recordings of Master’s audio and video lectures daily. In less than a month, my illnesses had disappeared. I have not taken any medication or needed to wear my hat since. I am grateful to compassionate Master for restoring my health and giving me a second chance at life.
Not long after I started practicing, my husband returned to our hometown to help our eldest son with farmwork, while I remained with our youngest son. Soon after, I came down with the exact same migraine symptoms I had before practicing Dafa. I tied a long towel around my aching head but felt no relief. The pain was so bad, I broke out into a cold sweat and felt as though my eyeballs were falling out. I had to keep my eyes closed, but despite the pain, I remained calm and at ease. Because I was now a Dafa practitioner, I knew the truth. I said silently, “Master, this is not a disease. It is an ordeal to eliminate my karma. Master is cleansing my body, and I’ll be fine. Thank you, Master!”
My son and daughter-in-law wanted to take me to the hospital, but I declined. “Don’t worry, I’m fine,” I said. “This is a process to eliminate my karma.” Having witnessed the extraordinary miracles of Dafa that had occurred with my husband and myself before, my son and daughter-in-law let me be. Trying to ignore my discomfort, I struggled to sit up and watch the video and listen to the audio recordings of Master’s lectures. I also diligently practiced the exercises.
The next day I thought to myself, “I feel so hot and sticky, I wish I could take a shower.” As soon as this thought passed through my head, my headache suddenly disappeared. I knew Master was helping me and I quickly jumped into action, taking a bath, washing my clothes, and hanging them out on the balcony to dry. The moment I stepped into my room, the dizziness and pain resumed. Having completed my daily hygiene routine, I knew Master was arranging for me to eliminate karma again.
During this period, I was unable to eat or drink for three days and only managed to eat one popsicle. Despite failing to eat the porridge and other foods offered by my daughter-in-law, I did not feel hungry. Though I got little sleep each night, I did not feel tired. I continued to believe in Master and the Fa, and my symptoms vanished on the afternoon of the third day. When my son and daughter-in-law came home that evening, I had prepared dinner for them and had eaten two bowls of rice. My son and daughter-in-law greeted my recovery with disbelief and happiness.
The following year, I was staying at my youngest daughter’s house when my migraine symptoms suddenly returned. The local hospital was just across the road from her house, and my daughter wanted to take me there. I immediately declined and said, “I’m fine, don’t worry. This just indicates I’m eliminating karma.”
Master said:
“The root cause of your illness has been removed, and what remains is only this bit of black qi that will come out on its own to let you suffer a little and bear a little hardship. It wouldn’t do for you to not bear even a little bit.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)
I kept calm and my symptoms soon vanished. From then on, the migraines that had tormented me for years never recurred.
2. Dislocated Arm Realigned
I spent one summer at my youngest son’s house. One evening after dinner, I listened to audio recordings of Master’s teachings then went to take a shower. However, as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, I slipped and fell heavily to the ground. While struggling to get up, I felt a lot of pain in my right shoulder. I later discovered that my shoulder joint had been dislocated.
I kept calm and silently asked Master, “Master, please help me realign my shoulder.” As soon as I finished this thought, my arm automatically lifted and gently swung itself parallel to the ground. After a few swings, I heard a “click” sound from my shoulder joint as it reconnected. I was unable to fully express my gratitude to Master.
The next morning, I told my daughter-in-law about the incident, and she anxiously replied, “Mom, let me take you to the hospital for X-rays and treatment.” I replied, “It’s okay. Master helped me realign it right away.” My daughter-in-law touched my shoulder and happily declared, “It’s really back in place. Falun Gong is amazing!”
3. Saved by Master at a Critical Moment
I was 76 years old one autumn when I decided to retrieve the farming tools needed for harvesting grain from our storage attic. My eldest son was busy working as a teacher at a local middle school. To save him time, I decided to visit the storage attic, more than three meters (approximately ten feet) above ground level, to retrieve the tools. After setting up the ladder, I started climbing up. Just as I had reached the top and was preparing to step onto the attic floor, the ladder suddenly slipped, and I fell headfirst to the concrete below.
I immediately shouted, “Master, save me! Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” When I sat up, I felt a slight headache and touched my head with my hand. A handful of hair fell out and I felt a large blood-filled bump on my head. Despite my injuries, I felt as though I was wearing a soft, fluffy cotton hat over the top of my head, and I was not afraid.
The loud noise from my fall caught my grandson’s attention and he ran over. He asked, “Grandma, what happened? Are you okay? Let me help you to the bed.” I replied, “It’s okay. Get me some water to drink.” My neighbors also ran over after hearing the news. They helped me to my bed and called my son. My son rushed home from work and wanted to take me to the hospital, but I reassured him, “It’s okay. Master will take care of me, there is no need to worry!” I spent that night listening to audio recordings of Master’s lectures.
The blood-filled bump on my head disappeared the following morning, but the smallest movement in my head and neck would trigger excruciating pain. My stomach and intestines churned painfully. I could only lie in bed, unable to even drink water or eat rice for a few days. My vomit and urine contained blood, and five days later I passed some black, dry, bloody stools.
I realized that this incident arose from karmic debts from my past lives and was meant to take my life. If not for Falun Dafa and Master’s protection, my life would have been over.
I listened to the audio recordings of Master’s lectures daily and managed to sit in meditation. My health improved each day, and more than two weeks later I was able to walk and resume my regular exercise sessions. My body was restored to health soon after, and the local villagers praised the divine powers of Falun Gong.
I was 84 years old when I noticed abundant weeds growing beside our vegetable field. When I took a sickle and went to cut the weeds, I accidentally fell into a water-filled ditch beside the vegetable field. I was submerged in water over my head, and swallowed large quantities of water as I struggled and silently shouted, “Master, save me!” Suddenly, a force dragged me to the bank, and I managed to grab hold of some grass growing at the side. I managed to climb up the bank. As tears flowed from my eyes, I thanked Master for saving my life yet again.
I ran into a neighbor on my way home and she asked in shock, “Why are your clothes so wet? Even your hair is wet.” When I told her what had happened, she expressed joy to hear I was fine and quickly ran off to tell the others. My neighbors all came to visit me. By then, I had changed into dry clothes. Everyone was relieved to see that I was fine and agreed, “It was Falun Gong’s Master who protected you.”
4. Cultivating Well Amidst Tribulations
At this juncture, my son and daughter-in-law returned home. After hearing about my near-death encounter, they became unhappy and accused me of inviting trouble by attempting to cut the grass. Unable to stay silent, my neighbors interjected, “Don’t berate her anymore. It’s fortunate she didn’t drown.” Yet before they could finish speaking, my daughter-in-law angrily rebutted, “If she had drowned, we’d just have to bury her.” I felt uncomfortable after hearing her words and thought, “Outsiders are happy to see me safe and sound, yet my own family is cursing me.”
I quietly returned to my room and mulled over what had occurred, crying while feeling increasingly depressed. When I finally managed to calm down later that night, a passage from Master’s Fa appeared in my mind:
“When running into a conflict, everyone should search inside themselves.” (Teachings at the Conference in the Western U.S.)
I realized that my grievance against my son and daughter-in-law was misplaced. While my daughter-in-law’s words were harsh, they were spoken in a fit of anger. They never asked me to cut the grass, and it was something I should not have done, given my age. I would have died if Master had not saved my life, and my son and daughter-in-law might have been blamed for my death. My thoughts suddenly became clear, while the grievances and resentment in my heart vanished. After completing my morning exercises, I approached my son and daughter-in-law and found they had put the incident behind them.
My eldest son has been nearsighted since childhood. In consideration of his condition, I never made him do any household chores. He is retired and is constantly at home, which caused my daughter-in-law to complain that he refuses to help with the housework. I felt uncomfortable whenever I heard her accusations and would speak up in defense of my son, causing my daughter-in-law to develop resentment toward me.
One day, a relative gave us a fish. My daughter-in-law asked my son to gut the fish, and my son said he did not know how to. My daughter-in-law got angry and started to scold him. I felt unhappy and told her, “You know he doesn’t know how to and can’t see clearly. Moreover, it would take little effort for you to cut it yourself.” My daughter-in-law became even more angry and shouted back at me, “You gave birth to him, but not to me.” She continued to rant, accusing me of having double standards.
After considering her point of view, I had to agree. People are born not knowing how to do anything, and one must learn basic skills in order to survive independently. My daughter-in-law is already over 60 years old and cannot be expected to complete all the household chores alone. Moreover, if she falls ill, how would my son take care of her? I said to my son, “You should start learning how to do housework.” I taught him how to gut and clean the fish. My son can now perform household chores with ease, including taking care of cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, planting, and watering vegetables. He has the skills to live independently and even take care of others.
I have cultivated Dafa for 29 years, overcoming various illness karma and life and death tribulations time and time again with Master’s help. Words cannot express my gratitude to Master. In the limited time we have left, I will let go of my human attachments, maintain righteous thoughts and actions, cultivate myself well, and validate the goodness of Dafa to the world.
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