(Minghui.org) Greetings, revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I was fortunate enough to start practicing Falun Dafa in 1994. Now, at 91, I have peacefully cultivated for more than 30 years under the care of our great Master Li. Every year when Minghui.org issues a call for submissions for the China Fahui, I am always particularly anxious—anxious that I cannot write, that I don’t know how to write, and that I have nothing to write about. I feel my cultivation is not good enough; the things I do are simply what practitioners should do. How can I report to Master? That's why I always gave up on submitting articles.
This year, right after the call for submissions was issued, a fellow practitioner encouraged me to submit an article. I said, “I can’t write; I have nothing to write about, my cultivation is not good enough.”
But she said, “I’ll help you.” So, with her encouragement and help, I am finally sharing my cultivation experiences of more than 30 years. If there is anything not in line with the Fa, please kindly point it out.
Beginning Cultivation
Before I started practicing Falun Dafa, I suffered from many ailments, including stomach ulcers, nephritis, and a rapid heartbeat. One morning in 1994, I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and went to the park. I saw a banner hanging on a tree, and some people doing exercises. I asked them, “What kind of exercise are you practicing? What are the benefits?
One of them said, “Falun Dafa. It is very good and can resolve illnesses and improve health.”
I was very happy to hear this, as it suited my needs perfectly. I went to the park the next morning. After I did the exercises, I thought, “I must practice well. The movements must be correct.”
At that time, I knew little about qigong and started to practice with the idea of being cured. When I first started, I did the exercises every morning, focusing only on how to practice, not on how to cultivate. Although I got a copy of the precious book Zhuan Falun, I didn’t read it, because I thought it was enough to practice the exercises correctly. It wasn’t until I joined a Fa-study group that I began to read the book and study the Fa. When I read the book, I realized how truly wonderful it is. It teaches people to be good and to act according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It also teaches the dual cultivation of mind and body—truly a rare and precious book!
After I truly began to cultivate, I became completely free of illness. In over 30 years of cultivation, I haven’t needed to take a single pill. Although I am 91 years old this year, I am very healthy. My skin is radiant and elastic, with few wrinkles. My hearing is good, my eyesight is good, and my mind is clear and lucid. Most people don’t have any idea how old I am. If I do tell them, they are surprised, thinking I’m at most 75 or 76. I owe all of this to Master and Dafa.
Safeguarding Dafa
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began suppressing Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999. I thought, “What’s wrong with the Party? Why don’t they let people practice such a good practice? Officials even arrested and detained practitioners—it’s outrageous!” I hadn’t retired yet, and the managers where I worked went to the homes of several fellow practitioners who worked there and ask each one of them to write a guarantee statement that they would stop practicing. When they talked to me, I said, “I used to have so many ailments, but now they’re all gone because of Falun Dafa. I can’t stop practicing; I won’t write anything.” After they heard that, they left.
At that time, several fellow practitioners and I were preparing to go to Beijing to appeal the next day, but my employer found out and stopped me from going. I thought I would appeal to the provincial CCP committee instead, but we got separated on the road, so I had to go by myself. When I got to the provincial Party committee gate, I didn’t see my fellow practitioners—they had all been taken to the provincial Party committee gymnasium.
I went to the entrance of the stadium and saw many practitioners. The gatekeeper said, “Come on in.” I thought to myself, “Fine, I will; what am I afraid of!” Just as I was about to enter, a practitioner pulled me back and wouldn’t let me in. I thought, “This is Master protecting me!” All the practitioners inside the stadium were later taken away in large trucks.
Because I didn’t enter the stadium, I wasn’t taken away. Those of us outside the stadium read the Dafa teachings aloud together, while those being taken away called out, “Falun Dafa is good!” The practitioners outside the buses threw food to those inside so they would have something to eat. It was quite a touching scene. They were taken to a very remote place and left there.
Validating Dafa
After the persecution began, I started validating Falun Dafa in various ways. At first, I put up truth-clarification posters and distributed booklets with information about Falun Dafa. One day, right after a heavy snowfall, my husband and I went out to distribute materials before dawn. We put up truth-clarification posters on utility poles and returned home just as dawn was breaking. Later, I went out in my neighborhood every day and distributed truth-clarification booklets to every household. Later still, I distributed materials such as the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.
In 2015, I filed a formal lawsuit against former CCP leader Jiang Zemin for initiating the persecution of Falun Dafa. I wrote the complaint and went to the post office with several other practitioners to mail it. We sent forth righteous thoughts as we walked, and it went smoothly. After that, I was no longer harassed by the CCP. After some time, I started clarifying the truth face-to-face and encouraging people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
At first, I didn’t dare to open my mouth and tell people about Falun Dafa. I always felt embarrassed. I never talk to strangers, so this really stumped me. But I thought, “I’m a Dafa disciple. No matter how difficult it is, I have to do it—it’s my responsibility.” When I spoke to an elderly man sitting in the park, he got angry and began cursing at me. Seeing that he wouldn’t listen, I left. When I looked back, he was still pointing at me and cursing.
I felt so bad that I almost cried. I wondered, “Why is helping Master save people so difficult? I’m doing it for his own good! Why won’t he listen?”
I started to go out every day to clarify the truth face-to-face. I wasn’t afraid, because I believed that Master was right beside me. As time went on, I encountered all kinds of people, and they said all sorts of things. Gradually, I was no longer distracted—it was as if I didn’t hear them.
I’ve also encountered people who genuinely listen to the truth. I was talking to a woman about Falun Dafa in a store when she asked me, “How old are you?”I told her I was 91.
She was surprised and asked, “How do you maintain your youthful appearance?”
I said, “Just say ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,’ and you’ll be blessed.”
The woman said, “You Falun Dafa practitioners tell everyone you meet to quit the Party, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers. Isn’t that being against the Party?”
I told her about the terrible things the CCP has done and said, “Master Li said we cultivators have no enemies. All the people in the world are our relatives. Helping you to withdraw from the CCP is for your own good. If you say ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,’ you will be blessed.”
She understood and quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Another time, I struck up a conversation with a woman on a bus who told me she was from the countryside and came to the city to work. She earned over 10,000 yuan, but spent it all on medical treatment. I told her, “I’ll tell you a good remedy for your illness: sincerely say, ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’” Then I gave her a small truth-clarification media player.
When she thanked me, I said, “If you want to thank someone, thank Master Li. It was he who told me to do this.”
She said, “Okay, and I would like to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.”
I now go out to talk to people every day, rain or shine. I tell people the facts about Dafa whenever I have the chance—in parks, on the bus, at bus stops, and anywhere else. I meet people from all walks of life—park security guards, sanitation workers, farmers, college students, and retired CCP members. I can help them quit the CCP, and it’s no longer as difficult as when I first started doing this. I know that Master is helping me save people. Sometimes, when I can’t persuade them to quit the CCP, I look inward to see if there’s anything wrong with me that’s hindering my efforts.
Protected by Master
I have always firmly believed that Master is by my side, protecting and watching over me. When I was 85, I was walking home after talking to people in the park, and someone on an electric bike hit me and knocked me down. I was stunned.
He was scared and said, “I’m disabled.” Seeing how nervous and frightened he was, I slowly got up from the ground and said, “Please don’t be afraid. I won’t extort you for money. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner.” I encouraged him to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations to be safe, and he agreed. When I got home, I was perfectly fine. I knew Master protected me. Otherwise, I do not know what could have happened to me.
Before the New Year this year, I was cleaning the house. I stood on a small bench to wipe the dust off the TV, but I wasn’t careful enough and fell. It took me a while to get up, but I was completely unharmed, except for a scraped calf. Now, I have a scar on my leg. I said to my husband, “A person over 90 years old fell from a height and is completely fine. An everyday person would have broken a bone, right? I sincerely thank Master for protecting me, or I wouldn't be where I am today.”
Righteous Thoughts
I send righteous thoughts at four times every day. If I miss it, I make sure to catch up. I do the same before I go out to clarify the truth every day. The places where I go to clarify the truth are far away, about an hour and a half by car. I use this time to memorize On Dafa, and then I talk with people I meet about Dafa.
When I was 86, I was hurrying to catch a bus when someone on a motorcycle hit me and knocked me down. I was in a hurry, so I quickly got up and boarded the bus. The bus driver saw what had happened and said, “Ma’am, you should go to the hospital.” I said, “I’m fine. Thank you.”
I said I was fine, but then I felt something was wrong and started to feel unwell. I thought, “I’m fine. I’m going to help save people. It’s not right for the old forces to stop me from helping save people.” With that thought, I immediately felt better. When I got to the park, I was perfectly fine, and it didn’t affect my clarifying the truth at all. This was all Master protecting me. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
One morning, I felt dizzy and lightheaded when I woke up. I thought, “Even though I’m dizzy, I have to go out and help Master save people!” But as soon as I reached the gate, I realized I couldn’t go on. I was too dizzy, so I turned around and went home. The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. How could this happen? I looked inward and started by studying the Fa. Master said, “Since it’s cultivation, nothing on our path of cultivation is coincidental.” (Teachings at the Conference in New Zealand) I looked for areas where I hadn’t done well, where I overlooked something, and where the old forces might have taken advantage of me.
The next day, I was still groggy, but I thought, “Even if I’m groggy, I still have to go out and talk to people.” So I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference. Then I was no longer so groggy, and I went out to talk to people as usual.
Sometimes when I get off the bus after clarifying the truth, I feel dizzy, my vision blurs, and my heart races, so I quickly send righteous thoughts and ask Master to help me. After standing there for a while, I feel fine, and I can go help Master save people without delay.
Cultivating Oneself
By studying the Fa, I understand that, as a practitioner, doing the three things well is the most important thing. Only by cultivating myself well can I fulfill my mission and save more people. Now, I get up very early in the morning, do all five exercises in one go, study the Fa, send righteous thoughts, and then go out to clarify the truth. I also read one lecture of Zhuan Falun at home in the afternoon, then study Master’s other lectures, and read Minghui Weekly. I sometimes listen to Our Teacher, and I continue to study the Fa when I have time in the evening.
I had never thought about memorizing Zhuan Falun before. One day, a fellow practitioner kindly suggested I do it. I said, “I’m so old, why should I memorize the Fa? I forget things easily, and it will also take up time that I could use to study the Fa.” She encouraged me and told me about the benefits of memorizing the Fa. Seeing how kind and caring she was, I decided to try.
One day after studying the Fa, I tried to memorize the first lecture of Zhuan Falun. It wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined. I asked myself, “Why do I find memorizing the Fa so difficult?” Was it because I was afraid of hardship? Was it caused by my fear of difficulty and my attachment to laziness? Aren’t these the kinds of attachments that cultivators need to get rid of? I realized that I had to change my mindset and eliminate those attachments that were blocking me. After that, memorizing the Fa didn’t seem so difficult, and from then on, I had confidence that I could memorize it.
I later realized I hadn’t studied it well. I didn’t get much education, and my understanding of the Fa wasn’t deep. In some respects, I noticed I wasn’t cultivating within the Fa, but rather seeking within it. What was I seeking? When I looked inward, I realized I was seeking a comfortable life or physical well-being.
Master said,
“Studying the Fa with attachment is not true cultivation. Yet during the course of cultivation a person may gradually become aware of his fundamental attachments, rid himself of them, and thus meet the standard for a cultivator. What is a fundamental attachment, then? Human beings acquire many notions in this world and are, as a consequence, driven by them to pursue what they yearn for.” (“Towards Consummation,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
This passage made me understand that, as a cultivator, I must rectify myself according to Dafa, behave strictly according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and cultivate myself well.
I know that I have not cultivated well, and I am far from meeting the standards of Dafa. I will listen to Master’s words, seize the time to study the Fa well, cultivate myself well, and help save more people. This will allow me to better fulfill my mission, be a qualified practitioner, and return home with Master.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Selected submission for the 23rd China Fa Conference on Minghui.org)
