(Minghui.org) Greetings, compassionate Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am now 77 years old and I began to practice Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) in 1996.
Other practitioners’ sharing articles have always inspired me, and I’ve thought about writing down my own experiences. However, I’ve always felt that I’m quite ordinary and have nothing special to write about. Encouraged by fellow practitioners, I decided to report my cultivation experiences to Master and share them with everyone.
Experiencing the Amazing Power of Dafa
I took medical retirement when I was only 42 because I had heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and stomach problems. I was fortunate to learn Falun Dafa and all my ailments disappeared shortly after. I felt good and looked healthy, and people said I looked 10 years younger.
There were more elderly practitioners at our practice site, and the younger ones had to work. So I offered to help practitioners buy Dafa books. I collected 2,000 yuan from practitioners in a small pouch, and then put it in a large backpack in my bicycle basket. I rode by the farmers’ market and stopped at a watermelon stand. I parked the bicycle, then picked a watermelon and weighed it. When I turned around to get my backpack, I noticed the pouch was gone.
I felt awful after I got home, and almost cried. I looked up and saw Master’s portrait. He looked at me with mercy. My mind went blank, and I felt a compassionate and peaceful energy around me. I calmed down and remembered Master’s teachings:
“Why do you encounter these problems? They are all caused by your own karma. We have already eliminated for you many, countless portions of it, leaving only that tiny bit that is divided into tribulations at different levels for improving your xinxing, tempering your mind, and removing your various attachments.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
Debts must be repaid, and this was how I was supposed to pay back what I owed. I understood the Fa principle, let go of my attachment, and felt happy.
When I began cultivation, I had a strong attachment of pursuit. I was solely focused on achieving a state of lightness, but I didn’t feel anything after listening to Master’s lectures dozens of times. The more I sought this, the further away it seemed. Once I realized this, I stopped pursuing this state.
I had to transport a large box of Zhuan Falun books on my bicycle a few months later. It was difficult because the box was strapped to the back of the bicycle, so I walked and pushed my bike down the street. Shortly after, I felt I couldn’t grip the handlebars and my feet weren’t touching the ground, and it seemed both the bike and I were about to float away. I started to panic because I was walking down a steep road with a heavy load. After things stabilized, I came to my senses and continued to walk slowly.
I recalled Master’s words,
“After the lecture yesterday, many of you felt that your entire body was light.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)
This was exactly what Master described. I felt light as a feather and as if I was floating upward. Dafa is truly amazing!
Letting Go of Resentment Toward My Husband
I got married at 20 and was a mother of three by the time I was 30. A few years after we got married, my husband started to miss family meals due to work commitments and came home late at night. He didn’t have time to take care of the children or do any household chores. This went on for more than a decade.
My husband is an only child, so we lived with my in-laws. My mother-in-law was frail and frequently ill, and was often confined to bed. When her condition worsened, she couldn’t take care of herself. Someone had to feed her, give her medicine, bathe her, and change her clothes.
I had to take care of three children and my elderly mother-in-law after I got home from work. I had endless worries and never-ending housework. I was exhausted, and I resented my husband for neglecting his family, not caring about our home, and being irresponsible towards our children. I felt bitter and worn out.
Even after I became a practitioner, I still resented my husband. I would get upset and argue with him when things didn’t go my way, and forget that I was a cultivator. When he berated me, I would scold him back, and for every insult he hurled at me, I would throw back two in return. I wouldn’t stop until I drove him crazy. My husband would say, “You don’t behave like a practitioner.” He often told me, “I’m here to help you cultivate.”
My attachments were so strong that I failed to enlighten to the obvious hints, and this went on for nearly two years. I knew I shouldn’t behave that way, but I just couldn’t change. I thought arguing with my family was a trivial matter because we would make up afterward. I felt regretful after an argument, yet I couldn’t maintain my composure as soon as a conflict arose. I kept forgetting I was a cultivator and acted like an ordinary person. This caused me a lot of anguish.
I often stood in front of Master’s portrait to express my intention to change. But since I didn’t improve myself based on the Fa, I wasn’t able to resolve the root cause. After suppressing my resentment for a while, I would start to quarrel again.
Master said,
“Since human beings have qing, being upset is qing, so are happiness, love, hatred, enjoying doing one thing, resenting doing another thing, preferring one person to another, hobbies, and dislikes. Everything belongs to qing, and everyday people just live for it.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
I realized the resentment toward my husband was a type of emotion that was engulfing and tormenting me. If I couldn’t let go of it, it would entangle and weigh me down, and I wouldn’t be able to genuinely cultivate. Only by shedding this attachment could I transcend the human realm and truly have compassion.
Everything is governed by the law of cause and effect. I must have treated him like this in a past life, which was why he treated me this way. I, too, have caused others pain and harm in the past, so I must repay the debt. When my xinxing improved, I understood that my husband was helping me elevate, and I should thank him. Eventually, my resentment completely vanished.
My husband underwent major surgery several years ago, and had lingering symptoms. He was very weak and needed daily care. I looked after and helped him as much as possible, in accordance with the standards of a practitioner. He said, “Falun Dafa is wonderful! Having a wife who practices Falun Dafa is my greatest blessing!”
Eliminating More Attachments and Walking an Upright Path
I was taken to the police station because I talked to people about Falun Dafa. I experienced illness symptoms while in detention and my family asked the police to release me on “bail pending trial.”
After I returned home, we all thought the matter was settled. A year later, however, a police officer told my family that I was required to appear in court. I told my family, “I’m not going. They are persecuting me, and I won’t cooperate with them.”
The police kept calling my son, since he was my bail guarantor. My husband urged me to go, but I refused. A few days later, they put pressure on my family and threatened to take my son away if I didn’t appear in court. My daughter-in-law was scared and cried, my husband didn’t know what to do, and my daughter broke down in tears.
I hesitated after seeing their reactions. If I didn’t go, the public security authorities could do bad things to my family. A few years before, they had detained my youngest son for a week because they couldn’t find me. I didn’t want my oldest son and the rest of my family to suffer, so I thought about going to court, but I thought if I did this I would be accepting the persecution.
Faced with this dilemma, I left home for two days to calm down and think. Practitioners who knew about my situation did everything they could to help me. Many sent forth righteous thoughts, some called the court to clarify the truth, and others visited my family and comforted them. Their efforts eliminated the bad elements in other dimensions. I studied the Fa, sent forth righteous thoughts, and looked inward. I felt my energy field getting purer, and my body and mind becoming clearer and more transparent as the wicked factors were destroyed.
Master said,
“No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates.” (“Dafa Disciples’ Righteous Thoughts Are Powerful,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
I realized that going to court meant I would be cooperating with the authorities and acknowledging the persecution. I knew I had to reject the old forces’ arrangements and only follow the path arranged by Master. I noticed excessive worry about my family, and my affection for them, which were caused by human thinking and sentimentality. These are all attachments a cultivator must eliminate. As my character improved, I was able to let go of my attachment to familial affection.
I returned home with a clear mind the morning of the third day. I saw my family sitting in the car, waiting for me. They were delighted to see me, and said cheerfully, “Let’s go for a ride.” I smiled and got in the car. My children went back to their own homes after we finished eating. I told them, “Don’t worry about Mom. No one can touch me. Rest assured that Master is watching over me!”
After I returned home I studied the Fa and sent forth strong righteous thoughts to dismantle the bad elements behind the illegal court hearing. The court notified my husband the next morning that the hearing had been canceled. This persecution against me was dissolved under Master’s compassionate protection.
Looking back at my 30-year journey of cultivation, every step of the way was taken under Master’s protection, and every hardship was resolved through Dafa’s principles. I will continue to have absolute faith in Master and the Fa, and return home with Master.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Selected submission for the 23rd China Fa Conference on Minghui.org)
