(Minghui.org) I used to be a sentimental, timid, and imaginative girl. As a child, my favorite Chinese character to write was “shen” (divine), and I always felt the protective presence of divine beings around me. When I was just a few months old, my parents were embroiled in an argument, and almost smothered me to death under the covers. Fortunately, my neighbor’s grandmother found me and saved me. Around the age of 10, I nearly drowned in a river but was rescued. Through all sorts of disasters, it seemed that I always managed to escape unscathed. It was only after I began practicing Falun Dafa that I realized Master Li has been watching over me all along.
My cultivation journey in Dafa began just as I entered high school. Due to the heavy academic burden, I suffered from insomnia and headaches. On top of that, I developed acne on half of my face. The doctor said it was due to puberty and would take three years to clear up. I was very embarrassed at my appearance and went to school with my head down, afraid of being laughed at. Insomnia, neurasthenia, headaches, and nasal congestion caused by sinusitis, I felt like I was living a life worse than death. I became irritable and often lost my temper with my classmates, and even learned to swear.
After a miserable semester, a family member introduced Falun Dafa to me, and I decided to give it a try.
Miracles occurred only several days after I read Zhuan Falun. One day, during a school lunchtime study session, I felt the skin on my face become very tight, as if someone had grabbed it. This was followed by a tingling, cool sensation, which repeated several times. When I got home, I was surprised to find that the acne had shrunk considerably. About a week later, it completely disappeared! Also, I slept better, my nose wasn’t stuffy anymore, my breathing was easier, and even the dermatitis on my ankles had miraculously vanished.
These miracles made me fully believe Falun Dafa is extraordinary. From then on, my life changed completely. I knew the purpose of life! The questions that had been swirling in my mind about the purpose of life and human existence finally had an answer, which was to follow Master and return to our true home!
My Family Was Struck By the Persecution
I did not grow up in a happy family. My grandfather was a habitual gambler and womanizer who constantly beat and verbally abused his family. One Chinese New Year holiday, I brought him dumplings, and he cursed me and kicked the dumplings away. Another time, when he arrived home, I happily blew a little trumpet for him, and he responded by immediately slapping me. The incident deeply upset my mother. As a result, my father and his brother got into a fight, and that night they even smashed a window, causing my mother to cry for hours. Such incidents happened frequently, and my childhood memories are filled with the constant chaos at home.
After I began practicing Dafa, I realized that the family issues were caused by the spirit possession of artifacts kept at home. During the early period of my cultivation, Master cleaned the environment around me, and in another dimension, a two-meter-long snake was evicted from our house.
The years from 1997 to 1999 were the happiest time for our family. We were bathed in the boundless grace of Dafa every day. We went to group Fa study and did the exercises together, filling our home with joy and happiness.
However, in July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners. From then on, my family began 27 years of hardship.
My parents traveled to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa. Before leaving, they explained the family savings to my sister and me. At the time, my sister and I were so young that we naively believed they would return home in just a few days.
About six weeks later, on a stormy evening, my sister came to my school study session and said, “Sis, Uncle came to ask me for the house key, so he can take a blanket to mom and dad, who are being detained in the police station.”
I gripped my sister’s hands tightly. We were in disbelief. Yet, at the same time, we were not scared, as we knew Master was watching over us.
I remember when we brought a blanket to mom, my sister asked the chief police: “You are persecuting good people. Do you know you are breaking the law?”
Enraged, the chief police officer shouted, “If you say that again, you will be arrested as well.”
My aunt, who was with us, was frightened and quickly said, “She’s still a child! Don’t scare her!”
Our grandma fainted upon seeing our mother. As a devout Buddhist, she never imagined that her kind-hearted daughter would be locked up by the police!
My mother was released a month later, but my father remained in detention. For months, my mother worked hard to get him released. Several months later, he returned home, much thinner than before. He had been forced to weave rugs in the detention center, and he brought home a small rug embroidered with “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” My eyes filled with tears the moment I saw it. For a practitioner, Dafa takes root in the heart, something no force can ever change.
Before I graduated from college, my sister and I were arrested while handing out Dafa information materials. I was illegally taken to a forced labor camp for one year. After being released, I was arrested again and was sentenced to four years. When I was finally released and returned home, I had blood in my stool for 40 days. I passed the test with Master’s protection and family member practitioners’ encouragement and help. I knew it was Master who resolved the ordeal for me.
Improving My Character and Truly Cultivating
Having experienced many hardships, I learned that cultivation is serious and not easy. In the past, instead of following the Fa, I followed other practitioners and copied what others did. I did not truly understand the Fa. Influenced by the CCP culture, I liked doing things on a whim and creating a big splash.
During my cultivation, I came to understand that the whole process of truth clarification was arranged by Master, and we only needed to carry it out. I must not take the credit myself.
So, every time before I went out to clarify the truth, I always devoutly faced Master’s portrait and asked Master to help me deliver the Dafa materials to predestined people. I wasn’t greedy to do more, I did not show off, and I got rid of zealotry. Over the past 10 years, I have safely distributed materials to all the districts in my city. When I occasionally encountered dangerous situations, Master always helped me get out of danger.
As I understood, when we clarify the truth, we need to keep the thought that we are here to save people, maintain our inner peace, and know that Master is always with us. At critical moments, by asking Master for help, fewer problems, if any, will arise. Our cultivation is the key. We must not waste time, study the Fa well, and send righteous thoughts diligently.
In recent years, several family members have passed away. I now understand more clearly the brevity of life and the preciousness of cultivation.
After my maternal grandfather died in a traffic accident, the responsible party paid over 300,000 yuan in compensation. While the money should have been divided equally among his four children, my eldest uncle arbitrarily deprived my mother of her share of the inheritance. Initially, I was angry, especially as my mother was disabled and had no pension or welfare. My aunt, who was not a practitioner, wanted to sue my uncle. As a Dafa practitioner, I thought, maybe I was not supposed to obtain this ill-gotten wealth. In a dream, I saw that this money was like muddy water. My mother and I decided not to sue my uncle, letting go of the attachment to self-interest.
Over the 26 years of the CCP’s brutal persecution, I have grown from an innocent, naive youth into a resilient middle-aged woman. Throughout this journey, I have endured tribulations that many would have found unbearable. With Master’s protection, I was able to pick myself up after each fall and continue. Along the way, there have been bitterness and tears, as well as the joy of improving my character. Although I still have many attachments to eliminate, I feel deeply fulfilled. I know that as long as I follow Master’s teachings, I’m walking a path to return to my true home.
I thank Master, for giving the world such a great Fa and providing a ladder to the heavens for all sentient beings!
