(Minghui.org) I was born in 1945, and I’m now 81 years old. I was fortunate to begin practicing Falun Dafa in April 1997, and I’d like to share some of my cultivation experiences and understandings with you.
Before I practiced Falun Dafa, I suffered from hepatitis, nephritis, rheumatic heart disease, and depression. I took medication, and I was hospitalized every year. In April 1997, when I was 52 years old, I developed severe rhinitis. A coworker noticed that my face looked swollen and said, “Why don’t you practice Falun Dafa?” I didn’t believe Dafa could help me because I practiced some qigong and there was no improvement. She told me there was a book, so I said, “Then let me read it.”
After I read the first page of Zhuan Falun, I felt it was extraordinary. I stayed up all night and finished the entire book. Never before had I read anything like it. It revealed profound heavenly principles. I felt it was so good, yet I couldn’t explain why. I just remembered that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the sole criterion to discern good and bad people.
The next day, I went to a nearby practice site to learn the exercises. I stood behind the other practitioners and followed their movements. My heart was filled with joy. After practicing for only one week, I felt as if my body had become light. I thought I must have lost weight, but when I weighed myself, I hadn’t. All my illnesses disappeared. I no longer needed to see doctors or take medication. My body felt great, and I no longer felt tired when I worked. I was very happy, and I stopped losing my temper.
When my children came home, they saw that I regained my health without taking any medicine, and I was happy. They said that whenever they were with me, they felt an unusually peaceful and comfortable feeling. Seeing how wonderful Falun Dafa is, my daughter, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and spouse all began practicing. Our entire family became harmonious, and everyone enjoyed good health.
Recovering My Pension
In 2006, my daughter was arrested and detained for distributing truth-clarification materials. The local 610 Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which was responsible for persecuting Falun Dafa, ordered my former employer to withhold my retirement pension.
Two months later, I went to my former employer to ask for the money. The bureau director said, “How much are you asking for?” “Three thousand yuan,” I replied. A few days later, the cashier notified me that I could come to collect it. After I signed the receipt, she handed me the 3,000 yuan ($445). Then she said, “The director still needs to sign the receipt.” Just then, the director arrived with several other people. They surrounded me and said, “You must stop distributing information about Falun Dafa and telling people about the persecution. Otherwise, you won’t receive your pension. All you have to do is verbally agree. You don’t have to write a statement.”
For a brief moment, I hesitated. Then I thought, “If you can let go of life and death, can you not let go of money?” I immediately knew what I should do. I took the 3,000 yuan out of my pocket, placed it on the desk, turned around, and walked away.
Not long afterward, I went back to request my pension again. This time they said nothing and simply paid me, although they continued withholding part of it.
I understood this as an opportunity to let go of my attachment to personal gain. However, I later realized that we strive to be good people and we’ve committed no crimes. This was a form of persecution of Falun Dafa, and we should not acknowledge it. Master said,
“Meanwhile, people also must have a human living space and the conditions to live, and these should also be safeguarded. Human beings still need to maintain their lives and live normally.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)
I then wanted to clarify the truth from the perspective of the law. One day, I found a booklet on the street entitled Faith Is Legal; Persecution Is A Crime. While it was suitable for handing out, it wasn’t practical for mailing. So I condensed its contents into a two-sided A4 leaflet titled “A Letter to Those with a Predestined Relationship” and submitted it to the Minghui website. Three days later, Minghui published it. We then printed large quantities of the leaflet and mailed it to government agencies and officials at every level.
Approximately 130,000 yuan ($19,300) of my pension was withheld over eight years. In 2014, using renovating my apartment as the reason, I once again requested the money. Through continually clarifying the truth, all the relevant people at my former job agreed, and all of the withheld pension was finally returned to me.
Staying On the Right Path of Cultivation—What Is Meant to Be Ours Will Not Be Lost
If we listen to Master, walk the righteous path, take fame and gain lightly, and let go of our human attachments, then what rightfully belongs to us will not be lost.
Everyone in my family practices Falun Dafa, and we have always tried our best to do what practitioners are supposed to do. Over the years, although we endured various forms of persecution by the CCP, we have made it through under Master’s compassionate protection. We have everything we need.
In all these years of cultivation, we have truly felt that Master is always watching over us. As long as we are not attached to things, Master helps us and arranges the very best for us, even regarding seemingly trivial matters. Let me share the experience of our new home as an example.
Our old home was demolished as part of a redevelopment project, and we were assigned a newly built apartment. The new home was completed in 2016 and handed over to us in early May. We needed to finish the interior. When it came time to hire contractors, we had no idea whom to ask. By chance, we learned that fellow practitioner Bao’s husband, Mr. Yang, was an experienced contractor and had a skilled team that included electricians, plumbers, flooring installers, countertop specialists, and window installers.
We invited Mr. Yang to take on the project, and he arrived with his crew. Since I knew nothing about this area, I entrusted him with everything. I gave him the money, and he handled the purchase of materials, payment of the workers, and every other detail. We simply let things take their natural course and trusted the people we hired. In the end, we spent very little time or effort on the project, and the cost was not very high. Yet the home turned out beautifully.
As practitioners, we know that Master is watching over us at every moment. The key is whether we truly believe in Master and whether we can let go of our attachments.
Over the years, we’ve also observed some practitioners who were once very diligent gradually became lax. As time passed, their focus is no longer on cultivation, and they became lost in the pursuit of worldly interests. They no longer wanted to study the Fa or do the exercises, and they gradually neglected the three things Master asked us to do. Some became addicted to watching videos on their phones, while some devoted themselves to making money, and yet they earned very little. The more attached they became, the less they obtained. Why is that?
In my understanding, it’s because they failed to follow Master’s teachings. They forgot why they came to this world. They mistook this temporary place for their real home, and they placed too much importance on worldly gain. By failing to walk the righteous path that Master arranged, were they not instead following the path of destruction arranged by the old forces? There is little time left for cultivation in the Fa-rectification period. If we miss this once-in-eternity opportunity, when the truth is fully revealed, it will be too late for regret.
As long as we follow Master’s teachings, never forget our responsibilities and mission during the Fa-rectification period, and walk the righteous path of cultivation, then whatever Master gives us and arranges for us will surely be the very best. There is no need to worry or concern ourselves. Even the material benefits we receive in this human world exist only to provide for our needs and enable us to validate the Fa. They are not the purpose of our coming to this world.
Master Protected Us from Danger
Over the years, I’ve also come to realize that if we study the Fa well every day, look inside, let go of our human attachments, and stay on the righteous path of cultivation, Master protects us and helps us overcome all kinds of tribulations.
In 2008, my spouse and I traveled to visit our son, who was in another city. After staying with him for a few days, we prepared to return home. When we arrived at the train station, the ticket line was very long. By the time it was our turn, all the tickets had been sold out. We decided to board the train first and buy tickets afterward, which is a common practice in China. There was also a long line at the ticket gate. As we waited to enter the station, I suddenly developed a stomachache and had to head to the restroom. There was another long line there, so I had to wait again.
When I finally came out, the gate was closed, and we missed the train. As a result, we didn’t return home until several days later.
After we got home, a fellow practitioner told us, “You were very fortunate. It’s a good thing you didn’t come back that day. Early the next morning, many government officials and police came to arrest you. When they found that no one was home, they waited for quite a while before finally leaving.”
Many similar incidents have occurred over the years. I know that each time it was Master who protected us.
