A Lesson of Life and Death

(Clearwisdom.net) I am seventy-three years old. When I started to practice Falun Gong on July 4, 1996, I was afflicted with many excruciating diseases. After practicing Falun Gong, all of these diseases disappeared without a trace.

When Jiang Zemin's regime began its brutal persecution against Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, I was overcome with fear at first because, at that time, I had not studied the Fa sufficiently. Thus I gradually stopped studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. Eventually my body returned to its previous state of ill health.

It is widely believed among Chinese that many people will not live beyond the age of seventy-three. After witnessing a family member die at the age of seventy-three, I developed a psychological burden and believed that I would not live beyond that age either. Due to my strong attachment to this notion, I told my children in detail how to arrange my funeral.

Teacher said,

"There is a principle in our universe: Nobody will intervene if you want something yourself. As long as it is what you want, nobody will intervene. My fashen will stop you and give you hints. If it finds out that you are always like that, it will no longer take care of you. How can one be forced to practice cultivation? You cannot be made or forced to practice cultivation."

(From "Your Mind Must Be Right," in Lecture Six of Zhuan Falun.) [Fashen: "Law body"; a body made of gong and Fa.]

Teacher also said,

"As a practitioner, if you always think that it is an illness, you are actually asking for it. If you ask for an illness, it will come inside your body."

(From "Cultivation Insanity," in Lecture Six of Zhuan Falun.)

The above passages exactly describe my case. Each time I felt unwell, I considered it a sign of illness and would hurry to the hospital for medical treatment, such as prescription medicine, injections, infusions, etc. My attachments brought me a lot of trouble and interference.

In June 2003, I suddenly became very ill. I had trouble breathing and was unable to eat. I was admitted to the emergency room of a city hospital, where the doctors found that my lungs were dysfunctional. They said my lungs had turned pale and could not function normally due to an insufficient supply of blood. They put me on a respirator and fed me through a tube because I was unable to eat. My critical condition required twenty-four hour monitoring. However, I did not improve at all, even after more than twenty days of continuous medical treatment. During that time, the hospital twice notified my family that I was dying. My children transferred me to a provincial hospital for emergency treatment. The medical staff there administered the same medical treatment. They used the best medicine and medical equipment, which cost altogether more than 200,000 yuan. [500 Yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.] However, I had even greater difficulty in breathing, and my condition worsened. The provincial hospital also notified my family twice that I was dying. The doctor announced, "I have rarely seen people recover from this type of illness. Why don't you go home and spend your final days at home with your family."

Yet our compassionate Teacher did not forsake me. He kept giving me opportunities to return to cultivation. My spouse, also a Falun Gong practitioner, suggested, "Even the hospital has forsaken all hope of curing your illness. You have only one hope. Go back to Teacher and beg for his salvation." My spouse's words struck home. I begged Teacher silently for salvation.

Then my spouse and my children transferred me back to the city hospital, which was closer to my home. Fellow practitioners visited me there, encouraging me to strengthen my righteous thoughts and overcome this test of life and death. I started to memorize Teacher's articles at every opportunity. Two days later, a miracle happened. The stomach tube that had been inserted through my nose into my stomach came out on its own. My spouse excitedly reminded me to upgrade my xinxing [mind nature].

I started to study the Fa in the evenings and silently repeated, "Falun Dafa is good. The principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance are good." I told the doctor that I did not need the respirator any more, so the doctor removed it. The doctor also closed the opening in my trachea that was for discharging phlegm. A few days later, I felt completely recovered. I had miraculously regained my health once again and was able to leave the hospital. My recovery stunned the doctors.

I would like to thank our compassionate Teacher for giving me a second life. After experiencing the lesson of life and death, I am determined to cultivate well. I shall keep upgrading my xinxing, do the three things that Teacher requires of us, and catch up with the progress of the Fa-rectification.

Teacher, thank you for the hardship you bore for me and for your compassionate salvation.