(Clearwisdom.net) On August 15, 2004, I went back to Taiwan from Malaysia in a wheelchair. I don't know how to describe how I felt at the time. I was worried I would become disabled. On August 16, I went to the hospital to have a check-up. The doctor said that I needed to have a new, artificial joint immediately. Otherwise, my situation would get worse.
A Blessing in Disguise - A Car Accident Led Me To Falun Gong
On April 5, 2001, I had a car accident and broke my hip. I had surgery. The doctors inserted four steel pins to hold my broken joint together. In August 2003, the pins were pressing on a nerve system, so I had to have another operation to remove the pins. In less than a year, I lost the ability to walk. I thought to myself, "I'm only 48 years old. If I live a long life, I'll have to have several other surgeries since an artificial joint lasts about 15 years." My family and friends suggested that I should get other opinions.
A good friend gave me a Falun Gong brochure and also arranged for me to meet with the director of the department of orthopedics in Zhenxing Hospital, Dr. Ao, who is also a Falun Gong practitioner. After Dr. Ao examined me, he also suggested that I have another surgery. I didn't want to give up. Something inside me pushed me to ask Dr. Ao whether it is possible for me not to have surgery if I started to practice Falun Gong right away. He answered, "Miracles are possible. You can give it a try. But you should not have the mentality of pursuit." Not 100% relieved of my worries, I asked him, "Didn't you say I should have the surgery immediately?" He smiled and said, "It's ok if you have the surgery later." I happily returned home and started to read Zhuan Falun.
The more I read, the stronger I felt that the principles mentioned in this book were what I'd been searching after for years. With great eagerness, I finished reading Zhuan Falun, China Falun Gong, and Teacher's other lectures. Gradually, I could stretch my left leg, and then I could stand up. Eventually I could walk slowly with a walking stick in my home.
On September 1, 2004, I attended a nine-day Falun Dafa seminar held near my home. The first day, I went to the seminar with my walking stick and my child by my side. I sat on a sofa to listen to Teacher's lecture. On the fourth day, I went to the seminar without my walking stick. By the fifth day, I could sit on the floor by myself, and on the sixth day, I followed the exercise music to practice folding my legs in the half lotus, single-leg crossing position. Since the car accident, I had had difficulty even bending my legs, let alone sitting with my legs crossed. It was excruciatingly painful. Half an hour later, I was soaked in sweat. Even my sitting mat was wet. After the nine-day seminar, I started to practice at the practice site every day. More importantly, I studied the Fa whenever I could find time. Five months later, I began to practice folding my legs in the full lotus, double-leg crossing position, first for five minutes. It was extremely difficult and painful to move the left leg up, but I kept practicing. Now I can sit in the full lotus position for 40 minutes.
In "Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference (1999)," Teacher said,
"But there is one thing we need to be very clear about. Nobody can consummate with human attachments, including the human notion towards science. You can start cultivation with human notions. But they need to be removed during cultivation." (provisional translation)
I felt lucky that a bad car accident had led me to Falun Dafa. To me, the power of Dafa is not just manifested through the fact that it helped me to regain my health in a short period of time. More importantly, I felt Dafa's majesty and depth through continuous Fa study. Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference (1999),"
"You should be responsible for your cultivation. You need to truly change yourself. Get rid of your humanly attachments deep in your heart, then you can truly give them up." (provisional translation)
Breaking Down Barriers To Obtain the Fa
To start practicing Falun Dafa was not easy. From August 16 to September 1, I had quite a few tests to see whether I could let go of my attachments and be serious about Dafa. I told myself not to think about my hip any more. I had found what I had been looking for all my life. After my friends and family members learned of my decision to postpone surgery, they started to pressure me. Even old friends whom I haven't seen for several years called me, trying to persuade me to have the surgery. They also told me about good hospitals and doctors. My husband and children tried especially hard to talk me into going to the hospital to have another check-up.
On the morning of August 30, my former doctor called me. He said, "The previous two surgeries didn't go very well. This time, I have prepared the best equipment for you. Let's have the surgery on September 1. You must come." I thought to myself, "Should I have the surgery?" My husband said, "You should go. The doctor called you himself, and he prepared the best equipment for you. If you don't go, and you become disabled, I will not take care of you!"
This was really testing my xinxing. The nine-day Falun Dafa seminar would start in one day. I didn't want to give up. I called Doctor Ao to make another appointment. On the morning of August 31, I saw Doctor Ao again. I wanted to have an X-ray to see whether my condition had worsened, so my husband would not be so worried. Doctor Ao said to me, "It's your own body. If you feel ok, then you are ok. You don't need to have an X-ray to prove it to other people." So I went home happily without having the X-ray.
The next day, September 1, I went to the seminar, and my new life started. I'm so grateful to Teacher!
Falun Dafa Changed My Husband and Me
Both my husband and I have strong personalities. We have different lifestyles and different career achievements. We each earn and spend our own salaries. I was especially stubborn. Before I practiced Falun Gong, every two or three days, my husband and I would have a fight over somet trivial thing. We would also fight over who and how much each of us should pay for family expenses. It was just as Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the Eastern U.S. Fa Conference (1999),"
"In western society, it's even easier. The belongings are divided between the husband and wife at the time of marriage. If things don't work out, I take my stuff, and you take yours. It's that easy. There is no such thing as a woman marries a man; the woman is dependent on the man. For the man, he doesn't feel that if a woman marries him, the woman's life is dependent on him, and he needs to be responsible for her. An individual's interests and freedom become the most important thing. Where can you find the warmth of a family? You fight with each other, and don't listen to each other. Let me tell you, this should not be the state of human beings." (provisional translation)
When we had fights, I always wanted to take the upper hand. I remember after one fight, we didn't speak to each other for two months. During that time, we came home from work and did our own things like the other party did not exist. Amazingly, after I finished the nine-day Falun Dafa seminar and decided to practice Dafa (my husband is not a practitioner), I never had another fight with my husband. He has also changed. He voluntarily and happily gave me his salary to manage. Just like Teacher said, "The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities." (Zhuan Falun)
Our apartment is on the top floor of a building. The living room has a big window. In the summer time, my husband and I often sleep on the floor of the living room to enjoy the summer breeze. One day during the typhoon season, a typhoon struck our area. That night, we were still sleeping in the living room. Around midnight, I woke up. Listening to the howling wind pound against our window, I asked my husband to sleep with me in the bedroom. He didn't want to move. I felt uncomfortable leaving him in the living room, so I dragged him into the bedroom. Shortly after, we heard a loud thudding noise. The big window in the living room had been smashed to pieces by some heavy object blown away by the wind. Pieces of glass were flying everywhere. The room was open to the strong wind and rain. My husband was quite angry. He complained about other people not preparing for the typhoon and thereby damaging other people's property. It was very clear to me that Teacher saved us. I was not upset at all. Instead, I was very calm. Before becoming a practitioner, I would have blamed and scolded other people too. I would also have complained about why such things happened to us. Later on, my husband calmed down and realized that, if he had stayed in the living room, he might have died. He said, "Your belief in the Buddha Fa is helpful."
Now whenever my husband hears about friends and family members who are sick, he calls them and tells them, "You should try Falun Gong! My wife practices it, and the problems with her legs are gone. Her health has also improved a lot."
My personality has also improved. Since my job brought me fame and high social status, I was used to having other people's respect and service. I often showed off my high social rank, my financial status and my happy life so that other people would look up to me. Recently I have felt that my attachment to fame and fortune has disappeared. My showing off mentality has also weakened. My friends all say that I look better and am more energetic than before.
Do Well The Three Things Practitioners Should Do
Eight months have passed since I started to practice Falun Gong. I'm still a new practitioner, but I think these eight months have been the most important time in my life. I felt that I should share my experience with fellow practitioners. Since I started practicing Falun Gong not long ago, in order to do well the three things Teacher asked us to do, I should not just study the Fa and do the exercises. I need to be very strict with myself in order to keep up with the Fa-rectification.
The first time I joined the group study, I was quite uncomfortable. I was used to reading books silently. When I read out aloud with other practitioners, my brain was empty, and I couldn't remember a word I read. But I was sure there must be a reason why we need to read aloud, so I told myself I should accept this way and participate. I should listen to practitioners' experience sharing to find out where I need to improve and to learn about the Fa-rectification progress. Although a good portion of the group study time was spent discussing Fa-spreading projects, it further strengthened my sense of mission and responsibility as a practitioner in the Fa-rectification period.
After I started practicing Falun Gong, I read Zhuan Falun and Teacher's other lectures again and again. I felt that I needed to study the Fa everyday. I try to follow the Fa's principles in my daily life, and I remind myself constantly to do so. No matter how bad the weather is, I go to the practice site every morning to do the exercises. Veteran practitioners' assistance and encouragement has helped me a lot.
At first I didn't understand fully why we need to send forth righteous thoughts. I couldn't concentrate. I was not used to sitting with my legs crossed in the full lotus position. I was doing it because Teacher said this was important, but I was not doing it consistently. At one group study, a practitioner shared some ideas on sending forth righteous thoughts. I suddenly realized that I needed to get rid of my selfish nature when I send forth righteous thoughts. Since then, I have become more broad-minded, and I can concentrate better when sending forth righteous thoughts.
As a practitioner in the Fa-rectification period, clarifying the truth about Falun Dafa and saving sentient beings are our mission. In the beginning, I followed other practitioners to mail truth-clarification materials, hand out brochures and newspapers, and make phone calls. By participating in various activities and letting go of my attachments, I gradually learned to take the initiative and do things on my own.
I am now contacting my old friends. They are surprised to see the changes in me, that my legs recovered without the surgery and, that I have become healthier. A former classmate came back from Canada to visit me. She asked me why there are practitioners in front of the Chinese consulate in Vancouver every day. I told her the truth about Falun Gong and that the practitioners are there to let people learn about the persecution of Chinese practitioners. We hope people can help us to stop the brutal persecution in China. We do this to peacefully and rationally oppose the persecution. She understood and accepted truth-clarification materials. Several of my friends have also started reading Zhuan Falun and practicing the exercises. I'm happy for them.
Teacher told us that Fa-rectification cultivation is different from individual cultivation in the past. It doesn't matter when we obtain the Fa. We also don't need to worry about whether we are practitioners in the Fa-rectification period or in the final Fa rectification of the human world. Teacher arranged the best for practitioners. We just need to firmly and truly practice cultivation.