(Minghui.org) The telephone recently rang and I picked up the phone. "Hello. Yes?" A young man on the other end said, "Miss, I am from the ABC Health Center. May I ask if you have anyone over 60 in your household?" "That would be me," I said. "I am terribly sorry. You sound so young." The man laughed apologetically.
During the past few years when I have told strangers on the bus, in the shopping mall, or on the street, that I am 78, 79, 80 or 81 years old, they would look at me, wide-eyed, and say, "You don't look your age at all! You look like you're in your fifties, and definitely don't look a day over 60! You are so beautiful and energetic looking!”
There have been many different variations of the same compliment. Some even said, "You are pulling my leg!" I tell them, "Think about it. I am a retired cadre. I went to college in the fifties, and I fought in the Korean War. That should tell you my age." Many young ladies ask me, "Would you please share your beauty secret?" I reply, "Truthfully, it is because I practice Falun Gong." I then share with them how I started practicing Falun Gong.
Here is another interesting anecdote. In late February 2012, I attended a meeting of my work association. You might dismiss it as trivial, but it is not. I had been deprived of the political honor of representing my work organization as a retired cadre for twelve long years because of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) suppression of Falun Gong. I once approached the leader and told him, "Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, teaches us not to fight over personal gain or fame, but what you are doing is suppressing Falun Gong. Condemning a Buddha school cultivation practice will bring you karmic retribution." He said, "As long as you denounce Falun Gong, I will reinstate you right away!" I replied, "I will never do that!" I am very happy for him that he reinstated me unconditionally in 2012. He has made a wise choice for his future by reversing his wrongdoing twelve years ago.
When I showed up at the meeting, my work colleagues enthusiastically shook hands with me. They have witnessed the hardship I endured because I refused to renounce Falun Gong, and I had not seen them for many years!
"Oh my! It's been more than ten years! Why haven't you aged at all? How do you manage to look so elegant, graceful, and beautiful?" Another colleague said, "A friend of mine told me that your earlobes look very youthful, full, and plump, while those of the old leaders sitting behind you have shriveled."
Compared to colleagues of my age, I have a lot more agility. My back is straight, and I move easily and gracefully. One day a friend from middle school grabbed my hand and said, "Your fingernails look so young and pink, your cuticles are so pretty, and not at all dry and shriveled like us old people!"
I have been getting more and more compliments about my appearance. "You have such a beautiful and fair complexion with a rosy glow! How do you take care of such fine skin? You can wear any color of clothes." One day a lady in her fifties was staring at me. Finally she commented, "You have gray hair, but it is such a beautiful gray, and there is not a spot on your face!"
These compliments might not be at all special to young people, but it is quite extraordinary for an lady over 80 years old.
The truth is that I used to be frail and prone to illness. When I started practicing Falun Gong in 1997, I was already 66 years old, and scarred with the horror of the many political movements led by the CCP. My hair had already turned gray, and I had lost my once full cheeks. I was suffering from a myriad of illnesses, including gastric ulcer, hypertension, arthritis, tympanitis, eye problems, anxiety, insomnia, and an increased heart rate. I suffered from a cold every other day. In the winter I wished I could wear my blanket everywhere. Even in the middle of summer I had to wear wool pants, and no one else had more clothes on than I did. When I posed for photos with old classmates and colleagues, I looked the oldest. I also filed the highest number of medical reimbursements at work. I heard that my boss once had a doctor check on my medical receipts to make sure I had not included the medical bills of my family.
I once practiced many schools of qigong, but they did nothing for me. I was fortunate to hear about Falun Gong in June 1997. I have since practiced it and studied Falun Gong books with a group of practitioners. I grew increasingly fond of Zhuan Falun, Falun Gong's main study text, as it is full of truth. I suddenly realized that the harder I fought for self-interest, the more lost I became, and the more pain I felt. It was because I didn't know the true meaning of life. I have since conducted myself and enhanced my moral standards according to Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. All of my illnesses disappeared after about six months, and I became increasingly energetic.
When the CCP banned Falun Gong in July 1999, I knew the CCP was launching yet another political movement. However, this time I would not waver and I would not surrender. I shall always respect my teacher, Mr. Li Hongzhi. One day the whole world will understand the truth about Falun Gong.
During the past twelve years of the suppression of Falun Gong, I have lived in the CCP's terror. Like many fellow practitioners, I have prevailed despite the suppression. I have been studying Falun Gong books, practicing the exercises, and cultivating my xinxing, and have saved people from the CCP's hate propaganda targetting Falun Gong while trying to become a better person. Day by day I found myself becoming more peaceful, kind, and honorable. There is no interest that I cannot forgo, nor hardship that will intimidate me. I truly believe in heaven and fate. When I attended school reunions, I witnessed what time can do to a person. On the other hand, my old school friends believe that I have reversed time because I look increasingly youthful. I still have exceptional hearing and sight, and I sleep well every night. I always have a good appetite, and my sense of taste is still intact. I still have a good memory and respond quickly. Time does not seem to have any effect on me. I am very energetic in domestic work and social activities, and I feel even better than when I was younger and suffered from illness. I have not gained any weight, and I am still wearing the clothes I bought when I was in my forties. I am also still very agile when I walk.
The following are two interesting stories on walking agility:
As I was approaching the gate of Qiaoxiangyuan on the Yuantong Bridge at around 2:00 p.m. on September 15, 2005, I missed a step and took a fall. I sustained a comminuted fracture on my left thigh. The news soon traveled to my boss and colleagues. I continued to study Falun Gong books and practice the exercises. In three weeks I joined an excursion to a zoo organized by my work. My colleagues marveled at the miracle created by Falun Gong.
At around 3:00 p.m. on December 3, 2009, I was running, trying to catch a bus, when I took a fall in front of another bus that was coming at me. I was 78 years old at the time. The driver turned pale, and jumped off the bus and shouted, "You scared me to death!" I struggled and got up. I said out loud, "I am so sorry! It looks like we Falun Gong practitioners are under the protection of divine beings! No one is injured." The feeling of fright did not kick in until I returned home. I might have been run over by that bus had it not been for Teacher!
This incident reminded me of my fracture four years prior. At the time I could not move or touch my left thigh at all. I felt weak and I had a fever. My left thigh was dark purple, yet I recovered quickly with no side effects at all. A female work colleague had a fracture two months before mine, and she was admitted to the hospital. They put a steel plate in her leg and kept her in the hospital for a long time. Several years have passed and she now has to walk with a cane, and has to rely on the care of her children. I have been so fortunate. If it had not been for Falun Gong, I would have suffered the same fate as she. I would never look "elegant" or "graceful."
Falun Gong has given me a new lease on life. Words cannot describe my gratitude to Teacher and Falun Gong. My personal experiences have validated what Teacher said in Zhuan Falun about how a genuine Falun Gong practitioner does not need beauty care to look young and beautiful.
I am but one of many Falun Gong practitioners who have experienced the same miracles. There is a saying, "Seeing is believing." Many have asked about my beauty secret after they saw me, yet there are some people who deny the truth despite the evidence. I feel sorrow for them.
I hope that all of my friends will enjoy the happiness and health I have, and won't let the CCP's hate propaganda stand in their way. I hope that you will be courageous enough to try my beauty secret and keep your youth and beauty by practicing Falun Gong!
From the Call for Submissions to Commemorate the Twentieth Anniversary of Falun Dafa’s Introduction
