(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in March 2010. It was Master's compassion that enabled me to meet three practitioners who introduced me to Falun Dafa. I realized that I had waited a thousand years to find this practice.
Learning the Practice
I was lounging around doing nothing one day, when a former acquaintance came to visit me and we started up a conversation. She told me that she had been practicing Falun Dafa for ten years. She told me about the miracles of healing and fitness that came with practicing Falun Dafa, and that what the television stations said about Dafa was completely false. I affirmed everything she told me because I had heard the same thing a couple of years prior. At that time, another Falun Dafa practitioner had come around my neighborhood to clarify the truth. In addition, the lady who ran the clothing store nearby also told me about Dafa's divine powers. She said she had been very sick with an unknown disease, and had spent a large amount of money at the hospital for treatment. However, it was not the hospital that cured her disease, but rather Falun Dafa. She no longer needs to go to the hospital.
I, too, was in poor health. I was very susceptible to colds, and I had beriberi, rheumatoid arthritis, breast lumps, and cervical cysts (and I even had surgery!). I had always wanted to practice Falun Dafa because of my body's frail condition, but all my neighbors who were Dafa practitioners had moved away. After this former acquaintance of mine heard my situation, she asked me if I still wanted to practice Dafa because she was willing to teach me.
And just like that, I became a Falun Dafa practitioner. She taught me the five exercises and gave me the book Zhuan Falun. I obtained an MP3 player, which allowed me to listen to Master's lectures. My fellow practitioner reminded me to practice the exercises and study the Fa every day. After practicing Falun Dafa for just two weeks, my body transformed entirely.
I knew Falun Dafa was good, so when my mother-in-law fell sick, I decided to bring her a CD so she could listen to Master's lectures. Little did I know, she actually didn't even bother to listen to it and went straight to my husband. My husband spouted off the evil lies that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) told the public. I knew those lies weren't true, but I didn't possess the courage to refute him and clarify the truth. Suddenly, our relationship grew tense, and I had to practice the Fa secretly in my bedroom. When my mother-in-law found out that I was still practicing Falun Dafa, she immediately went to my husband and threatened that she and his father were moving out of this house, to somewhere far away, if I continued practicing Falun Dafa. She thought, absurdly, that I was acting “unusual” and was out of control. My husband reacted by calling my parents and told them that if I kept practicing Falun Dafa, he would file for divorce. I started crying because of the unjust treatment and asked my husband, “I practice the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to become a good person. What did I do wrong? Is trying to be a better person a crime?” My husband was extremely upset, and his temper flared easily. We had many full-blown arguments at home, and my cultivation was suspended for the time being.
Since I was fearful, and my cultivation path was in disarray, I could only study the Fa at work. After stopping my exercises for a short time, my rheumatoid arthritis returned. My husband helped me rub my hands, but after just a few moments, he grew impatient. When I tried to lift my plate, my hands felt sore. My sister, who was not a practitioner, asked me why I didn't take medicines while practicing Falun Dafa. I thought there was no point in practicing Dafa any longer, so I bought some herbal alcohol and other medical drugs, none of which were effective in improving my health.
A few days later, the practitioner that taught me the exercises came to visit me. She told me to keep up Dafa, to send forth righteous thoughts, and to not give up Falun Dafa. Fortunately, my husband had to go out of town on business, so I took advantage of this and began practicing Falun Dafa again in secret at home. Looking back, I believe this stroke of luck occurred because of Master’s compassion to those people like me who had such low cultivation awareness. Two weeks later, when my herbal alcohol was ready for consumption, I was doing the second exercise when several words pierced my mind, “True cultivators never get sick!” I woke up from my mental slumber and never again took a single pill. Another day, I happened to be reading Zhuan Falun when my husband came back from out of town. I thought, “If I always practice in secret, I am bound to be caught one day.” I strengthened my will and told him, “I will practice Dafa for sure, and no one can stop me from doing so. I have been quietly practicing Dafa, and I have regained my health. I've stopped catching colds and and my hands feel much better. If you agree with me, then that's great. If you don't, then we'll file for a divorce.” To my surprise, he nodded in agreement. And just like that, I went back to practicing and sending forth righteous thoughts.
My Hands Heal Back To Normal
Upon returning to my practice, a miracle occurred. My hands were previously deformed and red from rheumatoid arthritis. My finger joints were sore, so I could not do the laundry, as I couldn't wring clothes. My hands no longer hurt at all and I can wash any sort of clothes I want. The color of my hands became completely normal and my deformed joints slowly recovered too. I send my heartfelt gratitude to Master and strengthen my conviction in Dafa.
One of my favorite jackets once lost its buttons, and I called my sister to buy some for me, but she always forgot. One day, I miraculously found my buttons. I knew that it was Master who helped me find them again. Some of my fellow practitioners said that Master rewarded me because I didn't stop cultivating. If it wasn't for Master guiding me all the way, and my fellow practitioners encouraging me, maybe my husband and my mother-in-law would have had their way. I would have made many mistakes in my multiple moments of weakness and I would have missed the chance to obtain Dafa. I cannot find the words to truly convey my gratitude and reverence towards Master.
I Learn To Cultivate My Xinxing
I run a clothing store and one day a customer came to buy a new, cooler wardrobe for the summer. When this customer asked why the store was so hot, I told her there was no fan or air-conditioning. She had a fit and began muttering a string of curses. I just smiled apologetically and fanned her while she went around the shop. I thought, “Master told us not to fight back when others fight with us and not to yell at others when they yell at us.” When I was listening to this customer, I was not at all disturbed by this customer's insults. My heart was calm and I took no offense.
Another time, my sister asked me to help save the equivalent of 2,500 dollars in her bank account. When I went to her bank account, I found only a measly three hundred dollars. I was not surprised, and in my mind I recalled one of Master's words,
“But you’re a practitioner, so under normal circumstances you are looked after by your teacher’s Law Bodies. If other people want to take your things they won’t be able to budge them. So that’s why we just let things happen naturally. Sometimes you think that something is yours, and other people tell you it is, when in fact it’s not.” (Zhuan Falun)
I knew I couldn't talk to my sister about the amount of money she had in her account because of her bad temper. Instead, I just deposited three hundred dollars of my own into her account.
One day, I bought a desk lamp. When I tested it at the store, it lit up just fine, but when my husband tried it at home, it refused to light. He told me I must have bought a malfunctioning lamp, but I knew I hadn't. I knew the problem was within me. I remembered saying some cruel words about my niece and my neighbor's sister earlier in the day because of my argumentative and jealous heart. I realized that I needed to clean up my act. When I went to try and turn on the lamp again, it flickered on. I promised I would always watch my words from then on.
I was at my clothing store again, attending to my customers, when all of a sudden I felt a severe stabbing pain in my chest. I immediately sent a cry of help through my mind to Master. After just two seconds, the pain ceased. Afterwards, I told my fellow practitioners about this incident. They thought it was to tell me to send forth righteous thoughts more regularly. I replied that I had really only focused upon studying the Fa, rather than sending forth righteous thoughts. Master said that we should not neglect any of the three requirements. From that point on, I always remembered to send forth righteous thoughts periodically throughout the day.
Learning To Clarify The Truth
After practicing for almost a year with my fellow practitioners, they began encouraging me to go out to clarify the truth and pass out truth-clarifying materials and CDs. I didn't really know what to do because I was born timid and shy. As I looked at my recently recovered hands, I had a burst of inspiration and thought, “Aren't I living testimony to this divine power?”
Whenever I clarified the truth to someone, I always started off sharing my incredible story of recovery after I began practicing Falun Dafa. I then proceeded to tell about how the self-immolation incident on Tiananmen Square was staged by Jiang Zemin and his group of political henchmen. I always asked them to remember that Falun Dafa is good, and that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, and then I suggested that they quit the CCP. Sometimes, when the person I am clarifying the truth to is very reluctant to believe the facts about Dafa, I give them a CD of the Shen Yun Divine Performing Arts. I am always able to give out at least one packet, and usually two packets, of truth-clarification materials. Sometimes I am forced to wait at front doors, and in those moments, I send forth righteous thoughts. I realized that passing out truth-clarification materials wasn't that hard. I introduced Dafa to a neighbor next to my clothing store. This young girl believed in Buddhism, so she was eager to listen. After speaking with her, she took the book Zhuan Falun home to read. The next day, she came to me wanting to practice Dafa, so I asked my fellow practitioners to help her.
Unfortunately, however, she did not possess enough conviction to continue with cultivation practice. She told me that whenever she did an exercise she would get a headache. My fellow practitioners said that it may be a disturbance from a fake Buddha in a portrait that was interfering with the young girl's practice. My fellow practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts for her. I also told her that all she had to do was keep her faith strong, and her heart steadfast in Dafa, and Master would help her through all troubled times. However, the girl was too young to begin Dafa in the face of hardship, and her own mother even came to stop her from practicing. It was the girl's lack of a firm belief in Dafa that led her to lose such a precious opportunity to obtain the Fa.
Later on in my life, I realized I had been very fortunate to obtain the Fa. I felt that I had to go back to my home town and clarify the truth to my friends and family. My mother took to Dafa immediately and now reads the Dafa books every day. Other relatives believed Dafa too, but some were more skeptical. However, I was still able to successfully help most of my family members to quit the CCP, even if they weren't sure about Falun Dafa. The only family members that absolutely would not believe in Falun Dafa were my third sister and her husband, my brother-in-law. They said some words that weren't very kind, but I didn't take it personally. Nonetheless, I still clarified the truth to them, and asked them to treat their actions with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in order to become good persons. Afterwards, I went to help my third sister in the fields doing farm work. They no longer directly oppose me.
When I first began practicing Falun Dafa, I did it just to heal my illnesses. I only wanted to be happy for the rest of my life and be disease free. Now I truly know what cultivation practice is, and it is incomparable to anything else. It is most amazing! Thank you Master, thank you fellow practitioners!
Despite any differences between practitioners' cultivation states and cultural backgrounds, let it not interfere with our understandings.
