(Minghui.org) I am 52 years old. In 2004 at the brainwashing center that was used to persecute Falun Gong practitioners, I learned the truth about Falun Gong and started to cultivate.
A Life of Misfortune until I Learned the Truth in a Brainwashing Center
Ever since I was young, I endured many tribulations. I was the second oldest of eight children. I did the laundry, cooked, and took care of my younger sisters even when I was very small. When I was 16, I worked to help cover our expenses. My classmates and neighbors always commented that I was capable, since I could do things many adults couldn't manage, and I kept my family in perfect order.
When I was 19, I met my husband. I thought I was too young to get married, but his family promised to find me a permanent job so that I would marry him. They did not keep their promise. They saw that I was capable and made me their nanny so I could earn money for them. I kept the home neat and clean. When I worked part-time for others, they praised me.
But no matter how hard I worked, I could not satisfy his family. My mother-in-law always swore at me and beat me, and she encouraged my husband to do the same. My sister-in-law always insulted me. Later, my husband quit his job and worked for himself. When he made some money, he started being unfaithful and didn't come home at night. My mother-in-law encouraged him to divorce me. Even her uncle could not tolerate how they treated me and stopped communicating with them. My neighbors also complained about them on my behalf.
For the sake of my children and family, I put up with it, but I could not keep our family together. In 2003, we divorced. My husband did not give me a single penny. It was a heavy blow. Besides that, after working so hard and being treated so poorly, I had all kinds of health problems: shortness of breath, chest pain, vision issues, sore throat, and gallbladder inflammation. I was so weak that I could not even sweep the floor. A doctor examined me and told me that I had an irregular heart beat. I was on the verge of breaking down.
One of my friends wanted to help and suggested I find a job at a brainwashing center monitoring Falun Gong practitioners. So I went to one of those facilities, where I met Falun Gong practitioners who were totally different from how the Chinese Communist Party depicted them. They were the most compassionate and best people I had ever met. Everything they said and did melted my heart and moved me to tears. I then understood that completely innocent people were being persecuted.
Reborn after Obtaining the Fa
I left that evil place and could not wait to get the precious book Zhuan Falun. My new life started when I found it. It resolved all my questions, and I understood why practitioners were still so determined even after being so severely persecuted in the brainwashing center. This was the Great Law that could save all sentient beings. I wanted to cultivate.
After I started to practice, all my health problems went away. I followed Master’s teaching to cultivate my xinxing to be a good person and let go of attachments. I was a new person--even my family was surprised at how well I endured this big blow. My teacher and classmates who used to worry about me were surprised to see such a big change. Not only had I become happier, my health improved so much that I was better off than they were. Master made all this possible. I sincerely thank Master!
My mother and younger sister also began to practice, and their illnesses went away, too. Before obtaining the Fa, my younger sister had a kidney problem. She said, “If I did not cultivate Dafa, I don't know what would have happened to me.” She is very determined and does the three things well. My mom had poorer enlightenment quality and could not let go of her human attachments. She eventually passed away. It helped us understand that cultivation is very serious and can't be taken lightly.
On February 5, 2007, I spilled a pot of boiling water on my right foot. I quickly removed my shoes and socks. My foot was kind of red but it did not hurt. I understood that Master had protected me. Another time when I was boiling water, I left the burner on all night by mistake. When I woke up, I smelled gas. I ran to the kitchen and saw that the pot had burned through the bottom. It's lucky the house didn't catch fire and the gas didn't poison me. I understood that Master saved me again.
The clock on the wall we had had for years stopped. Even after changing the battery, it wouldn't work. I said to the clock, “You’d better work like you should. I need to check you to know when to send forth righteous thoughts. Please cooperate with me, so that you will have a beautiful future.” Two hours later, the clock started to work again, and it has been fine ever since.
Last year when I was cleaning, there was no hot water. I whispered to myself, “It would be good if I had some hot water.” After a while, I turned on the tap and warm water came out, then it got hot. I wondered, “How come the water is hot?” Later I realized that Master was helping me again.
Elevating My Xinxing
At the end of 2008, my ex-husband suddenly came to ask to re-marry him. His whole family came over to beg me to come back, since after our divorce, they had barely survived. My mother-in-law, who is over 80, had no one to take care of her, and nobody to cook. No matter what business my ex-husband did, he just could not make money. After studying the Fa, I understood that maybe I owed this family from a past life, so now I had to repay them. I went back, and I took this family as an environment for me to cultivate, following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The house had gotten very dirty since I had left, but I made everything tidy and neat, and I also tried my best to serve my mother-in-law. I got along very well with my husband. My mother-in-law said to me in tears, “I am so sorry for what I did to you.” Everything started to improve and my husband’s business also ran smoothly.
When I felt everything was going well, my husband spent his extra money on other women again and he always lost temper after coming home, saying that I deserved to serve them. Suddenly my attachment to complaining and other human notions all surfaced. Master gave me several hints, but my enlightenment quality was too poor. Luckily our compassionate Master did not give up on me. I read the Fa more and more and understood that it was because that I did not let go of sentimentality. Master said:
“Cultivation is something you do right in the thick of tribulations. They’ll test whether you can sever your emotions and desires, and they’ll see if you can take them lightly. If you’re attached to those things you won’t be able to finish your cultivation.”
“But if you do break out of emotion, nobody can affect you, and ordinary attachments won’t be able to sway you. What replaces it is compassion, which is more noble.” (Zhuan Falun)
I have tripped and fallen many times on the path of cultivation, but no matter what, my heart will always be determined in cultivating Dafa.
Seizing the Opportunity to Clarify the Truth
Since I became a practitioner in 2004, I have been very determined in cultivating Dafa and doing the three things well. Sometimes I haven't done well in clarifying the truth, but I keep trying.
Wherever I go, I always give out informational materials. I've written truth-clarifying sentences like: “Why is Falun Gong being persecuted?” “How to be a good person?” and “Heaven will destroy the CCP” on yuan notes and watched how people responded. Many thought they were very well-written. Some did not believe it, but I did not get attached. I just tried my best to do it. In saving sentient beings, I should have a righteous mind with no fear. If I have the attachment of fear, the loopholes will be used by the old forces. Once when I went to a building to distribute materials, my thoughts wavered, and when I came downstairs, I twisted my foot. I sent forth righteous thoughts immediately to get rid of the fear, and my foot stopped hurting right away.
The articles in Minghui Weekly really help me. Reading of others' tribulations and difficulties brings tears to my eyes. I see that fellow practitioners are so great in clarifying the truth and saving the sentient beings. Compared to them, I still lag far behind. After reading how others make good use of their time to save sentient beings, I was so excited that I could hardly sleep. I keep telling myself that I should be diligent. Again I would like to thank our greatest Master for giving me the opportunity to cultivate.
My level is limited. Kindly point out anything improper.
