(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in April 1998. Before cultivating in Dafa, I was bedridden with severe illnesses for three years. Besides hypertension and a heart condition, I suffered from various gynecological diseases. I tried various conventional treatment methods, including Chinese and Western medicine, before turning to spiritual alternatives, and even fortune telling. Each attempt met with no success.
Reading Zhuan Falun Despite Illiteracy
I learned that a relative of mine had begun to practice Falun Dafa in 1998. After learning this qigong practice, my relative’s severe coronary heart disease had vanished. Intrigued, I paid her a visit and managed to borrow a copy of the book Zhuan Falun from her. I felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity on seeing the picture of Master Li Hongzhi (the founder of the practice) in the book. This feeling bolstered my determination to read the contents of Zhuan Falun, despite my relative illiteracy. Because much time was spent checking the dictionary, I could only read around ten pages a day.
Learning the Exercises
After reading the book midway, I decided to find an exercise site to practice the exercises. Initially, I had to overcome a number of difficulties. My legs were weak and unstable, and I kept feeling the urge to go to the toilet. However I was determined to surpass my limits and forced myself to ignore my urges and exhaustion.
My perseverance was soon rewarded. Within a week, I was able to carry our heavy gas cylinder from the second to the first floor! This feat was considered a miracle by my mother-in-law, who commented, “Falun Dafa is really good!”
After practicing the exercises for a period of time, I joined a group of practitioners in their regular Fa study sessions. The diligence of older practitioners only spurred my determination to cultivate better.
Clarifying the Truth in Beijing
In April 1999, after hearing news of Falun Dafa practitioners being arrested in Tianjin, I visited Beijing to petition for their release and tried to clarify the truth of Falun Dafa to the central government. However, the crackdown escalated until July 20, 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP} banned the practice and would not allow us to practice it in public.
Saddened by the government’s decision, I traveled to Beijing, hoping to petition the authorities. However I was arrested by the local police and placed under illegal detention. I was released after I went on a hunger strike. Because Dafa had saved my life, I was determined to convince the authorities of the goodness of Falun Dafa. I attempted several times to visit Beijing, but was arrested with each attempt and detained for some time before being released.
After a number of futile attempts, I decided to talk to people about Falun Dafa closer to home. A fellow practitioner taught me how to access and print out Falun Dafa truth-clarification information from online websites. By distributing these printed leaflets, we could correct public misconceptions about Falun Dafa.
Because of my illiteracy, learning to download and print these materials was a challenging and difficult process. However I doggedly continued, trying my best to produce the materials requested by fellow practitioners. Over time, I also imparted to several fellow practitioners the method of downloading and printing these materials.
Enduring Persecution and Progressing in Cultivation Practice
Once, while on my way to buy groceries, I saw the police arresting a fellow practitioner. I stepped forward in an attempt to save him, but was arrested by the police as well. During my detention, I started a hunger strike. In response, police officers force-fed me and sent me to the hospital where I was tied to a bed and injected with large quantities of drugs.
Throughout my ordeal, I held strong to my faith. “My life was saved by the Master of Falun Dafa! Telling the world about the goodness of Falun Dafa is my responsibility!” While in detention, I began searching inwards for my inadequacies and found my attachments to human emotions. Soon after, the authorities gave me a full physical examination. After determining that I was near death, they let me go. I recovered my health within two weeks of release.
Because my life was saved by Falun Dafa, my husband continued to remain supportive of my practice. My daughter and son-in-law also supported my decision to continue practicing in Dafa.
My return and miraculous recovery only served to confirm the power and goodness of Falun Dafa. As a result, my parents and siblings also became practitioners. Now they even help me produce truth-clarification materials. My granddaughter is also a practitioner. When her school began slandering Dafa, she talked to those around her about Dafa and has helped a number of her fellow schoolmates to quit the CCP.
I hope to continue improving in my cultivation practice and awaken more people to the goodness of Dafa!
