(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa was introduced to the world 27 years ago. Millions of people have taken up the practice. It is welcomed in over 80 countries, and its teachings have been translated into over 40 languages. I am fortunate to be a Dafa practitioner. It is a predestined relationship that I could not buy with my life.
I often said to my fellow practitioners, “I've never had any supernormal feelings. I don't see anything special. All my experiences are very ordinary and not worth mentioning.”
One of them said to me: “A person's behavior is influenced by his heart. You have persisted quietly in your practice all this time, even though Dafa is being slandered and the persecution against Dafa continues. Your behavior has demonstrated your steadfast belief. Despite the fact that your experiences might be ordinary or uninteresting, you have continued to do what you should do.
“You often printed truth-clarification materials until midnight, opened up your home as a place for practitioners to study the Fa together, and distributed informational materials to every home in your neighborhood. You are almost 70 years old, but you never complain about being tired. You think that what you have done is quite ordinary, but that is because you've never thought of seeking fame or protecting your own self-interests. That is quite extraordinary.”
I learned about Falun Dafa in August 1996 and began to cultivate right away. At that time I was a marketing department manager. I first worked in the department that dealt with labor unions, then I joined the Party director's office and was in charge of political ideology.
There were quite a few people practicing Falun Dafa in different departments in my organization at that time. There was someone who practiced in almost every department or office. They often read their Dafa books during breaks.
I once went to the financial department to look for someone and saw an employee reading a Dafa book. I asked her if I could borrow it and she said, “Sure. But I can only lend it to you; you need to give it back.”
I spent the whole night reading the borrowed copy of Zhuan Falun. I was so totally immersed in it that I forgot the time. When I finished reading, it was seven a.m. the next morning. I quickly washed up and went to work.
I was so excited. What Teacher Li said in Zhuan Falun was so great. I didn't feel tired, even though I hadn't slept. I knew that Falun Dafa was exactly what I wanted to learn. Thus, I began my cultivation.
I had been interested in traditional culture since I was young. And I especially liked the teachings that focused on being honest and straightforward and never giving up. I liked to read history books. People such as Zhuge Liang and Liu Bowen have been my heroes since I was a child. I believed that the world rewards good people with good, and bad people with bad. I believed there were many things beyond what people could perceive.
Although I worked in the Party director's office, I was doubtful of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda. Particularly after having lived through the cultural revolution and the CCP's many campaigns, I felt that their propaganda was full of contradictions and their measures were inhumane.
I acted with goodness, compassion, and honesty after I learned Dafa. Although my work environment was rife with struggles, falsehoods, and deceptions, I was well accepted by my colleagues and I had good relationships with them.
My boss's father was a top executive in our company. My boss was quite arrogant and relied on his connections. He insisted that everything go his way. He even treated his boss badly at times. No one wanted to be around him.
I was nice to him, though, and treated him the same as I treated anyone else. He treated me well and respected me.
Both of us attended a wedding, and we happened to sit next to each other. I commented, “You can see that the bride and groom go so well together. I believe they have a predestined relationship. Do you believe in such things?”
“Yes, I do,” he replied with a serious look on his face. I was surprised, as I would not have thought that a person regarded by man as arrogant would believe in deities. I thought that he might be a person with a predestined relationship.
Then I asked him if he knew about Falun Gong and he said he did. His expression was still serious. I asked him what he thought about the CCP’s many campaigns. “They are ridiculous,” he said contemptuously.
I said, “The CCP killed so many people in its past campaigns. Heaven will make it pay. You will be safe if you can quit the CCP and its youth organizations. Why don't I help you do it?” He agreed without hesitation. He gave me his nickname and quit the CCP.
I developed symptoms of illness karma at the end of 2011. I had a severe case of jaundice. My skin turned dark brown, and the whites of my eyes turned a deep yellow. My belly swelled as though I were pregnant, and my legs swelled and looked like tree trunks. I could not lie down, so I leaned against the headboard all night long. My chest felt like there was a heavy rock pressing down on it, and I had difficulty breathing. This went on for days.
I dared not drink anything, since all the water I drank seeped into my abdominal cavity. I had no appetite. Because my cultivation was not solid enough, my human side dominated, and I eventually went to the hospital. The doctor said I had late-stage hepatitis with atherosclerosis.
I was hospitalized eight times. I went to a famous hospital in Beijing, where a doctor told me, “What you have is incurable. No one in the world can cure it.”
All the hospital could do was to treat and alleviate the symptoms. They reduced the yellow color in my skin and eyes, extracted the fluid from my abdomen, and induced urination. Then I went home and the symptoms returned. The doctor said that I could die at any time. I weighed 190 lbs before they extracted the fluid from my abdomen and 110 lbs afterward.
I decided that I could not let the situation continue. I knew the hospital couldn’t save me. After I went home, I studied the Fa, did the exercises, and sent forth righteous thoughts. I totally gave up the thought of being ill. In the end, I recovered without further treatment. My abdomen and legs never swelled again.
My husband was the head of a business department. He found it hard to accept my burning incense and offering food to Teacher's picture and often laughed at me. Yet, he did those things himself when I was hospitalized the second time. He said to Teacher's picture devoutly, “Master Li, please save your disciple.”
He continued doing this even after I completely recovered. He was especially supportive of my making Dafa informational materials. I even hold a Fa study group in our home. He is now over 70 years old. He is in very good health and very happy.
I know I have lots of room to improve. I cherish very much the time that Teacher has extended for us. Thank you, Teacher, for protecting me on my path of cultivation. I will cultivate to the very end and follow Teacher home.