Picking Up Cultivation Again: Recovering from Cervical Spondylosis

(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa again in April 2019. I would like to share about the positive physical and mental changes I experienced, in hopes of validating the Fa. 

In addition, I hope my story can help more people learn the truth about Falun Dafa, the persecution, and the evilness of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), so they cut ties with the CCP and its youth organizations. Especially, I hope they do not lose the opportunity to be saved.

Missed Opportunity 

I work at a state-owned enterprise. I first found out about Falun Dafa in the spring of 1999, when seeing the large groups of practitioners doing the Dafa exercises in the parks and public squares – every day in the mornings and evenings. My interest was later piqued when I heard about Falun Dafa’s health benefits. I thought of practicing and went to the group practice site several times, but I didn’t learn the exercises as I was busy working full-time and taking care of my child. 

Many of my co-workers practiced Falun Dafa and talked about how good this cultivation practice was. I bought the book Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa. I found that Zhuan Falun was special and different from anything I had read before. Although I couldn’t understand some of the contents in Zhuan Falun, I remembered its principles – Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I felt that these three characteristics are truly good. 

I had not yet finished reading Zhuan Falun when the persecution against Falun Dafa was launched by Jiang Zemin, the then leader of the CCP. Overwhelming propaganda that slandered Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) and its founder, Master Li Hongzhi was heard repeatedly over all the state media. 

One day, my employer asked me to turn in Zhuan Falun and anything related to the practice, which would be destroyed. I was puzzled and had many questions. Why weren’t we allowed to cultivate such a good practice? What was wrong in teaching a person to be good? What kind of Party is against Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? 

I thought about a recent news report titled “Falun Gong Has Hundreds of Benefits and Does No Harm.” Why did they suddenly change their stance? I was angry and in tears. 

I decided to go to my parents’ home that day. My mother, who also practices Falun Dafa, said that I could bring the books to her home if I was worried about keeping them at my house. I later took the Dafa materials to her home, but after a while, I brought them back and learned to do the five sets of Dafa exercises. 

I heard that some of my co-workers who went to Beijing to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong were brought back by our company. Some of them were fired, and some were sentenced to forced labor or prison. I knew they were all good people.

Suffering

I developed several illnesses, including breast tumor, pharyngitis, rhinitis, gynecological diseases, anemia, and arthritis of the lumbar and neck region. These diseases drained me physically and spiritually. 

I began to experience arthritis in my neck, also known as cervical spondylosis, in 2007. For the next 10-plus years, my husband took me to the top-tiered hospitals in the capital of our province, famous orthopedists, and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners to find a cure, but to no avail. I lost a lot of hair and had poor sleep. I had to either change my sleep position every 10 minutes or my pillow, due to the pain.

One doctor informed us that it was too risky to perform surgery for the cervical spondylosis, as a postoperative complication could cause a person to be disabled. He instead recommended that I take Chinese medicine to prevent the disease from progressing. Someone later recommended that I also use a Tibetan medicated plaster, which helped alleviate the pain.

One morning after Chinese New Year in 2019, I was so dizzy that I had to ask my husband to help me to the bathroom, where I threw up. I had a cold sweat and felt as though I was going to lose consciousness. It was more than I could tolerate.

My condition began to deteriorate after that day. Treatments such as acupuncture, massage, Chinese herbs, and medicated plasters no longer helped.

I couldn’t lie down to sleep anymore. Whenever my head touched the pillow, I felt dizzy and sick. In addition, I couldn’t walk without someone holding me up and I needed to hold on to something when I stood up or I would fall.

In April, the doctor wanted me to get an MRI to make sure my spinal cord wasn’t being pinched. However, I couldn’t lie down. My mother, who accompanied my husband and me, said, “Just sincerely recite ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,’ and Master will help you.”

I did as she said and I was able to lie down for 20 minutes without vomiting. I was still so nervous that both of my palms were sweaty. The doctor said that my disease was getting quite severe. If his medications couldn’t help, he would recommend me to his teacher for further treatment.

After so many years I knew that he wouldn’t be able to help me. As I watched the people outside the hospital, I asked myself, “What is our purpose on earth? Why do we want to live when humans only suffer?”

At home, I wrote down the passwords to my cell phone, bank cards, and so on, and gave them to my husband. He was concerned and asked me why I was doing that. He didn’t want the passwords and said that I would be fine. 

My mother visited me and asked me to do the Falun Dafa exercises with her. She said all her diseases disappeared after she began cultivation. However, I couldn’t even stand by myself, so how would I even do the exercises? In addition, I didn’t think it would help since I'd had tried it before and my disease didn’t go away back then.

Cultivating Again 

I couldn’t lie down or sit up, because my back hurt too much. One day, I opened a drawer and saw a USB drive that a practitioner had given me a year before. Since I couldn’t fall asleep, I thought I’d listen to it.

I clicked on a video called “Story of Life,” about a doctor who had a rare disease that couldn’t be treated by any medicine. When he was in a critical situation, he practiced Falun Dafa and completely recovered in a few days. 

After I finished watching that video, I continued to watch videos of other practitioners who shared how they'd gained a new lease on life after they listened to Master’s nine-day lectures or read Zhuan Falun. I cried listening to their stories and realized that there was a glimmer of hope shining through the darkness in my life.

The next day, my mother and I studied the Fa and did the exercises together. This time, I wasn’t dizzy when reading Zhuan Falun. I was absorbed in the book and understood that Master was here to save sentient beings. 

If I want to be a genuine practitioner, I should do everything based on the standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Only when I solidly cultivate myself, can Master purify my body. I realized that the goal of one’s body being purified is about Master saving the person to a higher level and not about treating the disease.

Master said,

“We emphasize one point: If you cannot relinquish the attachment or concern for illness, we cannot do anything and will be unable to help you. Why is this? It is because there is such a principle in the universe: Ordinary human affairs, according to the Buddha School, all have predestined relationships. Birth, old age, illness, and death exist as such for ordinary people. Due to karma resulting from past wrongdoing, one has illnesses or tribulations; suffering is repaying a karmic debt, and thus nobody can casually change this. Changing it means that one would not have to repay the debt after being in debt, and this cannot be done at will. Doing otherwise is the same as committing a bad deed.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

After we finished reading the first lecture in Zhuan Falun, my mother and I did the Dafa exercises. I thought I wouldn’t be able to stand, but I had no problem when I began doing the first standing exercise. After I finished doing the exercises, I was so sleepy that I slept for three straight hours. 

The second day, my brain felt as though it was being adjusted. Although I still felt dizzy, I could tolerate it. That night, I was able to sleep soundly for the first time in over a decade.

On the fifth day, I felt my body being adjusted and I could walk slowly by myself and didn’t feel dizzy. I fully recovered from my illnesses on the 10th day. 

I have experienced a few tests and witnessed the power of Dafa many times since I returned to cultivating. Thanks to Master for his mercy in saving me and suffering for me. I can only cultivate diligently, walk well my cultivation path, and do the three things well.