(Minghui.org) I’m 72 years old and I’ve practiced Falun Dafa for twenty-seven years. Practicing Dafa transformed me completely—both physically and mentally. Even though I’m in my seventies, my complexion is rosy, my hair looks healthy. I walk lightly, and I’m happy. I’m in better shape now than I was in my twenties.
When my mother was pregnant with me, she had tuberculosis and received six months of penicillin and streptomycin injections. She also had very little appetite. Because of this, my heart was underdeveloped and I was weak. For the first half of my life, I lived on Chinese medicine. I often carried a bottle of herbal soup to work, and my coworkers joked that I ate differently from everyone else.
When qigong became popular in China I tried it to cure my illnesses, but it only made things worse. Problems appeared in several of my internal organs, and my health deteriorated even further. My husband worked in another city, so I had to handle everything at home. My workload at the office was heavy and exhausting, and in between work I also traded stocks to make extra money. Eventually my body collapsed, and I became bedridden.
In 1998, I developed kidney failure. My body swelled and I lay in bed, struggling to breathe. I felt death approaching—every day felt like a year. My parents and siblings spent all their savings to treat my illnesses. After I was hospitalized for two weeks, I was sent home to recuperate. At that time, my workplace was failing and could no longer pay wages, so I couldn’t even afford my herbal medicine.
At this most difficult time, I was fortunate to obtain Falun Dafa. It changed my destiny. A friend brought me Zhuan Falun and taught me how to do the sitting meditation while I was still confined to bed (I was too weak to do the standing exercises). I read Zhuan Falun in three days, and my mind opened. I understood that the purpose of life is to return to one’s true self, that illnesses come from our karma, and that Master purifies practitioners’ bodies.
I understood the meaning of life and I felt hope again. I was deeply touched and joyful. I had one thought: I want to practice Falun Dafa.
I began getting up early to join the morning exercises. I studied the Fa with other practitioners in the evening, and on Sundays I participated in activities to tell people about Falun Dafa. My days were full and joyful. Six months later, I fully recovered. For the first time in my life, I experienced what it meant to be healthy and comfortable—I was truly free of illness. My coworkers, relatives, and friends all witnessed this miracle and realized that Falun Dafa is good.
Before I practiced Falun Dafa I didn’t argue with others, but I cared a lot about personal gain, loss, and saving face. I always bottled-up my anger—sometimes I was so upset that I couldn’t eat, and felt bloated. After I practiced Falun Dafa and read Zhuan Falun, I understood many principles, and my mind opened up. I learned to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in my daily life, to be a good person, to first look within when problems arise, and to be tolerant of others.
When my daughter had her son, she lived with her in-laws. Every morning I took an hour-long bus ride to help take care of my grandson, and then I returned home at night. Over time, I noticed that my daughter’s mother-in-law was capable and hardworking, but very domineering. Whether the matter was big or small, things had to be done her way. If not, she was unhappy. I always maintained a peaceful cultivator’s mindset and never got angry or argued.
My daughter felt upset when she saw this. She thought her mother-in-law was bullying me and she wanted to defend me. I told her, “Your mother-in-law has more experience and knows more about daily matters. There are things I don’t know well, so I should learn from her. It’s nothing—don’t let it bother you. Don’t get angry.” I held myself to a cultivator’s standard, tolerated her behavior, and helped ease tensions between my daughter and her mother-in-law.
One New Year’s Day, my daughter invited the entire family to a restaurant and she ordered many dishes. The restaurant was crowded, so the food came slowly. Soon my little grandson grew restless and wanted to go outside, so my daughter and her husband took him out. That left only my daughter’s in-laws, my husband, and me at the table. When all the dishes were finally served, we finished eating but there was still plenty left. My daughter’s mother-in-law wanted to take the food home, so she prepared several plastic bags. Seeing she was having difficulty, I picked up my chopsticks to help. Suddenly her face darkened and she shouted, “Take it away!” She then struck my chopsticks with hers.
I froze. Before I could react, my husband stood up angrily and stormed out, and I followed him. On the way home, he scolded me: “You’re too soft! She’s outrageous—she crossed the line!” From then on, he bore a grudge and for years he refused to step into their home.
As a cultivator, Master teaches us to look within when conflicts arise. I thought it over carefully and finally realized the issue: she disliked that I used my personal chopsticks, which I had already eaten with. She is very particular about cleanliness. I was careless—I should have used the serving chopsticks. I should bear most of the responsibility. I tend to be casual and didn’t have good hygienic habits. This was a lesson.
After realizing my mistake, I apologized to her. She felt embarrassed and said, “I shouldn’t have embarrassed you in front of everyone and caused such an unpleasant scene.” After that, she was kinder. Through my interactions with her, I reflected on myself. She was like a mirror, showing me parts of myself I hadn’t noticed—my own stubbornness and forcefulness. At home, I was usually the one who made the decisions, and my husband often complained, “You’re always right; you always have to make a point.” This incident helped me recognize this attachment and I was able to let go of it.
Now my daughter’s mother-in-law often tells others that I am open-minded, easy to get along with, and a good person. In fact, this is the natural state of a Dafa practitioner. She quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations and read the articles that Master wrote for the world’s people. After reading them, she said, “These are truly wonderful!”
At the end of 2000, I went to Beijing to speak up for Dafa. I was illegally arrested by the police and held in the local detention center for nine months. During that time, the company I worked for went bankrupt. The government began processing employee benefits, and I was supposed to go through the retirement procedure and have my paperwork transferred to social security. But because I was detained and unable to handle the paperwork, I missed the deadline. The policy required all employees to complete the process at the same time, and once the deadline passed, it could not be remedied.
The company leadership were very anxious, so they came to the detention center to see me. They asked me to write a statement promising not to practice Falun Dafa, so I could be released. I refused. One leader warned me, “If you miss this chance, you won’t receive a pension. How will you live for the rest of your life? Think carefully and give us your answer in two days.” I felt terrible. This was a real, personal dilemma and a painful choice. My mind kept churning, and I couldn’t calm down. After thinking it over all night, I made my decision: I would never write such a statement.
Master teaches us to think of others first, so I needed to consider the overall interests of the employees. Therefore, I picked up a pen and wrote a letter to the manager, telling him that I would not write a statement of quitting Falun Dafa. For the sake of other employees, they could put my matter aside. Even if I ended up without a pension, I wouldn’t blame the company or the management, and I would not regret my decision. I asked them to go ahead and process the paperwork for the other employees, since there was a deadline and many bankrupt companies were applying. I wrote this, so the leaders would have something in writing to show during the process. After I finished writing the letter, I felt calm. I felt that, as a Dafa practitioner, this was the right thing to do.
Because I persisted in practicing Dafa, I was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party for four and a half years. When I returned home in April 2004, I was surprised to learn that my pension had actually been processed in 2003. My coworkers told me that after my letter reached the company, although the management and employees didn’t fully understand my decision, they felt compassion for me. To help resolve my situation, they organized retired workers to visit the higher authorities four times and used every personal connection they had. After many twists and turns, they finally succeeded.
I am truly grateful for my coworkers’ kindness and help. I also realized that their support came from their sympathy for Falun Dafa, because they witnessed how practicing Dafa helped me regain my health and my life. I sincerely hope that these good-hearted people will have a wonderful future. I also hope more people will learn about Falun Dafa, and that everyone with a predestined connection will have a bright and beautiful future.