(Minghui.org)
I started practicing Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) in June 1997. While I was making clothes for my child, my cousin-in-law came and asked, “Do you want to practice Falun Gong?” Without thinking, I agreed. She told me that a Dafa practitioner would come at 3 p.m. to teach me the exercises. That’s how I learned them. I didn’t know at first, how long each exercise should be done for. Every evening, after finishing those few movements, I thought that was enough.
I was not aware of any Dafa books at that time, only the exercises. The practitioner who taught me the exercises told me, “What we learn is Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. To be a good person, you must not hit back when you are hit and not talk back when insulted.” I remembered her words.
My husband did not allow me to practice Dafa, so I did the exercises when he was not at home. He came home early from work one day, and saw me doing the exercises. He said, “Practicing qigong is something old people do. You’re so fat. Aren’t you afraid you’ll practice yourself to death?” I didn’t respond, and didn’t get angry. I later realized that I had truly practiced forbearance.
We lived in the countryside and had very little income. Even farming required walking for over a mile. My mother was constantly ill and needed care all year round. I had two children—one was seven years old, and the other was just over a year old. I was plagued with many illnesses. I had a stroke, cervical spine disease, frozen shoulder, duodenal ulcer, gynecological problems, and more. The pressure of family life, combined with physical suffering, made my life very hard and exhausting. My duodenal ulcer became especially severe. Even plain food made my stomach burn.
A folk doctor came to the village, and my husband asked me to go see him. He placed an instrument on my pulse, and surprisingly the results were the same as those from the hospital. He took out a medicated patch and pasted it on my abdomen. One patch cost 50 yuan. It felt warm at first, but after two days, there was no sensation. I had already been doing the Dafa exercises for a week, but no one had told me that practicing Falun Gong could cure illnesses. After wearing the patch for four days, I said to my husband, “I won’t wear the patch anymore. Starting today, I won’t take medicine either.” I didn’t know where those words came from; I said them without thinking. I later realized it was a hint from Master.
I loved doing the exercises and did them every night. One night, about a month after I started practicing, I dreamed that I was sitting on a large dirt mound, vomiting a great deal of filthy water mixed with rotten vegetable leaves and rags. I vomited a large pile. As I was vomiting, I woke up and felt that my stomach was very comfortable and my whole body was light. Later, a practitioner lent me the book Zhuan Falun. After reading it, I realized that Master had been purifying my body. I knew Master was taking care of me—I had a Master!
Before I started cultivating, my teeth would hurt twice a year—in March and August. As the saying goes, “Toothache isn’t an illness, but when it hurts, it can kill you.” Half of my face would swell up badly, and it would take several days of anti-inflammatory medicine for the swelling to go down. One night after doing the exercises, I dreamed that my mouth was as big as a winnowing basket. A red flesh flower, like a rose, bloomed on my gums. As I stared at it, I saw something moving inside. Looking closely, I saw countless tiny red worms crawling out. I used a stick to remove them and washed them away with water until everything was clean. When I woke up, I knew that Master had once again cleansed my body from a deep level. I was extremely grateful to Master! Master purified my body many more times in my dreams. From then on, I was free of illnesses. No matter how much work I did, I did not feel tired. I was happy every day, carefree and at ease, truly experiencing the joy and happiness of life.
From Master’s teachings, I learned that I had a lot of karma. It was Master who eliminated it, rescued me from suffering, gave me a healthy body, and taught me the true meaning of life. As a Dafa disciple, I cannot express in words my gratitude to Master for his life-saving grace. My husband also began practicing Falun Dafa.
Jiang Zemin, former leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), initiated the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. I remember that on July 20 of that year, the sky was dark and heavy clouds hung low. Torrential rain soon poured down. Officials from the township government came to confiscate Dafa books, audio tapes, and videotapes. We refused to hand them over. We were told that we were no longer allowed to practice Falun Gong. I asked, “Why? Is it wrong to follow Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and be a good person?” They said the higher authorities didn’t allow it and told us to watch the news.
That evening, when we turned on the TV, every channel was broadcasting slander against Falun Gong from the central authorities. My husband asked me what I thought. I told him, “I believe in Master. Master purified my body. You know that. Once, after finishing the standing exercises at a practitioner’s home, when we were about to do the meditation and just turned off the light, I saw Master’s image emitting light. It shone five or six times. When it shone, the room was bright; when it didn’t, the room was dark. These were my own experiences. How could they be fake?” We kept sharing and talking. The more we talked, the more firm we became, and the more we believed in our great Master. We continued to study the Fa and do the exercises every day. Even when working in the fields, we brought Zhuan Falun with us and read it during breaks.
My husband went to Beijing in 2000 to appeal, hoping to say a fair word for Dafa and Master. He was detained in Beijing for several days before being brought back to the local detention center. At home, my parents-in-law cried bitterly. One day, the head of the Domestic Security Division led people to raid our home. As one person was registering the books they found, the team leader stepped forward to take my books. I rushed up and shouted, “Don’t touch my books!” and grabbed his arm. He stopped immediately. Seeing this, two village officials grabbed my arms and pulled me into the courtyard. I shouted loudly, “Let go of me. If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up.”
They released me. I went back inside, and the team leader said, “Within three days, you must personally bring the books to the police station.” He then left with the others.
I thought it over and knew they would come again. No matter what, I couldn’t allow them to take the books away. So I told my mother-in-law, “Mom, these books are Buddha scriptures. They are precious and must not be taken away. If they come tomorrow, just say what I tell you.” I taught her to tell a well-intentioned lie.
Sure enough, the next day the county head, the police chief, and the Domestic Security team leader came with a group of officers. As soon as they entered, they pressured me to hand over the books. I ignored them, so they began searching everywhere. After turning the house upside down and finding nothing, they pressured my mother-in-law. She responded exactly as I had taught her. Finding nothing, they left. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. I thanked Master for strengthening and for protecting me, and also thanked my mother-in-law for helping protect the Dafa books.
On another occasion, they came with a search warrant, claiming they were looking for discs. After searching everywhere and finding nothing, one person discovered one of Master’s pictures that were hidden. These were a few remaining pictures brought by a practitioner, which I had stored in a concealed compartment. I immediately picked up the pictures, held them in my arms, and sat down on the sofa without moving. Two officers sat on either side of me and demanded that I hand them over, but I ignored them. No matter how they tried to persuade and pressure me, I remained unmoved. Suddenly, my husband collapsed to the ground and began vomiting. Seeing they couldn’t do anything, they left. At that moment, tears streamed down my face. With Master’s strengthening and protection, the pictures were preserved. At that time, Master had not yet taught the Fa of sending righteous thoughts. We resisted the evil persecution solely through steadfast faith in the Fa and firm belief in Master.
After we finished doing the exercises on the morning of April 27, 2012, my husband was reading while I went to cook. Soon I heard people talking in the yard, but paid little attention. After a minute or two, sensing something was wrong, I went to the door and saw that the yard was filled with police. Startled, I saw they were about to take my husband away. I rushed forward and tightly grabbed my husband’s arms, refusing to let go. Later, I learned that moments earlier, they had already dragged him outside the gate, but neighbors intervened and pulled him back. More and more people gathered. The practitioners from our village and neighboring villages rushed over upon hearing the news. Some clarified the truth to the police, some sat inside sending righteous thoughts, and two elderly neighbors stepped forward to block them. It was truly a confrontation between righteousness and evil.
The police refused to give up and were determined to take my husband away, sending group after group forward. Finally, a burly man led several others who rushed in, pried my hands apart, and four of them carried my husband out the gate. My husband shouted loudly, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good!” Seeing him being forced into their vehicle, I broke free and ran after them. The vehicle had already started moving, and the driver was accelerating uphill. I rushed in front of the vehicle just in time. The driver slammed on the brakes, throwing those inside forward. My husband got out of the car and stood up unharmed, while one officer broke his arm from falling to the ground. The onlookers were stunned.
Seeing their colleague injured, one officer leapt forward and kicked my husband to the ground, twisted his arm behind his back, pressed his knee into him, and forced his face onto the gravel-covered ground, leaving him gasping in pain. Four more officers rushed over, dragging and pulling me as well, trying to take me away. During the struggle, my shoe came off and my foot was injured. I continued silently reciting the words for sending righteous thoughts, but I had no strength left and was forced into their vehicle. After more than four hours of confrontation, my husband and I were taken to the police station.
There, I was asked, “Did you distribute materials in xx county?” Only then did I learn the reason for our arrests. I said nothing, and they did not ask further. That evening, I heard my husband speaking in the adjacent room and knew he was clarifying the truth. I sat on the chair continuously sending forth righteous thoughts, and asking Master to strengthen me.
The next day, a man who appeared to be a supervisor came in. Seeing my eyes wide open, not drowsy, and still energetic after not eating all day, he remarked, “You are really different. They [the police] are completely exhausted.” Around 5 p.m., I was illegally detained for 10 days on the charge of “obstructing official duties.” My husband was detained for more than four months and was later released on bail pending trial.
Time flies, and the years have passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, we’ve walked through 26 years of the CCP’s persecution. Looking back at the hardships and tribulations I experienced, I am filled with emotion. Those who persecuted me back then have received retribution to varying degrees. Some were listed on Minghui’s list of perpetrators, some were imprisoned, and others suffered illnesses, disability, or death. Yet I continue walking the path of Dafa cultivation. What does this show?
From Master’s teachings, I came to understand that Dafa is pure, dignified, extraordinary, and great. In cultivation, one must truly regard oneself as a cultivator. Firm belief in Master, firm belief in Dafa, and steadfast righteous thoughts are the most fundamental essentials. During the years of bloodshed and terror, through repeated severe trials, it was Master who used his sacred body to bear and eliminate the boundless karma of his disciples. It was also Master’s compassionate protection and guidance that prevented disciples from losing their way, while granting us the opportunity to fulfill our vows and persevere on our own cultivation paths. I am deeply grateful to Master.