(Clearwisdom.net)
I came to know a Dafa disciple through chatting on the Internet in May of this year. He was using the Internet to tell others the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong, and I was sympathetic towards what he was saying. I know that the ruling party has always ruthlessly suppressed and attacked others without any grounds for their actions. Therefore, although I did not plan to learn Falun Gong, I had respect for the practitioner's beliefs and personality. We talked about almost everything, and became good friends. Although we had never met, nor did we know each other's names, we instinctively trusted each other.
My mother had severe heart disease. She was bed-ridden and unable to take care of herself. Sometimes the suffering that accompanied the illness caused her to feel like committing suicide. After learning this, my friend emailed me Zhuan Falun, the principal text of Falun Gong. He suggested that reading the book might help my mother.
New Life
After printing the book and binding it, I brought it to my mother. I also told her that many people with fatal illnesses had recovered their health after reading the book. My mother trusted me very much, so she started to read it diligently. When my father found that my mother was reading Zhuan Falun, he was very angry, and threatened to burn the book. He was very worried that the government would make trouble for our family if they learned that we had the teaching of Falun Gong, and furthermore, he did not believe that reading the book could cure his wife's illness.
After a few days, I went home for a visit and asked mother how the reading was going. She said she stopped reading because father had burned the book. I was shocked. Seeing me so sad and upset, mother also cried. In the end, she confessed that my father did not burn the book -- she hid the book because she was scared. I got the book back from her, feeling great sorrow and helplessness.
On the third day, however, an amazing thing happened. My mother's illness started to get better. She was able to get out of bed. Little by little, she was able to go to the bathroom on her own. She was also able to eat more, even eat high protein foods. Her health had unexpectedly recovered, becoming better and better.
I knew it was Dafa's power that helped my mother recover. She became increasingly healthy. Within one month, she was able to take care of herself. Within three months, she was able to cook. Within four months, she was able to do household chores. During that time, with my repeated encouragement, my mother finally finished reading Zhuan Falun.
I then talked to her more about Falun Gong, and shared with her a book of cultivation stories. I also shared with her my own understanding of "cultivation," as well as discussing the relationship between her reading Zhuan Falun and her getting well. Gradually, she came to understand and started to read Zhuan Falun again. She read one chapter per day, and in this way she finished reading the book for the second time.
One day, after I returned home, my mother took out Essentials for Further Advancement II, and turned to the page containing the article "Some Thoughts of Mine." She said, "This is a really good article. I read it over and over again, and was in tears. What a nice person, and what a great Master!" My mother was so moved that she could not continue speaking. I told her that Teacher had given many lectures overseas, which are also very good to read. I said I would print some out for her. Mother said, "No hurry. I need to read Zhuan Falun a few more times. Teacher has said we need to study Zhuan Falun, with the other books as supplementary readings." Mother also asked me to help her learn the exercises. She said that once she learned the exercises she would go to the park every day to do the exercises, in an open and aboveboard manner. She would also tell everyone about her experience. It was Teacher and Falun Dafa that gave her a new life. She hoped to let everyone know that Falun Dafa was good.
I was very happy upon hearing this. I had often complained to myself about my mother's initially poor enlightenment ability. It looked at first like she did not cherish the opportunity to cultivate in Dafa and yet our benevolent Teacher did not give up on her, but instead purified her body. Furthermore, Teacher gave her the time and opportunity again and again, so that she would come to understand things gradually on her own. And we had not been asked to give anything to Teacher! There is no way for us to express our gratitude towards Teacher. No matter what we could possibly say, there is no way for us to repay Teacher's kindness!
Going Home
Falun Dafa changed my entire life as well.
There was no special purpose for me to learn Falun Dafa. At the beginning, I just wanted my mother's illness to be cured. After reading Zhuan Falun, I started to practice in order to keep myself young and beautiful.
I downloaded and printed all of the Dafa books as well as Teacher's recent articles. I eagerly read them every day. I was impressed by Teacher's wisdom, talent, and profound teachings. I also firmly believed it. However, was I qualified for cultivation? Could I fully act according to Dafa's requirements? I started to doubt about myself, since I had too many attachments, especially to sentimentality. I had to give them up in order to cultivate. Many times I told myself, "Maybe it is impossible for me to cultivate in this lifetime."
However, one day I suddenly realized that my attachment to sentimentality had started to weaken. I found that I had more time to think about other things. I was also able to calm down for Fa-study and to do the exercises. I knew that I did not have the ability to do this on my own; it was our benevolent Teacher who was helping me.
The changes to my mind and body made me feel amazed at Dafa's magnificence. Teacher had talked about various experiences in cultivation, and I experienced almost all of them, except for the opening of my celestial eye. I experienced body purification, a potentially life-threatening accident that did not harm me, supernormal experiences during the sitting meditation, and Guanding, among other things. I became fully convinced that everything Teacher taught was true.
I never feel that cultivation is hard. Being able to cultivate in Dafa is the most precious thing that could happen to a person. I came to understand so many things, and know the true purpose of a human life. I was also able to see an extremely wonderful future for myself. When I was totally focused on the righteous path, without any other concerns, I was able to feel an unprecedented happiness with no worries. To me, cultivation is really great; it is like appreciating the harvest after hard work. I could sense my improvement through my tribulations. Any progress I make is one more step forward towards the goal.
It could be true that cultivation is hard, just like some people have said. Yes, it can be difficult to get up from a sound sleep to do the exercises; and it is even more difficult to look inward when other people are saying bad words to us. It is also hard to live under the constant pressure and threats of the persecution. However, thinking of our incomparable futures and unparalleled wonderfulness, which is eternal, these difficulties are just like nothing. Isn't it very transient? Plus, that secure sense of the hard-won rewards of the harvest has filled me with hope and confidence in following Teacher back home.
A Little Dafa Disciple
The happiness of obtaining the Fa, as well as the great respect and gratitude I have towards Teacher, which is beyond words, made me hope that my child could also cultivate. During the summer break, I asked my son to read one chapter of Zhuan Falun every day. Although he is still an elementary school student, he was already able to understand some of it.
My son is very serious about cultivation, and Dafa has changed him as well. He came to know that he needed to study hard and be kind to his classmates. He no longer quarreled with other kids, and was able to forbear when others took advantage of him. He also took initiatives to do things for the class, and started to consider enduring hardships as joy. He was able to remind me about Dafa's requirements. He often said, "Mom, you should not have the attachment of zealotry or of showing off."
Due to the opposition of our other family members, we cannot play the exercise music or do the exercises in public. But we are able to keep doing the exercises every day.
After my son saw the CCTV programs that viciously attack Dafa and Teacher, he said, "I only believe in Teacher." This gave me great comfort and encouragement. I had always thought that kids knew very little, and was afraid they might be misled by the endless brainwashing at school. But in fact, our children are very clear about Dafa.
I like to use words to clarify the truth, validate and harmonize the Fa. As for my son, an elementary school student, he is using his heart to practice, and is doing things clear-mindedly without many words. He also knows that Dafa is good. It is impossible for us to repay Teacher's great benevolence.
