(Clearwisdom.net)
Shared at the 2003 Singapore Falun Dafa Conference
I have been cultivating Falun Dafa for four years. I would like to talk about the changes in my family members and me after beginning to cultivate, displaying the power of Dafa.
In 1982 I started to teach in a junior college in Singapore. My husband began to teach at the National University of Singapore. We enjoyed the social status and the material comfort that came along with this. However, spiritually I suffered tremendously.
Every day I got up at around four o'clock and went to bed quite late. I was busy with my work, family and the children's health and study. Due to inadequate rest and great pressure in all aspects, my physical condition became worse and worse. At the end of 1991, I had ailments of the cervical vertebra and lumbar vertebra. My whole body ached and I felt dizzy. Sometimes my whole body would experience numbness. I tried western medicine, physiotherapy, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, yoga and qigong. All these treatments could only temporary relieve the pain but they could not cure the sickness. I could not take care of my children well, and it affected my job, as well.
In 1996 my husband got a strange sickness. He had various phobias and could not fall asleep. He could not walk steadily and had cold perspiration. The doctor diagnosed his condition as suffering from a form of depression. The doctor asked him to take a sedative, but the medicine had strong side effects. My husband wanted to stop taking this medicine, but he could not sleep without it. Later my husband could not move his limbs well and his body would often tremble. Even writing and speaking became very difficult for him. Finally his ailment was diagnosed as atrophy of the cerebellum. According to the doctor, this ailment was incurable, and he would degenerate to a vegetative stage, at which point his whole body would become paralyzed. We tried all sorts of treatments and prayed to Gods and Buddha. At the end of 1997, my husband had to stop working and lost his income. Staying at home, he did nothing and his temper became worse. I was quite worried. I had to work during the day, and I needed to arrange everything for him: meals, water, taking medicine, seeing the doctor, etc. My husband even said that he took the medicine for my sake. At that time, I really could not understand why I was so unfortunate. I treated everything sincerely and kindly but obtained endless suffering in return.
When I had almost exhausted all my energy, a colleague of mine came from China to Singapore. She learned of my husband's condition and gave me the heavenly book Zhuan Falun, Master's lecture videotape and exercises demonstration tape. She came to my house to teach us how to practice Falun Gong. One month later, we found a practice site to go to.
As soon as I started reading Zhuan Falun, I realized that this is indeed the cultivation method that could help me, and this is what I was waiting for. Master said in Zhuan Falun: "Due to karma resulting from past wrongdoing, one has illnesses or tribulations; suffering is repaying a karmic debt," "One must repay one's own karma," "In order to cure illness or eliminate tribulations and karma, these people must practice cultivation and return to their original, true selves." Dafa changed my outlook on life, understanding myself anew. I realized that it was the karma accumulated life after life that made me suffer so much in this life. I did not feel wronged anymore. I did not complain any more as I've understood these are karmic retributions, and I should pay for the karma committed in previous lives. I cherish the precious chance of cultivation. I cherish the precious Dafa that is more important than my life.
So I studied the Fa and practiced hard. In the first two months of my cultivation my health greatly improved. Various kinds of symptoms that tortured me for many years disappeared. My body felt light. I did not feel tired when walking.
Four children joined us in studying the Fa. My third and fourth children used to catch colds easily and they had asthma. After learning Dafa their asthma went away without having to take medicine. Now the children are better behaved than before. They know how to handle conflicts in life better, and their minds are more open. Their learning ability has improved as well. They have better results in their study.
Now let me talk about my husband's cultivation experience. In the first week of studying Dafa, he stopped taking sedatives. Five days later, his depression was almost gone. One month later he could speak more fluently.
However due to interference, my husband stopped cultivating Dafa and turned to another method. He would not listen to me and often lost his temper. I had to be tolerant, which was not easy to keep up. I felt sad and sorry for him.
So my husband's condition became worse and worse again. Every day he could only groan and became very negative. At night if he fell asleep he would often shout while struggling in bed. Even the bed shook with loud sounds. None of us could sleep well. During the day he would often fall and hurt himself.
In November 2001 my husband fell again and could not stand up. I warned him seriously; "You should study the Fa and cultivate your Xinxing, get rid of the interference. Also, you should endure so as to remove the immense karma. Otherwise, you have to go to the hospital and wait for your life to expire in extreme agony."
I read the Fa to him and fellow practitioners' experience-sharing articles to him as he listened. Suddenly he could stand up. Then I insisted that he should go to the practice site. Master said, "Our exercise sites are better than any other qigong exercise sites. As long as you go to our exercise sites for practice, it is much better than your treating your own illness." "This site is not an ordinary site, and neither is it a site for an ordinary qigong practice: It is a site for cultivation practice." (Zhuan Falun)
In November 2001 I took him to the practice site. To do this, I had to get up at four o'clock because it took my husband one hour to go from the third floor to the ground floor and then climb into the car. I drove to the practice site. I helped him get out of the car and wheeled him to the site. This process is time and energy consuming. Very often I fell down together with him, since he is tall and I have a small figure. After practicing five sets of exercises that day, my husband slept well at night. I woke up at night and thought that he might have passed away because he was so quiet. I put my hand near his mouth and felt his breath. From then on he slept well every night. How wonderful and miraculous it is!
Now my husband often listens to Master's lectures and goes to morning practice. Despite his poor enlightenment quality, he has continued to practice. He has a better appetite and speaks better. He even tries to help the family: he is also able to communicate with family members and shows more care for the children. He reads Master's books on his own initiative. He has become more positive and no longer groans. His temper is gone and we can see smiles on his face. When we mentioned his past behavior, he was upset and regretful. He did not get angry but talked to me gently. This was impossible in the past.
For a whole year I went to the practice site with my husband. Usually I would leave him with fellow practitioners at the site and go back home to cook breakfast for my children. I would send them off to school and go to the practice site to practice the fifth set of exercises, the meditation. Although I sleep for only four to five hours every day, I do not feel tired.
Before cultivating Dafa, I did not know what cultivation was. I did not know that we should pay attention to De (virtue), improve Xinxing (heart/mind nature, moral character) and let go of attachments. My life was strained. I was so tired and life was so bitter!
Now my whole family has benefited from Dafa. My children and I experience the feeling of being totally healthy. The most valuable thing in one's life is cultivation, and we should cherish it. Master said, "When you can truly discard an attachment you will find that you haven't lost anything. Learning the Fa is itself a blessing --why would you lose anything?" (Lecture at the First Conference in North America)
Some media organizations published some negative reports on Dafa, so we began to clarify the truth to people who have been deceived. I hope more people will know that Falun Dafa is righteous, that Falun Dafa is good.
What I have done is not enough. There is still a wide disparity between my conduct and the requirement of Dafa. We are determined to study the Fa better, and we will always follow Master.
Falun Dafa has liberated us from suffering. We know that a more beautiful world is ahead. We cannot repay Master for what he has given us. From the bottom of my heart, I call out: "Falun Dafa is good!"