(Clearwisdom.net) In seven years of cultivation, especially during the last six stormy years, I have felt Teacher was by my side every step I took. Whenever I encountered an obstacle, I could feel Teacher's compassionate protection. Thus, I have followed Teacher steadfastly until today. Although it was a bumpy road, I didn't lose anything; on the contrary, I found the priceless treasure--Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance.
My new life began when I started practicing Falun Gong
I started practicing Falun Gong in July 1998. At that time, I had many diseases, among which nephritis and rhinitis bothered me the most. When my nephritis became serious, I also had hematuria and had to urinate seven or eight times an hour. My face, legs and feet would swell, and I felt very weak. Because of the rhinitis, I had to breathe through my mouth instead of my nose. When I awoke from sleep, my tongue was as dry as a piece of wood. The diseases really made my life miserable and I became a short-tempered person.
By chance, a friend introduced me to the book Zhuan Falun. After reading Lunyu I was devoted. From then on, I read it every day. After two weeks or so, I suddenly noticed that my feet were no longer swollen. It was really miraculous since my understanding of Falun Gong was very limited at that time and I hadn't yet learned the exercises. Later, after reading the books and talking with veteran practitioners, I understood that Falun Gong cultivates both the mind and body. My body would change faster if I studied the Fa and did the exercises. Therefore, I began to study the Fa and do the exercises. Miracles started to happen to me one after another. Soon, the nephritis disappeared, and then the rhinitis disappeared. It was truly unbelievable!
Becoming healthy again eased my temper, and, more importantly, the improvement in my xinxing changed me spiritually. Before I started practicing Falun Gong, I was depressed.After my husbanded passed away, my work unit assigned some apartments to employees as a welfare benefit, but I didn't get one. I was upset. To make more money, I became obsessed with buying and selling stocks and doing business. However the business wasn't successful and I lost all of the money I had invested. My child was going to college, which cost a lot of money, too. My mood was at its lowest point. I felt that it was unfair that I had to experience all these problems. What was the point of living? However, after I encountered Falun Dafa, everything changed. Through studying the Fa, I understood that everything happens for a reason. Humans suffer because of their karma. Sentimentality (qing) and pursuing fame and profit bring even more karma. To practice Falun Gong is to get rid of one's attachments to fame, money, and sentiment, and to improve one's moral standard. When I understood this, my mind became clearer than ever. After that, when I handled things or encountered conflicts, I always felt that Teacher was right beside me and reminding me to let go of my attachments and to treat every person and everything with kindness. Sometimes I still could not let go of some stuff, but would calm down and find peace in my heart as soon as I remembered Teacher's words.
Overcoming an obstacle or getting rid of an attachment made me really happy with myself. Gradually, my attachments to fame, fortune, and sentiment became weaker and weaker, and I started to think about others first. Falun Dafa let me know the real purpose of life--returning to one's true self. Once I let go of my attachments, I was surprised to see my life take a good turn. I used to brood on how my work unit did not assign apartments fairly. But once I let go of my attachment to profit, I ended up owning several apartments. I used to worry about my son's schooling and his career. Once I finally let go of my attachment to sentimentality, my son graduated and easily found a good job. All these confirmed that the Fa exists everywhere. Every small thing in daily life showed the Fa principle of "gain things naturally without pursuing them."
The miracles that I witnessed
The tremendous changes in my health and character gave me real joy. At the same time, I could not wait to bring the good news to my parents and the neighbors who were still living in poverty and with illnesses.
In November 1998, another practitioner and I went to my hometown with a VCR and the Falun Dafa lecture and exercise videotapes. We first contacted village officials, who broadcast the event to the whole village on the radio. Many people came to watch Teacher's lecture tape that night. We taught them the exercises at 10:00 p.m. The room was packed every night of the nine days of the lecture series. My mother also started to practice Falun Gong.
My mother was over 70. She never had the chance to go to school, and she could not even read her own name. Dafa created another miracle. After being helped to read Zhuan Falun only twice, she could read it by herself easily. Reading Zhuan Falun has become a must for her every day. Someone even made this marvelous happening into a verse: "A 70-year-old lady is wondrous, who can read Dafa even though she is illiterate."
My mom became full of energy after she started to practice Falun Gong. She could not only do housework but also work in the field. Two persons in the village were known for their stealing and fighting. One of them not only quit stealing after watching Teacher's lectures but also returned 300 yuan she had found to the owner. The other one stopped fighting. Villagers all said that Falun Gong had changed them.
But in July 1999, the evil Chinese Communist Party started to persecute Dafa and Dafa disciples. They used newspapers, radio broadcasts, and the television to slander Dafa and Teacher every day. The slander stabbed my heart like a knife.
Trusting Teacher and Dafa and clarifying the truth to everyone I encountered
In the beginning, I thought that people slandered Dafa only because they did not understand Dafa. So I told everyone I encountered that Falun Dafa is good. I went to Beijing many times to appeal for Dafa, hoping they would clear Dafa's name. However, I was handcuffed, locked in cage, or beaten again and again. Such behavior showed people's true colors. I wasn't afraid; I just became more determined to continue clarifying the truth.
One day in 2002, a gang of police arrested me while I was delivering truth clarification materials. I was surprisingly calm, with no fear at all. My first thought was, "It is time for them to know the truth." In the police station, I found most of the officers there did not know the truth about Falun Gong at all. They became angry and irrational when they talked about Falun Gong, but they were curious about why I was so persistent in practicing it. So I started to tell them the facts, from how practitioners try to be good persons, to the falsity of the self-immolation in Tiananmen Square, from monk Xuanzang's journey to the west, to Falun Gong cultivation, and from corruption of the society to Dafa practitioners' righteous thoughts and actions. They gradually changed their opinion of me and no longer showed any hatred.
When those people's minds changed, I realized it was time for me to go home. I asked Teacher to help me. Then miracles happened. Although my blood pressure had always been normal before, a physical checkup in the detention center recorded my blood pressure at 210/130. The detention center refused to accept me because my blood pressure was so high, but I knew that Teacher had helped me. The guards wouldn't give up so they gave me another checkup and forged a report showing that my blood pressure was normal. Thus, I was admitted to the detention center. I refused to eat or drink and strongly demanded to be released. After a week at the detention center, I was given another checkup. My blood pressure was still 210/130. After two weeks of forced medical treatment, my blood pressure had not dropped. Fearing that I was going to die, the guards prohibited me from moving. One evening, while I was eating, I accidentally knocked over and broke the bowl and spilled the food on the floor. I realized that I should no longer eat meals while in the detention center. During the next six days, on a hunger strike without food or water, all kinds of people from different levels came to talk to me. In those days, I was in high spirits. Previously, I had asked many times to meet and talk with the authorities but was always refused. Now they came to talk to me. Wasn't it a great opportunity to tell them the truth about Falun Gong?
With the help of Teacher, I wholly denied the evil persecution with righteous thoughts and actions. I soon left the detention center.
Now when I think back, I deeply thank Teacher for saving me and helping me. I have to do better the things that Teacher asks us to do--exercise, study the Fa, send righteous thoughts, and clarify the truth.
