Shared at the 2006 U.S. Western Falun Dafa Conference
(Clearwisdom.net) Before practicing Falun Dafa, I was a Zen Buddhist. I provided many Buddhist services for families free of charge, such as chanting scriptures and praying for the soul and peace for people and their families. I often held Buddhist group studies in my house. Even though I cultivated Zen Buddhism for many years, I still could not feel the essence of the "Buddha Fa." I was anxious and felt helpless; how could I advance in my cultivation?
At the end of 2002, a friend of mine from Texas sent me the book Zhuan Falun, written by Master Li Hongzhi. I was struck by just the first short paragraph of Lunyu:
"The Buddha Fa is most profound; among all the theories in the world, it is the most intricate and extraordinary science. In order to explore this domain, humankind must fundamentally change its conventional thinking. Otherwise, the truth of the universe will forever remain a mystery to humankind, and everyday people will forever crawl within the boundary delimited by their own ignorance."
I realized it was an invaluable book that could lead and guide me on the path of cultivation of Buddhahood. After finishing the book, it indeed opened my mind. Master Li taught me what the genuine Buddha Fa is. Since then, I started to cultivate Falun Dafa.
I would like to share with everyone a letter from a Vietnamese lady that I introduced Falun Dafa to.
"January 11, 2006
"A letter from a Vietnamese Falun Dafa Practitioner:
"My name is Suong Tran. I am 50 years old and live in Go Vap, Saigon, Vietnam. Since childhood, I took a lot of medication. When I grew up, I always had a lot of illnesses.In 2001, I could not see very well out of my right eye. The doctor said I had a cataract. I went to the hospital to have to have it fixed. Most of the people who have cataracts are 60 to 70 years old, but I, who was only a little over 40, had already developed a cataract. I cried a lot when I returned home. The same night, I felt tired and dizzy. The doctor checked on me and said that, in addition to the cataract, I also had some kind of chronic fatigue. I took western medication for a very long time and also exercised in the gym to improve my health, but despite my efforts, my illness became more and more severe. I was constantly tired and sweated a lot. I was very weak and I was afraid to go out when it was windy. Someone suggested that I see an Oriental doctor at the temple. I went there and the doctor that checked my pulses said that I had a very bad cold and very severe arthritis. He also said I would not be able to bear it after a few more years!
"I took herbal medication for a while, but my health still did not improve, so I started taking western medication again. The doctor said I needed more vitamins. I took western medication for a long time, but, again, my illness worsened. Someone told me to visit another Oriental doctor at a different temple. I went there and had 48 treatments, but it did not help. The doctor said that I needed to take medications intravenously and that I needed more water and protein. I did not feel any better and had to be treated at the hospital. Twice every year, I had to be admitted to the emergency room, but my health did not improve at all, so I changed to Chinese medication again. When it did not cure my illness, I went back to taking western medicine. I increasingly developed more illnesses like nose infections, throat infections, eye infections, chest pains, and a uterine infection. I took some medication but it did not help at all. Then I changed to oriental medication again, and again, it still did not help either. About a year ago, I found out that I had developed even more diseases.
"I felt disappointed and really hopeless. I isolated myself and did not want to make friends with anybody. I stayed in my room because I was afraid of wind, cold, and water. If I developed a cold, I would get diarrhea. I didn't dare drink cold water or take a bath. I washed myself only once a month with hot water mixed with alcohol. I ate only warm food, and drink warm water. At night, I couldn't fall asleep. When I went to bed, I had to lay down on one side; otherwise, my blood would not circulate and I would be unable to breath. I thought that I would carry all my illnesses to my grave because they couldn't be cured with any medication.
"On the 17th lunar day of July 2005, I met a man who introduced me to Falun Gong. That day I went to the temple, asking the doctor that volunteered there what diet and activities I should follow in order to prevent more illness from developing because the ones I had would never be cured and that I had tried so many different kinds of medication without any benefit.
"I sat down and waited there from 9 to 11 a.m. until I saw a man with a briefcase come in. The doctor said he would refer me to this man. He gave me a booklet called Health Is Gold, the Vietnamese version of The Journey to Ultimate Health of Falun Gong and an introduction letter he had written. I gave him my phone number and went home. After reading the book and the letter, I decided to learn Falun Gong but I did not know how to reach him.
"Around 1 p.m. the next day, he called me and asked me to go to a given address. My illness broke out on the same day, so I went the following day. On the way, I felt very tired and weak. I thought perhaps I needed to go into the emergency room again, but at last I arrived. The practitioner gave me the book Zhuan Falun and the CD of Master Li teaching the five exercises. When I got home, I watched the exercises and practiced right away. That night I slept very well, as if I was healthy.
"The next morning, I practiced one more time with the five exercises. After practicing, I was able to drink a glass of ginseng water with ice. After a week, I was able eat and sleep. "I did not sweat or feel cold any more. The scabies and itches along my legs dried and healed and the diarrhea went away as well. I felt all my diseases vanish after practicing the five sets of exercises twice a day for one week.
"I was very happy. It was surprising to find that the illnesses that had been torturing me for years disappeared in only one week. Master's Great Fa brought me a new life and made me a new and wonderful person. I've been learning Dafa for three months and have become a new person. As people say, 'Falun Gong transforms the whole body!' Words cannot express my deep appreciation of Dafa and Master Li, who gave me a new life! It's really wonderful. I cannot express all my gratitude. When I think that perhaps Master Li led the practitioner to guide me into the Fa, I cannot help crying.
"To end this letter, I would like to proclaim, 'Dafa is noble and wonderful!'
"Vietnam, November 20, 2005"
