(Clearwisdom.net) I was fortunate to start practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. Since then, I have walked steadily on the cultivation path despite numerous difficulties and regardless of the challenges that I faced on a daily basis. If not for Teacher Li Hongzhi's grace in saving me, I would not be alive today.
Becoming a Dafa Practitioner
Prior to becoming a practitioner, I had an incurable disease that caused me to have blood in my urine. I also suffered from many other diseases and was short of energy, muddleheaded, and drowsy all the time. My wife also had physical problems, as she had contracted hepatitis B from a contaminated blood transfusion after losing a lot of blood during childbirth.
In June 1996, I heard someone talking about Falun Dafa and was later introduced to a nearby practice site. The assistant at the site was very nice. He explained everything in detail and said that the teaching was free. In appreciation, I brought him a few pounds of fruit, but he refused to accept it. I told my wife about this, and she and I decided to become practitioners.
We joined the group practice early in the morning and studied the teachings at home at night. We also took part in a half-day Fa study group organized by the practice site on Sundays. Two months later, my health problems miraculously disappeared, and my wife's health also returned to normal, as was verified by the hospital.
Because our bodies and minds became better and stronger, the atmosphere in our family also changed, and as our xinxing level increased, our job performance evaluations also received higher marks.
Suffering the Persecution
After Jiang Zemin's communist regime fabricated lies and started the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999, I felt bitter and lonesome and didn't do anything for a few months. Then I realized the truth: Thinking about Teacher's great grace and infinite compassion and about how my wife and I benefited so much from Dafa, I wept for a long time. From then on, we were determined to clarify the truth about Dafa.
In July 2000, a fellow practitioner and I were trailed and arrested by state security agents while handing out truth-clarification materials. The officers took us to the local detention center, and my wife was also arrested and taken to the brainwashing center. During a three-year imprisonment, I further realized how vicious the communist regime was and how ruthless and heartless the guards were. The day after my release, with solid faith in Teacher and Dafa, the fellow practitioner and I embarked on the path of explaining the facts about Falun Dafa again.
Helping Fellow Practitioners
After the persecution began, I heard that my elder brother and sister back home had given up their practice due to fear of being persecuted. When I returned to my hometown, I found that fellow practitioners there had a good supply of the truth-clarification materials, and they were also setting up small groups to study the Fa. Those who had previously stayed home returned to the streets to explain the facts about Falun Dafa in many different ways. These fellow practitioners had little attachment to fear, and their hearts were pure. I found myself to be inferior to them in my state of mind, but seeing them encouraged me to help my elder brother and sister.
At the time, my brother, who was in his 70s, had such high blood pressure and heart rate that the hospital was afraid to admit him. Miraculously, he was able to walk for about 10 miles back home from the hospital safely by himself despite his poor condition. During the same time period, my 75-year-old sister, who could not swim, accidentally fell into a 10-foot-deep river while washing her clothes on a chilly December day, yet she didn't drown and was swept safely to the shore. My siblings eventually realized that Teacher gave them a second chance in life in order to cultivate in Dafa, which was the purpose of their coming to this world. Under Teacher's compassion and protection, they returned to cultivation and then used these miraculous experiences as examples for validating the Fa.
Helping a Friend Withdraw from the CCP
An old friend from the northwestern area that I hadn't seen for over 10 years suddenly came to visit me this year. I thought that I must save him, regardless of who he was.
As he shook hands with me, he said in surprise, "You haven't changed much and are looking better than I expected." He then told me that he was unhappy with his job because of the fighting and friction between colleagues. After listening to his complaints, I told him about the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and suggested that he withdraw from the Party and its affiliated organizations. He replied, "Good, please process the withdrawals for me." Then he added quietly, "I didn't have to make this trip down south. To tell you the truth, I've read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. It's a well written book. I don't know who put it in my mailbox. I completely believe what the book says, but I didn't know how to withdraw from the Party. It has been on my mind for over a year now, and I came here to ask you for help. Life is more important than anything else." I said, "You should thank our Teacher and ask him to help you if a catastrophe comes. You should always sincerely recite in your mind, 'Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!'" He said, "I'll remember what you said forever to safeguard my life."
He held my hand when we parted and said, "You're a very good person! Our meeting at this time is worth more than a ton of gold. Such a good group of people practicing such a great discipline, yet this evil CCP wants to punish them, arrest them, persecute them, and put them in prisons. I say that it's about time for the CCP to fall apart, perish, and disappear from this earth. When that happens, I'll retire and join you in practicing Falun Dafa, and you can guide me like your little brother."
