(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, Master!
Greetings, fellow disciples!
I am a 60-year-old woman and I live in the Northeastern countryside. I have been cultivating for 15 years now. Recalling my cultivation path, I know that Master has been holding my hand all the time. Cultivation is serious and sacred, and what we are cultivating is our mind nature. Dafa is boundless, the great Dao has no form. Master only wants our faith.
I. Spreading Dafa all over the nearby countryside
At the end of 1996, my daughter spent more than 12 days at her friend's house in the city, where she watched Master's nine-day lecture video and learned the exercises. She brought me back a shiny golden book, Zhuan Falun. My son told me that he saw this same book at his friend's house and that it was very good. I took the book in both hands, saw Master, and felt that He seemed quite familiar, like family. I quickly read Lunyu and sensed I had finally found it! I read the whole book without thinking of cooking or sleeping, My body felt very warm. My husband and children did not interrupt me, even though I behaved like a child.
When I read Zhuan Falun, my sicknesses all disappeared! My family was so happy. My husband thought he would not be able to quit smoking or drinking, and my son had just graduated and wanted to learn appliance repair, so they did not cultivate, but they supported my daughter and me to cultivate. We established a Fa-study group and an exercise site in our home. We had a tailor shop that faced the street. Early in the morning we did the exercises together, during the day we listened to Fa recordings while doing our work, then read together in the evening. Two of our employees soon became practitioners. Soon after, our group increased to around a dozen.
For example, a young couple both worked in a factory in the town. They worked during the day, but joined our early morning exercises and evening Fa-study group. My daughter also connected with her schoolmates in nearby villages, where we went to practice the exercises to spread the Fa. We made a banner that said “Falun Dafa Is Great” and formed a Saturday bike team. We went to each village and set up the banner and posters in our friends' yard. Within two years Dafa was being practiced in all the nearby villages and towns, each with its own volunteer assistants.
My daughter naturally became the general volunteer assistant for the whole area. Fellow practitioners often came to our store to share experiences and get Master's new scriptures and other materials. My daughter also helped to establish our county volunteer assistant station. Each village group would connect directly with the county station, where the material center was located. With my daughter, I attended an experience sharing conference of ten thousand people in the city. That occasion was very grand and sacred—indescribable!
II. Believing in Master and Dafa, Opposing Persecution
Like thunder on a sunny day, the persecution began on July 20, 1999. There were large scale arrests of all the volunteer assistants. The police arrested my daughter many times, but she absolutely refused to cooperate with them and escaped. The police repeatedly broke up our group Fa-study and group exercises. My daughter was reported when she was hanging up banners and sentenced to 12 years in prison. She has been in the provincial prison ever since. She has never succumbed to the brainwashing and has never wavered, no matter how terribly she has been tortured.
I took the initiative to connect with nearby fellow practitioners to study the Fa and clarify the truth with them. I was arrested at the end of 2001 and sent to a forced labor camp for two years. I never complied with the forced labor nor succumbed to the brainwashing. I recited Lunyu and Hong Yin all day. I wouldn't open my mouth unless it was to clarify the facts. I said in my heart, “Master, save me. Get me out of here! I do not belong here. I need to clarify the truth.” I told the guards, “I am not a prisoner, I never committed any crime. If I stop exercising, my health will be bad.”
They didn't believe me and had a doctor check my blood pressure, which turned out to be over 220. They dared not to let me work. Actually my blood pressure had always been low, so that reading must have been Master helping to save me. In July 2002, my health suddenly worsened. I could not move, nor could I eat or sleep. It was as if I was about to die at any moment. The camp authorities were scared and released me.
III. My Husband Died Due to the Persecution
Upon returning home, my house was a mess. My husband was lying face down on the bed, so happy to see me home, but he could not speak, only tears rolled down his cheeks. My son told me he had had a stroke, but they had no money to get him treatment. He was unable to take care of himself. My daughter-in-law saw the situation my family was in, so she divorced my son, sold the bigger house, and took the money.
When I was wondering how my family could have ended up like this, suddenly I saw Master's photo. Master was smiling at me with a radiant golden aura. (My husband and son had hid the photo when the persecution began.) I immediately realized, “Master is here, Dafa is here, I fear nothing!” I did “heshi” to thank Master, found nothing to eat in the kitchen, then called my brother, who gave us some rice and vegetables.
My brothers drove six miles on a hand-powered tractor with their families. My sisters-in-law all cried when they saw what had befallen us. My brother said he had called many times, but never was able to connect. Our phone was covered with dust, because no one had paid the bill, and it had been disconnected long before. I was stunned: How I was able to call my brother a moment before without any problem? It must have been the result of Master's mighty power!
My brother said, “Sister, you look very healthy—your cheeks are rosy!” I realized Master had let me come back to rescue this family so that the evil could not use this situation to slander Dafa. I had to fulfill this task. I felt a warm current flow through my body. I told my brothers it was okay for them to leave and that I could take care of everything. It took me 15 days to clean the house. I repeated, “Falun Dafa is great, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great” with my husband and read Zhuan Falun to him. He regained the ability to take care of himself and helped me with some chores.
But he began smoking and drinking not long after he regained his health. He said, “Cultivation is too hard. Sending forth righteous thoughts at midnight, exercising in the early morning—I cannot endure it, I cannot cultivate.” He stopped joining us in group Fa-study, and he had another stroke. He was full of regret and said, “I am sorry...” I told him to remember that Falun Dafa is great, go reincarnate, and obtain the Fa. He said, “This time I will listen to you!”
We dared not tell my daughter in prison that her father had died. My son cried so much. I saw Master's photo shine with golden light. I burned some incense, did “heshi,” and said aloud, “Master, please rest assured. Since you trust me that I can rescue this family, I must be able to do well. In overcoming evil and spreading Dafa, I will never let you down.” I turned to my son and said, “We must raise our heads. With Master and Dafa here, we fear nothing! We can for sure pass these difficulties.”
IV. Continuously Advancing Diligently in Dafa
My family did not farm. Because my husband worked as a builder and my daughter and I are tailors, we had a good income. Now our tailor store was gone, my husband had died, and my son still had not finished his appliance repair studies. I sent him to go to study, and I helped villagers do odd jobs to make a living. I calmed down, studied the Fa, exercised, sent forth righteous thoughts, and clarified the truth.
I had lost contact with all volunteer assistants and did the three things alone. At that time, my daughter's friend's parent brought me Master's scriptures since July 20, 1999, and some materials. It was as if my family had come to see me! I thank Master for such a careful arrangement. Their daughter was also in the provincial prison, and this old couple had already been brutally mistreated many times. Their coming encouraged me greatly, and they promised to bring me materials monthly, until I connected with our fellow practitioners in the county. That old couple, both near 80 years old, travel 60 miles to bring me materials monthly.
I studied the Fa eagerly and further understood the seriousness of cultivation. Only if we cultivate firmly and with determination and cultivate away human attachments can we walk out of humanness. We must study the Fa well, do the three things well, and save more sentient beings. I take every hardship and joy as trials and tests that Master arranges for me.
The first Chinese New Year was hard to get through. My son saw me sitting on the bed, looking miserable. I told him, “I did not cultivate well. I could not save your dad or keep you and your wife from breaking up. I caused Master to worry about us. Not just our family, so many families cannot reunite on this holiday. We are all Master's children, Master must be so sad! I miss your sister so much. Imagine how much more Master is enduring! All this is caused by our not cultivating well!”
Just then, I heard the sound of a vehicle outside. A young couple, fellow practitioners, had brought us a bag of flour, a big container of oil, meat, vegetables, and fruit, plus 500 yuan. They said, “Master let us take these to you. We both work, but you do not have any income. This is your first Chinese New Year alone. Please have a good time! We must not let the evil laugh at us, we want Master to feel at ease!” I cried, “Heshi to Master!” to thank them for Master's compassion! They left after making dumplings with us.
After several years of effort, with Master holding my hand and helping me pass so many trials, I feel content inside although I have endured hardships. We found two fellow practitioners and connected with our county materials center; we've been receiving materials weekly. We can share once every several weeks, and sometimes fellow practitioners visit us.
My son has gotten good at repairing. Some skills he seemed to master easily, almost without being taught. He saved money and re-modeled our house. He voluntarily repairs villagers' things. Our conduct has influenced many folks and saved many beings. We have a good reputation in our area. Folks all support us and care about us, and we now have a relatively easy environment in which to cultivate.
Thank you, Master!
Thank you, fellow practitioners!
