How I Overcame Sleepiness

(Minghui.org) I recently read many articles on the Minghui website on how the tribulations that practitioners were experiencing disappeared as soon as they changed their thinking. I also had similar experiences.

Sound of Playing Mahjong Served as Warning Sign

I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. I had a very hectic job back then, and my work hours were long and arduous. I shouldered a lot of responsibility, and never felt there was enough time to finish my work. Especially after 2001, other than doing my regular work, studying the Fa, and practicing the exercises, I also sent righteous thoughts and went out to clarify the truth to the public. Many nights, I could not finish my work. This predicament got to the point where I could not do the exercises over a ten-day period. My body was extremely exhausted.

I felt hopelessly tired one night, and my eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand tons. I had not an ounce of energy in me to even sit up straight. Just as I was about to fall asleep, the sound of someone playing Mahjong from upstairs woke me up.

With only a strand of consciousness left, I said to myself, “Don’t be such a wimp. You can’t even overcome this one human attachment. How can you not even withstand this little bit of hardship? Are you a cultivator?”

I thought of Master Li's poem, “Nothing Kept,”

“In life, nothing sought,In death, regretting naught;Washing away all wrong thought,Buddhahood, with less    adversity, is wrought.”(Hong Yin)

I quickly jumped out of bed and did the second exercise. I held the Falun Standing Stance for two hours (30 minutes in each posture). I was determined to not give in!

During the two hours, it felt as if I was passing the test of life and death. I felt dizzy, and the pain in my arms overpowered my misery of not being able to sleep. I told myself that if I had to die today, I would not give up doing my exercises. I kept reciting “Nothing Kept.” Every second felt like an eternity!

After I finished the two-hour exercise, I felt like I never needed to sleep again. I was like a general who had won a great war! My body was so light that words can’t describe it. I was deeply grateful to Master. I was pushed to a new height in cultivation. I physically experienced what Master had taught,

“Have you ever thought of the fact that practicing cultivation is the best form of rest? You can obtain the kind of rest that can’t be obtained through sleeping. Nobody would say: “The exercises are making me so tired that I can’t do anything today.” One would only say: “The exercises are making my whole body relaxed and at ease. I don’t feel sleepy after a sleepless night. I feel full of energy. It doesn’t seem to bother me at all after a day’s work.” (Lecture at the First Conference in North America)

I subsequently often practiced the Falun Standing Stance for two hours. It had built a very good foundation for overcoming sleepiness and dissolved any interference from other dimensions.

Continuously Sending Forth Righteous Helps Dissolve The Persecution

I was arrested by the local police in the spring of 2006 after a practitioner stated that I had given her truth clarification pamphlets. The police searched my entire house, hoping to find some evidence. I strengthened my righteous thoughts and asked for Master’s help to prevent them from finding anything. They were unsuccessful but ended up torturing me to extract more information.

The police handcuffed both my arms behind my back onto a chair. I was not released until I almost fainted. I could not straighten my back due to the prolonged torture. I begged Master for help, and then I was able to stand up straight. They then repeatedly hit and kicked me in an effort to get me to identify my "accomplices." I was determined never to tell them, even if it meant losing my life. I would never betray my fellow practitioners!

I remembered Master’s teaching,

“If you can let go of life and death, you’re a God; if you can’t let go of life and death, you’re a human...” (“Teaching the Fa in New York City,” Lectures in the United States)

Many officers took turns watching me. They yelled at me, hit me, and tortured me constantly. They did not allow me to close my eyes. I sent forth righteous thoughts around the clock. By the third day, the evil factors in other dimensions had been almost completely eliminated. The officers were then not as violent as before.

They later brought in the practitioner who had turned me in. The police asked whether I had given the materials to her or she gave them to me. If she admitted to giving them to me, she would be held, and I would be released. I knew this was a trap, and if they tortured her, she would not be able to withstand it and would reveal more names. I told the police that I gave her the pamphlets. She was released.

I heard the police officers talking very loudly next door. The vice chief said he would let me sleep for a few minutes. I closed my eyes but did not fall asleep. I was sending very strong righteous thoughts. I constantly sent righteous thoughts during the entire time of my detention.

I was released two weeks later. Master had strengthened my righteous thoughts and made the persecution much less severe. As a torture method, I was deprived of sleep for four days. I did not feel sleepy, but instead felt very light and comfortable. Master was constantly watching over me!

Looking back over my twenty-one years of cultivation, there are still many areas where I need to improve. I have many hidden human notions and attachments. I need to study the Fa more, look within, and watch my every thought. I will be a true cultivator, do the three things well, and go home with Master.