(Minghui.org) I am a retired doctor. Some of my distant relatives, who practice Falun Dafa [also called Falun Gong], told me about Dafa at holiday gatherings, saying that it has a healing effect and that practitioners enjoy good health. They said that many intractable diseases that cannot be cured by physicians can be healed by practicing Dafa. I didn’t believe them and asked, “If that is the case, what do we need hospitals for?” I refuted what they said using many arguments. How could practicing exercises cure diseases? In my opinion, their belief was simply the ignorance of old people.
Later, another relative started practicing Falun Gong, and I became angry whenever she mentioned it to me. In the past, when we had a conflict, we would fall into a kind of cold war. Our relationship was strained, and there was an insurmountable barrier between us. However, after she became a Falun Gong practitioner, when a conflict arose, no matter how fierce and ferocious I was, she would respond with a smile, as if nothing bad had ever happened. She no longer treated me with coldness the way she had before. Gradually, I stopped treating her terribly when she talked about cultivating Dafa.
She showed me a DVD of a Shen Yun show. The pure and beautiful singing and dancing on the stage was refreshing. What surprised me even more was that the famous singer Guan Guimin was in the show. She said, “The performers are all Dafa cultivators, and many of the overseas Dafa disciples are elites from China, including doctors and scientists who graduated from prestigious universities.” I trusted what she said because only outstanding people could create such high-quality performances.
Later, my relative gave me a book titled Falun Gong and told me sincerely, “The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] loves to tell lies and create political movements to persecute various groups of people. Dafa books have been translated into 40 languages. People from many cultural backgrounds and different races practice Falun Gong. People's living standards and health in Western countries are much better than ours. They are not fools and they find that Falun Gong helps them physically and mentally. Please read the book and see for yourself what Falun Gong is.”
I took the book from her without saying anything, and spent about a week reading it. I felt that the contents explained a lot of supernatural phenomena using scientific principles. But it was more about principles of how to be a good person, why you should be a good person, and the benefits of being a good person. The book answered many long-standing questions I had.
I had diabetes, arthritis, and insomnia due to long-term family conflicts and work stresses. I was unable to fall asleep at night, which caused physical and mental exhaustion. I often dozed off during the day and lacked energy. But I didn't dare take sleeping pills because I knew that they had serious side effects, would only put people into a light sleep, and could be habit-forming. In order to control my blood sugar, I took drugs, but the side effects were very serious and made me prone to hypoglycemia and diarrhea. So, I kept some candies in my pocket just in case my blood sugar dropped too low. However, the diarrhea was difficult to control. A few times when I took walks outside, I had to quickly find a toilet, which was quite embarrassing.
On the night I finished reading Falun Gong, I had a good, deep sleep and felt energetic the next day. I still remember how I felt. As a doctor, I knew that this was an effect that couldn't be achieved by drugs. I felt grateful to Master Li, the founder of Falun Gong. Besides, even the most knowledgeable person couldn't teach the profound principles Master taught.
I used to wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. After reading Falun Gong, every time I woke up, I meditated. My legs and joints were stiff so I had to exercise and press my legs for half an hour before I could cross one leg on top of the other. After sitting down I said, “Dafa is good, Teacher Li Hongzhi is great.” I meditated until my legs became sore and I couldn't stay in the position any longer. Then I went back to bed and slept. I would sleep well.
My relative gave me the exercise music and the videos of Master teaching the exercises. She also gave me the book Zhuan Falun and patiently taught me the Falun Gong exercises. So, I started doing the five exercises.
About a month later, my blood sugar dropped. Due to my poor enlightenment quality, I continued taking the drugs until one night just before going to bed, I realized that I hadn't taken any medicine that day. I was shocked and asked myself, “How could I possibly forget such an important thing?” Then I thought, “Today passed and although I didn't take any pills I didn't feel bad or abnormal. Have I recovered from the disease?” I told myself to forget about it, go to sleep, and check my blood sugar in the morning.
The next day, I found that my blood sugar was normal. I was excited and could hardly believe it was true because I knew that medical treatments couldn't cure diabetes. My relatives had told me about people with terminal illnesses recovering through practicing Falun Dafa. I'd thought it was nonsense and impossible; but it happened to me.
The joy in my heart was beyond words. I immediately stopped taking the medications. After a while, I checked my blood sugar and it was still normal, and it stayed normal after several consecutive checks. I threw out the pills I had been taking. More than ten years have passed, and my blood sugar is normal when tested during my annual physical examination.
I had degenerative arthritis in my right knee, which limited my mobility. When it flared up, I had to go down stairs very slowly and carefully. After practicing Dafa, this too went away, and now I don't feel much discomfort. I climb mountains and stairs like I did when I was young.
I used to be stubborn, vain, and couldn’t accept criticism. I would be furious if anyone criticized me. I found it very hard to control my temper. So, I was often in conflict with my family members, and the strained relationship made me feel bad. I wanted to change and I tried, but I couldn't control myself when my anger flared up. I was disappointed and thought, “This is how I am; it's impossible to change my nature and personality.”
After I read Zhuan Falun, the principles in the book extended my horizons and broadened my mind. I saw my stubbornness and narrow-mindedness, and realized that I was very selfish. Thereafter, I have kept in mind that Master told us to always look inward to improve ourselves when encountering conflicts. After that, whenever I was about to lose my temper or when I felt hurt by others, the words Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance would appear in my mind. I am so happy that I have finally learned how to control my temper.
Although I still didn't do well in many instances, after I calmed down and picked up Zhuan Falun, every sentence in it seemed to address my problem. It appeared to me as if someone who knew me well stood in front of me, talking to me, and pointing out my shortcomings with a love that surpasses that of parents and teachers; convincing me. I learned to reflect on myself with the principles Master teaches in Zhuan Falun. I have gradually learned to take a step back when facing conflicts. Since then, my interpersonal relationships have improved a lot and so the tensions in my body and mind have been released.
My wife said, “I have quarreled and fought with you for most of my life. You never offered an apology or admitted a fault. I didn't think a book could change you so much.” Falun Dafa has made me understand that I should conduct myself according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and it has purified my life, thoughts, and soul.
It is a blessing, and the greatest fortune in my life to have obtained Dafa. I have known about Falun Dafa for 20 years. During the first 10 years, my attitude toward Dafa went from disgust and resistance, to understanding and praising Dafa. In the past ten years, I benefited immensely from accepting Dafa and cultivating in Dafa.