My Husband’s Sudden Dementia Is an Opportunity to Identify My Attachments

(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. I’d like to tell you about my recent cultivation experiences. My husband is also a practitioner. Last May he suddenly lost his memory. Thanks to Master’s compassionate protection, he finally overcame it by studying the Fa more and doing the exercises more. Thank you, Master, for your benevolent salvation!

A Sudden Test

We woke up and got ready to go to the park to do the exercises as usual. My husband sat down and didn’t move. I urged him to get dressed. I asked what was wrong. He didn’t reply. After a while he asked, “Who are you? Where am I?” I was shocked and replied, “I am your wife. We are at our home. Are you okay?” He didn’t speak but looked at me foolishly. I asked him again what was wrong. He didn’t say anything. 

I realized that he lost his memory due to interference. I immediately asked Master to help him. I sent forth righteous thoughts and recited Master’s Poem “Righteous Thoughts” from Hong Yin IV and also recited “I’m Li Hongzhi’s disciple, I don’t want other arrangements or acknowledge them” (Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003) and “the Fa rectifies the Cosmos; the Evil is completely eliminated; the Fa rectifies Heaven and Earth; immediate retribution in this lifetime.” (“The Two Hand Positions for Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts,” Essentials for Further Advancement II). In my mind, I was thinking: “The mie word needs to be so strong that it’s as large as the cosmic body, encompassing everything and leaving out nothing in any dimension.” (“Righteous Thoughts,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress III)

Within 15 minutes I noticed my husband’s face gradually changed—it was as if a layer was cast away from his body. 

I continued sending strong righteous thoughts, “Clear away all interference that caused my husband to lose his memory. Eliminate all interference that distracts me from validating the Fa. I am Master Li Hongzhi’s disciple. I will not acknowledge or accept other arrangements. Fa rectifies the Cosmos. All evils are eliminated!” I pleaded with Master to strengthen me. 

Ten minutes later I asked him, “What’s wrong?” He said, “I don’t know.” I said, “Let’s recite Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I repeated these two phrases loudly for over 10 minutes.

He looked okay. I brought him to the park to do the exercises. 

In the park, I put up the banner and played the exercise music. He sat in the pavilion and didn’t move. I said, “It’s time to do the exercises.” He walked towards me slowly. But he didn’t do the exercises. I asked, “What’s wrong? Why don’t you do the exercise?” He asked how to do them. I realized he forgot the exercise movements. I pleaded with Master in my heart, “Master, he is a Dafa disciple. He could not forget the movements. Master please strengthen him and let him remember them.” Then I silently recited the poem,

“Dafa is what you carry everywhere,Zhen Shan Ren, rooted in the mind;A great Arhat walks the earth,Gods and demons fear with awe.”(“Benevolent Might,” Hong Yin)

Then I recited,

“The paths of cultivation are variedBut none is outside the Great LawWhen one is attached to nothingThe path underfoot is naturally smooth”(“Unimpeded,” Hong Yin Volume II)

I also recited,

“The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)

I firmly believe in the power of Dafa. I came across many hardships in my past 20 plus years of cultivation. I managed to walk through them because whenever I was in a tribulation, I asked Master for help, sent forth righteous thoughts, and recited the Fa. This time I also firmly believed that Master could save him. He would surely get over this tribulation by studying the Fa, practicing the exercises, and sending forth righteous thoughts.

I knew from the Fa that anything good or bad that happens during cultivation is a good thing. I should look at the incident in reverse. It was a test to see how firmly I believed in Master and the Fa. I didn’t think anything else. I just firmly sent forth righteous thoughts, recited the Fa, and eliminated all the interference. I calmed down and sent forth righteous thoughts for ten more minutes. I taught him the movements patiently as if he just started practicing. 

Facing his amnesia, I knew it was a test for me. I firmly believed in Master and the Fa, dispelled all interference, and looked for the omissions I had. I taught him one movement after another. Slowly he remembered them. I first taught him the first, third, and fourth exercises. I kept encouraging him. After he learned all three exercises, we practiced them. He followed me and completed them. 

After we came back home from the park, we had breakfast and started to study the Fa. He read broken sentences as if he was illiterate. He couldn’t recognize many characters. I pleaded with Master to strengthen him so he could read the Fa. I sent forth righteous thoughts. I patiently read the Fa with him sentence by sentence. 

After we finished reading, I examined myself for omissions. Why did this happen to my husband? What was wrong with my cultivation?

I realized that I had resented him because he did not cultivate diligently. I was afraid that other practitioners or people would know what happened. I had an attachment to reputation and didn’t want to lose face. I didn’t look within when the tribulation started. Instead I looked outward and complained that he was not diligent. 

I must rectify myself and let go of my attachments. I must study the Fa and practice the exercises with a pure heart with my husband. I must seriously cultivate myself and turn the bad thing into a good thing. I must believe he would recover. We must utilize this incident as an opportunity to genuinely cultivate ourselves, break through the interference and validate the Fa. 

I contacted my daughter and told her what happened. She was working at NTDTV in New York but returned home. For more than a year, my daughter and I led my husband to study the Fa and practice the exercises. Whatever we came across, we reinforced our righteous thoughts.

Coming Back from the Brink

One day I fainted and fell to the ground—but with my last thread of consciousness, I had this one thought: “Master help me. I haven’t completed my mission yet...” At that moment I was sent back by an invisible big hand. I was covered in sweat, but I stood up and slowly moved to my bedroom. I sent forth righteous thoughts and then rested for a while. I became normal again. It was hard to describe in words the feeling of coming back from the edge of death. 

My husband’s recovery process in the past year was also a cultivation process for my daughter and me. It was a test for us as well. He finally got over this big tribulation. The whole family improved together. 

While he was reading the Fa with other practitioners on the Internet, some practitioners complained that he didn’t read well and they didn’t want him to read with them. He was upset. But I encouraged him and comforted him. I shared with him that he should look for his own shortcomings and turn the resistance into motivation. He read the Fa whenever he had time. Gradually he could read slowly, then read more and more smoothly. Now he can read the Fa with other practitioners at the normal speed. He’s almost fully recovered. 

My husband is in his 70s. If it wasn’t for Master’s great compassion the results would be quite different. At my husband’s age, amnesia is the dementia that people normally refer to. There is no medical cure. My husband almost recovered completely through studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. This is due to the boundless power of Falun Dafa.

Thank you, Master! Thank, you Falun Dafa!

During the whole process, I realized the following three key points were crucial:

1. Believing in Master and the Fa 100%; stay as solid as a rock and unshakable regardless of the situation.2. Sending forth righteous thoughts and resolutely dispel all internal or external interference.3. Study the Fa more; be completely strict with oneself according to the Fa principles; look within unconditionally and cultivate oneself well.

We have witnessed the greatness of Falun Dafa and the immense compassion of Master over the past year!

Please point out anything in my sharing that is not in accordance with the Fa.