The Source of True Happiness

(Minghui.org) As COVID spreads around the world, it’s increasingly important that people see how wonderful it is to cultivate one’s heart and strive to be good guided by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

I want to share the incredible story of how my entire family began practicing and benefited from Dafa. I want to tell people that Falun Dafa is the precious source of true happiness.

Falun Dafa Was My Lifeline When Everything Seemed Hopeless

Qigong became popular in China in the 1970s and steadily grew throughout the next two decades. Hundreds of thousands of people practiced different types of qigong. When it reached its peak of popularity in the early 90s, Master Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Dafa to the public.

The beautiful southern region where I lived has always been prosperous. Master Li Hongzhi came to my hometown in 1993 and taught seminars in person. Falun Dafa quickly spread in my city. I was lucky to have attended two of his seminars.

My husband had just passed away and my son was only eight years old. I fell into a dark depression that I couldn’t pull out of. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown and my health was rapidly deteriorating. By an amazing twist of fate, I walked into Master’s seminar.

After the last day’s lecture, Master told us he was going to help students purify their bodies. He asked everyone to stand up and stomp their feet. We were to first stomp our left foot and then our right foot and then repeat. Master opened my celestial eye in the previous class and I saw a great amount of dark energy, illnesses, and possessing spirits falling from the students’ bodies like trash. I also saw multiple Fashen (Law Bodies) cleansing each student’s body before installing a mechanism for cultivation.

After attending the seminar, I became a completely different person. I felt as if my entire body had been swapped out with new parts. My body was purified and I felt extremely light. The migraine headaches, arthritis, and gynecological issues that I’d suffered from were all gone. Most importantly, my outlook on life changed. The sadness and bitterness melted away and my heart was filled with joy.

Even though I didn’t quite understand most of what Master said, I knew Master was amazing. He taught us such profound principles. The many questions about life that had baffled me—such as where we came from, where we were heading, what was the meaning of life, and why is there so much suffering in this world—were all answered by Master in his lectures.

A person’s true life came from higher levels of the universe. The true purpose of our being here in this human world is not to be human but to cultivate and return to our original, true selves. I felt as if something exploded inside of me and my mind was unblocked and expanded. I started to understand things better. I felt as if my entire being had been emptied out. The tremendous pain of losing my husband and the many problems in my life were all gone. My heart felt warm and filled with light. I cannot describe the joy I felt.

I decided that I would follow Master and truly cultivate to the end. I wanted to truly rise above the suffering of this human world and return to my real home in the heavens.

Master Strengthened My Son

Master taught his fourth seminar in Guangzhou from July 19 to 27, 1994. My eight-year-old son was on summer break. I bought him a ticket and took him with me to the lectures.

A few days into the session, Master asked the students to write down their experiences so far. Since I was going through a lot of changes and had a lot to write about, my paper was very long. My son and I went to look for Master during the break and saw him sitting quietly on the side of the stage. I said to Master, “Teacher Li, this is my experience paper. I want to show it to you.” My son grabbed the paper from me and handed it to Master, who seemed happy. He patted my son on the head and said, “This young man is pretty good. Pretty good.”

I only realized later that Master had strengthened my son. The boy was not doing well in school and often got sick. But after Master touched him, he was much healthier and his grades improved. He even became a top student in his class. Later, he was exempted from entrance exams and was accepted by a top-tier middle school.

My son always showed an incredible depth of understanding of the Fa, even when he was still a child. He was able to maintain his xinxing and couldn’t care less when he was taken advantage of. He is very mellow and forgiving. When I was imprisoned for my faith, he lived alone, took care of himself while going to school, and never complained. He was accepted by a prestigious university and scored the highest in his class in graduate school entrance exams.

Master Resolved My Mother’s Heart Disease

Master purified the students’ bodies during the seminar. He asked everyone to focus on one sickness while following instructions to stomp and get rid of it. As Master gave instructions, everybody stomped in unison. When someone said they were not ready yet, Master said let’s try again, and everyone stomped again in unison.

Master then told us, “Veteran practitioners, you’re given a special opportunity today. Your bodies were already been purified in previous classes so you can focus on a relative’s sickness and I will eliminate it for them.” I immediately thought of my mother’s heart problems. Master said, “Are you ready?” The students responded, “Ready.” An instant later Master said it was done.

I told my mom about it when I visited her. She told me that her chest had felt odd that night, as if lightning traveled through it, and her heart felt warm. She had a thorough heart exam and was told everything was fine. This prompted her to practice Falun Dafa. She told everyone in our hometown what happened, and she became the coordinator of the local Falun Dafa practice site.

She was almost 70 years old at the time. Every morning, she carried the boombox and Dafa banner to set up for the group exercises and never complained. She sometimes carried a big bag of informational materials and walked more than 30 li with other practitioners to help set up practice sites in the surrounding towns and counties. She was never tired. It was truly amazing.

My father, my younger brother, and my mother-in-law all took up the practice. Our entire family was healthy and happy.

My Mother’s Cancer Symptoms Disappeared

Jiang Zemin, the then leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and his gang launched the persecution of Falun Dafa in July 1999. Practitioners faced a great tribulation.

Soon after it started, local practitioners and I went to the provincial capital and the city government to petition for our right to practice and to clear Master’s name. We also went to Beijing many times to petition the central government. We simply wanted the country’s leaders to truly look into the practice and stop the persecution. Once back in my hometown, I was targeted by the local authorities. I lost my job and was forced to undergo brainwashing. I was later sentenced to prison for my faith.

My parents and other relatives stopped practicing because they were afraid. After I was released in 2006, I clarified the truth to my parents and family. Both my mother and father, my younger brother and his wife and sons all agreed to quit the CCP and its youth organizations. I urged my parents to resume practicing Falun Dafa and my mother agreed.

My mother encountered a lot of interference when she decided to practice again. She had stopped practicing for years and was in poor health again. All her illnesses—high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis—that had disappeared after she practiced Falun Dafa came back. She was also diagnosed with colon cancer. She was in a lot of pain and couldn’t take care of herself. My parents consulted both Western and Chinese medicine doctors, but nothing helped. She began contemplating suicide.

The other big hurdle she had to overcome to accept Dafa again was the CCP’s lies. She believed all the state-media propaganda that smeared and slandered Dafa, so her judgment was clouded. She had many questions that needed to be resolved but this could only be done little by little and with a lot of patience.

Her first mental block was that the CCP gave Chinese women equal rights and paid her retirement pension so she felt she couldn’t turn against the Party. I pointed out to her that her salary and pension were not given by the CCP. It was the taxpayers’ money, the Chinese people’s money. When the CCP was founded, the Republic of China was in power and the CCP was considered illegal. The CCP does not create or produce anything, how does it make money? The Party membership dues are far from enough to sustain the expenses of its officials. The CCP steals from the working people.

The Party takes all that money from the people and uses it to breed corrupt officials but it never does anything to benefit the people. After it seized power, the Party started many political and cultural movements and never stopped persecuting and harming the Chinese people. I said, “Mom, weren’t you also targeted in quite a few of its political movements and almost died? You’ve been deceived and fooled your entire life. Even now you’re siding with the evil Party. How pitiful is that?” My mom listened but didn’t say anything.

The second thing my mother couldn’t get over was that she believed a cultivator shouldn’t get involved in politics. She thought we should just practice at home in private. She didn’t understand why so many of us went to Beijing to petition and “cause trouble” for the central government. She felt practitioners giving out Dafa fliers and telling people about the wrongful persecution was turning people against the Party.

I said, “If the Party let us practice, would we still go to Beijing to petition? It was all because Jiang Zemin felt threatened and jealous—100 million people nationwide believed in Master Li Hongzhi but not the Party. That was why Jiang was determined to persecute Falun Dafa. There were seven Politburo Standing Committee members at the time, but Jiang was the only one that insisted on launching the persecution. Wasn’t this evil?

“We practitioners have benefited from the practice. When the practice and Master are being slandered, if we don’t uphold justice and tell the truth, who will? We clarify the truth in a peaceful and rational manner. When the CCP took power, it started the revolutionary war. Vandalism and looting, smashing and grabbing, arson and killing—the Party is all about violence. How could what we do have anything to do with politics? The way the Party incited people to use violence to revolt and overthrow the then political power was political and evil. It incited violence among the people and blood was shed.

“Dafa practitioners live frugally and use their savings to print booklets and fliers to give to people. They risk being reported, arrested, and sentenced to tell people what really happened. Good people will learn the truth and not be deceived by the CCP’s lies. We’re saving them from danger, because when the heavens punish the CCP for its crimes against humanity, those who side with it will be punished as well.”

After I clarified the truth to my mother, she saw the true nature of the CCP. I helped her quit the Party and its youth organizations. We recounted all the things Master did for our family and how compassionate Master is in saving sentient beings. She finally accepted the truth and made a solemn statement in writing.

After she started studying the Fa and doing the exercises again, my mother’s cancer disappeared in less than a month. She gradually regained her health.

Dafa Saved My Father’s Life

My father is a retired military man. He is mild-mannered and even his face looks kind. After meeting my father, a local practitioner said it was a shame that he didn’t practice Falun Dafa.

My father had bleeding on the brain in 2009 and was in critical condition at one point. He was incontinent and had facial paralysis afterward. His doctor told us the bleeding was managed but couldn’t be completely stopped. Since my father was already 80 years old, they didn’t want to risk operating on him. There was nothing else they could do but hope for the best. The doctor suggested that we prepare for his funeral since his chance of recovery was so slim.

This was right around Chinese New Year. The medical staff did the bare minimum to help patients like my father who weren’t getting better but took up space. My father’s health deteriorated. He was, in fact, waiting to die.

I remembered this passage of Master’s Fa teaching:

"You can read this book to a patient. If the patient can accept it, it can heal his illness, yet the results will differ according to each person’s amount of karma.” (“The Issue of Treating Illness,” Zhuan Falun)

I told my father, “You practiced Dafa before. You know that Dafa and Master are compassionate. Remember the stories I shared with you of people with terminal illnesses recovering by just believing in Dafa? The hospital and the doctors—they’ve already said that there is nothing else they can do to help you. I think you will be better off going home. I can read the Fa to you and stories of how practitioners cultivate and clarify the truth. Let me take care of you and maybe you’ll have a chance to recover. Nod if you agree. If not, please shake your head.” My father nodded repeatedly.

I knew that my father had a strong will to live and his knowing side knew only Dafa could help him. Each day, I sat next to his bed and read Zhuan Falun to him. I reminded him to listen carefully while I read. I asked to let me know if he wanted to rest or found himself dozing off. We agreed that it would be the best to read an entire lecture each time and that’s what we did. I also clarified the truth to him whenever he was willing to listen. People from my parents’ generation have been heavily brainwashed by the CCP with its Party culture and atheism. I had to be patient and explain the truth to him well in order to eliminate all his doubts.

My father gradually recovered. Five days after he came home from the hospital, he was able to move his hands and feet and his mouth was no longer crooked. On the ninth day, the day we finished reading all nine lectures in Zhuan Falun, he told me he would like to get up and stretch a little. I helped him up and we moved around the room in small steps. In less than two weeks, my father was able to wash up in the mornings, eat breakfast by himself, and walk around with help.

My father kept improving. He lived for five years after the brain hemorrhage before running into his next major tribulation.

Dafa Saved My Father Again

My younger brother called me one day and said that my father was dying and asked me to hurry to the hospital. Father had caught a bad flu that had turned into pneumonia. He’d had a high fever for several days and was now unconscious. The doctor said he might not live.

When I got to the hospital, my father’s face was red and hot with fever. He had trouble breathing and there were tubes all over him. The doctors asked the family if we wanted to transfer him to the city Central Hospital for a tracheotomy. It was supposed to remove phlegm from his lungs and help him breathe better.

My brothers and I had a talk. I told them that a person’s fate is decided by higher beings, and the reason why my father was still alive was because of Dafa. I told them I would rather not put him through surgery as it would only add to his pain. We decided to take turns taking care of him in the hospital.

Whenever it was my turn, I told my father, “Dad, you’re not conscious but your flesh body is weak. I know that your main consciousness is aware. What I want to tell you is that when we become human, whether we’re rich or poor, of high status or low, nobody can escape birth, old age, illness, and death. You’ve learned Dafa so you’re really lucky. Please listen carefully—this will help you. ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’” I recited the phrases countless times. I then played him Dafa music.

To our surprise, Father regained consciousness the next day. His fever was gone and he felt much better. The doctors and patients in the ward all thought it was incredible. I told them about Dafa and clarified the truth about the wrongful persecution. Everybody I talked to that day agreed to quit the CCP. I gave each one of them a CD of Dafa music and a hanging decoration with the phrases on it.

My Son Resumes Practicing Falun Dafa

My son came home in the middle of the day in 2014. Without saying a word, he went straight to his room and lay down. I followed him, “What’s the matter? You didn’t go to work today? Are you sick?” He said he’d had stomach pain since the day before and it had kept him up all night. He went to the hospital in the morning.

He was diagnosed with kidney stones. The doctors also found polyps in his gall bladder and tiny white blisters in his lungs. He was scheduled to go back for an endoscopy. Although the procedure is painless, the doctor recommended that a family member be present. I felt sad when I heard this. I knew that even though my son was in pain and ill, it was all for me to get rid of my sentimentality.

When I was imprisoned for my faith, my son was only in middle school. He had to take on a lot for his age and bear a lot of mental pressure. It all added to the fear and led to him stopping practicing. After I was released from prison, I started a Fa study group at home to keep myself from slacking off. Many times, I tried to help my son come back to Dafa but he always said he was not ready. I knew the tribulation that he was going through now might not be accidental—it might be my opportunity to encourage him to practice again.

I brought him a glass of water and said, “Son, it is very hard to be human. Birth, old age, illness, and death—it happens to everyone regardless how much money or power you have. No one can escape it. Look at me, I have cultivated in Dafa for more than 20 years and have not needed to take a single pill. I’m 60 years old. Even though I was imprisoned, still I’m healthy as can be. I don’t even have that many gray hairs. Everyone tells me that I have a nice complexion and look younger than my age. You know how people always mistake me for your sister.

“I know you’re afraid. But fear is a human attachment. Cultivating in Dafa is the most righteous thing in the world. You shouldn’t be afraid. As long as we hold strong righteous thoughts, cultivate ourselves solidly, and do everything according to Master’s teachings, the old forces will have nothing on us and evil dares not touch us. How about you let go of your notions, study the Fa, and do the exercises with me? Master’s compassion is boundless. He will not easily give up a practitioner.”

My son was touched. He sat up in bed as I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate whatever was stopping him from returning to the Fa. After we read a lecture of Zhuan Falun together, he told me he felt better and wanted to take a nap. The next morning, he got up early as usual and went to work. After that day, he joined our Fa study group and did the exercises with me at night.

He said to me a few days later , “Mom, it is just like the old saying, ‘Mr. Sai lost his horse but who knew that it was a blessing?’ I didn’t realize it was time to turn around until I hit a major obstacle when I was diagnosed with kidney stones. My stomach no longer hurts. I think I’ll cancel the endoscopy appointment.”

I told him, “People get sick because they have karma. Do you think ordinary people don’t have to suffer when they go to the hospital? Nowadays, they push surgery for any kind of illness and charge you a fortune for it. You’ll worry and be anxious—it’s a lot of stress. Still, going through all that may only eliminate some of your karma. The illness may come back later and you’ll have to suffer more. It’s neverending. If it is a major illness, it may take your life.

“How lucky is it to cultivate in Dafa? Master’s compassion is immense and Dafa is powerful. It is the greatest blessing that you and I were able to attend Master’s lectures in person. We obtained the Fa and became Dafa disciples—it was a once-in-a-life opportunity. It will be the most lamentable thing if a being loses the opportunity to cultivate in Dafa.”

That was how my son returned to Dafa cultivation. All the sickness karma disappeared as he gradually improved his xinxing. The story of my son resuming cultivation spread among local practitioners. We realized that Master endured great suffering to prolong Fa-rectification so that disciples who used to practice would have a chance to return to Dafa. Master doesn’t want to leave anyone behind.

Keeping the Fa in My Heart

After my prison term ended in 2006, I came home to find myself facing an even bigger test—I was fired from my job. My husband died more than a decade ago and my son was still in college. Losing our sole source of income put us in a very bad financial situation.

The local 610 Office staff kept showing up at my home unannounced and pressuring me to stop practicing. They also threatened me. I was followed and my phone was tapped. Financial problems and the mental pressure created a great tribulation for me. However, I realized that, no matter how difficult or dangerous it all seemed, everything would work out as long as I kept the Fa in my heart.

The first thing I did when I got home was to calm down and read the Fa. Studying Master’s teachings is the most fundamental way to assimilate to the Fa and achieve consummation. It is the only guarantee that a life does not perish and is able to enter the new universe.

I realized through studying the Fa that Master has done his all to ensure that we are able to cultivate. Has there been any other enlightened being in history who’s done this for his disciples? Not only did Master give us a ladder to heaven—Zhuan Falun—he also published lectures addressing new challenges we face in cultivation as they came up.

These lectures cover a wide range of topics, from the structure of the universe and celestial bodies and their evolution, to the history and pre-history of our human world. Master even addressed small matters such as what not to eat, how to dress, and how to act, and also big subjects like the arts and literature. They are all-inclusive. As long as you study Master’s teachings, you will gain wisdom in Dafa.

However, when we read the Fa, there is often interference. It usually comes from one’s thought karma or human notions that have accumulated over many lifetimes or the old forces trying to stop you from obtaining the Fa. It may seem like a minor thing to doze off or have a random thought during Fa study, but it is the old forces purposely trying to interfere with and sabotage practitioners.

Every time this happens to me, I immediately send righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference. I find that it happens less frequently when I study the Fa with a group. Maybe because the collective energy field is much stronger, we tend to be more alert. Or maybe having other practitioners keeps us in check. This may be why Master asks us to study the Fa together as a group—it has very profound reasoning behind it.

With the relentless persecution still ongoing in China, local practitioners and I overcame fear and many other obstacles to continue clarifying the truth. We established a Fa study group in my home. We have one Fa study group gather at night to accommodate those who work during the day. The retired practitioners meet in the mornings to study the Fa and in the afternoon to do the exercises. It’s always nice to be with other practitioners—it feels as if we’re back to the peaceful times before the persecution.

Besides studying the Fa with others, I also use bits of my free time to study and recite the Fa. I listen to Master’s Fa lectures on my way to work. Whenever I run into a problem, I study the Fa and measure myself against the standards of the Fa to find the attachment or human notion that I need to get rid of.

Resolving Tribulations with Righteous Thoughts

Through studying the Fa and cultivating my heart, I’ve found many of my shortcomings. With strong righteous thoughts, I deny all arrangements by the old forces and stay the course on my cultivation path arranged by Master.

I first eliminated the financial persecution. Dafa practitioners cultivate among everyday people. How can we live a normal life if we are all penniless? Besides, we need money to fund our truth-clarification projects to save sentient beings. I cannot accept this arrangement and decided to overcome it.

I brought my case to the attention of officials at all levels of government agencies and departments. I explained to them Falun Dafa is a righteous Fa and the persecution is wrong. I told them that Jiang Zemin abused his power within the Party and launched the persecution. I told them that I hoped they would distinguish good from evil and right from wrong and not follow Jiang in doing evil deeds.

By ceaselessly clarifying the truth, I helped many predestined people quit the CCP and its youth organizations. Some officials even asked me in private if they could borrow Zhuan Falun and some wanted to learn the exercises.

After a few years of doing this, I got my old job back. I was paid well and got my pension. I earned as much as a county level official. Compared to when I first got out of prison, my financial situation improved dramatically. My son teased me and said that I was rich now, with “ten thousand strings of money in my money belt.”

As all Dafa practitioners know, regardless how much one makes, it’s all resources for Dafa and should be used to clarify the truth and validate the Fa. The more money I spend on the right things, the more money comes my way.

Just as Master said, “People who practice Dafa have blessings, ...” (“Fa Teaching Given in New York City,” Teachings at Conferences in the United States)

I eliminated the mental persecution. Ever since the CCP launched the persecution in July 1999, the Party never ceased to persecute Dafa and practitioners. They tap our phones, monitor our every move, knock on our doors, harass and threaten us, and constantly try to get us to give up practicing.

Without due process, law enforcement officers ransack our homes and arrest us. If we don’t denounce Falun Dafa, we are detained and tortured, sent to forced labor camps or sentenced to prison, and sometimes have our organs harvested while still alive. Without strong righteous thoughts, it’s hard to stay motivated and push forward with cultivation and truth-clarification when things are so difficult and dangerous.

Through studying the Fa with a clear mind and a calm heart, I recognized areas where I fell short in my cultivation which led to my arrest and sentence. I still had notions and thinking that agreed with the old universe’ way of cultivation. My human notions and the Communist Party culture I was indoctrinated with interfered with me and weakened my will. I went along with the old forces’ arrangements.

To rectify my thinking as quickly as possible, I send righteous thoughts every day. I clear my field of all evil factors and deny all persecution imposed by the old forces. I send righteous thoughts to completely eliminate my fear and resentment so I can develop compassion. Whenever the police knock on my door or the city’s 610 Office officials ask me to visit, the first thing I do now is send righteous thoughts and eliminate all the evil factors behind them. In a pleasant tone of voice and a calm manner, I clarify the truth to them.

I went out by myself at night one time to clean up graffiti slandering Dafa and two security guards caught me. They were going to report me to the police. I sent forth strong righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors behind them so they wouldn’t commit an unpardonable crime against a practitioner. I explained why I was out so late at night, risking being arrested to clean up the propaganda that’s deceiving people. After learning the truth, not only did they let me go, they also agreed to quit the Young Pioneers and the Youth League.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve safely gotten out of similar situations. Just like Master taught us,

“Disciples’ righteous thoughts are strongMaster has the power to turn the tide”(“Master-Disciple Grace,”Hong Yin II)

Saving People with Compassion

Master said, “Dafa disciples are now sentient beings’ only, sole hope for salvation.” (“Righteous Thoughts,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress III)

I realized that Dafa disciples are the golden light in this dark world. Wherever we go, we should help people. Besides using every minute of my free time to study the Fa and do the exercises, I also print and make truth-clarification fliers and booklets. To get these material ready on time, I sometimes don’t have time to sleep but somehow never feel tired. I know Master has compassionately strengthened me.

Practitioners and I go to the neighboring counties and towns to distribute truth-clarification fliers and put up Dafa posters. Whenever I’m at a family gathering or with friends, out shopping, or running errands, I always look for opportunities to clarify the truth to people. Wherever I go I bring truth-clarification materials and pass them out. Wherever I go, I spread the truth about Dafa.

Because I have been able to maintain my xinxing and have no fear, things always go well. Even when I run into dangerous situations I am able to get away safely because I firmly believe that Master’s fashen is always watching over and protecting me.

Because I have continued to clarify the truth over the years, many of my friends and family, classmates, and co-workers, and many predestined people whose names I don’t even know learned the truth about Dafa and quit the CCP and its youth organizations. Many even took up the practice.

Looking to the Future

I believe this world will turn into what compassionate Master Li Hongzhi has envisioned. All good and righteous people will be kept out of harm’s way and saved by Dafa.

Since ancient times, human beings have always believed in and worshiped the divine. They valued virtue, strove to be kind, and improved their character. Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, said,

“Ancients, honest and benevolent,With a calm mind, happiness and longevity complete.”(“Let Go of Attachments,” Hong Yin)

People today are lost in the delusion of this material world. They only care about seeking pleasure, which leads to declining morals, followed by increasingly frequent calamities and disasters. Evil theories such as atheism and revolution have filled “modern people with degenerate notions” (Teachings at the Midwestern U.S. Conference) and continue to poison people’s minds. Many have deviated from the path and lifestyle intended for humans arranged by the divine. They became extremely competitive and selfish and place money above all else.

This is a critical moment in history where humankind is headed toward destruction. With immense wisdom and compassion, Master Li Hongzhi introduced the great Fa of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to the public in 1992. Dafa cultivation offers hope and salvation to the lost human race. In the past three decades, Falun Dafa has spread around the world and profoundly changed many people’s lives.