Nine Members of My Family Took Up Dafa Cultivation Despite the Persecution

(Minghui.org) The Chinese Communist regime initiated a nationwide crackdown against Falun Gong in 1999. The government lied and launched a massive defamation campaign against Falun Gong in an effort to slander and smear the spiritual practice. Many practitioners were arrested, detained, and tortured to death. Yet despite the hostile climate and great danger, nine members of my family, myself included, took up the practice despite the persecution.

I was in my late 40s and lived in the countryside with my husband and our four children. Life was difficult as our livelihood depended almost entirely on farming. My husband and I had gone through quite an ordeal raising a large family. Dafa, however, brought hope and gave real meaning to our life.

Practicing Falun Dafa

My son and his wife did some seasonal work in a nearby town in 2000 and returned with good news. Their employer was a Falun Gong practitioner who introduced them to the spiritual discipline. While staying with the practitioner, my son started reading Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Gong, which imparts profound wisdom and universal principles.

Having discovered such precious information, he stayed up late reading Zhuan Falun. My son knew right away Falun Dafa, (also called Falun Gong) is a high-level Fa of great virtue—a person would be extremely lucky to have found such a great practice in his lifetime. It was what our son had always been looking for. He decided to cultivate in Falun Dafa, which meant that he would return to his origin.

My son’s decision terrified my husband. The communist regime’s suppression was relentless. The media was filled with lies and propaganda slandering the cultivation practice. The entire country’s law enforcement was hunting down practitioners—they were arbitrarily arrested and tortured. Many people were prejudiced against and hostile toward Falun Gong practitioners. Even those sympathetic dared not speak up. “That dumb kid is essentially putting his head against the barrel of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) gun,” said my husband, determined to deter our son from practicing Falun Gong. But my son was even more determined, and pretty soon, my husband gave up.

I was supportive of my son and his wife, although not openly. “Wouldn’t it be great if everyone wanted to be a good person and lived up to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? Wouldn’t this help elevate people’s morals and improve interrelations between people, and thus ensure stability in society?” That was my honest thought. Given this thought, Master opened my celestial eye.

Sitting on a patch of green grass in my yard one day, I imitated my son and folded my legs in the full lotus position. The next second, I saw a big Buddha on a lotus flower floating in the air. The Buddha slowly descended and came close to me. He looked at me ever so compassionately. There were many shiny circles flying around him. My wrong thoughts were flushed out and I was filled with joy. I felt excited yet relaxed and was just so happy.

I told my son about this incredible experience. He showed me Master Li’s (Dafa’s founder) picture in Zhuan Falun and I recognized Master Li Hongzhi, the Buddha I saw. The shiny white circles were Falun. I started practicing Falun Dafa that day. One by one, my husband, my daughter, and a few of my grandchildren took up the practice as well. Nine family members started cultivating in Falun Dafa.

Studying the Teachings of Falun Dafa

I have taken Falun Dafa cultivation seriously since day one. I am diligent when studying the Fa, doing the exercises, and improving my xinxing. During the past 23 years, I’ve gotten up every morning to do the exercises, rain or shine. Sometimes others joined me, and at other times I did the exercises by myself. I never stopped doing the exercises for even one day.

Fa study was difficult for me at first because I was illiterate. I went to school for a semester when I was little and only learned about a dozen characters. From a young age, I needed to work in the fields, cook for the family, do chores, and help out as much as possible. I didn’t have time to read books and had long forgotten the characters that I knew.

In the beginning, I mostly listened to audiotapes of Master’s Fa lectures to study the Fa. When the practitioners in my family got together to read the book, I tried to follow along and remember as many Chinese characters as I could. Gradually, I was able to read Zhuan Falun by myself and even felt comfortable reading loud. I was slow at first and couldn’t finish an entire lecture in one afternoon. But this didn’t discourage me, and I kept learning and trying.

I have been diligent in improving myself and dared not slack off. I always look inward to examine myself when conflicts arise and try my best to live up to the standards of the Fa.

Validating Falun Dafa to Others

The nine family members cherished this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cultivate in Dafa and our predestined relationship with Master. Besides staying diligent in our practice, we also came to realize that we needed to uphold Dafa’s principles. We couldn’t let the groundless suppression continue and do nothing. We decided to petition the government agencies and clarify the truth about Dafa to the officials. My son, daughter-in-law, daughter and granddaughter overcame various obstacles and petitioned the central government in Beijing.

I wanted to do the same but couldn’t afford the transportation. How was I, an older woman from the countryside, going to travel to the capital city? I came up with a plan as I walked out of my front door, “I am going to borrow some money to go to Beijing.” I hiked up a mountain road toward the village, looked up, and saw countless Falun (law wheels) rotating in the sky. It was such a beautiful sight. I thought that this must be encouragement from Master.

Master has shown me scenes from another dimension twice. Both experiences inspired me to cultivate more diligently. Besides, they have carried me through great tribulations. Seven practitioners from my family traveled to the nation’s capital and petitioned the central government for our right to freedom of belief.

Hosting Practitioners

We live in a remote area in the mountains with no neighbors. By strictly following Master’s teachings of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, the practitioners in my family have earned a good reputation among others in the village. We have great relationships with people in the community and they all know we’re good people. When the villagers see strangers visiting us or even staying with us for long periods of time, they don’t become suspicious.

Thanks to Master’s careful arrangements, we’ve hosted more than a dozen practitioners over the years without encountering any real danger. Some of these practitioners were on the run to avoid being arrested, some were going through sickness karma or other tribulations, and some just needed a little time away. The length of their stays ranged from a couple of weeks to more than a year.

My family provided meals and a safe and convenient living situation for these practitioners. While staying with us, they studied the Fa, did the exercises, and sent righteous thoughts with us. We shared cultivation experiences together, as well as supported and helped each other improve. Once their cultivation state was readjusted, the practitioners went back to resume their role in Fa-rectification. There were times when we encountered interference but with strong righteous thoughts, we were able to disintegrate the evil’s plans.

An elderly practitioner left his hometown to avoid being arrested. While staying with us, several police officers from our town’s 610 Office came looking for my husband. When I heard they planned to take my husband to the brainwashing center, I raised my voice to warn the practitioner upstairs. I told the police, “My husband is not home. What is wrong with living by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? Why don’t you go after the bad guys? Those who have committed murder, arson, robbery, and burglary?” The police saw my “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” banner on the wall and tried to rip it off. To stop them from committing crimes against Dafa, I silently recited Master’s poem,

“If thoughts are righteous,evil will collapse” (“What’s to Fear?” Hong Yin II)

The elderly practitioner who was upstairs heard me. He erected his palm and helped send righteous thoughts. Given Master’s protection, the police left empty-handed.

Clarifying the Truth

Several police officers from the town’s 610 Office showed up one day while my husband was working in the fields alone. They tried to take him to the brainwashing center but he refused to move. The standoff lasted quite a while and some villagers gathered. One told the police, “Look. This man is a good person. He helps the poor in the village and works their fields. Such a great guy. What do you want him to learn at your brainwashing center? He is not going with you.” Given more and more people gathering to support my husband, the police gave up and left.

The practitioners in my family set up a truth-clarification material production site. We make fliers and booklets at home and distribute them in the surrounding areas. My son takes two people with him on his motorcycle, sometimes me and my husband and sometimes his wife and daughter. We distribute several hundred fliers a night and have covered many counties and villages in the region.

One time, my husband and my son were out delivering truth-clarification materials and realized they were followed by someone who appeared to be unfriendly. With ample righteous thoughts, my son went up to the person and said, “We’re here to spread the blessings of Falun Dafa and are doing good things for sentient beings. Please don’t accumulate karma.” The guy froze and my husband and son got away safely.

We also work with other local practitioners to distribute to faraway areas with Dafa information fliers. On some of these trips, the practitioners carried heavy materials and hiked 20-plus miles on foot into remote villages to distribute fliers at night. By the time they got home, the sun was up. Each flier we gave out and each sticker we put up shimmered in the dark like gold.

In the mountain villages, many people keep dogs. The strange thing is that these dogs follow us up and down the villages but they don’t bark.

One night, a practitioner fell into a big three-yard-deep hole with muddy water at the bottom. When we pulled him up, we were surprised to find that he didn’t get hurt at all. and his clothes and shoes weren’t even wet. Master is always watching over and protecting disciples.

I’ve talked to people in person about Dafa since I obtained the Fa. I tell them that Falun Dafa is a wonderful spiritual practice that is beneficial to the mind and body. I clarify the truth regarding the wrongful persecution. There is no fear in my mind. I first started with friends and family, then neighbors and the villagers. I always tell them to remember, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

I started to clarify the truth to strangers at the market in 2004 when I was out running errands or visiting friends. I helped many people quit the CCP and its youth organizations. Heaven is going to disintegrate the evil Communist Party. To be safe, we have to separate ourselves from it and remove any mark incurred when one joined the Party organizations.

Master Purified My Body

Before I took up Dafa cultivation, I suffered from frequent migraines that sent me rolling on the floor, in excruciating pain. I could barely walk because of a chronic back problem and bad feet. As if someone was grabbing and pulling, the pain in my feet kept me up night after night, crying.

Just two months into doing the exercises, all the pain was lifted from my body for good. I am in my 70s now and I still work in the fields, tend a vegetable garden, go grocery shopping, cook, and do house chores. I feel energetic and am quick at getting things done. Last year, my nephew’s wife who had suffered from severe headaches for years died of a brain tumor. Just the thought that I might have the same illness brought an episode of severe migraine that night. I rolled around on the bed in tears. My non-practitioner sons tried to get me to go to the hospital but I told them no.

I asked Master for help, “Master. If this is caused by my own karma then I’ll work through it. I will endure the pain to repay my debt. But please let the pain be at least tolerable. If it’s imposed by the old forces then I do not acknowledge it. I follow only the path arranged by Master.”

While listening to audiotapes of Master’s Fa lectures, I recited, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” Looking inward to examine myself, I realized that my thought of coming down with an illness was not in line with the Fa. My fear brought on the pain. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate my fear. As the pain lessened I fell asleep. The next morning, I was back to normal.

While traveling on a rough mountain road to distribute truth-clarification fliers a few years back, I fell out of my nephew’s pedicab that didn’t have a roof, or anything I could hold onto. My nephew was devastated and quickly pulled over. He propped me up and saw the bone in my right wrist protruding from the palm of my hand.

I was rushed to the hospital and the doctor told my family I needed to be hospitalized. But I knew that was not what I needed. I told my son, “Master is protecting me. I will be fine.” Having complete faith in Dafa and Master, my son took me home.

At home, my youngest son was building a house and needed help. With a broken wrist, I cooked for his crew and helped out at the construction site. The wounds didn’t even hurt that much. Master was purifying my body and I knew I would be fine. In less than a month my hand was back to normal.

Looking back on my cultivation journey over the past 23 years, it’s no surprise that whenever things went well and steady, it was when I reflected and improved myself by using the standards of the Fa, when I validated, spread, and assimilated to the Fa, and when I stayed on the path arranged by Master. Whenever I was stagnant in my cultivation and couldn’t overcome a tribulation, that was when I failed to measure up to the requirements of the Fa. I wanted to protect and defend myself instead of letting go of self—I was following the path arranged by the old forces.

Going forward, I will be more strict with myself, and get rid of my human notions and attachments. I will cultivate solidly and follow Master to my true home.