(Minghui.org) Mr. Yongho Lee’s family decorated a special cake for his 60th birthday, with the image of a man meditating. Mr. Lee, who has practiced Falun Dafa for 20 years, was moved to tears by his family’s sincere support and encouragement. 

Mr. Lee is now the chief executive officer of a trade company. He said that the 30 years he spent tormented by various diseases were difficult beyond words. He struggled with illnesses since childhood. 

Mr. Lee shared, “When I was in elementary school, hives appeared on my body. It was the beginning of my pain. Because of the unbearable itching, I scratched all over, and the places I scratched became swollen. The itching was unbearable, but I couldn’t do anything about it.”

His parents tried every possible medicine on him, but nothing helped. Instead, many of his organs, including his stomach, were injured due to the side effects of the drugs. He also had dry eye syndrome, migraine headaches, gastrointestinal diseases, reflux esophagitis, colitis, dizziness, hemorrhoids, insomnia and other symptoms.

When he was in his thirties, the rash gradually subsided, but other problems persisted. He had to have hemorrhoid surgery. He had difficulty breathing because of a deviated septum, so he had to have another surgery. He also said that in addition to a disease similar to rheumatism, his hands, feet and body could not bear the slightest cold wind or cold water. The pain from the cold was unbearable. Even the hospital couldn’t tell him what the disease was.

“I lost hope,” Mr. Lee said. “Because even the Seoul National University Hospital said it couldn’t be cured, I thought, ‘Should I just live to wait for death?’”

But this was not the end of the pain. He went to the hospital for treatment of a rapid heartbeat. Once, when he went to the hospital because of extreme fatigue, a tumor was found on his adrenal gland (a gland that regulates hormones, located above the kidneys). He had to undergo surgery to remove one of his adrenal glands. 

Mr. Lee became depressed. He recalled, “I worked hard, and it felt like this was the end of my life. My children were young—in elementary school and kindergarten. I was very worried that I might not be able to fulfill my responsibilities as a parent.”

Incurable Illnesses Disappear Within One Week

In May 2003, when Lee and his family took a walk in a park, he found a booklet on a bench titled, “The True Path to Health,” which contained cultivation stories of Falun Gong practitioners.

“Because I had been plagued by diseases, the word ‘health’ naturally caught my attention. Most of the content was about how to get rid of diseases and become comfortable and peaceful by practicing Falun Dafa. But the first time I read the booklet, I thought, ‘I don’t believe it. How can a disease that cannot be cured by modern medicine be resolved by meditating?’”

He didn’t throw the booklet away, however. He took it home and put it on the shelf. After about a week, he thought, “For the sake of health, I should try it—it might be a glimmer of hope for me.” 

Mr. Lee phoned the contact person listed on the back of the brochure, and found a park where he could learn Falun Dafa. He observed the practitioners for a while. The music, accompanied by the gentle exercise movements, made him feel relaxed and peaceful.

“Every practitioner seemed very kind. Since I’d been deceived many times, I always had doubts. So, I didn’t believe many things, but every practitioner’s story touched me.” 

He learned the exercises at the practice site near his home and read Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa. After a few days, an unexpected change occurred, which amazed him. He was pain-free for the first time in his life. 

Mr. Lee recalled, “In less than a week, all the illness symptoms were gone. The diseases that modern medicine could not cure all disappeared. It was a miracle. Only later did I learn that so many people who were more sick than me recovered after practicing Falun Dafa.”

Persevere in Practicing for 20 Years

Mr. Lee said that in the past, his life was disrupted by his poor health. Every day seemed like a struggle. But after practicing Falun Dafa, his life has gradually straightened out and he got on the right track. Some extreme character traits, such as lack of understanding, impatience and irritability, also began to change after he started practicing Falun Dafa. He was able to understand others and he became open-minded. Because of this, he and his wife live in harmony, and their children, who grew up in a harmonious family atmosphere, have done well and achieved good academic results.

Mr. Lee reads Zhuan Falun and practices Falun Dafa’s fifth exercise, the meditation.

About a month after Mr. Lee started practicing, a big change took place in his company. A new branch was opened and Mr. Lee was asked to manage it. He suddenly embarked on starting a business. Although this happened during a difficult economic period, the business was successful. From the very beginning, the new venture maintained an annual growth rate of 30%-40%. Within four years, the loan equivalent of two billion won (about US $1.5 million) borrowed from the company when the branch first set up was paid off.

Mr. Lee said that the real reason behind the success of his business was that he ran the company with the wisdom he acquired through Falun Dafa cultivation practice.

He shared, “I always tell my employees to think of others first, especially when there’s a problem. You should be sincere, trade fairly, and not pursue huge profits. Thanks to this approach, we form long-term partnerships with our clients and most of our employees have been with me for twenty years.”

It has been 20 years since Mr. Lee started practicing Falun Dafa. “I read the [Falun Dafa] books every day, and I gain enlightenment through reading. The aspect of returning to the truth especially touched me. The purpose of reincarnation is to get rid of people’s attachments by cultivating oneself and returning to one’s original self.”

He feels that it was not enough for him to just read the book, now he is memorizing Zhuan Falun. “By reading and memorizing Zhuan Falun, we can overcome any problems we encounter – even difficult ones,” Mr. Lee said.

Sharing the Joy of Falun Dafa Cultivation Practice

The Tianti Bookstore in Seoul holds a Nine-Day Falun Dafa Seminar once a month. Every time, Mr. Lee plays the lecture videos by Falun Dafa’s founder for new students who come to learn, and then he shows them the exercises. He said he does this because he wants to share the joy he first felt twenty years ago.

Mr. Lee shows new students the exercises during a workshop in the Tianti Bookstore.

Some amazing things have happened along the way. Over the years, Udumbara flowers have bloomed in many places in the bookstore. Mr. Lee said, “According to Buddhist scriptures, the Udumbara flower, which is so small that it is difficult to see with the naked eye, is a supernatural flower that blooms only when the Holy King comes to the world. It is an auspicious sign.”

He recalled, “In 2015, when I was renovating the Tianti Bookstore, I found Udumbara flowers on the mirror for the first time. Since then, this flower has bloomed in more than ten places. When I described them to someone, he asked if Udumbara flowers were a kind of fungus. I said no, Udumbara flowers bloom on glass windows, and some bloom on hot light bulbs. As I explained, I casually pointed to a light bulb. By coincidence, there were two Udumbara flowers blooming on it. We were amazed.”

Udumbara flowers bloom on a mirror in the Tianti Bookstore.

Mr. Lee strives to be a better person according to Falun Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. “I think that if everyone thinks of others, this world will be a better, healthier and more harmonious place,” he said.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings—which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance—and learned the five exercises have experienced improved health and well-being.