Saved from Severe Tribulations

(Minghui.org) On the occasion of World Falun Dafa Day, I would like to share the many extraordinary incidents that occurred in my life as a result of my Falun Dafa cultivation, and express my thanks to Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, for his compassion. 

Fortunate Encounter with Dafa

Before I began practicing Falun Dafa, I suffered from a number of illnesses, including hyperthyroidism, back pain, depression, amnesia, vertigo and dysmenorrhea. Taking Chinese and Western medicines was not effective, and some treatments even caused adverse effects. The hormones made my body bloated and deformed. I was always cold, and wore cotton-padded jackets even at the height of summer. Every bout of cold would leave me drowsy, suffering from a high fever for days on end, while even the smallest exposure to sunlight would trigger episodes of severe dizziness.

I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1997. At first, I was unable to sit in the lotus position when I meditated due to severe back pain. Every attempt to shift my legs into position triggered terrible bouts of pain. Yet I remained determined. Eventually, I was able to sit with my legs in the lotus position. Every morning, I would get up at 4 a.m. to do the exercises at the practice site.

Less than three months after I started doing the exercises, I saw a shining beam of light one night when half asleep. When I opened my eyes, I saw a colored spinning Falun, glowing with golden light before my eyes. Just as I was overcome with joy, the Falun began to retreat until it disappeared. Perhaps its retreat was triggered by my human feelings of happiness. When I fell asleep again, I saw the Falun. That night, a Falun appeared before me three times and adjusted my legs. The following morning, while attempting to do the fifth exercise (the sitting meditation), I discovered that my back pain was gone. This power of Dafa left me overcome with amazement.

From then on, I began earnestly reading the Fa and memorizing the Fa. I did the exercises every day. I did my best to adhere to Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and cultivated diligently.

Master Cleansed My Body

Five months after I started to cultivate in Dafa, my body began to display severe illness symptoms again. I was so weak that I spent the next seven days and nights in bed, unable to eat. I had never experienced symptoms so severe, but my faith in Master and the Fa remained unshaken.

At noon on the seventh day, a miracle happened. My husband brought in some food and asked me to eat. Although I could hear him, I was unable to move or speak. Assuming I was fast asleep, my husband left the room and shut the door. 

I saw Master’s Fashen standing next to the bed. I tried to see Master’s face, yet no matter how high I looked, I couldn’t see Master’s head. Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands remove three abacus-bead-like objects from the left side of my neck. These hands also pulled out two similar beads from the right side of my neck. The pain was so excruciating I wanted to scream but I couldn’t. Just as I struggled to breathe, Master released me and restored my breathing to normal. Master’s Fashen and the big Falun that had appeared over Master’s head disappeared, and I was able to move – only this time I felt no pain. Only then did I realize that Master had immobilized me for my own safety. 

Having barely eaten for the last seven days, I got out of bed, walked into the kitchen and started eating a large bowl of rice. My children had gone to school, while my husband was in the washroom. When my husband came out, he was shocked to see me eating so heartily. I smiled and reassured him, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

After that I recovered from my hyperthyroidism, and my complexion turned rosy and my body felt lighter. That truly was the happiest, most fortunate event in my life. My good health and joyful outlook on life convinced my family of Dafa’s goodness, and I began to care less about personal gains and losses. Those around me started commenting, “You are so happy, as though everything you encounter is a source of joy!”

Defeating Tribulation

Under Jiang Zemin’s direction, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched its brutal persecution of Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999. In order to expose the CCP’s lies and slander against Master Li and Falun Dafa, I joined thousands of practitioners in stepping forth to clarify the truth to the world’s people. 

I cooperated with several practitioners to put up signs in different parts of the city on May 13, 2002. The messages included, “Falun Dafa is good,” “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” “Falun Dafa is a righteous cultivation way,” “Our Master is innocent,” and “Falun Dafa is innocent.” Despite heavy security, we were able to attach our signs on the main gates of the Public Security Bureau and various government offices. The police were dumbfounded and could not explain how we circumvented their guards and patrols. Without Master’s aid, all this would have been impossible.

Soon after, I was illegally detained and sentenced to a forced labor camp for two-and-a-half years. I was tortured and humiliated. My captors forced me to sit on a small bench for hours on end. I was made to stand for ten consecutive days and nights within a small circle, facing the wall and unable to move my feet. When my legs became swollen, I was ordered to squat. I was deprived of sleep and not allowed to use the toilet. 

Despite suffering three months of torture, I refused to renounce Falun Dafa. The authorities then resorted to more despicable methods. They sent for my relatives and urged them to pressure me into writing a renunciation statement, saying those who refused to write were rejecting their families and children. These forced labor camps also spiked practitioners’ food with unidentified and poisonous drugs. Some practitioners became mentally disturbed after suffering this inhumane treatment. 

When my older brother finally saw me, I had not been allowed to brush my teeth, wash my face or comb my hair for over a month. My brother wept seeing my unkempt, emaciated body. He feared for my life. Knowing that the labor camp could inflict severe harm made my relatives frantic with worry. They told me, “The camp authorities promised to release you once you write the renunciation letter. Preserve your life, and secure your freedom first.” Under pressure from both my oppressors and family members, I went against my conscience and signed a renunciation letter. Although I refused to write the contents according to my captor’s requirements, the act of signing such a letter indicated my surrender to the evil forces, an act unbecoming a Falun Dafa cultivator.

Afterwards, my right toe became numb. Gradually, I lost all feeling in my right foot. The labor camp doctor diagnosed a potential risk of permanent disability. As time passed I was unable to place my right foot on the floor and each attempt to move my right leg triggered unbearable pain. On a Friday, I was instructed to call home and inform my family to assemble 10,000 yuan for medical fees. The labor camp planned to take me to the hospital the following Monday. 

Half asleep and in pain, I was lying in bed when I noticed that the bed seemed very high. Below me was an abyss teaming with evil spirits belonging to the CCP. I silently prayed, “Only Master and Dafa can save me. I want to declare the renunciation letter I wrote null and void.” That Monday morning, while fighting severe pain, I wrote on a piece of paper, “The statement I wrote is invalid.” Immediately afterwards, a miracle occurred. I regained the ability to move my right leg and foot, the excruciating pain vanished, and I was able to stand on my own. I knew Master saved my life. I let go of all my human attachments and sat with my legs in the full lotus position, reinforcing my righteous thoughts so I could clarify the truth and validate the Fa. The prison guards monitoring my cell had become sympathetic to my pain. When they saw I could sit up and sit cross-legged in the full lotus position, they turned a blind eye.

At 8 a.m., the head prison guard arrived at work and asked for an update on my condition. I uncrossed my legs, got out of bed, walked to the iron gate and said, “I’ve recovered.” The head guard was astonished. When I asked to speak to her in private, she took me to her office. I explained why I practiced Falun Dafa, the diseases I suffered before, and how Dafa restored me to health. I also talked about the severe torture I suffered in the labor camp, and the unbearable agony I suffered as a result. My tearful recount caused the head guard to cry as well. She said, “Falun Dafa practitioners are kind.” I tried to submit my written retraction of my renunciation letter, but she refused to accept it as it would result in the forfeiture of her monthly bonus. 

When the female prison guard overseeing me came to work, I attempted to submit my written retraction to her. She also refused to take it. “You are scheduled to be released in two days. If you submit this retraction, not only will you be barred from returning home, but the authorities will also extend your incarceration for months. They may even send you to the South Tower, where Falun Dafa practitioners are brutally persecuted.” By then I had resolved to let go of every attachment, and unhesitatingly replied, “I’m ready to uphold my conviction, even at the cost of my life.” I shoved my retraction statement into her hand.

After that I submitted a meeting request to the labor camp director and the Provincial Political and Legal Committee secretary, so I could clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to them. Even though he lived on the labor camp premises, the Provincial Political and Legal Committee secretary declined to meet with me. The labor camp director also turned down my request. They already knew that Falun Dafa practitioners were good people. Under the influence of the CCP’s atheist propaganda, greed for material gain, as well as rejection of the idea that good deeds would be rewarded while evil would invite retribution, they persecuted Dafa practitioners against their conscience. I was forbidden from contacting the other practitioners in the labor camp and was instructed not to tell others about my change of heart, as they feared that news of my retraction would hamper their continued efforts to deceive practitioners. My family took me home two days later.

I recall an incident that occurred while I was incarcerated in the labor camp. One summer night, a prison guard called me over and asked me to help sew a set of curtains for her home. While I worked on the curtains, she treated me like a close friend and shared with me her personal troubles and difficulties, including how heartless her older brother was. She said, “You and those who practice Falun Dafa are good people, and never argue or fight with others.” I seized the opportunity to tell her, “There is a copy of Falun Dafa’s main book, Zhuan Falun, in your office, and its contents can explain the root cause of your troubles.” The prison guard confessed she dared not read the book. “Interpersonal relationships among the labor camp staff are complicated by the issue of personal gain. In contrast, practitioners are honest and considerate towards others. I feel at ease in their company. In two years, I will be 45 years old. I don’t want to work in the labor camp anymore. I want to return home early and become a Falun Dafa practitioner.” The day I was released from the labor camp, she switched shifts with another police officer in order to see me off.

Regardless, Just Refuse to Cooperate with Evil

After returning home, I faced continued harassment from members of the 610 Office and the neighborhood committee. Representatives came and knocked on our door every three days, demanding I sign a letter to not practice Falun Dafa. I faced them with righteous thoughts. “Do you want me to commit to not being a good person?” I asked. When the representatives replied that nobody was stopping me from being a good person, I replied, “Without Dafa’s guidance, how can one be a truly good person?”

After my experience in the labor camp, I refused to cooperate with the authorities. No matter who came knocking on my door, I clarified the truth and advised them not to participate in the persecution of Falun Dafa. One day, our neighborhood committee called their former secretary in to talk to me. Their retired secretary was an elderly lady with outstanding qualifications and high-level connections. I patiently clarified the truth to her and described how the persecution in the labor camp left my right leg paralyzed. I told her how Falun Dafa had created a miracle that saved my leg. My words convinced her, and she reassured me that she would not come back. I said, “Since fate has arranged for us to meet, please remember these words: ‘Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’” She nodded and left with a smile.

Over the years, no matter how many people the CCP sent to harass us, my husband refused to give in to them. Because of his strong belief in the goodness of Dafa, and with the continued help of other practitioners, he too received blessings from the Fa. Last year, he came down with severe bloating and pain in his stomach. The pain was so bad, he began to think his life was in danger. He slowly got out of bed and knelt before a statue of Master, asking Master to save him. Within minutes, his stomach stopped aching and the bloating vanished. My husband was moved to tears.

My firm belief in Dafa and Master’s compassionate protection has allowed me to come this far in my 20-year cultivation journey. I share my experiences in the hopes that practitioners can regain our original cultivation state and continue forward diligently. Let us cherish the precious time Master has left for us, do well the three things, and fulfill our mission.