Persevering Despite Adversity

(Minghui.org) My life changed for the better after I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1995. My cultivation experiences taught me perseverance in the face of adversity. I feel blessed and I’m eternally grateful to Master Li (Falun Dafa’s founder) .

I was born in 1957 into a poor family with many children. My parents saw me as a burden and put me up for adoption when I was four years old. I was thin and weak, but the family that adopted me made me work from dawn until dusk. They were never happy with me. I was not given enough food, and I was frequently scolded and beaten.

I was an easy target for bullying at school. When I was in fourth grade, my biological father reported to the school authorities that my adoptive father served in the Northeastern Army under the National Government of the Republic of China. Because of this, I was classified as “anti-revolutionary” and publicly censured. I was violently attacked while my biological father watched. This was for public entertainment.

The Cultural Revolution was at its height when I was 12 years old. Because I wrote “long-lived” in messy handwriting, a classmate reported me to the teacher. I was again labeled as an “anti-revolutionary.” Day after day, I was put on a stage, humiliated, insulted, and attacked in front of the entire school. The emotional and mental agony took a toll on my health. I couldn’t eat or sleep and lived in constant worry and fear. I was short, thin, and had a hunched back.

A Failed Marriage

When I was a young woman, I didn’t want to marry. Sick and tired of my biological and adoptive parents fighting and arguing endlessly, combined with very low self-esteem because of my appearance, I feared marriage. However, since the day I was born, I never had any say regarding my own life.

My families couldn’t wait to marry me off. When I was 25 years old they set me up with a man who was much older than me. I naturally declined. After lunch one day, my biological father came and left with my adoptive parents, saying they needed to take care of something. It was a hot summer day, and I was home alone taking a nap when the older man came in and raped me. I was enraged but he promised to marry me and take good care of me. I found out I was pregnant three months later and I married the man.

We faced many challenges from day one of our marriage. Soon after I gave birth to my daughter, my husband had an affair and asked for a divorce. Wanting to keep the family intact for my daughter’s sake, I didn’t agree to it until a decade later. When our divorce was finalized, I was exhausted from years of drama. I was in poor health and suffered from many health issues. The results from an annual check up indicated that I might have a cancerous tumor in my uterus. I gave in to despair.

A Near Fatal Accident

I was hit by a truck in late 1994. My head was injured and my arms, torso, and legs were fractured. I was taken to hospital where the doctors were going to perform brain surgery and amputate my limbs. However, when they examined me the next day they were amazed to discover the blood clot in my brain was gone, and the circulation in my limbs was normal. I no longer needed an operation. I was in a coma for a week and hospitalized for a month. Everyone who heard about my accident thought I was dead. But, amazingly I survived.

The accident didn’t break me, but my family did. My relatives knew I was involved in a near fatal accident, but no one from my biological or adoptive family came to visit while I was hospitalized. They didn’t think I was worth their time. It would have been convenient for them if I died. An old classmate was the only person who visited and took care of me.

As a result of the accident, my head and face were deformed. One eye and my mouth drooped. I needed to support myself with a cane when I walked. I had no home to go to when discharged from the hospital. I sought compensation from the truck driver but my biological and adoptive families told him not to pay me.

My situation was desperate. I was in chronic pain and suffered many illnesses. My only hope in life was my daughter—it was for her that I kept going.

A New Lease on Life

My life changed forever in spring of 1995, on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. A friend told me about Falun Dafa and I went to the local group practice site. I was so blessed to obtain the Fa and started my cultivation journey. I soon noticed tremendous improvement in my health and appearance. My mouth no longer slanted sideways, and my eyes were normal. I threw away my cane as I regained mobility. Overjoyed, I shouted, “My body is back to normal. I am saved. Master purified my body.” No words could describe how happy I was.

I went to my biological parents’ house, my older sister’s home, my older brother’s home, and my adoptive family and told them all about the benefits of practicing Falun Dafa. They were excited and happy for me and one after the other they began practicing.

I realized only afterward that Master had been watching over me even before I obtained the Fa, Without Master’s protection, I would have died in the accident in 1994. I am eternally grateful to Master. I made up my mind to practice Falun Dafa no matter how many obstacles or tribulations I had to overcome.

Clarifying the Truth and Validating the Fa

I joined the thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners at the Zhongnanhai compound on April 25, 1999, to petition the central government for the release of practitioners arrested in Tianjin. After the then Premier met with practitioner representatives, we picked up the trash, papers, and cigarette butts before we left the Beijing Municipal Public Complaint Office. The road and the sidewalks were left cleaner than when we came. Practitioners validated the Fa and demonstrated kindness, sincerity and consideration for others.

Months later, Jiang Zemin (the now deceased former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)) launched a nation wide persecution campaign against Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong). To petition for my right to freely practice my belief and to expose the regime’s lies and propaganda slandering Falun Dafa, I went to Beijing three times to petition the central government.

I held up a banner in Tiananmen Square and shouted “Falun Dafa is a righteous Fa. Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. Restore Master’s reputation.” The police arrested me and escorted me back to my hometown where I was detained. Despite torture and threats of imprisonment, I remained resolute and never gave in to the policemen’s demand to renounce my faith. My heart was calm and I had no fear. At the detention center, many practitioners including myself were subjected to violence and abuse. We went on a hunger strike to protest the ill-treatment.

After I was released, I faced many difficulties in life as a single mom. But nothing could change my mind about Falun Dafa. I clarified the truth every chance I got—I talked to people in person, distributed Dafa fliers and booklets, and put up banners and posters. I knew I was here to help Master rectify the Fa.

I’ve traveled more frequently since 2005 to different places where I clarified the truth, especially regions where the persecution was rampant. In the community where I live, the majority of residents work in law enforcement. Whenever I meet police officers, I tell them about Dafa and how it is being smeared by the CCP. I tell them Master is compassionate and Falun Dafa’s principles are universal. It is a Fa with boundless virtues. and it is here to truly save people.

I lost count of the times I was reported to the police, arrested, and detained. But, I always kept the Fa close to my heart and maintained strong righteous thoughts. With Master’s help and protection, I never encountered any real danger. The local police all know me and turn a blind eye when I clarify the truth. Many police officers even quit the CCP and its youth organizations—they’ve chosen a bright future for themselves.

My Daughter’s Marriage

My daughter also benefited from Dafa cultivation. She was always a considerate and kind child and excelled academically. Despite being raised by a single parent and having few material things compared to her peers, my daughter is well adjusted and grew into a beautiful and intelligent young woman. After college, she went to graduate school and landed a coveted job. She has truly been blessed by Dafa.

When she was old enough to marry, a friend introduced her to a young man. He was from a well-to-do family—his father was the Party secretary of a city government sanctioned enterprise and his mother worked for a state-owned enterprise. The young man himself is the secretary to a prominent city official. The family’s friends were mostly law enforcement officers or employees of government agencies. Being well connected and of high socioeconomic status, his family obviously didn’t see my daughter as a good match for their only son.

The first time I met my future in-laws, the young man’s uncle had a toothache and was in great pain. I told him about Dafa and Dafa’s incredible power. I suggested he quit the CCP and sincerely recite “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” Before I could finish, he jumped up and yelled at me, infuriated. I was told he was a police officer. Like most people in law enforcement, he was brainwashed by the CCP’s lies and was prejudiced against Dafa.

The two families’ first meeting turned into a fiasco. All of the young man’s relatives reprimanded and insulted me for my belief and opposed the marriage, especially his mother. The family didn’t want to get implicated as I had been on top of the local authorities’ black list for over a decade now. The marriage was called off.

It took the young couple a while and a few rounds of back and forth to finally decide that they wanted to be with each other. The young man’s family reluctantly agreed to it but under one condition—my daughter had to cut all ties with me and the young man’s family would have no connection with me whatsoever.

My daughter was torn. When I asked, she told me the unreasonable demands of her future in-laws. I told her, “I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner. Everything I do is for others’ benefits. If you truly want to be with this young man, you two should go ahead and get married. As to having connection or ties with me or not, it doesn’t matter to me.” The young couple got married. I was not involved in their lives and didn’t visit my son-in-law’s family.

When I was finally allowed to contact my daughter, my son-in-law was disrespectful and hostile toward me as if I was his worst enemy. But he also demanded that I help them pay for big ticket items. My daughter was embarrassed and upset by her husband’s unreasonable demands, but I told her, “Everything is going to be okay. Things will get better.” I held myself to the standards of the Fa and regardless of how badly my son-in-law treated me, I considered everything he did was to help me improve, so it was a good thing.

Moving in with My In-laws to Babysit

My daughter gave birth to a baby boy a few years later. My son-in-law’s father was bedridden at this time because of severe diabetes and a recent stroke. His mother had her plate full caring for her husband and her elderly mother. The young couple needed someone to babysit while they were at work. After talking it over, they decided I was the person to take care of the baby and help with household chores. I agreed to it as I saw this as a great opportunity to clarify the truth.

I moved in with my in-laws. Besides taking care of my grandson, I cooked, cleaned, and did the laundry. I was busy from morning until night but I didn’t complain. When the weather was nice, I took the baby out for a stroll and talked to people about Dafa. When the baby went to sleep at night, I distributed truth-clarification fliers and put up Dafa posters in the neighborhood. When I got a little bit of free time on the weekends, I talked to people about Dafa and helped them quit the CCP. I also joined local practitioners in validating the Fa.

Even though I was dedicated to her family, my son-in-law’s mother looked down on me and gave me the cold-shoulder. At mealtimes, she didn’t let me have any meat or seasonal vegetables. She complained about the high cost of living and how meat and fresh vegetables were expensive. I kept righteous thoughts and didn’t let her attitude affect me. I didn’t really care what I ate—most of the time I had pickled vegetables or chili sauce with my rice. It was not a big deal.

When she liked a clothing item or an accessory I owned, I gave it to her without hesitation. For holidays and Chinese New Years, my daughter routinely received fresh produce or delicacies as a gift from her employer. I always told my daughter to give them to her mother-in-law. The worse the mother-in-law treated me, the better I treated her because I am a practitioner.

My son-in-law’s mother regularly told on me to her son when she heard me talking to people about Dafa. She also incited her son to beat me for every little mistake I made. One time, while putting laundry up to dry on the balcony, I spoke to the neighbor about Dafa. My son-in-law grabbed and slapped me so hard that my nose bled. If he found out I was talking to people about Dafa, he kicked and beat me. He dislocated my arm one time and to this day, I cannot raise that arm. Once, he kicked me so hard that I fell and fractured my leg. I didn’t harbor any resentment and maintained my xinxing. I kept a positive attitude and was always happy regardless of how badly I was treated.

My In-Laws Gradually Come Around

My son-in-law was involved in an accident and totaled his car. Judging from the damage, people thought that he had been killed instantly. But he only had fractures in one leg and no major injuries. I knew Master saved him. When he was recovering at home, I took care of him meticulously and clarified the truth every chance I got. Gradually, his attitude changed—he was no longer so hostile towards me, but he never smiled at me.

I don’t harbor resentment over things that happened in the past, neither do I hold grudges towards my in-laws. I know they are predestined beings that I need to save. I probably treated them very badly in my previous lives, so I understood I was paying off karma in this lifetime. I treated them with kindness and tolerance and looked inward whenever conflicts arose. Although they made my life miserable in every possible way, my heart remained calm. Practitioners are here to save sentient beings.

It took my in-laws a long time to finally come around. They observed how I was always kind and considerate, regardless of how badly they treated me. An ordinary person would have left long ago. But I am a Dafa practitioner, I didn’t leave or give up. I helped the family and took care of everyone like always.

The entire family went on an outing one time. While passing a bridge, I took out a pencil and wrote on the rail, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” My in-laws looked at each other but didn’t say anything. They were not happy but decided to let it go. Nothing they’ve tried over the years could stop me from clarifying the truth and they finally came to terms with it. Master must have been watching to see if my heart was moved. With ample righteous thoughts and perseverance, I passed the test, therefore my in-laws were not allowed to interfere anymore.

My son-in-law’s mother asked me one day, “Everybody laughs at and looks down on Falun Dafa practitioners. Don’t you feel ashamed instead of feeling so happy?” I told her, “Falun Dafa is a great Fa of mighty virtue. A person is very lucky to obtain the Fa in his or her lifetime. I feel endlessly honored and extremely lucky that I am able to practice Falun Dafa. What are ordinary people’s contempt and ridicule and the CCP’s suppression? They are nothing. I don’t let these things affect me.” She was quiet for a long moment.

My In-Laws’ Attitude Changed

My son-in-law’s father passed away six months later and his mother was devastated. She fell into a state of depression and cried every day. The pain and loneliness of losing him affected her. She no longer acted superior and arrogant, but appeared small and vulnerable. I comforted her, and took care of her. I explained how predestined relationships work between people as Master mentioned in the Fa. She seemed to be receptive. I bought her favorite fruits and made her favorite meals. I decorated her room with flowers to cheer her up. She slowly bounced back and started to smile again.

My son-in-law is the secretary to a prominent city official. He came home one day looking dejected, and said, “I don’t want to live anymore.” My daughter was surprised to hear this, “Why? Why not?” He misplaced a very important document and it could cause the city a lot of money. He had been looking for the document for days, but couldn’t find it. He told my daughter he’d jump off a high rise building if the document didn’t turn up. My daughter was concerned.

I didn’t know anything about this until a week later. My daughter came home after work one day and said, “Mom, let’s take the baby to my husband’s work after dinner. You help watch the baby and I’ll help him look for something.” I nodded, “Sure.” The couple didn’t tell me what they were looking for. I was told to stay with the baby in an adjacent room while they searched his office.

Hours passed and it was almost midnight. The baby was fussing and wouldn’t go to sleep. I picked up the baby and opened the door to an absolute mess—the couple had turned the place upside down and boxes and papers were everywhere.

I said, “The baby can’t go to sleep and has been fussy for hours now. Let’s go home.” My daughter said, “But we haven’t found it yet.” I asked what they were looking for. “A very important document is missing,” my daughter said. “We’ve looked everywhere but can’t find it. His boss needs it tomorrow. If we can’t find it, he’s going to jump off a building.” I put down the baby, “We better ask Master for help then.” I sat down in the full lotus position, entered a state of tranquility, and asked Master for help.

I stood up after a while and pointed to one of the boxes, “It’s in there.” They didn’t believe me, “We’ve looked in that box multiple times. It’s not there.” I was sure and pointed at the box again, “It’s in this box. Please check again.” Hesitantly, my son-in-law opened the box and started going through it again. A few seconds later, he excitedly held up a stack of papers, “It’s here. It’s right here.” They were so happy. My son-in-law thought it was incredible, “So strange. I looked in that box many times. How could I have missed it?” I told him, “Master helped you find it.” The couple kowtowed to Master three times to show their appreciation. Master saved my son-in-law.

They Are Saved

While going downstairs with my grandson in my arms one day in July 2022, I slipped and fell. I held on tight to the boy as I landed, so he was perfectly fine. I, on the other hand, fractured my right knee cap. I couldn’t stand or walk and my leg quickly swelled up.

My daughter and son-in-law were just coming home from work and carried me upstairs. I was temporarily disabled and couldn’t even take care of myself. I thought my in-laws would kick me out now that I was useless, but to my surprise, my son-in-law and his mother stayed by my side and cared for me. They took care of everything and even helped me use the bathroom. It was completely unexpected and I was touched. I knew it was the power of Dafa that changed them so completely.

The local practitioners heard about my fall and came to visit. They took turns caring for me. We studied the Fa, did the exercises, and sent righteous thoughts. Every one of them is polite, gentle, and friendly toward my in-laws. Besides helping me, they also took care of the chores that I was supposed to do. They completely changed my in-laws’ impression of Dafa and Dafa practitioners.

My son-in-law’s mother saw the great respect the practitioners had for me. She was shocked that anyone would treat me, her dumb, countrywoman of an in-law with respect. I probably do seem dumb to ordinary people because I take personal gain lightly. I also couldn’t care less how well I am treated.

My son-in-law’s mother was truly touched and impressed by practitioners. She told me more than once, “Everyone in your group is so kind, elegant, and polite. They are well dressed and seem well educated. Yet, they don’t mind getting dirty and worked hard to take care of you and everything around the house.” She sat with us and listened to practitioners’ sharing their understandings of Fa principles and cultivation experiences. One day she said that she’d like to study Falun Dafa, too.

She finally let go of all her prejudices and sincerely told practitioners when they came, “I would very much like to have a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa.” Not long after, a practitioner brought her a copy. Since then, my son-in-law’s mother has participated in a few group exercises and other Dafa activities with me. I thanked Master for saving her.

The change in my son-in-law is even more dramatic. He never let me hang Master’s picture in the home. Having no choice, I asked a practitioner to keep it safe for me. Not only is Master’s picture hung on the wall now, my son-in-law also puts fresh fruit in front of Master’s picture every day. He listened quietly when I clarified the truth to him and he agreed to quit the CCP and its youth organizations.

Born Because of Dafa

I came for Dafa and was born because of Dafa. Dafa saved me and gave me a new lease on life. Looking back on my cultivation journey over the past 28 years, I’ve faced danger, trials, and great tribulations. However, by following Master’s guidance and arrangements, I’ve overcome every obstacle. I improved myself in the process and experienced great pride and joy.

Master has high expectations for practitioners and I will not let Master down. I will cultivate as if I just obtained the Fa and fulfill my sacred vows. Master bought us extra time by suffering tremendously. I will fulfill my prehistoric mission and with fellow practitioners, we will go home with Master.