(Minghui.org) I awoke early on May 12, 1995, feeling happy and full of energy. A stroll in the park in the soft morning light led me to a group of people doing the Falun Dafa exercises. I was told that it was a spiritual practice of mind and body, guided by the universal principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
The melody to the exercise music was beautiful and calming—I loved it so much that my hands and arms started moving, copying the practitioners. I learned the exercises that day and began my cultivation journey. Only much later did I realize that it must have been Master’s Fashen (Law Body) that led me there.
Soon after I took up Dafa cultivation, Master helped me eliminate a lot of sickness karma. I sometimes needed to use the toilet more than two dozen times a day, but strangely, I didn’t feel any weakness usually associated with diarrhea.
With Master’s help, I once worked through a severe sickness-karma elimination. I developed red bumps and blisters all over my body, even on my scalp. When the blisters popped, yellow pus seeped out. This lasted for a good month before they scabbed. Nearly every inch of my skin was covered with scabs, except for my hands and face. I still looked presentable and went to work every day.
A practitioner who is a doctor told me, “It’s a good thing. Master is purifying your body. The medical term for this condition is shingles. It’s usually associated with excruciating pain and is dangerous when it develops on the scalp. Although you are covered with blisters and scabs, you don’t feel any pain—this is unheard of and would be almost impossible if you were an ordinary person.”
A young practitioner whose celestial eye is open told me one time after morning practice that she saw Falun (law wheels) rotating on my head, shoulders, knees, and lower abdomen. She explained, “The Falun in your belly is installed by Master and yours to keep. He uses the other ones to purify your body.” Through studying the Fa, I knew I had many illnesses I was unaware of that could have caused severe sickness later in life, but Master removed them all for me.
When I was detained and put through intense brainwashing for my faith in 2003, I went on a hunger strike to protest. I was force-fed and tortured by multiple perpetrators for several days. I used up the last bit of my energy and collapsed. My main spirit then left my body. It was strange to see my own body and realize it was no longer mine. I had died before the battle was won!
I cried from the bottom of my heart, “I’m not ready—I don’t want to die.” Instantly, Master put my main spirit back, and I was alive again. A huge portion of karma was paid off when I went through this near-death experience—compassionate Master gave me a new lease on life! My cultivation in Dafa was to continue. Master gave me this life and nobody could take it away from me! I started eating again knowing I needed this human body to fulfill my mission.
Brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s atheist ideology growing up, I had the stubborn notion that things I couldn’t see weren’t real. When I first took up Dafa cultivation, I knew Dafa is good, but I didn’t believe Buddhas and Gods existed. While lying in bed one day, my body froze all of a sudden. I was conscious but couldn’t open my eyes nor move my body.
With my eyes closed, I saw a huge golden Buddha Maitreya emerging and eclipsing my entire energy field. The Buddha was bigger than the sky, so big that I could only see the upper body. He smiled at me ever so compassionately. The scene was so vivid and clear, as the particles in other time spaces are much finer. I suddenly realized, “Buddhas truly exist in other dimensions.” I was deceived by atheist theories all these years. I now know the Buddha I saw was Master Li. I also saw a Taichi plate (installed by Master) when He cracked open my celestial eye.
As a teacher, I’ve always taken my job seriously and treated all my students with kindness. When a co-worker went on maternity leave, I was asked to substitute for her teaching a different subject. I needed to spend more time researching and preparing lesson plans for her classes than for my own. I incorporated many visual aids and interactive learning activities to engage the students.
When my co-worker came back from her leave, she asked her students, “Whose lessons did you enjoy the most among all the substitute teachers?” In unison, the kids said my name. My co-worker was impressed and later told me, “You’re truly successful as a teacher.” To be honest, all I have going for me is hard work and effort, as I have no special talent. It is Dafa that brought me all the success.
At the beginning of the school year in September 1999, the teachers and students from my school went to a two-week training camp at a military base. We were given old cabins that had been vacant for quite some time. The bathrooms were run down and the plumbing was backed up and unusable. We had to walk for half an hour to use the public bathrooms in the military family compound. Younger teachers like myself didn’t mind the walk so much, but some older teachers refrained from drinking water to avoid making the trip.
Master teaches us to be good people and to always consider others. So I gathered a few simple tools to unclog the drains and clean the squat toilets, one at a time. A co-worker looked all over for me and found me scrubbing the toilets in the bathroom. She rolled up her sleeves and joined me in cleaning the toilets. Together, we got the bathrooms cleaned up and solved the problem.
After returning from the trip, my school administrators learned about what we did and were touched. However, instead of being showered with praise, I was condemned at our next staff meeting because I went to Beijing during the October national holidays and petitioned the central government for my right to practice Falun Dafa.
I was subjected to forced labor. While being transferred from one cell to another at the forced labor camp, I once saw the corpse of a practitioner, wrapped with a white cloth and being pushed down the hallway. She had been tortured to death. Looking at her exposed feet, I could tell she was still very young. My heart broke into pieces!
Because I never wavered and stayed resolute in my faith, the local 610 Office pressured my school administrators to fire me when my term came to an end. I was removed from my teaching position.
Newly released and without a job, I suddenly had a lot of free time on my hands. I memorized Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Dafa, listened to Minghui radio programs, and also wrote and submitted sharing articles to Minghui online Fa conferences. I found and got rid of many attachments and improved by leaps and bounds. By reciting the Fa over and over and listening to Minghui radio programs on getting rid of lust and cultivating one’s heart, I completely severed my attachment to lust and desire. Thanks to Minghui.org for providing such a wonderful sharing platform.
A practitioner shared at our group Fa study that when we clarify the truth, we should send righteous thoughts to prevent sentient beings from committing crimes against Dafa. If we ever run into a dangerous situation, we should always ask Master for help. I completely agree!
Master said,
“...Dafa disciples are suffering,But who is ruined are sentient beings....” (“Every Lifetime Was for This Life,” Hong Yin III)
One rainy day, I put on a raincoat and went out as usual to clarify the truth about Dafa. Pushing my bike along, I walked with a young man and told him about Dafa and the wrongful persecution. He agreed to quit the Young Pioneers organization and the Communist Youth League.
I hopped on my bike and continued on after we parted ways. I then saw a student at a park taking shelter from the rain. He told me he was a member of the Young Pioneers. I told him about Dafa and that the Tiananmen Self-immolation incident was a hoax. I further explained how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had caused the death of 80 million Chinese people, so heaven would not let it get away so easily. I also reminded him that he didn’t need to perish along with the CCP. To quit the Party is to stay safe!
He listened attentively, so I kept going. I told him humans didn’t evolve from apes. China is the divine land, and our culture is a divine culture. I also taught him to recite “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” when running into dangerous situations. This way, he would receive protection and blessings by Buddhas and higher beings. He readily agreed when I asked him to quit the CCP and its youth organizations. Based on his last name, I suggested a nickname for him to quit the Young Pioneers.
After saying goodbye to the student, I found a place to park my bicycle and left my backpack in the basket, covered with a plastic bag. I walked up to a man waiting at a nearby bus station and clarified the truth to him. He listened but never said a word. When the bus came, he climbed onboard and didn’t respond when I asked whether he’d like to quit the Party.
While walking back toward my bike in the rain, I paused for a second at about 30 feet away, wondering where I’d go next. Suddenly, a white police car charged toward me and pulled over. Three officers in dark blue uniforms quickly got out and came up to me. My instinct was that someone had reported me to the police.
One officer stopped in front of me, while the other two walked around and stood behind me. The one in front pointed to my bike and asked, “Is that yours?” I said no. I had truth-clarification fliers and booklets in my backpack—I couldn’t let the officers find them and commit a crime against Dafa.
“Where do you live? Where are you from?” he asked. I didn’t say anything. “Tell me. Don’t worry. You’re fine.” Still, I didn’t say anything. Asking Master for help, I turned around and quickly walked toward a busy street, hoping to flag down a cab and get out of there. I searched through all my pockets but didn’t have any cash on me.
I crossed the street even though I knew I’d still be visible to the police. A row of houses blocked my way. “There’s no way out of here,” I thought. “I better send righteous thoughts.” A small business had its door open. I went in and asked a young woman if I could take shelter from the rain for a little while. She was very friendly and said I was welcome to before going into another room. I took off my raincoat and sent forth strong righteous thoughts to eliminate all evil beings and elements behind the police.
I stepped out after a few minutes and saw the police car pulling away. I waited for a while, then went to the public restroom across the street from my bike. After making sure there was nobody around, I slowly walked over. I took my bike for a long ride before I eventually found a place out of the rain and stopped. I checked my bike and everything seemed fine. I sent righteous thoughts for an extended time before going home that night. It took me a while to calm down. I was not scared and only had one thought, “I can’t let sentient beings commit crimes against Dafa.” With this thought, Master was able to help me resolve the tribulation.
But what exactly was my loophole the evil exploited to cause my close encounter with the police? I looked inward to examine myself but couldn’t quite get to the root of it.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, I made plans with a practitioner to go watch Shen Yun at another practitioner’s place. We were to meet outside of the gate to our residential community at 7:30 am. Looking forward to watching Shen Yun, I got up early that morning and arrived at the gate at 7:10 am. I recited the Fa while waiting. After a little while, I asked a passerby for the time and was told it was 7:20 am.
I stood there and thought about a sharing article I heard recently on Minghui radio that talks about letting go of self. This particular sharing really spoke to me and helped me a lot. But the article itself was not very well written. I wondered why the editors picked that article for the program?
I caught myself with this thought instantly—it is jealousy—I’ve finally found it. Isn’t this the biggest loophole? It truly shocked me that after nearly 30 years of cultivation, my jealousy is still so strong. Haven’t I become just like Shen Gongbao, the jealous character from the book Investiture of the Gods?
It was 7:40 am and the other practitioner still wasn’t there. I went up to her building and knocked on her door. “I’m so sorry,” she was apologetic and told me the practitioner who was hosting changed the time. She felt bad that she forgot to let me know as she was busy making sticky rice balls.
I look forward to watching Shen Yun each year—it feels like going home. Because it is so important and sacred to me, Master used this special occasion to point me to my root attachment—jealousy. I had a pious heart while waiting and recited the Fa the entire time. Immersed in the Fa and with such a pure heart, my jealousy stuck out instantly like a sore thumb. If it were some other time, I probably wouldn’t think twice about it and would have taken it as just another ordinary thought. I sincerely thanked Master for such a thoughtful arrangement.
As soon as I got home, I took out my copy of Zhuan Falun and read the section about jealousy a dozen times. As I read the Fa over and over, I felt as if each sentence pointed to my jealousy. Master showed me my deeply hidden attachment to jealousy without an ounce of ambiguity. I am very competitive and often rejected the idea that other people are better than me in one area or another.
As I worked on eliminating jealousy, I was shown a scene of a huge snake coiled on an arm. Its body was as thick as a fist and wrapped around the arm a few times. Its neck and head stood up about a foot high at the wrist, and I couldn’t see its tail. A second huge snake lay flat on the side. They were the evil beings behind jealousy and the arm was the old forces’ dark minion.
They both came forward this time. It didn’t matter what they were, I was determined to eliminate them. I sent righteous thoughts to completely eliminate them using the divine powers of the Buddha Fa Master gave us. I finally found the fundamental reason why I was interfered with.
I had a huge breakthrough after getting rid of jealousy. So many of Master’s thoughts and arrangements are involved in each step we take in cultivation.
My bicycle’s name is “No Slow.” Because I’m naturally inclined to do everything slowly, I named my bike No Slow hoping my riding would be the opposite. It takes me from small roads to big streets around town to clarify the truth and save sentient beings.
After getting off work one day, I stayed out and clarified the truth until late. Riding home, a car screeched to a halt and cut in front of me. I slowed down, but it started backing up. It was coming so fast that I didn’t have time to even get off my bike. Just then, my bike handles took my hands and turned to the left. In a matter of seconds and by a narrow margin of only about an inch, I steered clear of the car. It was so dangerous. But I didn’t make the turn—my bike took me to safety. Does it have eyes? How did my bike know I was about to collide with the car? I was convinced that my bike has intelligence. If it were ancient times, No Slow would have been my prized battle horse.
I memorized a lot of Fa one day. And on my way home that evening, I asked my bike, “No Slow. I asked you to remember ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ Have you memorized it?” In response, I heard the bike lock scraping the tire strap with a rhythm. I looked down and found the lock lying in my basket—it wasn’t touching the tire at all. Where did the sound come from?
I listened carefully, “Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish. Swish-swish-swish-swish.” It was in a group of nine and a pause, before the nine notes were repeated again with a particular cadence to it. Doesn’t it resemble, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good?” I listened carefully and the pattern was repeated again and again. Wow, my bike told me in its own language that it remembered “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” I told my bike, “Got it!” The sound stopped.
I hope to memorize Zhuan Falun in 2024. I will strive to cultivate 100 percent faith in Master and the Fa and save more sentient beings.
Thanks to Master! Thanks to fellow practitioners!
Heshi.