(Clearwisdom.net) Even from a distance I could hear Mr. Chen Changhui's loud voice clearly, so I guessed he must have been in the military service.
During our interview, Mr. Chen revealed the most amazing stories about himself. About five years ago, Mr. Chen was moribund due to last stage liver cirrhosis and intractable ascites, a complication of cirrhosis. He was told that he had six months to live at most. The insurance company had even paid him terminal illness accelerated death benefits. But everything changed abruptly when Mr. Chen started to practice Falun Gong. He is now a completely healthy man. For the past few years, his quality of life has been better than when he was in the service, Mr. Chen said. "I lead a meaningful life now. I feel so lucky," he said.
Mr. Chen was a commander in the Taiwanese Army before he retired. He was in the service for 30 years. In other words, he spent the first half of his life in the service. He spoke fondly of his service on the border islands, at army headquarters, in the army administration, and in the Department of Defense. He especially misses the days when he worked as a company commander in Matsu and as a battalion commander in Penghu when he was a young man. But when he advanced to a higher position at the Department of Defense, frequent drinking and staying late up began to take a severe toll on his health.
 Mr. Chen Changhui (standing) spoke at a rally to support the millions that have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party and/or its two affiliated organizations and to condemn the Chinese Communist Party for harvesting internal organs from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit |
Mr. Chen then told the story of his cultivation.
Running into Falun Gong practitioners serendipitously
I was born in Matsu and grew up under the threat of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) cannon fire. At 15, I entered an armed forces preparatory school in Taiwan. After I graduated from the R.O.C Military Academy, I was in military service until I retired. Frankly speaking, I was all but consumed by the competition for fame and self-interest. I knew nothing about Falun Gong. I had never even heard of it. For the past 50 years of my life, I was completely overcome with seeking fame and self-interest. It was very exhausting, but that was the kind of life I was accustomed to, so I never thought about changing it. After I retired, I thought I could finally relax now that I was no longer in the service. But that's not what happened. I was troubled by ailments from head to toe. As a veteran, I don't have to pay anything for medical treatment, so it was very convenient to me to get medical treatment. Sometimes I would go to several hospitals. I tried both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as home remedies. I didn't feel safe unless I swallowed a bunch of pills every day. In order to extend my life span, I got up early every morning to do exercises, traveled around the world and practiced many schools of qigong. As for my spiritual belief, I chose Buddhism. I would pay my respects whenever I went by a Buddhist temple. In addition, I sought famous divination masters in attempts to change my fortune. Despite all my efforts, I was still laden with worries. I felt lost and became increasingly troubled.
I was not looking for Falun Gong to have my illnesses cured. It was pure serendipity. In 2002, I went to Taoyuan to spend the first Chinese New Year since I retired. My family and I went to a Buddhist temple to offer incense to the Buddha. On our way back, I saw several dozen people sitting in a circle and studying together by Longtan Lake. I thought, "Instead of traveling and having fun, these people are really different to be studying so seriously on the first day of the Chinese New Year." Out of curiosity, I accepted a flyer from one of them. The flyer contained a brief explanation of Falun Gong. It said that Falun Gong was not a religion and did not require one to convert, seek discipleship or make any donation. It also said that there is no organization or hierarchy among Falun Gong practitioners and there is no worshiping. Falun Gong practitioners treat the Fa as Teacher. It is about cultivating one's mind. One is free to learn Falun Gong and free to leave at any time.
I was surprised to find such a wonderful cultivation practice. Out of curiosity, I borrowed a copy of Zhuan Falun from one of them because that was the book they were studying. I told myself not to pass any judgment before I finished reading the book. Because I wasn't making any judgment based on my notions, I agreed with what the book said the more I read it. I promised to return the book the next day, so I stayed up to finish reading the book. Then I made up my mind to practice Falun Gong.
When I returned to Chiayi, I contacted several Falun Gong group practice sites and found one near my home. Every morning there are Falun Gong practitioners volunteering to teach people the exercises in the park. Soon after I started practicing Falun Gong, I started to eliminate karma like the book describes. Guided by Zhuan Falun and encouraged by fellow practitioners, my health was completely restored after six months of elimating karma. During those six months, I repeatedly studied Zhuan Falun. I had a different understanding every time I finished reading it. All of my questions about life were answered by the book. For the past few years, I have continued to study Zhuan Falun and other Falun Gong books, which has helped me reinforce my will to practice Falun Gong.
In hindsight, I was very lucky. My life was completely changed because of one flyer. With that in mind, I carry Falun Gong's truth-clarification flyers everywhere I go, because I hope all the predestined people will have the chance to receive a flyer and walk into Falun Gong like I did.
My steadfast faith in Falun Gong helped me prevail over sickness karma
After practicing Falun Gong at Chiayi Park for only five days, my health underwent a complete transformation. Gout, hypertension, arthritis, bronchitis, and hemorrhoids that had troubled me for years began to surface again one after the other, but they were cured one after the other. Before I had time to celebrate, however, something happened. One day I started to retch repeatedly. I threw up everything I ate or drank, including water. My wife feared for my life and dragged me to the emergency room. After a full day of physical exams, the doctors were still unable to find the cause. Finally, they decided to open me up and probe for the cause. The surgeon removed more than a dozen tumors from my intestines and saw that my entire liver was damaged. I was diagnosed with hepatic fibrosis (cirrhosis) complicated by intractable ascites. The doctor told my wife that I had only six months to live. Next, the insurance company issued me terminal illness accelerated death benefits. My family was consumed with despair. Some suggested home remedies and some suggested having a liver transplant in China. I did a lot of research only to learn that neither Western or Chinese medicine can treat cirrhosis. All signs showed that I was really going to die!
But this was the real turning point of my life. One day I noticed a particular passage of the Fa in Zhuan Falun. Teacher said,
"The ill part of your body, which you thought was healed before through qigong exercises or by a qigong master, will again have illness. This is because that qigong master did not cure the illness for you--he only postponed it. It was still there and would recur later if not at that time. We must dig it out and eliminate it completely from its root." ("The Issue of Pursuit" in Lecture Two of Zhuan Falun)
In my heart I had a steadfast faith in Falun Gong. I knew I was eliminating my sickness karma. Meanwhile, I remembered that more than 100 million people worldwide have become healthy because of Falun Gong. I was certain it is a fact. If Falun Gong is not a great cultivation practice, there would not have been so many people drawn to it. Neither Western nor Chinese medicine could save me. It looked like only Falun Gong could save my life now. I decided to let go of the thought of life and death and concentrate on practicing Falun Gong! Instead of waiting to die in the hospital, I checked out and returned home. It was the most miraculous thing. I did nothing but study the Fa and practice the Falun Gong exercises, but in less than two weeks the ascites was completely gone and I became well again. It has been five years since then. I have never been ill again. In fact, I am becoming more and more energetic. Gout, hypertension, arthritis, bronchitis, and hemorrhoids had troubled me for years, but now I am completely cured. When I checked out of the hospital, I weighed less than 110 lbs. but the ascites alone weighed about 33 lbs. Now I weigh about 180 lbs. It's time to lose some weight. Most importantly, I am living a quality life. I can eat everything and can afford to stay up sometimes. I am becoming healthier every day.
Bad old habits died; health and moral values improved
Based on my personal perception, not every practitioner has to go through the test of sickness karma. In the past few years, I noticed that some practitioners never experienced any sickness karma, but they faced serious tests associated with their families. Some practitioners faced difficult tests regarding fame, wealth, and sentimentality. Everyone carries different types of karma and, thus, faces different types of tests. What really matters is how you react to each test. Do you face these tests or do you run away from them? Do you brave the tests or do you avoid them? Do you have any fear? Do you fear dying? Do you search inward for your attachments? Do you want to eliminate your attachments from the bottom of your heart? In other words, do you treat yourself as a cultivator? Do you follow the Fa? Teacher said,
"If you still are not fundamentally resolute in the Fa, everything else is out of question." ("For Whom Do You Practice Cultivation?" in Essentials for Further Advancement)
Besides the health benefits, my morality level has improved a lot in the past few years of cultivation practice. I finally understood why my superiors in the service called me stubborn. I was extremely competitive. I didn't want to change myself; instead, I made others change for me. I used to have a lot of bad habits, including smoking, drinking, seeking fortune tellers, and playing the lottery. At home, I threw temper tantrums and fought with my family frequently. Now I am a changed man. I know the root cause of my bad behavior is selfishness. I thought only about myself and never thought about others. When I admitted my faults, I still blamed others and felt wronged in my heart. Nowadays I can get along well with fellow practitioners and cooperate with them, but I am still not willing to help fellow practitioners wholeheartedly. At times I still want to complain about fellow practitioners and blame things on them. I fail to be completely tolerant, forgiving, understanding, and considerate of others. There is still a lot of room for improvement. I am lagging behind what the Fa requires of me. But that makes me cherish time and life even more. Now that I have a goal in my life, my life has become meaningful.
Grasp your opportunity to know Falun Gong
I was in the service for a long time, so I became friends with a lot of high-level commanders, colleagues, old classmates, and subordinates. I was rather selfish. My old classmates visited me when I was in the hospital, but I rarely visited them over the past few years.
Falun Gong is such a wonderful cultivation practice, from which I have benefited tremendously. Why don't I share my story with them? Besides its health benefits, Falun Gong teaches its students to become better people. If all my friends in the service would practice Falun Gong, they would certainly improve their morality and do their job well. Then there wouldn't have been so many disciplinary problems in the army corps. If more people learn Falun Gong in their spare time, peace and harmony will definitely reign over our society.
I would like to take this opportunity to say something to my friends in the army. I hope that they will make an effort to understand Falun Gong. In an exclusive interview with New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, said, "Why did man come into existence? What is the meaning of life? For millions of years, people pursued hard for an answer. But what you have been looking for may be something you already know. Never miss this opportunity." (provisional translation subject to further improvement)
Calling for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong; clarifying the truth about Falun Gong
Since 1999, the CCP has poured the nation's resources into suppressing Falu Gong, persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, blocking news about Falun Gong, and bribing foreign media to conceal the news about its persecution of Falun Gong. "I have reached the conclusion that the sentient beings will not be saved until the CCP disintegrates," said Mr. Chen. "Therefore, I understand the importance of clarifying the truth to the world's people about the persecution of Falun Gong in China."
In March 2006, it was discovered that the CCP has been harvesting internal organs from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit and incinerating their bodies afterwards. The world was outraged and is paying more and more attention to the CCP's crimes. This has expedited the trend to withdraw from the CCP and its two affiliated organizations.
Mr. Chen Changhui once spoke at a rally to support the more than twenty-six million people that have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party and/or its two affiliated organizations and to condemn the Chinese Communist Party for harvesting internal organs from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit. Mr. Chen said that someone suggested that he have a liver transplant in China when he was diagnosed with terminal liver cirrhosis, but he did not do it because it would have cost about $30,000 to $40,000. Later he was cured of cirrhosis because he practiced Falun Gong. He said, "Falun Gong saved my life, so I must step out and speak up for Falun Gong. The CCP is completely inhuman to harvest internal organs from Falun Gong practitioners for profit." Mr. Chen called upon the world's people to help end the CCP's brutalities.
This year Mr. Chen worked as a volunteer for the Truth-Compassion-Tolerance touring art exhibit. Since its premier showing in Tainan City, the exhibit has drawn large audiences. Now the exhibit is going to Chiayi County and Minhsiong Township. The mayor of Puzi City, Ms. Huang Lichen, was moved by the exhibit and ordered 50 sets of greeting cards featuring paintings from the exhibit. The mayor plans to send them as gifts to her friends and family and tell them the facts about Falun Gong. During the exhibit held in Minhsiong Library, group after group of students came in buses for the exhibit. Mr. Hsu Liangchi, chairman of the library, said, "Many students were moved to tears when they saw paintings portraying Falun Gong practitioners suffering from torture."
Mr. Chen said, "We shall tour every corner of Taiwan to reveal the truth about the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, so that people in Taiwan will see through the evil CCP."
