(Minghui.org) I find myself incredibly fortunate to be able to practice Falun Gong. Teacher has saved my life. I must follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to cultivate myself, assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification and become a qualified Falun Gong practitioner.
Teacher Saved My Life
I initially started practicing Falun Gong in 1998 for the sake of treating illness. I was in my 30s. I was in an unhappy marriage. I was skinny, shriveled, and old for my age. After I was divorced, I brought my baby daughter back to my parents' home in a village. I was a burden to them. My baby girl needed a lot of attention, yet I was suffering from a myriad of illnesses. I was aching from head to toe. The top of my head and the left side of my body felt numb. My eyeballs were in pain. I had shortness of breath. In addition, I was diagnosed with pleurisy, breast cancer, gastritis, and a uterine tumor. I could not bend forward because I had no feeling in the left side of my body. I am 5'6, but I weighed less than 110 lbs.
My parents are destitute and I was penniless. I couldn't even afford five yuan worth of prescription drugs. I was sleepless because of the pain. I was unable to look after my own child. I felt nothing but hatred towards my ex-husband. He refused to pay child support. He told me I would be welcome to file a civil lawsuit against him for failing to pay child support. I didn't have the resources to sue him. This was why I had to go back to my parents for help.
Being ill made me temperamental. When I threw temper tantrums, I would say the meanest things. One day while I was resting with my eyes closed, I heard two people talking. One said, "This woman has a foul temper. She is really ill. This pack of prescription drugs won't do." The other said, "She will be healthy in two years." I opened my eyes as soon as I heard the prediction, but there was no one. I called out for my mother and my younger sister, but they said I was out of my mind. Yet I heard the same conversation for three days. One day I was sitting on top of the bed with my eyes closed when I saw an old man carrying a white bag over his shoulder. He approached me and asked, "Are you so-and-so?" I acknowledged that I was. He produced a book from the bag. He looked at me, then looked at the name on the book. He repeated the name a few times before he departed with a smile on his face.
A long time passed. I became increasingly ill. Falun Gong had spread to my hometown by then. My relatives tried to persuade me to learn Falun Gong to treat my illnesses. I had already given up fighting for my life. Finally my father said, "Just try. You will never know how little or how much you will be able to learn."
One day I joined a free Falun Gong group practice site. I stood there for a while, looking on. I imitated the movement of the third exercise of Falun Gong, “Penetrating the Two Cosmic Extremes.” That was all I did. But a miracle happened. I felt a cold breeze surging out of my body. I always had a stomachache irrespective of whether I was hungry or full. That night I had a whole bowl of rice without any stomachache.
I was so excited. I decided to study Zhuan Falun. When I picked up the book, I saw the Falun emblems on the cover were rotating. I fell asleep within five minutes. I slept through the night. When I woke up the next day, I thought, "Falun Gong is wonderful. I can eat. I can sleep. I feel energetic. I must learn Falun Gong!" When I looked at the Falun emblem on the cover again, I was hit with the feeling of déjà vu. Yet I forgot all about it almost immediately. I had the feelings of déjà vu for a few times before I concluded I was familiar with Falun from before. I also knew this is what I had been looking for and waiting for. I thought: “Teacher, I have finally found you.” I cried for a long time.
I studied Zhuan Falun and practiced the Falun Gong exercises daily. I was overcome with joy, but I always wanted to cry as well. I made a speedy recovery. I quickly gained more than 30 lbs and started helping my family. I herded cattle on the mountains. When I ran, I often found myself levitating. When I studied the Fa, I felt overjoyed and often cried. When I was alone on the mountain, my sobbing sometimes startled the cattle laying down beside me.
My Village Has Developed Respect for Falun Gong
I was determined to be a good Falun Gong practitioner and apply high standards to myself. I smile when I greet people. I try to treat people with kindness. I am enthusiastic in helping others and am not upset when I suffer losses. Villagers were impressed with Falun Gong when they witnessed the improvement of my health and my temperament. More and more people in the village began to practice Falun Gong. Fellow Falun Gong practitioners and I encouraged each other to cultivate solidly and cherish the opportunity to practice Falun Gong.
There were a variety of different religions in the village. Sometimes people of different religions would compete with each other. We felt many people were surveying and criticizing us. We tried to be impervious and just focused on conducting ourselves according to Falun Gong's teaching.
One day a villager informed me that a fellow villager claimed our calf ate the seedlings in his paddy and he killed the calf with an ax. I tried to remain calm, but when I saw the dead calf, I couldn't help choking up. I thought of what Falun Gong has taught me and decided not to say anything.
One day I happened to see a villager's ox grazing on corn seedlings in another villager's paddy. I was trying to drive the ox out of the paddy when the owner of the paddy arrived. She started to shout at me and claimed the ox was mine. She would not listen to my explanation and insisted on harvesting my corn in the fall for compensation. I thought, "I must have been in debt to her in a previous life." I said to her, "Okay. You may do so." There were villagers at the scene witnessing the event. Soon the incident was made known to a cousin of mine. He went to the paddy owner's house and demanded justice. "My sister (nickname for cousins) has a good heart because she practices Falun Gong, but you have gone too far to take advantage of her!"
Fellow practitioners and I in the village have faced many xinxing tests. We have prevailed over some and failed others, but we always help each other improve our xinxing. As a result, villagers developed an enormous respect for people who practice Falun Gong.
One day a fellow practitioner from out of town came to visit me. She passed by a small grocery store and saw a group of men playing poker in front of the store. She stopped and asked them where I lived. The men told her, "Are you looking for the household that practices Falun Gong? We will give you directions." She asked them, "Is Falun Gong good?" They proclaimed in chorus, "Falun Gong is good!"
Teacher's Guidance
One day I heard a fellow practitioner during the Fa study saying she felt Faluns rotating on her body. I went home and looked at Teacher's photo. "Teacher, why do I not have any Falun?" I immediately began to feel Faluns rotating around my body. One night I was looking at Teacher's photo when it began radiating light. Teacher's hands began to move and send out numerous round sparkles showering my home. I also saw Teacher giving a Fa lecture to sentient beings in heaven. Teacher granted me a glimpse of my original mother in heaven. The heavenly paradise was very beautiful and graceful. People spoke elegantly like poetry. One would feel completely out of place if one does not cultivate well.
Teacher once gave me hints for three days while I was facing a difficult xinxing test. I was lying in bed one night when I saw myself as a little boy in heaven, studying a Falun Gong book with another boy. Teacher approached us with his hands behind his back. He asked us with a smile, "How is your study?" I stood up right away and began to speak ill of others. Teacher looked solemnly at me and left without saying anything. I had the same dream for two days. Each time the other little boy made fun of my behavior. I started to reflect upon myself and made up my mind to rectify myself. I had the same dream on the third night, but this time I told Teacher what I had learned from studying the Fa. This time Teacher smiled at me in response.
I have learned from studying the Fa that I will no longer be sick. When I felt any physical discomfort, I knew I was eliminating karma and endured it. I had a challenging test once when I felt as though a stove were burning inside my chest. I vomited green fluids and often lost consciousness. I told my family when I was conscious that I would not survive if they should send me to the hospital. Besides, they would have to borrow money to pay for a large medical bill. My family was worried sick for me during the four weeks I was bedridden. My mother cried day and night. One day she told me excitedly, "My daughter, I saw beautiful lotus flowers in our front yard and inside the house. I also saw beautiful blossoms on the face of your daughter (also a Falun Gong practitioner). Falun Gong is miraculous! I have been seeing lotus flowers for two days! You will surely recover!" I started to get better after I coughed up a large chunk of rotten flesh the size of a fist. After I got well, I was good as new. I worked in the dry paddies, planted rice seedlings, chopped firewood, and even worked as a contractor to make more money. I could do men's work too. My father was frail, so it was left to the women in my family to tend to the paddies. Yet we had a bountiful harvest and firewood every season. Villagers marveled at the miracles produced by Falun Gong.
Hurry Up and Save People by Clarifying the Truth about Falun Gong
Falun Gong is a Buddha school cultivation practice. It is great for people's health and morality and does not have any side effects. Yet the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wouldn't tolerate it! The CCP began to persecute Falun Gong practitioners on July 20, 1999. I traveled all the way to Beijing to exercise my constitutional right to appeal for Falun Gong and to ask the regime to reverse its decision. I ended up being arrested and transferred to a local detention center by my county's Public Security Bureau (PSB). One day I clarified the truth about Falun Gong to a prison guard who was beating up a fellow practitioner. I said, "We have all become better people because we practice Falun Gong. Jiang Zemin (former Chairman of the CCP, who ordered the ban of Falun Gong and persecuted Falun Gong practitioners) may be foolish enough to persecute Falun Gong, but you must be wise." I began to tell him my story about how I was transformed from a bitter, destitute, and dying woman into a healthy and happy one today. Tears flooded my face as I recounted my story. The room became silent. The prison guard became teary-eyed as well. He stopped beating us. Finally I was released. One of the prison guards knew I was a Falun Gong practitioner and a good person. He brought his wife and colleagues with him to call on me and wanted to become a friend. He became my mother's godson. He visits us on holidays to this day.
One day I saw with my Celestial Eye that a train loaded with passengers had speakers outside each car. Before the train took off, I heard announcements through the speakers of the crimes and destinations of the inmates. [I knew it meant people were being sent to trial for the sins they had committed against Falun Gong.] I felt sad, but I didn't know what to do to save them. Meanwhile, fellow practitioners in other areas of China had already started producing materials to spread the truth about Falun Gong.
I had no idea how to clarify the truth about Falun Gong (other than telling my own story). I felt Teacher and Falun Gong should not suffer the injustice of the suppression. I had made a trip to Beijing, but it did not stop the suppression. I cried when I met fellow practitioners. Finally a fellow practitioner gave me materials produced by practitioners and suggested that I help distribute them. I had always been quiet when I met new people. Who should I give the materials to? How would I begin a conversation?
One day I traveled far outside of my village and came across a team of horse-driven carts carrying lumber. I tentatively asked an old man driving a cart, "Would you like some Falun Gong fliers?" It was most unexpected that he should shout in a macho voice, "I want one. We all want one!" He pointed at his fellow horsemen. I gave them one flier each gladly.
Fellow practitioners in the village and I began to clarify the truth about Falun Gong since that day. When I finished distributing fliers in my village, I would travel to different villages. I didn't want to alarm any dogs, so I would walk barefoot when I arrived at villages. My feet hurt when I stepped on pebbles. Sometimes I would accidentally step in cow dung. Finally I decided to do it during the day because it took too long do it at night.
I would send forth righteous thoughts before each trip and asked for Teacher's protection. I would typically have the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, a DVD that contained a documentary on Falun Gong, fliers, and booklets. I would take the opportunity of trips to wholesale markets and distribute Dafa materials in villages along the way. I would engage people in chitchat first before I changed the subject to Falun Gong. Eventually I would tell people directly why I was there. I would tell them, "I have brought you good fortune. Falun Gong is a righteous school of cultivation that teaches people to be good. Do not believe in the CCP's propaganda. They will receive their due one day. If you believe Falun Gong is good, you will be rewarded with good fortune.” Many people signed to agree to withdraw from the CCP and/or renounce their memberships to its two affiliated student leagues.
Fellow practitioners and I made sure we studied the Falun Gong teachings, practiced the Falun Gong exercises, and exchanged our cultivation experiences and insights. After we studied an article written by Teacher about hurrying up and saving people, we have never slacked off. I live in a remote village with a sparse population, so I would travel to bus stations and clarify the truth to people waiting for buses.
One day I decided I should clarify the truth to bus drivers while I was watching buses on the road. I would stop a bus, get on it, clarify the truth and get off at the next stop. I would begin by saying, "May I have two minutes of your time to bring you good fortune? Falun Gong has been framed. If you would remember Falun Gong is good and its principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, you will be rewarded with a good future." Many drivers nodded in appreciation and agreed to withdraw from the CCP and/or its two affiliated student leagues. When they ask how to contact me to express their appreciation, I told them to thank the founder of Falun Gong. I thanked Teacher for helping me save these people I normally wouldn't have met. Sometimes I would run into people who berated me for trying to talk to them. I felt sorry for them.
One day I had a vision of the day when the Fa-rectification concludes. A group of people in the same outfit approached me. I was in a group of Falun Gong practitioners. The group said they were saved because I had clarified the truth to them.
After having clarified the truth to bus drivers and passengers, I decided to visit hotels and hostels where there were more people. I visited hotels with truth-clarification materials, calenders, and Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs. A hostel owner, after learning the purpose of my visit, accepted the DVD and played it immediately. I approached a table of guests having lunch. One of the guests mocked me, "We know Falun Gong is good, but we are not worth it. We are not good people. We drink, gamble, and hire prostitutes." I told them about Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and patiently explained to them good acts will be ultimately rewarded. I added that they will be blessed with a good future to understand that Falun Gong was framed and suffers injustice. They listened and nodded in acknowledgment. Sadness overwhelmed me as I looked at these people. I approached the rest of the tables in the hostel and the rest of the guests were very receptive.
Calendars take up a lot of space. When I carry calendars with me, I have to take a taxi. One day I arrived at a village where three hawkers were on the streets. At each booth there were people playing mahjong. I approached the first two hawkers and clarified the truth. People were eager to get materials and quit the CCP and/or its two affiliated student leagues. I was running out of materials by the time I reached the third hawker, and people from the first booth came to me to ask for materials. I gave them Falun Gong amulets instead. I told them they would be safe if they quit the CCP and/or its two affiliated student leagues. All of them agreed. Nearly 60 people were saved in this trip.
One day I walked to a factory far away. The manager of the factory came to meet me. I was clarifying the truth about Falun Gong when he interrupted me and made a lewd comment, "We need women here." I told him solemnly that only when you behave righteously will you be blessed with good fortune. "I am only telling you this because I am a Falun Gong practitioner. It is not easy for you to make money, but you must conduct yourself in a way that you can handle the responsibilities to your wife and children." He was finally moved by my sincerity and agreed to quit the CCP and/or its two affiliated student leagues.
There are hard times as well as good ones. One day I arrived at a large hotel when a banquet had just ended. About 40 guests were conversing at the hotel entrance. Looking like a country bumpkin from head to toe, I hesitated to approach these well-dressed guests. But I immediately remembered Teacher's words: "[...] you have to carve out a space via the strength of your righteous thoughts" ("Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005")
I approached a man that looked like the leader of the group. I clarified the truth about Falun Gong with a smile and wished him a good future for knowing the truth about Falun Gong. He smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. I asked, "Would you like Shen Yun Performing Arts DVDs?" He asked, "Falun Gong's?" I replied, "Only Falun Gong can make such a wonderful performing arts production." He took the DVD and raised it over his head and shouted, "Come over and see if you want one." I said, "This DVD contains art performances in celebration of Chinese New Year featuring five thousand years of orthodox Chinese culture. It is brimming with pure kindness and beauty. It will purify your body and mind. It will bless you with a good future and good fortune." He would repeat my words in loud voice. I was not very eloquent because of my limited education, so I could only say words from my heart. Many people asked for DVDs. Before I knew it, all of them surrounded me. Some even did heshi (bow of respect) and thanked me before they left. "Good wishes to you, big sister. May you be safe, big sister," they told me before they boarded the bus.
A round trip from home is usually more than 50 miles. I usually travel by foot to save money. My feet swell in pain when I arrive home. I know I am a Falun Gong practitioner in the Fa-rectification period and have a special destined relationship with Teacher. I deeply cherish Falun Gong. I respect and admire Teacher. Teacher expects me to cultivate well, so I must. I know I have many shortcomings, but I shall continue to rectify myself. I shall continue to assist Teacher in His Fa-rectification and hopefully reach Consummation and return home with Teacher. Thank you, Teacher, for saving me.
