(Minghui.org) Ever since I started practicing Falun Dafa, (also called Falun Gong), I have been immersed in Master Li’s (the founder) boundless compassion and mercy. I feel very fortunate to be a practitioner. I’d like to share my story with you.
When I began practicing in 1996 I was critically ill. I was diagnosed with several incurable illnesses. I felt like I was about to take my last breath, but I wanted to live! Who could save me?
Around that time, a relative gave me the book Zhuan Falun. She said, “This book will help you.” I started to have a splitting headache - a problem I had for several dozen years and felt very uncomfortable. My relative said, “If you start to feel unwell it means that Master Li is helping you purify your body. You are very fortunate.”
I was happy and grateful to Master since he was helping me and purifying my body. I decided to endure all the discomfort. My head stopped hurting by that evening and I felt very light. From then on, my headaches were gone.
I started to read one lecture each day in Zhuan Falun. I also copied it by hand. My illnesses were soon gone. For the first time in my life I experienced what it felt like to be healthy. Since then, I’ve been very healthy and have enjoyed a happy life.
I was given a second chance in life. By studying the Fa, I obtained a new body. I sincerely express my gratitude to Master for saving my life.
I did not receive much education and my enlightenment quality is poor as well. Every time I read a lecture in Zhuan Falun, I would completely forget everything I just read. When I read it again, I still did not enlighten to anything. One time after reading what Master said:
“There is a criterion, however, that the life prolonged beyond your predestined time to live is completely reserved for your practice. If your mind goes wrong a little bit, your life will be in danger because your lifetime should have long been over. You will have such a restriction until you reach Beyond-Triple-World-Fa cultivation. After that, one will be in another state.”(Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
I suddenly realized that this applied to me. Instead of focusing while I read the Fa, I treated it as a task to fulfill every day. I began re-reading it several times and had a deeper understanding.
Ever since 2005, I have been busy printing out truth clarification materials. When I read the teachings I would think about how many sheets of paper I needed to print and who we were distributing them to. As a result, my understanding of the Fa was based on my emotional perceptions. I never really understood the deeper meaning behind Master’s words. This was not sincerely studying the Fa! If we don’t keep up and enlighten to anything, wouldn’t it be a case of ordinary people doing the things of Dafa?
When I read the teachings, I would focus on every single word and reading it sentence by sentence. Afterward I would think about what I read in that paragraph. After I began doing this I would gain some understandings.
In 2011, I managed to establish a family-based materials production site. This saved me quite a bit of time because I did not need to print materials outside. I adjusted how long I would study the Fa. I usually read for three hours, usually about two lectures of Zhuan Falun (this does not include group Fa-study or reading Master’s other lectures). Sometimes while studying the Fa, I would get distracted and think about other things.
One day I read,
“When some people read Zhuan Falun they are not concentrating, but rather, thinking about other things, and not able to focus their attention on cultivation. It thus amounts to wasting time. And not just wasting time—instead of it being the time when they are to be elevating, they are using their minds to think over issues and things that they shouldn’t concern themselves with, and thus, not only aren’t they elevating, but on the contrary, they are often dropping in level. If you don’t study the Fa well, there are many things you will not be able to do well.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
It seemed as if Master gave me a “stick warning.” I realized this was my thought karma interfering with me so I could not study the Fa well. I started to eliminate it. I’m now very alert and focused, and I read each word. Gradually, my mind would be filled with the Fa and I understood that in order for me to upgrade my xinxing, we need to concentrate while studying the Fa.
The quality of my Dafa projects also got better too: the messages and the pictures on the sheets of paper, booklets, and truth-clarification currency became very clear and beautiful. A practitioner even said that my truth-clarification currency bills. were printed out so intricately that people loved using them.
I Persevere In Reciting the Fa
I suddenly had a thought to recite the Fa. For the next couple of days, that thought kept reoccurring. I thought: If I read the Fa fluently, wouldn’t reciting it be easy? However, things did not turn out as I thought it would. It took me five days to memorize the first paragraph in Zhuan Falun, it was truly challenging. Though the words in the paragraph sounded familiar, as soon as I closed the book, I barely remembered anything. I repeated it numerous times before I finally memorized the first paragraph in Lecture One.
I started to have doubts: If it was so hard for me to memorize one paragraph, then how long would it take me to memorize the entire book? But I thought about how Master has sacrificed and suffered to save us. Master said:
“All of the gong[1] and Fa lie in the book, and one will naturally obtain them by reading Dafa. ” (“Seeking Discipleship with Teacher,” Essentials For Further Advancement)
As a Dafa disciple, I needed to trust Master and trust Dafa. Nothing could hinder me on the path of my cultivation.
I continued memorizing the Fa. I finally succeeded. My memory also got better. My goal was to not give up or slack off. I needed to get rid of my attachments of being impatient, lazy and seeking comfort. Finally after a year, I memorized the whole book of Zhuan Falun.
The best thing about memorizing the Fa is that I am more focused and Master has also enlightened me to many true principles of the Fa. My xinxing has also upgraded.
We were missing a local materials production site because the practitioner in charge was arrested and detained in 2005. Our local coordinator asked if I could take over. I agreed, but when I went home, I started to question if I was truly capable of doing it. I have never seen a computer nor a printer, let alone downloading software from the Internet. I wanted to back out, but I thought this was a great opportunity for me to save people. So I decided to learn how to operate a computer. I knelt down in front of Master’s picture and said: “Great benevolent Master, I’ve agreed to be in charge of our local materials production site. However I know nothing about computers. Master, please help me.”
Perhaps Master saw that I had the heart to do it, thus he arranged for a practitioner to teach me how to operate computers. That practitioner taught me several times. But when she left, my mind went completely blank. The next day, I still could not remember what she showed me.
Under Master’s arrangements and help from practitioners, I learned how to download software from the Internet, print out truth-clarification materials and booklets, upload “solemn declarations,” go on the Epoch Times website, and upload the names of people who quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During the process I’ve also encountered many tribulations and eliminated many attachments.
Last year, I needed to copy a new DVD for a practitioner. However, due to my computer system being upgraded, I spent a long time figuring out how to use the new system. After multiple tries, I was finally able to copy the DVD.
I also had a printer that was not connected to the computer. To many people, connecting a printer to the internet might be easy. It took me several tries before connecting it to the computer. I suddenly thought about what Master said:
“As practitioners, however, our gong comes from our own cultivation. Messages from other people cannot upgrade one’s level, but only treat illnesses for everyday people. One must maintain a righteous mind; no one can practice cultivation for another. Only when you truly practice cultivation on your own can you upgrade your level.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)
I realized Master was enlightening me, so I changed my methods of installing the printer, instead of clicking “yes” and “enter,” I clicked on “no” and “cancel”. I was able to install the printer immediately. By memorizing the Fa, Dafa has given me wisdom and the ability to work on computers.
Master has told us to do the three things well and one of them is sending forth righteous thoughts. I would send forth righteous thoughts for 30 minutes with another practitioner in the morning, at noon and in the evening. At midnight I would send righteous thoughts for 45 minutes. I followed Master’s requirements to do the double-lotus position and recite the formulas for sending forth righteous thoughts. I did not slack off and sent righteous thoughts each time by maintaining the correct position in keeping my palm upright.
When I filed a criminal complaint against the former head of the CCP who initiated the persecution, a local policeman came to question me. I told him that I did indeed file a complaint. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a better person. Master resolved many illnesses for thousands of practitioners at no cost. I told him that I used to be partially disabled. After I began practicing, I became healthy. I said that I did not break the law. He listened very attentively. In the end he said, “You are right, I will not look for you in the future. Rest assured, you can practice the exercises here.”
My son was told by his coworker that last year the police department was looking for me. The local policeman said, “I do recognize this older lady and she is a good person. Why are you bothering her?” By memorizing the Fa, I was able to speak with compassion and treat them like my family in order for them to be saved.
During the CCP virus, many places were on lockdown. I needed to meet another practitioner, so before I headed outside, I knelt in front of Master and heshi (putting two palms together in front of chest) and said: “Benevolent Master, I need to meet another practitioner to discuss how to save more people. Please help me.” When I arrived at the main gate of the practitioner’s residential community, there were many people lining up there and everyone was required to enter with a ticket, but when it was my turn, I was able to enter smoothly and it seemed as if the security guards did not see me.
I’ve experienced many amazing things. I know this is all because I memorized the Fa and my righteous thoughts became stronger. The interference was eliminated and I was able to do the three things more smoothly.
I have been able to help people quit the CCP and its youth organizations. One day on my way back home I saw two elderly men walking side by side. Walking closer, I heard them talking about how evil the CCP was. As I walked up to them, I asked if they were brothers. One said they were not brothers, but their relationship was closer than that. When I asked if they had ever joined the CCP, they said yes. I told them that the CCP has done many bad things. I mentioned that there was a way to quit the CCP if they were interested. They agreed to quit the Party and decided to use their real names to quit. When we parted, I told them in times of danger (like the CCP virus) they can remember and sincerely say, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
During this epidemic, everyone is in danger and feeling insecure. Since our neighborhood was on lockdown, we were only allowed to go out and buy groceries once every two days. In order to save people, I started to clarify the truth myself. I printed out truth-clarification materials and put them in my backpack. I walked from the northern part of our city to the western part; then from the southern part to the eastern part. While I distributed materials, I would constantly recite the formulas for sending forth righteous thoughts.
One day, while passing the police department, I decided to put some truth-clarification materials on a motorcycle. At that moment I saw a beam of green light and a patrol car coming my way. There was also a security camera above my head. I panicked and asked Master for help: “Master, please let me be unseen.”
I quickly walked out of the yard. I saw two policemen step out of the patrol car. It seemed like they did not see me but I should have been more careful.
Master said,
“Our Falun Dafa will protect practitioners from deviating. How does it protect you? If you are a true practitioner, our Falun will safeguard you. I am rooted in the universe. If anyone can harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
With Master and Dafa by my side, I am not afraid. I should look forward and continue doing what I do. When I got to the eastern part of the city, I met with a practitioner and gave her what she needed.
I have been printing and distributing materials for 15 years. During these years, there have been many tribulations and interference. I am grateful to Master for protecting me. Every step that I take forward is due to Master’s compassion.