(Minghui.org) I am 93 years old. I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2004 at the age of 76. I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences over the past 17 years.
Before I practiced Falun Dafa, I suffered from heart disease, which could have taken my life at any time. No medication helped. I also suffered from leg pain, back pain, boils, and uncontrollable head shaking, which often made me dizzy. As a result, I ended up depressed.
My daughter suggested that I practice Falun Dafa. She said, “Falun Dafa is wonderful. Look at me–just a short time after I read the Dafa book, Master Li, the founder of the practice, purified my body, and I recovered from all my ailments!”
“Can I practice?” I was somewhat doubtful. “I am old and illiterate. I cannot read the book.”
My daughter said that I could listen to Master’s recorded lectures, which would have the same effect as reading Zhuan Falun. Thus, I began to listen to Master’s lectures in Jinan.
Within about two weeks, before I even finished listening to all nine lectures, Master purified my body! I felt my entire body was light, and I had recovered from all my illness!
With tears in my eyes, I said to my family, “I am so blessed to encounter such a great cultivation practice at nearly 80 years old. I am so lucky!” I told my children that I now had a real Master, and I would follow him.
With all illness and discomfort gone, my worries and pains went away as well. I became a happy person. Witnessing what had happened to me, my family members admired Dafa’s power. I am so grateful to Master!
Master said:
“If you don’t take action to save sentient beings, you will not have fulfilled your responsibility as a Dafa disciple and your cultivation will amount to nothing, for your becoming a Dafa disciple was not for the sake of your own Consummation. This means that you shoulder a monumental mission.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference”)
“All sentient beings are waiting to be saved, and I can tell you something certain. If Dafa disciples don’t act to save them, those people, no matter in what corner of the world they may be, will have no hope unless you go to save them.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting”)
I understood that as a Dafa disciple, the sole purpose of my life is helping Master and saving people. Old age is not an excuse for not saving people. As a true Dafa disciple, I shall meet Dafa’s requirements.
Not long after I started to practice Dafa, I visited my daughter’s home and asked my daughter to take me with her to clarify the truth about Dafa to people. She was worried as it it was cold outside and the roads were slippery. “Can you do it at your age?” I told her firmly that age should not matter since Master would help me.
That night, my daughter and I took some Dafa informational materials to a residential street. Houses were on both sides of the street and close together. My daughter and I distributed the materials to each household. A cold wind was blowing and the snow was quite deep. I plodded forward. I did not care about either wind or snow. I only wanted more people to know the truth. I did not feel tired at all when we finished the street. I know that Master had strengthened me.
This was the first time I distributed truth-clarifying materials. I was really happy because I did what a Dafa disciple is supposed to do.
After returning home from visiting my daughter, I decided to save people in my area. I lived in a suburb. The city’s prison and detention center were in my area. The atmosphere was tense. The local Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials were so afraid because Dafa disciples were putting up posters or hanging banners. They even arranged people to guard light poles and put a two-foot layer of chicken droppings under the bridge to prevent practitioners from hanging banners on the bridge!
Police sirens were often heard at night. Surveillance cameras were put up everywhere. Pedestrians near the detention center were searched. Someone told me that a Dafa practitioner was arrested because police found booklets in his/her bag.
What should I do? How can I help people help listen to Dafa? I lay on my bed for a long time that night but could not fall asleep. I thought, although the environment here is difficult, I am a Dafa disciple! I need to save the people here!
I had a discussion with my daughter. I said we must save the people in our area. We must give them a chance to know the truth. My daughter agreed with me and praised me for my rapid improvement.
It was the corn harvest season. Both of us thought it was a great opportunity given by Master for us to distribute Dafa materials.
My daughter brought a large number of booklets and brochures from the city. During the day, we read the Fa and sent forth righteous thoughts to dissolve all evil elements which prevented sentient beings from being saved. At night, we went to the cornfields. We clipped booklets on unharvested corn stalks and put the materials on the piles of the corns if the field was already harvested. We covered field after field, even during rainy nights. We needed to hurry since the harvest only lasted for a short period of time.
We asked Master to strengthen us. With Master’s protection, I soon got rid of my fear.
Many families had already finished harvesting and took the corn to their homes. I discussed the issue with my daughter. Both of us agreed that we should not wait until next year and that we had to save these people now.
So, my daughter and I got up every day at 3 a.m. and hung the materials on the gate of every house. It took us half a month to cover the area near the detention center. We soon saw many people in the area awakening, and the people who used to guard the light poles were no longer there. This paved the way for us to later clarify the truth face to face.
The first person we talked to was the village CCP secretary. At the beginning, he refused to quit the CCP. He just said, “You can practice at home secretly.” We did not give up. We continued to tell him the truth whenever we found the opportunity to talk to him. Eventually he understood and agreed to withdraw from the CCP. This helped us to clarify the truth to more villagers.
One day, my daughter brought a large number of informational materials. I said, “We have already covered the whole area. Maybe we can take a break.” As soon as I said this, I felt the thought of “taking a break” was wrong.
My daughter considered my age. She did not say anything but simply went out to distribute the materials. I sent the righteous thoughts for her at home.
I had a dream that night. In the dream, Master asked me if I had finished distributing all the booklets. I woke up right away. Master is caring about us every moment. How can I think of “taking a break” when so many people are waiting to be saved? Even in my village, some people have not quit the CCP. We must save them, and while we do it, it is a chance given by Master to build our mighty virtue. Saving more people is Master’s hope for his disciples! My life is given by Master. Master prolonged my life so that I can save more people and fulfill my prehistoric vow.
My daughter and I started to glue fliers on the light poles. During the daytime, I cut the grass under the poles. In the evening my daughter brought fliers and banners. For the locations nearby, she went to other locations while I sent righteous thoughts for her at home.
We hung big banners saying “Falun Dafa is good!” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” on the trees on both sides of the village entrance. Many villagers read the sentences once or twice when they passed the banners. I think it was Master’s encouragement for me. I wanted to save more people. In order to do so, first I must study the Fa well. I studied, listened to, and memorized the Fa.
Master said:
“The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I increased the time of listening to the Fa each day from two lectures to three or four. I also intensified sending righteous thoughts to clean out the dimensions around me. When my daughter came home from work, we studied Master’s new lectures.
With increased Fa study, I reminded myself every moment that I am a Dafa disciple. I can more easily find the human notions that should be eliminated. When facing problems, I look inward instead of looking at who is right and who is wrong. I improved rapidly. My memory is getting better and better. I know it is Master who gave me more wisdom.
With the strengthening from Master and help from my daughter, I memorized a lot of Master’s teachings, especially Hong Yin. It greatly helped me in clarifying the truth to people. Whoever came to visit me, neighbors or relatives, I tell them the truth about Dafa and tell them that remembering “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” will bring them blessings. Many withdrew from the CCP organizations after they understood the truth. I also gave them booklets. Within six months, the majority of the villagers quit the CCP. Many times, my daughter and I cooperated with each other. When she talked to people, I sent righteous thoughts.
It went smoothly when we distributed materials, put up posters, and hung banners. My understanding is that all I need to do is follow Master’s teachings, not think about self, and not even have the ideas of old age or fear for my safety, and just concentrate on saving people. That is what Master wants. In fact, as Dafa disciples, we only need to do some walking and talking.
Master said: “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
After filing lawsuits against former CCP leader Jiang Zemin in 2015, many practitioners were harassed or even arrested and sentenced. My daughter took me to her home right before the police came to my house. A neighbor recalled, “The same night after you left, police came and surrounded your house. But, all they saw was a big lock on your door. A police officer commented that how strange no one was home when your house was usually occupied. They knocked on several neighbors’ doors, and everyone said they did not know where your family went.”
Before the incident, my daughter said she dreamed the entire kang (heatable platform used for sleeping and sitting) at my home collapsed. She thought it was Master hinting that danger was imminent. Thus, she took me to her home. Then, my son suddenly had severe leg pain. He and his wife went to a hospital and stayed overnight there. That is why police saw no one and left empty-handed, and our family escaped from the possible arrest.
The police did not give up right away. They kept asking village cadres where my daughter lived. All the village cadres already understood the truth and had quit the CCP. They told police that my daughter lived in the city but they did not know the location. Police asked several neighbors, who also did not provide any information.
The local police then harassed my son twice. The first time, they asked my son to go to my home or at least give them a photo of me. My son said I had never gone to school and never took a photo. The second time, police tried to trick my son: “Ask your mom to come home so we can get her a social insurance card.” My son was not fooled and told them, “My mother does not need an insurance card.”
I looked inward after the incident. Both my daughter and I filed the lawsuits with our real names. Why did the police try to harass me, but my daughter was spared? What loophole of mine was caught by the evil?
I remembered when filing the lawsuits, I worried whether using my real address would bring me danger. At that moment my daughter immediately pointed out that the thought of mine was not righteous. I agreed with her, but I think I did not completely let the attachment go. Also, why did the police try to lure me in with “social insurance”? Didn’t it mean I still harbored an attachment to personal gain?
I shared my thoughts with my daughter. I understood that even if I did not do well, I would correct myself in line with the Fa. I shall not allow the evil elements to disturb me. We sent forth righteous thoughts for two days to dissolve the evil and clean out my space. The police did not come to our house again.
Last year, when I wanted to help feed the chickens one day, I tripped and fell. Both my knees were injured and immediately swelled up. I was unable to walk normally. I did not hold to my thoughts righteous and instead thought, “Oh no, I won’t be able to go out to save people!”
That night, a sharp pain in my knees kept me from sleeping. When my son and his wife wanted to take me to the hospital, I remembered that I was a cultivator and had my Master.
I did not go to the hospital. I looked inward. Why did I trip and fall? I had strong affection toward my children and I always wanted to “help them.” I wanted to feel “useful.”
I am 90 years old and I have been practicing Dafa for many years. Yet, I still have so many attachments. I came to understand that I cannot return to my true home if I do not let go of my human attachments. I said to Master in my heart: Master, please trust me, I will find and eliminate all my attachments!
When I was half-asleep, I saw a small piece of white cloth glued to my left knee. It was cool and soothing. Then another piece appeared on my right knee. I felt very comfortable and went to sleep.
Several days later, my knees had recovered. My son and his wife witnessed again the healing power of Dafa! They expressed their gratitude for Master’s mighty power and Dafa’s preciousness.
Master said:
“Whatever you experience during your cultivation—whether good or bad—is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating.” (“To the Chicago Fa Conference”, The Essentials of Diligent Progress III)
Since I started practicing Dafa, every year my family's cornfield has had a bumper harvest. Last year despite strong wind and heavy rain, there was no damage to our corn. Our corn production actually increased! I know it is a result of cultivating Dafa. My son and his wife all believe that we get blessings from Dafa.
Not only my family, but also all the families who believe in Dafa and quit the CCP had bumper harvests. However, those who had not quit the CCP had many corn stalks in their fields fall down due to the strong wind. Some people who did not believe in Dafa at first changed their mind after witnessing the blessings experienced by those who viewed Dafa positively. I hope all people will understand the truth and all be blessed!
I sincerely thank Master for his boundless mercy!