(Minghui.org) I am a 77-year-old woman who lives in a farming village. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn about Falun Dafa in this lifetime. Falun Dafa cultivation practice has benefited my body and mind. My family is harmonious. My children also believe in Dafa. They behave well and are blessed with good jobs. Our whole family lives happily under the grace of Dafa.
I believe in whatever Master (Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa) says with a devoted heart and never doubt him. I will do whatever Master asks us to do, and will do it with all my heart. So despite some tough situations in the past years, my path has been relatively smooth.
My family was poor when I was young. I had only two years of schooling, and I forgot it all later. I spent all my energy on making a living and raising four children after I married.
Although I was not yet that old, a heavy workload and mental pressure caused me all kinds of illnesses, such as severe sciatica, asthma, nephritis, depression, and anxiety. I was very weak and eventually became unable to work. This caused big problems for my husband and children. I felt that life was painful and tiring. But in consideration of my young children, I had to grit my teeth and keep going.
Memorizing the Fa
I was introduced to Falun Dafa in 1996. From the day that I learned Dafa, I knew this was by no means an ordinary meditation method. I could not tell how exactly, but I knew it in my mind; I was just so drawn to Dafa. I had a strong will in my mind to memorize the Fa.
I could not read through Zhuan Falun at first because I knew few words. I felt bad and worried when I saw other people reading it fluently. Seeing my sadness, kind fellow practitioners consoled me and told me not to worry or be anxious; as long as I had a steadfast heart, Master would help me.
I concentrated my mind and listened carefully when fellow practitioners read the Fa. Every sentence went deep into my mind. Later, I pointed at each line and followed fellow practitioners as they read. I basically recognized all the words in the book not too long after and was able to read through the whole book relatively smoothly. I asked my children to teach me when I saw words that I did not know. My husband and children were surprised to see that I could read and study Dafa. They all supported me.
While continuing to study Dafa and perform the five exercises, my health improved quickly and my illnesses were all gone. I also learned many truths I had never known and realized that the Fa was a cosmic power to save sentient beings. I no longer felt that heaven was unfair to me. The more I learned Dafa, the more I loved it and saw its magnificence.
My family of six had no other income and relied on farming to survive. The children were all unmarried and going to school in the first few years that I learned Dafa. Our living expenses were high. My husband and I planted over 30 acres of land. We almost had no free time year-round. But we did not slack off in studying Dafa no matter how busy we were. We put studying Dafa in a very important position. I would study when I got home every day, no matter how tired I was.
The wonder of the Fa study quickly relieved my tiredness after a day of hard work. My health became better and better, and my body appeared younger. Neighbors said enviously, “You are not overburdened by tending so much land. You are becoming stronger.”
I did not waste any time and studied Dafa diligently. Aside from reading Zhuan Falun, I took the time when I worked in the mountains or cooked, to memorize the Fa as well. I would quickly memorize Master’s new articles as soon as they were published, no matter how busy I was.
I remember we were building our home when I began to memorize Hong Yin. I helped prepare the building materials with one hand, wrote the Fa on the wall with the other, and then memorized it what I wrote. I memorized many poems during that period. I took care of both Fa study and worked on my home at the same time.
I was inspired by fellow practitioners' sharing in the Minghui Weekly about memorizing the Fa. So I began to memorize Zhuan Falun. I was not hampered by the notion of being elderly and having a bad memory. I knew that Dafa is almighty and that Master would help me. “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Chapter 1, Zhuan Falun) I had a hard time memorizing it, but I was not swayed. I just used my heart, memorizing it one paragraph at a time.
The children did not want me to work too hard when they were grown. We only kept two acres of land for our sustenance and a vegetable garden. Thus, we had more time to study Fa and clarify the truth.
Copying Zhuan Falun
I thought it would be good if I could copy the Fa. When I told a fellow practitioner, she liked that idea too. So we began to copy the Fa on the lunar New Years Day last year.
I was uneducated, and not good at writing. But I was not prepared to give up. I believed that with Master's protection, I could completely copy the Fa. So I spent all my spare time in the morning copying the Fa. I avoided visiting other people and tried my best not to get involved in ordinary people's matters. I would ask those who visited me to leave as soon as their business was completed.
I spent all my time copying the Fa. I would start over when I made mistakes and asked people to teach me words that I could not write. The whole family was supportive of me. I wrote very slowly in the beginning, but it became smoother and smoother as time went on.
I persistently worked for half a year, and finally finished copying Zhuan Falun word for word. I was moved when I held the Dafa book that I had copied with my own hand. Dafa is just wonderful and supernatural and this cultivation practice has turned a sickly, illiterate farm woman into a healthy person who could read and write. I felt that I had finished an extremely sacred mission when I finished copying the last word of the book.
Saving People
I realized that whether I was reading, copying, or memorizing Dafa, the purpose for doing so was to assimilate with Dafa and use Dafa to guide my cultivation and elevate myself. I have always maintained a pious heart and the Fa principles have been displayed to me all the time, enabling me to follow Master's Fa-rectification process well.
I know that Dafa disciples have an important mission in this world. Aside from self-cultivation and reaching Consummation, we are shouldered with the responsibility of saving people. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to persecute Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999. They cheated and poisoned the minds of many Chinese people and caused them to hate Falun Dafa and Dafa practitioners. These people's lives are in peril. I followed Master’s direction and actively clarified the truth and saved people.
My main way of clarifying the truth was to distribute fliers. I did not have thoughts of fear, because saving people is what Master asked us to do. It is the most righteous thing. No one is allowed to persecute us.
Fellow practitioners brought bags of flyers they made to my home. I always rushed out to distribute them. Normally, I went out at night. My children did not cultivate, but they all helped me distribute fliers. I walked to the nearby villages and my children drove me to places that were further away. I distributed many fliers over the years.
I also put up posters. I took the opportunity to do this whenever I went to the mountains to work. I posted them on the streets, at conspicuous places in the village, and on utility poles on the hills.
I also went out to give people information about Falun Dafa face to face. I have talked to almost all my relatives and friends. Most of them have quit the CCP and its affiliates. Some still don't see the truth, but I do not give up. As long as the Fa-rectification is not over, I will find opportunities to talk to them.
I also clarify the truth and give Dafa fliers to neighbors and the village directory leaders. Other practitioners are also doing the same. As a result, the atmosphere in our village is relatively receptive to what we have to say. No one in the village directory is against Dafa. They protected us, and few practitioners in our village have been persecuted.
We were building a house one year. Sometimes as many as 30 men were onsite to help. I took the opportunity to tell each one of them the facts about Faun Dafa. Seeing my good health and my kind attitude, they all trusted me and quickly quit the CCP and its affiliates.
The foreman was about 60 years old. He told me that he had lung cancer. Five people out of seven that he knew who had the same disease had died. He said he truly did not want to die. I told him to cultivate in Falun Dafa, and if he truly believed in it, Master would take care of him and cleanse his body.
I met him again the year before last. He had a radiant face, appearing younger than when I saw him ten years ago. He was excited to see me and said, “You saved my life. Otherwise I would have disappeared from the earth. I want to thank you.” I told him not to say it that way; it was Master who saved him.
Summarizing my past experience, I can say that my belief in Dafa is steadfast, so is my heart to save people. I have been diligent in Fa study and doing the exercises. But there is still room to improve in my individual cultivation. Sometimes I have had the attachment of looking down upon fellow practitioners who had attachments to fear. Sometimes I could not maintain my xinxing and became angry. My benevolence is still not good enough. I will work hard on these issues from now on, let go of my attachments, and cooperate with fellow practitioners well, in order to accomplish my mission and follow Master home.
Thank you, Master!
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Category: Journeys of Cultivation