(Minghui.org) Greetings, benevolent Master. Greetings, fellow practitioners.
I am 81 years old and started practicing Falun Dafa in April 1996. In recollecting my experiences of walking a cultivation path for the past dozen years, I can tell that Master has been protecting me the whole time. I can only cultivate myself well after studying the Fa well; I can only do the three things well and help save more sentient beings after cultivating myself well. I must treasure this opportunity, one that cannot be obtained in tens of thousands of years.
1. Learning about the Fa
I was born into a poor family on a farm. I was very ill as a child, with stomach ulcers, kidney stones, rheumatism, neurosis, and heart disease. I carried medications with me at all times, and the illnesses got so bad that I could no longer work. I was desperate, but fortunate to find Dafa.
After dinner on April 26, 1996, my neighbor invited my wife and me to her house to watch videos of a type of qigong. It felt as if we had met Master before; He came across as being very friendly. I felt very comfortable and was in tears after watching the videos.
We went to the exercise site the next morning and respectfully brought home a copy of Zhuan Falun. I finished reading the book right away and realized it was what I had been looking for. I told my wife, “Let’s go learn the exercises.” Happily, she agreed.
At first, I could not cross my legs; I was in tears and sweating profusely due to the pain. However, I continued practicing the exercises every day in all kinds of weather. Within a month, I stopped smoking and drinking, even though I had been addicted to both for many years. All my prior illnesses disappeared as well. Dafa gave me a healthy body and a true purpose in life.
2. Spreading the Fa
We all came to believe that we should spread this magnificent Fa so that more people would benefit from it. Hence, we went to the train station and did the exercises on the town square. It was a big space, and a great number of people went there to exercise in the morning. Within a year, our group grew from a dozen practitioners to more than 100, who joined us every morning for practice and Fa study. More and more people joined us later. Over 10,000 practitioners came to the experience sharing conference held in our city. We then went to the suburbs and countryside to spread the Fa. About 20 of us went to spread the Fa in the countryside first, and later, over 60 others joined us. Gradually, all the villages over ten miles away from our city set up practice sites.
We not only joined the groups helping to spread the Fa, we also traveled to our relatives' cities and three villages 200 li away to spread the Fa. We brought Dafa books to them and helped them to set up Fa-study groups and exercise sites. Over 20 people in one village started to practice Falun Gong. The village headmaster’s wife and sister both practiced with us and cleared out a space in the village government courtyard for the practitioners to practice the exercises. He also lent us a room to study the Fa.
3. Distributing materials
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999. As a result, some volunteer coordinators were arrested, and practitioners in some areas could not contact each other. They were unable to get Master’s new lectures and other Dafa materials. I took over the task of delivering truth clarification materials to villages as far as 200 li away.
Master was always there to protect me when I rode my bike to deliver the materials. In summer, clouds always blocked the burning sun while I traveled. In winter, it was always sunny and warm with no wind. One day, I rode my bike 50 li away to deliver materials. I took off at 7 in the morning and came back around 3 in the afternoon. The round trip was over 100 li. Although in my 70s, I did not feel tired. In winter, the roads were bumpy, and I once fell in the snow and broke my bike. I fixed the bike, but after I got home, I noticed that there was a hole in my pants. My sister said, “Dafa can truly change a person. When you were in your 50s, you could not walk and went everywhere in a car. However, now you’re in your 70s, and you can go to different places on your bike. It’s incredible!”
On my way back from a distant rural area one day, I noticed a young man staring at me. He sat on the seat in front of me on the bus. He looked like an under-cover police officer; therefore, I began to send-forth righteous thoughts. I fixed my eyes on him, and he got scared and turned his eyes away from mine. For several minutes, he attempted to call someone, but I used my righteous thoughts to keep him from making any phone calls. As a result, he put his phone back in his pocket. Thirty minutes later, he got off the bus.
On November 1, 2011, I was waiting to take the bus to distribute truth-clarifying materials. A police officer ran towards me, so I began to send forth righteous thoughts. He asked me, “What are you up to?” I replied, “Wandering around.” He continued, “Do you still practice?” I replied, “What do you think?” He said, “Just practice at home and don’t assemble or put up posters.” I said, “You’ve seen them?” Hopelessly he said, “I have to go now.”
I have distributed Dafa materials for over a dozen years. With righteous thoughts and my firm belief in Master and the Fa, I have never had any accidents.
4. Forming a Fa-study group
Studying the Fa together with fellow practitioners is a cultivation way that Master gives us. Since I volunteered to organize fellow practitioners and clarify the truth, after 1999 I was illegally detained. After being released from the detention center, I found fellow practitioners and formed a Fa-study group.
In the first two years, local practitioners were repeatedly held in detention centers or forced labor camps. However, we all returned to study the Fa together after being released. We often changed the places and time to study the Fa. The authorities attempted to break us up, and we lost a large amount of resources, but we remained steadfast. We started with one Fa-study group and later grew into two. As time passed, we split into more than a dozen groups.
At the beginning, our Fa-study group consisted mainly of five to six senior practitioners who started practicing Dafa before the persecution. Most of us were illiterate and could not even read Zhuan Falun. Through constant Fa-study, however, we could all read the Fa, and our xinxing was also elevated. We continued doing the three things well and delivered truth-clarifying materials and pamphlets to help save people. One senior female practitioner once walked over 20 li on a winter night to deliver materials to a remote village. It was already after midnight when she finally returned. She said, “I felt light as I walked. I was not tired nor was I afraid. After I distributed all the materials and came home, it was already after midnight, but I felt very happy.”
5. Searching for and bringing back former fellow practitioners
Master said:
“I can see that everything is heading into the final stage. It’s just that many people are afraid to acknowledge this reality and its progressive unfolding; that the number of lives to be saved before the final moment arrives has not reached the amount it should; and that there is still a portion of Dafa disciples that hasn’t kept up. That is the key reason why the end of this undertaking still hasn’t been enacted.” (“Be More Diligent”)
I was enlightened to the fact that bringing back former fellow practitioners was also saving sentient beings, because all Dafa disciples are also sentient beings that Master wants to save.
I went to talk to practitioners who had not come out to help clarify the truth, as well as those who had gone down an evil path or had been “transformed” by the evil authorities. We studied the Fa and I shared my experiences with them. I realized that to help those fellow practitioners, I needed to keep an open and pure mind.
I invited those practitioners who decided to resume their cultivation to join our group Fa-study. We helped strengthen their righteous thoughts and encouraged them to publish articles on the Minghui website. Some of them were willing to be in contact with me and asked me to get Zhuan Falun and Master’s new lectures to them. They also wanted DVR copies of Master’s lectures and the exercise music.
Out of fear, an over 70-year-old practitioner burned all of her Dafa books and Master’s portraits when the persecution just began. At the end of 2009, we ran into each other, and from then on, I often went to her home and discussed my understanding of the Fa with her. She told me that she had committed crimes against Dafa, and Master would not want her anymore. She dared not tell fellow practitioners because she was afraid that we would all despise her. That was why she always avoided other practitioners. But this time she said, “Probably Master arranged this opportunity for me, and I can’t hide from you now.” I told her Master’s Fa:
“As for those who've gone to the opposite side during this persecution or even done awful things, let me tell you that Master still doesn't want to abandon them.” (“Touring North America to Teach the Fa”)
I introduced her to a group of practitioners who helped her get rid of her fears. After publishing her statement to void the wrongdoing she committed, she returned to cultivation in Dafa. Now she is very diligent and has even helped her relatives to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. She also went to talk to other practitioners who had turned away from Dafa. This past summer, she started a Fa-study site in her home. Her husband did not oppose it and actually began to read truth-clarifying materials.
Another senior practitioner, who previously studied the Fa with us, was sentenced to three years of forced labor. She was released after being “transformed” two and a half years later. As a result, she did not want to contact us and moved to a remote area. We went to her home several times, but she refused to talk to us. We kept taking turns going to her home and patiently encouraged her to study the Fa again. We repeatedly studied “Touring North America to Teach the Fa” and “Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. Western Fa Conference.” She became more enlightened, and a year later, she finally understood the truth. After writing her statement to void all her wrongdoings, she came back to Dafa and began to join us to clarify the truth. She also helped people do the three withdrawals. After that, her husband, sister, daughter, and niece all resumed Fa-study. She even helped six people to start cultivation practice and also founded a Fa-study site in her home.
6. Resisting the persecution, saving sentient beings
In March 2000, my wife and I bought train tickets to Beijing, but we were detained the night before we hit the road. We were locked in the same cell with five other practitioners, so we recited Master’s lectures and practiced the exercises together. The guard asked the cell head to stop us from practicing. We quickly clarified the truth to him, and after understanding the truth, he asked if we could teach him Falun Gong. The guard then switched the cell head, but two days later, the new head also began to practice with us. Then the guard himself tried to stop us from practicing. I told him, “I’m over 70 years old now. I used to have lots of illnesses, but after practicing Falun Gong, they were cured. I’m very healthy now. You’re only in your 50s, but look at your health. Please read Zhuan Falun.” He did not say anything afterwards and no longer interfered anymore. Fifteen days later, we were transferred to the brainwashing center in the city detention center.
Inside the brainwashing center, I recited the Fa, practiced the exercises, and clarified the truth. The deputy head of the detention center said, “As soon as you write the words, ‘I will stop practicing,’ I’ll let you go home.” I clarified the truth to him, and he said, “I know it all, but I have no other way.” After that, he opened his drawer to get a cigarette, and I saw a copy of Zhuan Falun in it. I asked, “You also read Zhuan Falun, but why secretly?” He replied, “If I had done it publicly, I would have ended up in jail like you.” We both laughed. He said, “Ok, just stay here like this, and I’ll tell the others not to bother you.”
I then clarified the truth to the inmates in the same cell, and they all got along well with me as well.
The inmates learned to meditate with me and also recited Lunyu. They promised that they would continue practicing Falun Gong after they were released. A young guard who had just graduated from the Police Academy and did not understand the truth of Dafa secretly asked me, “What’s wrong with cultivating in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance?’ I don’t understand.” I told him, “Jiang Zemin started the persecution out of his personal jealousy and anger.” I suggested that he read Zhuan Falun. After reading Zhuan Falun, he not only stopped interfering with us, but also wanted to discuss issues related to the Fa.
When I was released one month later, the head of the team, the inmates, and the young guard all came to say goodbye and wish me well.
In August 2000, I was incarcerated in a drug rehabilitation center and locked up in a room with four young drug addicts. I told them if they practiced Falun Gong, they could get rid of their addictions and no longer feel miserable. I told them about the beauty of Dafa. All four of them learned the sitting meditation and recited Lunyu. After doing that, their addictive urges did not return that night, and they slept soundly. After three days, their addictions remained in check, and the doctor asked them what happened. They told the doctor that “Grandpa” taught them to practice the Falun Gong exercises, which were magical. They wanted to continue practicing and also clarified the truth to him. Both the head of the center and the doctor said, “Then just go ahead and practice with this grandpa, so we don’t have to give you injections and medicines anymore.” The doctor said, “Falun Gong is great. In only four days, their addictions are all cleared.” They were very happy. I knew that it was time for me to go home. On the fifth day, I experienced the symptoms of a stroke, and they let me go home. I told them to continue practicing Falun Gong, and they would be all fine. They all promised that they would not give it up.
My wife and I were both detained in September 2001. On the first night, about five to six inmates surrounded me, but at that moment, the cell head told them, “Nobody move; sit down and listen to how he practices Falun Gong.” I told them the benefits of Dafa and how to practice the exercises, and to be good people. I said that as long as they followed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, they could all become good people. The cell head said, “He’s over 70 years old, but still can cross his legs so well, and he is so energetic. It proves that Falun Gong is great. We should all learn from him, and nobody should harm him.”
Among the 20 inmates in the cell, some had poor health and some regretted the crimes that they had committed. I clarified the truth to all of them, and told them that Dafa taught us to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be good people. Some of them learned how to meditate, and some even asked me to teach them to recite Lunyu. An inmate, probably in his 40s or 50s, once hit me when I was meditating. I did not say anything to him, and after I finished practicing, I told him, “You’re young but are incarcerated here for committing crimes. Hitting me is like hitting your own grandfather. Was that right?” After that, I told him about the Fa and the principles of being a human. Everybody listened quietly. The guard of the cell talked to me individually, and I clarified the truth to him. At first he argued with me, but after I used reason and supportive evidence to prove that the Tiananmen Self-immolation was staged, he understood the truth. I then suggested that he read Zhuan Falun. A few days later, he said that he had read the book and told the cell head to take good care of me. At the beginning, I only practiced the sitting meditation. Later, I did the standing exercises, too. The inmates guarded the door for me, and some of them learned the exercises as well.
Forty-nine days later, I was released. Master arranged for me to go home. Before I left, the head of the center asked, “Are you still going to practice Falun Gong?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Falun Gong is great!”
7. Creating an environment for upright cultivation practice
In 13 years, I have been incarcerated eight times, but I have made it through all of them. For example, in 2000, a few practitioners and I did the exercises on a mountain and were detained. When they gave me a physical, I told myself that I should not stay there and should go home to help clarify the truth to people. I asked Master to strengthen my resolve. That thought of mine helped created an illusion that helped me to fail my physical exam. Both the CCP secretary of the neighborhood association and the head of the center angrily said, “All our efforts have been wasted; we have to send him home now.”
A few days after I came back from the drug rehabilitation center in August 2000, the local police arrested me again, and I was sentenced to two more years of forced labor. I asked Master to help me because I believed that it was not a place for me to stay. My physical at the labor camp showed that I had suffered a severe stroke, and the head of the forced labor camp refused to admit me. Neighbors and friends all asked my wife to take me to the hospital, but both of us said that being Falun Gong practitioners, we would be fine. It turned out that we were right, and I was healed quickly. After that, people said that Falun Gong was great. It was amazing that a man in his 70s did not take any medication for a stroke, but was healed instantly with no symptoms at all. The officers from the local police department did not believe it.
For 13 years, we've resisted the persecution and gone to different cities and villages to spread the Fa and do the three things well. Our neighbors know that both my wife and I are healthy because Falun Gong cured our illnesses. The neighborhood association, local police department and the Law and Legal Bureau all know that we practice Falun Gong. The villagers of my hometown also know about the wonder of practicing cultivation. As an 80-year-old man in good health, I openly admit that I practice Falun Gong, and clarify the truth to everyone.
While walking on the path of divinity, Master helps to protect us at all times. As long as we cultivate, Master creates an optimum environment for us.
8. Learning computer skills, family run material-making sites blossom everywhere
Material-making sites print and distribute Master’s new lectures, which help practitioners share their experiences, resist the persecution, and help to save sentient beings. For many years, we relied on a few big sites to provide materials.
To better distribute the materials, we decided to create more, smaller such sites so that truth-clarifying materials would be available everywhere. Although in our 70s and 80s, three of us bought laptops. We learned how to use them and then helped each other. With the help of fellow practitioners, we created a material-making site at my home. In the three years that followed, we founded a total of five sites, and mainly printed our own study materials.
Most of the practitioners in our local area are between 70 and 80, and none of us had a good education; so it was difficult for us to study the Fa. To overcome that hurdle, a 75-year old practitioner and I studied the Fa together first, and then we worked individually with the other practitioners and taught them to read the Fa. We also went to the countryside to teach the practitioners there to read the Fa. Now, both of our villages have created their own material-making sites. After the 2012 Chinese New Year, I went to a remote village about 200 li away to teach a female senior practitioner how to make materials. Now she knows how to download materials from Minghui and other basic procedures to print out materials by herself.
While I was making materials with a 75-year-old practitioner in his home one day, his son suddenly came home. He picked up some Dafa materials and read them several times. After that, he complimented us, “You Falun Gong practitioners are great. Seventy and 80-year-old men are now playing with computers. The materials are great. I’m impressed.”
9. Promoting and installing New Tang Dynasty TV
Promoting NTDTV also gives us opportunities to clarify the truth to people. A few of us collaborated to install NTDTV satellite dishes for some practitioners’ families, as well as ordinary people.
A practitioner’s father was a senior engineer. He was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution and had lived in fear ever since. In addition, after his son was arrested, he did not want him to practice Falun Gong anymore, so he was initially opposed to the satellite. However, after they got the satellite dish, he accidentally saw some of the programs. He then began to watch NTDTV every day and stopped watching the CCP’s TV programs. He commented that, for the first time, he finally saw programs that told the truth. He began to silently repeat, “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” He also began to read Zhuan Falun.
A senior practitioner stopped practicing Falun Gong when the persecution began and had been obsessed with the evil CCP’s propaganda campaign on TV. After installing NTDTV, he watched it every day and no longer watched the state-run programs. His wife asked him to read Master’s new lectures, “20th Anniversary Fa-Teaching,” and “2012 International Fa Conference at U.S. Capital.” He asked his wife to bring him a copy of Zhuan Falun and we invited him to our home to share our experiences. He promised that he would catch up with the progress of Master’s Fa-rectification and go home with Master.
I also installed NTDTV for the treasurer of the CCP committee of a village government. He also asked me to install one for his son. Now, both of them love NTDTV and cannot live without it. They no longer are affected by the propaganda from the CCP. We now help people to install NTDTV both in the cities and countryside. This is a new project for us, and we are now gradually expanding it.
Please kindly point out anything that is inappropriate.