(Minghui.org) This is the story of one of the millions of Falun Dafa practitioners living in China. She began to practice Falun Dafa when she was young. Falun Dafa helped her live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, touched a chord in her heart, and let her step from darkness towards light.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Falun Dafa's public introduction, I want to thank Master Li for his compassionate salvation by writing this article. I hope that more people can learn the truth about Falun Dafa and thereby look forward to a good future.
The Spring of Life
Once the winter ends and earth is saturated from several rains, everything begins to grow. Flowers blossom and leaves sprout again in different hues of green. It’s spring again, a season where the birds' songs and flowers' fragrance fill the air. The beginning of spring reminds me of the spring in 1993.
At that time, I was a student and confused about life. I was searching for something but couldn’t find the direction I wanted to follow. I read many books without quenching my heart's hunger and thirst. Some of them were bestsellers, some were about qigong and Buddhism, and others about a multitude of other subjects. The answer I was looking for eluded me. I admit that I was very curious about qigong and asked many naïve questions, such as, "Why do some people have supernatural abilities? Would practicing qigong lead to cultivation insanity? Do Gods or Buddhas really exist? If so, why don’t bad people get punished?"
That spring, a classmate brought me news that changed my future. She told me that a Master from Northeastern China was giving lectures in Wuhan. This Master spoke of the importance of virtue. What was important was that the cost for the lectures was on the low end, charging only 40 yuan for the ten-day class on a practice called Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa). This was great news for a student that had paid 100 yuan for an elementary qigong class and who couldn't afford advanced qigong classes. My classmate also told me that those that practice Falun Gong couldn’t practice any other qigong.
I thought about it for a while, as I had spent a lot of money on different qigong classes in the past. After spending so much money I wasn't yet ready to give up other qigongs. Yet, this Falun Dafa seemed to call to me and I felt drawn to it. I decided to give it a try and decide later after I had learned what Falun Dafa was all about. On the day I signed up for the class, the staff put the image of a Falun on my ticket and said, "This Falun is good, very good!" That was the first time I had ever seen that image. I looked carefully at it and saw a 卍 symbol, which is also known to those that study Buddhism and Taiji. I was surprised and not quite sure what to make of what they said. I asked myself, "Is this really good?" (Editor's note: Buddha-school cultivation ways believe the ancient swastika 卍 symbol to represent the universe as a whole. Prior to World War II the swastika was visible in Western culture as a symbol of good fortune.)
Listening to Master Li Lecture
When I entered the hall my mind was filled with complex thoughts. I was greatly surprised to see that big hall was filled to capacity. There seemed to be 1,000 people. Most qigong classes were generally small, only around 100, yet those qigong masters boasted greatly. Master Li arrived on stage amidst loud applause. He was tall and had a kind face.
When Master Li then began to lecture, the audience was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. I listened carefully during the two hours, and I remembered each word Master Li spoke. It seemed as though nothing else existed. Already after the first day’s class, I had found the answers to all the questions I had asked about qigong. What was so exciting was that Master Li taught us the true value of cultivation. We used to pay attention only to practice but not cultivation. I learned that xinxing cultivation is fundamental for a cultivator.
I suddenly understood, "Ah, I get it. This is how cultivation practice should be! What I want is a road map to cultivation practice! I've finally found it!” After class, I told my fellow students, "I have decided to practice Falun Gong and quit all other qigongs." I still vividly remember the beginning of my cultivation path, the first steps when I became a practitioner of Falun Dafa.
I attended the entire series of classes, was always on time and afraid to be late. I wanted to hear every word Master Li said and I couldn't express my happiness in having found Falun Dafa. I remembered that when Master Li talked about the celestial eye, I felt tension between my eyes and something drilling inward. I didn’t pay attention to it at first because I listened carefully to the lecture. Master Li said:
"When I was talking about the Celestial Eye, each of you could feel that your forehead was tight; the muscles felt like they were piling up together and drilling inward."(Zhuan Falun)
That is when I realized that Master Li had opened my celestial eye. When Master Li talked about installing Falun, I felt that something was rotating in my stomach. It rotated clockwise and counter-clockwise, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Master Li taught us how to practice and demonstrated the exercises after class. He walked through the aisles, from the first to the last row, and corrected our movements. He was very serious and conscientious.
I remember that some of us arrived early for the class and the door was still locked. We sat on the steps and waited. Then, a black car stopped at the front door. I was surprised to see Master Li. We stared at him passing us and couldn't say a word. We were tongue-tied.
Benefiting from Stepping on the Falun Dafa Cultivation Path
In September, we heard that Master Li was coming to Wuhan again. I was fortunate to attend two more series of classes and had to pay only half price as I had already attended earlier a full session of classes. The lecture was held at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. I was a new teacher and had been on the job for only a month. My supervisors monitored all of my classes and generally a new teacher is under great pressure, but I felt no pressure whatsoever. At one time, I was informed that the next day my supervisors would come to my class. I worried. I wanted to attend a Falun Dafa lecture, which was the most important thing in my mind. Thus, I simply prepared for my class and then went to the Dafa class. Surprisingly, my supervisors were satisfied with my class and asked me to hold a public class on October 1, inviting all teachers from the school.
After attending the fourth Falun Dafa class, there was another lecture held on the same day. I didn't want to miss either of the lectures, so I had only had my lunch break to prepare for my public presentation at Jiefang Park. All went very well and I received high praise. One senior teacher said, “Generally a person can lecture this well only after many years of experience, but you were able to exceed all expectation after teaching for just a month.” I didn’t know why I became so smart at that time. Actually, it was Falun Dafa that unlocked my wisdom.
The Buddha Light Shines on My Family
After I became a Falun Gong practitioner in 1993, I became more outgoing, active, and confident. I no longer got into fights and could keep from becoming angry. Before practicing Falun Gong I used to be always at odds with my siblings. But after I stepped on the path of Falun Gong practice, I smiled even if I was blamed for something that wasn't my fault.
I returned home and let my family know about my decision to practice Falun Dafa. My father didn't like it and was very unpleasant, and my siblings tried to fight with me. I responded by cooking dinner, smiling, and looking within to find my shortcomings. They complained about my cooking and my other faults. I didn’t fight but kept smiling. Finally, they admitted that I had changed a lot since practicing Falun Gong and no longer criticized me. To be honest, I would have fought them tooth and nail if I didn't practice Falun Gong.
My family also benefited from my practicing Falun Dafa, and they changed gradually as well. After about a year, my mother had changed, too. She used to be domineering, lost her temper easily and fought with everyone. Now, she no longer gets as angry and sometimes she stops herself before losing her temper. She became more tolerant and kinder and no longer criticized people.
My mother believed in Falun Dafa years ago, and she admired Master Li. Even during the severest persecution, she supported me. Several years ago, my mother quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliates. Not very long ago, my younger brother told me that my mother was not feeling well and it appeared to have to do with gallstones. He asked me to take her to the hospital, but mother refused to go. She said that she had forgotten to repeat "Falun Dafa is good" recently. She was repeating it now. She said if she didn’t feel any better the next day, she would go to the hospital. She called and said that she was fine after getting up in the morning. Now, my mother has lots of energy and looks good for her age. She often tells people that Falun Dafa is really good!
My sister’s father-in-law is nearly 70. One day, his back hurt and he couldn't sleep. He went to the hospital and took some medication and tried acupuncture, but without any success. Later, my sister remembered the Shen Yun DVD I had given her and asked him to watch it. He was very happy after watching it and said, "These performers are so beautiful. I have never seen a better show. Your Master is wonderful!” The next day he felt much better. My sister then persuaded him to quit the CCP and its affiliates. He recovered and no longer was in pain.
Miracles Happen
Several days ago, my younger sister called and said "Sister, Lele is all right now. He no longer has croup or a respiratory infection." I could tell from her voice that she was very happy and excited, and she was too grateful to Master Li to say anything.
Lele is the seven-year-old son of my younger sister. Something had happened to him at the age of four. After that, he always made faces and turned his neck without being conscious of doing it. At first, his parents didn’t care and thought he was just playing. But as time went on, he began to say strange words. We asked him to stop it, which he did, but only on and off. The problem was that his noises disturbed the class at school. Some classmates laughed at and taunted him. This made Lele feel inferior. The teacher also discussed this problem with my sister several times.
My sister and her husband were very worried and they tried to force Lele to control himself, which was unsuccessful. They searched online and found that he needed to go on medication. But the medication has side effects, including negatively affecting intelligence, and often the medication would not help. They were at their wits end.
Lele once came to my home after school. I told him to repeat, "Falun Dafa is good," and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good." I also told him that the one who made those strange sounds was not him and he should tell that entity to leave. I told him that he should ask Master Li for help. My sister reminded him and he persisted in repeating these words. After some time he was no longer afflicted with this condition. For two nights, he talked in his sleep and they couldn't figure out what he was saying. After that he no longer suffered from this illness. We believe that Master Li purified his body during those two nights. Now Lele wants to listen to Master’s lectures every night. He also said that he has a small TV in his head. He can see the golden dragon if he wants. He also attends group study.
When only one person practices Falun Gong, the entire family benefits. There are more amazing and miraculous stories that happened to my family. My family members are grateful to Master Li and Falun Dafa. They witnessed the miracles that happened because of being positive towards Falun Dafa.
I cannot express in mere words my family's appreciation for Master Li's help. They strongly believe that Falun Dafa is good.
I wrote the above to help more people learn about the goodness of Falun Dafa and hope that they don't remain in the clutches of the CCP.
From the Call for Submissions to Commemorate the Twentieth Anniversary of Falun Dafa’s Introduction
