(Minghui.org) During October 1998 I was introduced by a friend to the practice of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa). Having no real hope to heal my long-term illnesses, I decided to take a chance and began practicing cultivation in Falun Gong.
I developed hypertension when I was 32. In 1998 when I was 52, my health deteriorated even more. I also had heart disease; glaucoma; cerebral vasospasm; lumbar, and cervical bone hyperplasia; ovarian cysts; and rheumatoid arthritis. My life was so hard, and I just couldn't relax.
During the day, I would have to take both Chinese and Western medicine. At night, I would have to take pills to calm my heart. I had pain in every joint, and I couldn't sleep. I was often hospitalized when things got bad for one or two months at a time. On two occasions, I fainted at work due to hypertension. I was taken to the emergency room where the doctor told me I was in critical condition.
Because I was chronically ill, I spent a lot of money on medicine. All of our savings were used to pay for medical bills. Because of this, our lives were difficult. Seeing that everyone in my family was suffering because of me, I wanted to commit suicide. But fortunately, my family was very understanding and supportive. They kept encouraging me to live on. So I stopped thinking about giving up, but every day seemed like a year.
In October 1998, I was introduced to Falun Gong by a friend. Having no real hope to heal my illnesses, I decided to take a chance to practice cultivation in Falun Gong.
On the first day after the exercises, a veteran practitioner gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun and asked me to read it. I was thinking to myself, “I am here just to learn the exercises. Why do I have to read this book?” That night, I started to read Zhuan Falun. I found it very unique. I had never read anything like it before. I kept reading and reading. The next day, I went to the practice site again and asked one of the veteran practitioners, “The book talks about Buddhas, Gods, and Taos. But where are they?” The practitioner smiled at me and said, “Keep reading.” I was kind of disappointed because she didn't answer my question. I felt that if that's what she said, she must have a good reason. So I continued reading Zhuan Falun.
On the third day when I went to the practice site I felt there was something rotating on my head, neck, shoulders, hands, and feet. It felt very good. I told one of the practitioners what I experienced. He said, “The Falun is helping to cleanse your body.” I thought, “Isn't this what I read in Zhuan Falun?” Because of this experience, I started to read the book more earnestly. As I was reading it, I enlightened to why everyday people have tribulations and illnesses, and I came to understand the real purpose of one's life. Gradually, my heart was opened. The were no words to describe the feeling of joy and peace inside me.
At that time, I was taking sick leave, so I had a lot of time to read Master's other books. Half a month later, my head and heart stopped aching. I didn't have to take any pills at night. Unlike before, when I put my hands in a bucket of cold water, I didn't feel any joint pain. I suddenly knew that I was illness-free. I also realized the real Buddha is here on the earth!
My health fully recovered. My body was very light. Thus, I wanted to return to work. I called my boss. He said, “Just stay home and take care of yourself.” I decided to stay home. In March 1999, I called my boss again and told him that I really wanted to return to work. He finally agreed. When my colleagues saw me, they were shocked to see a new me, full of energy. I told them I practiced Falun Gong. They were a bit skeptical when they heard this. In May, everyone in my company had to get a physical. When the results came out, all the indicators showed that I was in good health, especially my blood pressure (110/70mmHg). My coworkers saw the results, too, and four of them said they wanted to practice Falun Gong. Later on, I took some time off and taught them the exercises.
Less than a month after my colleagues began the practice, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), led by Jiang Zemin's gang, started persecuting Falun Gong on July 20, 1999. Amidst the overwhelming lies and state propaganda, many people didn't know what had happened. Most of them were terrified. The four colleagues I had taught the exercises to gave up the practice. Meanwhile, my company targeted me for persecution. One day, the director of my company attacked Falun Gong publicly and slandered my reputation in a staff meeting. (I was later taken to a detention center.) Annoyed, my co-worker said, “Practicing Falun Gong healed her illnesses. That is a fact. Why don't you relate those facts?” The director didn't say anything.
I have never taken another pill or claimed another penny for medical expenses since I started practicing Falun Gong 13 years ago. Most of my colleagues knew about this, and thus were unaffected by the lies propagated by the CCP. They quit the CCP and chose a bright future for themselves.
My friends and relatives had witnessed the changes in me and said, “It is a true miracle!” Through my clarifying the facts to them, most of them have quit the CCP.”
When the CCP started persecuting Falun Gong, I felt deeply hurt because it is such a great practice. I thought to myself, “Maybe the leadership of the central government doesn't know the truth.” Thus, I decided to go to Beijing to appeal to them. I believed that “freedom of belief, speech, and petition” are the rights given to all Chinese citizens by the Constitution. All I wanted to do was to clarify the facts, and say a few true words from my heart about my belief. Nonetheless, I was illegally arrested and thrown into a detention center.
The size of the cell where I was held inside the detention center was about 20 square meters. There were many inmates in the cell. Most of them were in for prostitution or fraud. When I was first taken to the cell, the bathroom was so filthy that I didn't want to use it. The filth inside the toilet bucket was about one centimeter thick. I was going to clean up the toilet but I didn't have any tools.
For the next two days, I searched for a mop and detergent to clean the toilet. I finally found a rag and some soap. I started cleaning the toilet. The filth inside the bucket was so thick and sticky that I couldn't remove it. I kept scrubbing it hard with the rag. Finally, I managed to remove most of it. Suddenly, I heard a voice, “Where is the other person?” A police officer came in to check the room. When he saw me in the bathroom, he didn't say anything and left. I scrubbed the toilet again and again for the next couple of days. Finally, I'd cleaned it thoroughly. All the inmates smiled at me.
Every day at 3 p.m., a guard would supply us with a bucket of hot water for drinking or rinsing. Because there were a lot of people in the cell, one bucket wasn't enough to meet our needs. I always let the inmates drink the hot water and I drank cold water from the faucet. One day, I wanted to wash my hair. There was no hot water left, so I used cold water from the faucet. An inmate said, “Auntie, we will save some hot water for you tomorrow. It is very cold. You will catch the flu if you use cold water.” I smiled and told her, “Don't worry, I won't have a problem.” I washed my hair with cold water, and then went to bed. When they saw that I didn't get sick, they admired me. They thought it was amazing.
One day, a young inmate (she was a stripper) asked me, “Auntie, why are you so kind? Why do you act like this?” I told her that in Zhuan Falun, Master Li said, “Our cultivation practice is guided by Zhen-Shan-Ren, the characteristic of the universe.” I went on telling her my understanding of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She nodded in agreement.
I taught the inmates to recite Master Li's poems in Hong Yin. Some of them had very good memories. They recited over a dozen poems easily. I told them that, from now on, they should live honestly, don't return to their old ways, find a legitimate job, and live with openness and dignity. They all agreed with me. One of the inmates, a college graduate, told me that she would practice Falun Gong after she got out.
To prepare for my son's wedding, I planned to sell my old home and buy a bigger one. After I put it up up for sale on the Internet, some people came but none showed any real interest. One day, my agent told me that he would bring someone in and asked me to wait for him at home. One of my neighbors upstairs heard our conversation and asked, “Are you selling your apartment? Please sell it to me.” I asked why he wanted to buy it. He told me that, for health reasons, he and his wife needed someone to take care of them. Their oldest daughter had wanted to buy a place nearby so that she could help take care of them. I told him, “Sure I will sell you the apartment. Give me a moment. My agent is bringing someone in to see it now.” A few minutes later, my agent came back with a man and I told him that someone had already offered to buy the place. The man said, “I will offer you $300,000 if you sell it to me now.” I was not moved and apologized to him, saying it had already been just sold.
My neighbor's oldest daughter and I began discussing closing the deal. I told her that I had decided to sell to her so that she could help take care of her elderly parents. Knowing that she and her husband were both laid off, I decided to sell it to her at a cheaper price (for $270,000). When she heard the quote, she couldn't believe it, and said, “No, you can't take such a great loss.” I said, “I could sell it for about $290,000 to $300,000. I’d like to sell it to you for less because of your special family circumstance.” She kept saying, “No! You are taking a great loss!”
My neighbor also asked me if I would leave them our old furniture. I said we would. This story spread to 100 homes in our area. Those who learned about my generosity were shocked. The residential building where I lived was a company dormitory. Because I didn't work for this company, people didn't know who I was. After Falun Gong was persecuted, people started to pay attention to me. They had tried to evict me. After I sold the apartment, in order to verify my generosity, many people called me to ask about the transaction. When they learned the truth, they were quite moved: “There's no one in the world as kind as you.” I told them that all Falun Gong practitioners are kind and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in their daily lives. I also told them the facts about the staged Tiananmen self-immolation incident and how the lie was used to deceive people and incite hatred against Falun Gong. After they heard the truth, they all were shocked. They quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
When I lived in the old apartment, I used to clean the corridor of the building; I shoveled the snow and offered to help my neighbors whenever they needed it. We got along on good terms.
When I told them that I was moving out, they were very sad to see me go. The two security guards in the duty room told me to be careful. They said that, in the past, the police and the street and community committees had come to look for me. But the security guards took them to the duty room and told them that I am a good person. They convinced them not to bother me. When I heard this, I was happy from the bottom of my heart. I know that their kind deeds will be rewarded.
Friends, when you read my story, you may know that Falun Gong is a virtuous practice that teaches people to be kind. Falun Gong not only purifies people's bodies but also purifies their minds. Falun Gong has benefited all people and has done no harm to any living being. I invite you to come learn about Falun Gong.
