(Minghui.org). I have benefited tremendously from practicing Falun Dafa and am very thankful to Teacher. I wish to share my story of how I became a Falun Dafa practitioner and went from being illiterate to being able to recite Zhuan Falun.

I used to go to Buddhist temples and had a shrine in my home. When my neighbor told me how miraculous Falun Dafa was, I didn't believe her. I thought what I practiced was the true Buddha Fa.

Every day when I kowtowed to the Buddha statue in my home, I saw it either smile or give me an ugly, wicked expression. I didn't realize what I was seeing was actually a possessing spirit. Every day I burned incense and kowtowed to it. Back then, I suffered from vertigo. When I had an episode, I felt the sky and ground spinning and saw lights flashing before my eyes. I was not able to move. I prayed to the Buddha statue to end my illness.

I prayed to the statue for many years and contributed a lot of money to temples. However, the vertigo became worse in intensity and frequency. I did not have a single doubt about my belief and I became even more pious.

My neighbor was very concerned about me because she saw how dedicated I was to Buddha, but I really had not obtained the great way of the Buddha Fa. She kept encouraging me to practice Falun Gong and gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun. When I read this paragraph:

“Sakyamuni stated that by the Dharma-ending time monks in temples would have a difficult time saving themselves, not to mention those lay Buddhists who are being looked after by no one. Though you have a 'master,' that so-called master is also a practitioner. If the master does not truly practice cultivation, it is useless. Without cultivating the heart, no one can make it. Conversion is a formality of everyday people. Are you a member of the Buddha School after conversion? Will Buddha then take care of you? There is no such thing. Even if you kowtow everyday until your head bleeds, or even if you burn bundles of incense, it is still useless. You must truly cultivate your heart to make it work.” (Zhuan Falun)

I came to understand why I had not recovered from my illness although I kowtowed to the Buddha statue every day. I decided to learn Falun Dafa.

The Miracles I Experienced from Practicing Falun Dafa

As soon as I started practicing Dafa, I changed completely and had a new life. I recovered from my chronicle dizziness, heart disease, and bone spurs, and I felt much lighter.

I was thankful to Teacher from the bottom of my heart. I had almost missed the opportunity, and I began to cultivate seriously, to be worthy of being Teacher's disciple. My determination in cultivation and Dafa became unshakable.

However, I faced a big challenge: I was illiterate and in my late 50s. I listened to the recordings of different lectures every day, but I really wanted to read Dafa books like other practitioners.

Teacher saw that I really wanted to study the Fa and arranged for other practitioners to encourage me. I was able to learn to read Dafa books because Teacher's power is boundless and He strengthened me.

I started with Lunyu. I learned word by word, sentence by sentence, and paragraph by paragraph. However, my memory was poor at first. I kept forgetting what I had memorized the day before. Fellow practitioners and my grandson kept patiently teaching me. With Teacher's help, I could read two new paragraphs each day and then I could read one page every day. Finally, I was able to read one lecture every day.

Soon afterwards, our local practitioners started to recite the Fa. At the beginning of our group study, we recited Lunyu and some of Teacher's articles. Some practitioners even memorized Zhuan Falun. I admired them for being so diligent, and I felt sorry for myself for being illiterate.

Fellow practitioners encouraged me and one practitioner said, “ You will definitely learn the book by heart one day because you have already learned to read the whole book. Even if you memorize one sentence a day, you will memorize the whole book.” Their encouragement gave me confidence. I started to memorize the Fa.

After two days, I could recite Lunyu. They were so happy for me! One said, “Remarkable! You did it!” I knew Teacher had strengthened me and had given me wisdom.

I was greatly encouraged. With all my spare time, I memorized the Fa each day. In only one month I was able to recite Zhuan Falun. Practitioners were amazed: “An older lady who previously couldn't read or write can now recite the whole book. It is a miracle!” I said, “It is the manifestation of the Fa's Power.”

Under the guidance of the Fa and with Teacher's protection, I am walking solidly on the path of cultivation. I obtained the Fa in 1998, and I am now 72 years old. I am healthy, and I do the three things every day. I am very thankful to Teacher and the miraculousness of Dafa.