(Minghui.org) In 1996, my wife became interested in practicing Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). She asked me to read the Falun Dafa books to her, because she could not see well due to her vision problems. She asked me to go with her to the workshops because she wanted to learn the exercises. I witnessed the entire process of how her health and temper improved. Moved by how amazing Falun Dafa is, I also began practicing.
After the persecution was launched in July 1999, I was imprisoned for two weeks. Later my wife was also imprisoned for 100 days. Our lives were turned upside down. Under the intense pressure, I signed my name on the “guarantee letter,” which stated that I would no longer practice Falun Dafa, then the police let me go home.
I obtained a guarantor pending trial. My workplace assigned a few people to monitor me 24/7, and I had to pay bail money. They forced me to read materials that slandered Falun Dafa. I was confused by the materials and completely stepped off the path of cultivation. In the beginning, I was forced to quit practicing, but in the end, I decided to stop practicing.
Master Li Hongzhi (the founder of Falun Gong) said:
“If you do not follow the requirements of the Fa, you are not a practitioner of Falun Dafa. Because you want to be an everyday person, your body will be reset to the level of everyday people and the bad things will be returned to you.” (Zhuan Falun)
After I gave up practicing, I developed all kinds of diseases. In 13 years, I spent thousands of yuan on medicines and therapies. For some treatments I spent twenty thousand yuan a year (about 3,000 U.S. dollars). I tried all kinds of herbs and supplements, but my health kept getting worse.
I became depressed, and my life seemed hopeless. I tried to entertain myself by watching TV and playing the erhu (a stringed instrument which some call a Chinese violin). I was still depressed. In 13 years, I was hospitalized seven times, and sent to the emergency room twice.
By 2013, I was at my lowest point. In January, I started to have pain in my eyes and throat. By September, I could only walk short distances. Soon, I didn't even have the strength to hold the erhu's bow.
I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis. No doctor knew the cause. I was told that therapy was very expensive, about 10 thousand yuan every month (about 1,600 U.S. Dollars). However, there was no guarantee that it would be effective
I went to my mother's town, and stayed there for a few days. In my mind, I came to say goodbye, but of course I didn't tell her.
After I returned home, I went to another hospital. The doctors said my symptoms were very serious, and that I may die at any time. They urged me to check into the hospital immediately.
Although I was more or less mentally prepared to die, I never thought it would come so soon. I was very upset, and couldn't eat or sleep. However, I hid my situation from my family and friends.
One day as I helped my wife in the field, the shovel broke. Looking at the broken shovel, I recalled my fate, and I wept. I didn't want her to see, so I told her I was tired and needed to go home.
One of her friends saw me crying and told my wife. She came home and asked what was wrong. I told her everything. She said, “If this is curable, I am willing to pay however much it will cost. If nobody can cure it, why don't you practice Falun Dafa with me.”
I said, “I kept my condition secret from you because I didn't want to hear this.” Despite my dire situation, I still didn't want to practice due to fear of persecution and other attachments.
That night my wife invited two elderly practitioners to our house, both retired college professors. One of them said, “I can introduce more than 100 doctors to you, who are all my friends and experts in this field. But none of them can guarantee a cure. It's very possible that you will spend a lot of money, yet still suffer from this disease and eventually die from it.”
She said, “The best solution is to resume practicing Falun Dafa. I truly believe this. I think Master Li is still waiting for you, and this disease is a wake-up call. It's all up to you now.”
I told her that I would seriously think about it.
Before I went to bed that night, my wife asked me if I wanted her to read Zhuan Falun to me (the main book of Falun Dafa). I said yes, and fell asleep listening to her reading.
The next morning, she asked me to do the exercises with her. I did, and finished all five sets of exercises. I was even able to sit in the double lotus position for one hour, which I was never able to do, even before I gave up practicing.
After the exercises, I felt energetic. Our children came to visit me in the morning, and they all said I looked better. I told them that I resumed practicing Falun Dafa. I said, “If I survive this tribulation, be happy. But if I fail, do not blame Falun Dafa, because it is just my fate.” They agreed.
Just like that I began practicing Falun Dafa again.
On October 18, 2013, I officially came back to cultivation. I did the following right away.
First, I gave away 3,000 yuan worth of drugs, because I believed Master Li would help me. However, my belief was not that solid, and I saved the anti-hypertension medicine. I thought I might still need it, and I would get rid of it in the future.
The first morning after I started to practice, my blood pressure was 80/120 mmHg, a normal reading that I'd never seen before. I could not believe it, so I measured again, and got the same result.
Still, I didn't think Master was helping me, so, I took the anti-hypertension drug. After a short while, I measured the blood pressure again. It was higher, 90/160 mmHg.
At that moment, I realized that it was a hint from Master Li. I threw away all the medicine as well as the measuring devices.
From then on, I quit all the therapies, Western or Chinese. Now I'm energetic and healthy. My appetite is restored, yet my weight dropped from 200 pounds to 170 pounds. My wrinkles have disappeared, and no one believes that I am 74 years old.
Within six months I read all of Master's Lectures. I found the answers to all my questions about cultivation, and I now see through all the lies that the communist party has fabricated to slander Falun Dafa. I also now clearly see through communist party culture.
I've told all my friends and family what Falun Dafa really is. After I quit cultivation, I told my friends many bad things about Falun Dafa, and caused them to have misunderstandings about it. Many of them heard that I was very sick but then the illness disappeared after I resumed practicing Falun Dafa. I took every opportunity to correct my wrongs, and told them my current understanding.
I now also help my wife go out and tell people about Falun Dafa and the persecution. Since I stopped practicing for so long, I'm still not able to talk to people face to face. But I try to do my best to help my wife, such as passing out materials and watching for the police. Sometimes I also help her to talk to people from a third party view.
These last two years, I go out with my wife to talk to people every day, no matter how severe the weather is. I've occasionally had illness symptoms, but nothing can stop me.
Last May, I filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, the former head of the communist party, for his role in the persecution of Falun Dafa. Although I knew that the police were watching me, I helped other practitioners to file lawsuits.
I feel ashamed to face Master Li. After leaving Dafa for 13 years, I'm probably not qualified to share my understandings. Master Li said in Zhuan Falun: “Whether it is your supernormal abilities or your Unlocking of Gong, you achieve them through practicing cultivation in Dafa.” I understand that Master Li has been looking after me, and that is why I've made some progress in cultivation. I feel I need to write down my experiences, just to express my appreciation to Master Li for renewing my life and giving me a chance to come back to cultivation.
I thank Master Li, and I also thank fellow practitioners for their help.