(Minghui.org) When Falun Gong was banned in China in 1999, tens of millions of practitioners from all walks of life were practicing it. In this article, we highlight the stories of two intellectuals in high places and how they have kept their faith during the 19-year-long persecution.
Professor Xie Kun, former Provost and Director of the Xi'an Shiyou University Library, was hospitalized many times due to kidney disease. Suffering from tachycardia and low blood pressure, he almost died in 1985 from coronary artery blockage. His other ailments included stomach problems, cholecystitis, a cyst on his liver, a nervous disorder, and piles. Of the university's 2,000 plus employees, his health was one of the worst. He often kept 7 different medications with him and had to be hospitalized twice a year.
One morning in July 1997, Mr. Xie saw a group of people exercising together in a park. That evening he was invited to watch video lectures given by Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, and was impressed that the practice taught one to be a better person and to be considerate of others.
The first thing the people he knew noticed was that he wasn't impatient anymore. Mr. Xie had always been very demanding and short tempered. Now, he was more tolerant and got along well with family, friends, and coworkers. He was always willing to help anyone who needed it, at work or at home.
His health also improved significantly. Because of gastritis, he'd been picky about his food and had stomachaches. They disappeared as did his insomnia and other ailments.
During a routine physical one year after beginning to practice Falun Gong, all of Mr. Xie's health indicators were normal. He has been full of life ever since and has not needed any medication in the past two decades.
Although he is almost 80, he appears to be only in his 60s. Despite the defamatory propaganda and intense pressure, he knows that Falun Gong is responsible for turning his life around and that nothing—not even detention or brainwashing—could make him give up his faith.
Ms. Tang Xuzhen is an Associate Professor of Anatomical Pathology at Southwest Medical University. In spite of her medical expertise, she had more than 10 chronic illnesses, ranging from fungal gastritis to hepatitis, cholecystitis, and nephritis. In 1996, she was also diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, making it difficult for her to swallow or eat.
Frustrated and disappointed, Ms. Tang lost all hope. Then she heard about Falun Gong in April 1996 and began to practice it. Within three days, she lost about 600 milliliters of blood. Then the bleeding in her nose stopped and the cancer was cured. Not long after that, her other ailments also miraculously disappeared.
Besides being restored to good health, Ms. Tang discovered that the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance made her more open-minded, sincere, and kind. To help patients from remote regions get their test results more quickly, she often worked overtime without additional pay. Her dedication and expertise earned her the respect of specialists, medical staff members, and patients. Even after she retired, her employer hired her back.
We can learn a lot from Ms. Tang's experience. When people get sick, they usually go to a doctor for help. But Ms. Tang's medical knowledge did not keep her from getting sick, and she suffered with no hope of being cured. It was Falun Dafa that was responsible for renewing her life and giving her hope. That is why she will never give up her belief, despite being persecuted.
These are just two of many similar examples. Because of the suppression, many intellectuals were removed from their posts or fired by their employers. This has been a huge loss to these practitioners and to the society in general. Moreover, had Falun Gong not been banned in China 19 years ago, hundreds of millions of people would have benefited from the practice, both physically and spiritually.
Related article:
Snapshot of Falun Gong Practitioners Whose Copies of Lawsuits Against Jiang Zemin Were Received by Minghui on July 18-19, 2015
Related article in Chinese:
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2015/7/3/四川医科大学副教授唐旭珍控告江泽民-311810.html
(Continued in Part 2)