(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1994, and I'm now nearly 80 years old. I attended one of the lecture series that Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, gave in my area.
I did the exercises with other practitioners every day in the park before the onset of the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China in 1999. It felt so good to do the exercises outdoors, and I was energetic every day. My health improved greatly. Years later, I still feel blessed that I practice Falun Dafa.
I felt very sad not being able to practice the exercises outside after the persecution began, as I had benefited a lot, both mentally and physically, from practicing the exercises outside in the fresh air.
I realized the importance of doing the exercises outside when Master said,
“This environment is the best way to change the surface of a person. The lofty conduct that Dafa disciples have established in this environment--including every word and every deed--can make people recognize their own weaknesses and identify their shortcomings; it can move their hearts, refine their conduct, and enable them to make progress more rapidly.” (“Environment,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
It is important that practitioners inside China consider their safety and the local situation before openly practicing the exercises outside. I resumed practicing the exercises outdoors on June 9, 2011. I haven't stopped for a single day, regardless of the weather. I know that Master has extended my life by bearing huge karma for me, and that I can never repay him.
When I started doing the exercises outside again, I could feel the surrounding environment improving. I felt surrounded by a strong and righteous energy field.
When I started practicing the exercises outdoors again, I noticed a car often waiting outside the gate of my residential compound, but my heart wasn't moved. Nothing can shake my determination in my belief. After a while the car no longer came. My neighbors have even encouraged me to keep practicing.
By studying the Fa well I can maintain a good environment for practicing the exercises outdoors. So I attend group Fa study, and also study the Fa and memorize the Fa by myself. I use every spare minute to memorize the Fa.
I look forward to practicing the exercises outdoors, and my body is full of energy after I finish doing them.
My friends and relatives admire my good health because they know how poor my health was before. They are amazed by the power of Falun Dafa.
Sending righteous thoughts is one of the three things we practitioners are required to do.
Master said:
“Indestructible righteous faith in the cosmos’s Truth forms benevolent Dafa disciples’ rock-solid, Diamond-Like Bodies, it frightens all evil, and the light of Truth it emanates makes the unrighteous elements in all beings’ thoughts disintegrate. However strong the righteous thoughts are, that’s how great the power is.” (“Also in a Few Words,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Sometimes I have fear and my heart is not steady. I started to think that I should stay safe and practice the exercises inside. However, after I send forth righteous thoughts my fear disappears.
About two months after I resumed practicing the exercises outside, my bad leg got better. My body, which had been tilted to the left after a surgery, straightened. I could feel my body healing quickly, and all the pain disappeared.
One day, officers from the Domestic Security Division came to my home and threatened to arrest me if I didn't stop doing the exercises. I pointed out that they were being used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and would be held responsible for their actions when the CCP perishes. They soon left.
I was run over by a car one winter and bled a lot. Afterward, I practiced the exercises as usual, as our compassionate Master helps me every time I have a large tribulation. Without Master's protection, I wouldn't have been able to get through them.
The melodious Dafa exercise music echoes throughout my residential community every day. I can feel it purifying the environment as well as my body.
I have let go of my attachment to having my illnesses cured. I have eliminated my attachments to fear and seeking comfort in the harsh environment of China. My kindness and compassion has increased, and my xinxing has improved. I've become more firm in my belief. I look much younger than my age, and I am very energetic.
Thank you, Master, for giving me a new life!