(Minghui.org) I had numerous surgeries when I was a child because of a chronic bone infection (osteomyelitis), including bone debridement, when antibiotics failed to clear up the infection. I was fine after I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1997.
Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, said, “When your body is seen from another dimension, the bones are covered in black patches.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)
My body was like that before I began practicing. Fortunately, Master took care of me and cleansed my body. Below are some of my experiences with sickness karma.
In May 1985, when I was 12, an area on my left calf near the ankle swelled and became excruciatingly painful. Medication did not help, and the swollen area expanded—the pain also increased. My parents took me to a local hospital. The doctor made an incision and drained the pus. The area became red and swollen again. The doctor repeated the treatment, but this time, it did not help. The reddish swelling grew and turned purple. I often screamed in pain and could not stand.
Frightened by my situation, my parents took me to a city hospital and had my leg X-rayed. The doctor did not know how to explain my condition. He said that my flesh rotted, and they couldn’t operate on me. They suggested I go home and rest. If my condition improved, they could operate on me.
My father was sad and worried. As I could no longer walk, he carried me.
A friend recommended another hospital. A thorough exam concluded that I had acute purulent osteomyelitis. My bone was decayed to the point that it was as thin as a chopstick. Had I waited a week, I would have needed an amputation. The doctor operated on me immediately. He scraped away the rotten bone so that healthy bone could grow.
In the six weeks following the surgery, I was hospitalized and received antibiotics every day. Another X-ray showed that new bone grew, so I was sent home.
Three months later, another checkup showed dark spots on the bone. I was hospitalized for another month and underwent additional surgeries. Although deep scars formed on my calf, the bone grew, and I could walk again. My family was happy.
I was 24 years old in 1997, and that March I started to practice Falun Dafa. After reading the book Zhuan Falun, I realized that Master had been taking care of me all the time; otherwise, the chance of recovering from such a severe and prolonged disease was very low. I could have died or become disabled. I was very grateful, I practiced diligently and followed the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
Doing the fifth exercise (sitting meditation) was difficult. It was very painful to sit in the full lotus position. My legs turn purplish or black. But no matter how painful it was, I refused to move or take my legs down. I knew I had huge karma, and I had to endure the pain. After all, my bone had been rotten. How could my karma be trivial? If Master hadn’t saved me, I would have already died. I was very thankful and determined to cultivate myself.
Six months after I began practicing Dafa, the area around the scar became painful, red, and swollen. I realized Master was eliminating karma and cleansing my body. From the Fa (teachings), I understood the surgery only removed substances on the surface while in other dimensions, the karma was still deeply buried.
However, my parents were frightened because the appearance of my leg reminded them of what happened when I was 12. I told them this was a process of eliminating karma, and I would be fine. They did not believe me and called my relatives and neighbors to get them to convince me to see a doctor. But I did not waver and read Master’s article titled “Sickness Karma” in Essentials for Further Advancement to them. They listened and stopped worrying about me.
The reddish area oozed pus and fluid for ten days. It was excruciating, but I just wiped it up. Unable to walk, I would sit on a bench and gradually inch forward to get somewhere. I continued studying the teachings and doing the exercises, and the area healed in two weeks. My family and neighbors witnessed how extraordinary Dafa is.
The area occasionally became red and swollen and sometimes exuded pus. I ignored it each time. Since my parents understood the situation, they were not worried until an incident happened in 2004.
A police officer arrested me on May 13, 2004, when I talked with some people about Falun Dafa in a farmer’s market. I was released from a labor camp six months before, for practicing Dafa, and the authorities secretly monitored me. I was given another two-year labor camp term. I told officials I hadn’t broken any laws and I should be released.
My leg soon began hurting. As the lump grew, I cried in pain. I knew I must be firm in opposing the persecution, and Master would help me. The guards ordered me to take some drugs, but I refused. They held me down and injected drugs into me which caused the lump to swell.
Seeing that I was unable to walk, the guards took me to a police hospital for X-rays. Numerous problems were identified with the bone, and the doctor talked with the guards for long time. The following day, officials called the local police and told them to take me back home for treatment. I overheard the guard saying that an officer’s friend died of a bone infection, so they were scared I would die while in custody. The local police also didn’t want to accept responsibility for my death either, so they called my parents to pick me up.
My parents came and we were driven home in a police van. The officials repeatedly said I needed to seek medical treatment immediately. Seeing the scarred area swollen and oozing, and two large lumps in my groin, my parents were frightened. I told them I would be fine by practicing Falun Dafa, but they did not accept what I said.
My parents called a taxi the next morning and pushed me into it. Because they were adamant, I went to the hospital. X-rays showed a long list of problems and that another bone scraping was needed. I begged Master for help and told my parents, “This is very serious. It will cost a lot of money, and we cannot afford it.” They talked it over and agreed to take me home.
Throughout these tribulations, I did not doubt that Master was looking after me. I did not even think about how long this would last. I continued studying the Fa and doing the exercises. No matter how painful it was, I did not stop. When I did the exercises, pus oozed out, but I was not afraid. I knew the more diligently I practiced, the quicker I would recover. I also wanted to use this as an example to show the benefits of Dafa to officials and refute the slandering propaganda spouted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against Master and Dafa.
Within about a month, my leg fully recovered. Everyone was shocked because no one expected it to heal so quickly without surgery. I thanked Master for helping me eliminate karma and getting me out of the labor camp this way.
Several minor incidents occurred after that, each lasted about ten days. I did not pay much attention to them. Little did I know a major test was awaiting me.
My leg became swollen and painful again in March 2023. I sent strong righteous thoughts: I would endure this if my karma caused it; if it was interference from the old forces, I would negate it and eliminate it completely.
By the end of March, however, the swelling worsened, and I was unable to walk. The affected area increased, as did the pain. It was much worse at night. I asked Master for help. When it was unbearable, I screamed as if my life was ending.
The pain continued to increase, and by mid-April, it was beyond description. I cried and begged Master for help. I also repeatedly recited the following poem:
“Tempering One’s Heart and Will
Reaching Consummation, obtaining Buddha’s Fruit,Eating bitterness treated as joy.Toiling the body does not count as bitterness,Cultivating the heart is most agonizing.Each and every barrier must be broken through,Here and there, demons are everywhere.A hundred hardships falling all at once,See how one lives.Able to endure suffering in the world,Transcending the world, is a Buddha.” (Hong Yin)
I could not sleep; I could not eat and kept vomiting. I drank lots of water but I was still thirsty. I was weak, and the lump was as big as a golf ball. I could not walk and I was only able to lie in bed in one position. I tried to get up and do the exercises, but it was not possible. The pain was unbearable, and I wept while asking Master for help.
I could not stand much more. I did not know how much karma I had or how bad I had been that I suffered so much. Nonetheless, I was determined to cultivate and I refused to waver.
This continued on and on. I was afraid when evening arrived since I did not know how I would spend the night. Seeing me suffering badly, my parents asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. At least doctors could give me an injection to reduce the pain, they said. But I shook my head. “No. I believe in Dafa and trust Master.”
I kept reminding myself of Master’s teachings. A true practitioner would not have illnesses, so all these symptoms were illusions. I needed to eliminate them with righteous thoughts. After all, cultivation practice transforms one’s body into high-energy matter, whereas medication has no effect at all. It was just that the changes did not manifest at the time, and this is also a process of enlightenment.
Sometimes, I repeatedly asked myself, “Are you a genuine Dafa disciple?” Every time I answered “Yes.” I knew there were things that I did not do well enough, but as a Dafa disciple, I would not allow any negative elements to interfere. I also remembered Master’s words, “You say that you must be firm and sure-footed. With this determination, if you can indeed be firmly resolute at that point, you will naturally do well because your xinxing will have already improved.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun).
I was resolute in my belief.
On April 28, 2023, the lump broke open, and pus and other fluid poured out. I cleaned it up and realized that the pain reduced by half. I continued listening to Master’s audio lectures and was able to do the exercises. Because the area was inside the left ankle and I am a female, I was still able to do the fifth exercise. So, everything that happened had been arranged.
The wound became smaller over time, and it closed up about six weeks later. The weather was getting hotter by then, and fortunately, I was able to take a bath. Otherwise, my discomfort would be unimaginable. I know Master’s arrangements are the best. Without Dafa, I might have already died. Dafa saved my life, gave me the opportunity to eliminate karma and improve xinxing, and much more. Thank you, Master!