(Minghui.org) Searching is a form of suffering. Without access to the true Way, one does not know how to cultivate.
I was born into an ordinary working-class family in China. As a child, I used to wonder about the origins and mysteries of life; sometimes I would gaze up at the night sky for a long time—perhaps humans are born with this innate sense of wonder and perception.
The mundane concerns of this world can obscure one’s true nature. Family, school, society—everything we encounter has a profound impact on us, both positive and negative. I enjoyed reading books that explore the mysteries of the universe and life, including works on science and metaphysics, and I also made friends with people who practice qigong.
Contracting Tuberculosis
At age 17, I started practicing a form of qigong. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a teacher to guide me, so I just practiced haphazardly based on various qigong books. Not only did I fail to make any progress, but my health actually deteriorated. As a qigong enthusiast, I took many wrong turns along the way. To ensure my practice remained undisturbed, I lived in my own place away from my parents.
However, I was young and didn’t know how to look after myself properly. I only fired up the large kang (heated brick bed) in my single-story home in winter, and slept directly on the cold surface without even a straw mat during the rest of the year.
People say the young have plenty of “inner heat” and vitality, but my body couldn’t withstand the long-term cold and dampness. Eventually, a hospital check-up revealed I had contracted tuberculosis. I was frail and underweight at the time, weighing only 99 lbs. For a while, I underwent treatment at an infectious diseases hospital before being discharged. When I got home, I could not do any household chores.
Because of my frail health, the 20-minute bike ride to work left me drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. At night, I had severe insomnia and would lie wide awake staring at the curtains; during the day, I was in a daze without any energy. Day after day, I endured this agonizing existence.
Looking for a Way Out
I didn’t think qigong was helpful, so I tried martial arts. I got a wooden stick and practiced swinging it around, but after a few days, I felt drained and physically exhausted. Then I tried jogging, but just two sessions made me feel terrible, and I didn’t dare continue.
Once, I visited a famous temple in Beijing, hoping to find a genuine martial arts master. A monk there learned of my intent and said the words “kung fu” were not to be mentioned in the temple. Not fully understanding, I approached a monk who seemed to be in charge and said I wanted to learn real martial arts; however, he promptly got me to leave.
At a restaurant near the Beijing railway station, I ordered a plate of dumplings. I had barely taken a few bites when a little boy stopped next to my table, gazing longingly at my food. I went to the counter, ordered another serving, and handed it to the boy, watching him wolf it down. Suddenly, I heard a man in the restaurant shout, “Good people are blessed with a lifetime of peace!”
Two Missed Opportunities
One day in 1995, a qigong friend told me he had started practicing Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa). Having practiced qigong for so many years without my health improving, my mind was no longer open to the idea of qigong practice. My friend lent me a copy of Falun Gong, but I didn’t read it properly and gave it back.
After a while, he came to see me again and took me to a club to watch a video of the Falun Gong Master giving a lecture. However, I stuck with my original qigong practice and didn’t pay attention to the video, so I missed both chances.
Because my health was so poor, my parents told me not to work. My father said, “With a body like yours, you shouldn’t even think about starting a family or getting married.” I understood what he meant—that simply staying free of flare-ups would be a blessing in itself. But I was only in my 20s! The path ahead seemed bleak and uncertain; why wouldn’t heaven grant me a way out?
That night, I started sweating profusely again, and my blanket was soaked. My father realized something was seriously wrong and made me move back home. Even so, my night sweats and insomnia didn’t improve in the slightest.
A Pleasant Surprise
By April 1996, my body was so frail that I yearned to find the true Way. With no other options left, I remembered Falun Gong and thought: “I’ll give this one last shot—it’s a final, do-or-die attempt!”
Early one morning, I arrived at a Falun Gong practice site where about a hundred people were doing the exercises, accompanied by melodious music. I stood at the back of the group and began to practice by imitating the movements of the people in front of me.
I must admit, my movements were far from precise; as a beginner, I was merely imitating the form. Yet, I distinctly felt my body—long plagued by chronic illness—suddenly become light and supple. Every cell, from the inside out, felt a sense of delight, and my inner self seemed to brighten. I had never experienced this sensation in any other practice.
As the saying goes, “A long drought is followed by welcome rain.” That night, after practicing the exercises, I slept soundly all night. From then on, my insomnia was completely cured. I thought: “This practice is wonderful—I’m going to keep doing it!”
Enormous Changes Within Three Months
As the number of Falun Gong practitioners at the site grew, the volunteer instructors decided to set up another practice site. So I became one of the first new practitioners there.
Other qigong programs charge a lot of money, but learning the Falun Gong exercises is completely free. At the site, instructors would teach several people at a time until they mastered the movements.
My qigong friend brought me a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Gong. After reading it for a few days, I went to a newsstand, bought another copy for myself, and returned the book to my friend. At the time, Zhuan Falun was a nationwide bestseller and in short supply, so most available copies were unauthorized editions.
At the practice site, new practitioners could watch video recordings of Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, giving lectures—they would watch one lecture per day and there was no charge.
I went to a farmer’s home in the suburbs and watched Master’s lectures with a dozen or so people who were sitting in the full-lotus position. I decided to sit like that too and managed to hold the full-lotus position for 30 minutes right from the start—even though sitting cross-legged for only five minutes had been excruciatingly painful in the past.
This time, I clearly understood the teachings and realized Falun Gong is about guiding people to higher levels and returning to one’s original, true nature; it is a cultivation practice of the Buddha school that integrates cultivating both mind and body.
As a qigong enthusiast, many of the doubts in my heart were cleared up one by one: I came to understand the purpose of human existence; I learned why practicing other forms of qigong doesn’t increase cultivation energy or cure illnesses; I learned about the mysteries of human cultivation and the universe—all of which are profound and mysterious divine secrets. I had never heard any other qigong master speak of these things before. There were nine lectures in total, and I finished reading them all in just nine days.
I had practiced many forms of qigong in the past, which had thrown my body’s meridians and energy flow into disarray. During the first two weeks of meditating at the practice site, the effects of those past practices were cleared away and my energy flow became smooth.
I experienced intense physical reactions while meditating; although I maintained the correct posture, my body would repeatedly bounce up and down. A powerful energy would lift my body up and then drop it down rapidly. I couldn’t mimic this bouncing motion even if I tried. Two weeks later, it felt like my energy channels had been realigned, and the bouncing stopped.
After practicing for over a month, my body was rejuvenated. The sensation of stagnation was gone, my once ashen face had regained its natural color, and I had more energy. I began helping my parents with some household chores.
Once, while practicing the standing exercises, I suddenly felt a stream of energy rapidly rotating in my lower abdomen, similar to a fan. I later learned that Master installs a Falun (law wheel) for practitioners whose bodies have been properly adjusted. (This Falun is a tangible entity—a real existence in another dimension—and is regarded as a precious treasure in the cultivation community).
By the time I had been practicing the exercises for three months, my body had become strong, and ailments like tuberculosis were completely cured. One day, my cousin saw me and said I looked healthy again.
Doing Heavy-Duty Chores
At our home, my father used to get the gas cylinder refilled, but once my health improved, I took over that task.
A gas cylinder holds 33 lbs of gas and weighs nearly 77 lbs with the weight of the cylinder. I would place a wooden frame on my bicycle rack, load the cylinder, and strap it down tightly. Despite a round trip of over three miles, I never felt tired while riding.
Three months previously, I was frail and sickly, unable to do any work at all. In contrast, I could now ride my bicycle with a gas cylinder—even going uphill without dismounting. This tremendous transformation from desperation to thriving was granted to me by Dafa’s Master Li. Falun Gong is an extraordinary science!
Witnessing Changes in Others
More and more people were taking up the practice, and in less than a year, nearly a hundred people were gathering at the newer practice site. Every morning, as the music began to play, people would spontaneously line up, forming a very orderly group.
At the various practice sites, some people taught the exercises while others brought tape recorders or volunteered as cleaners—everyone took it upon themselves to maintain our cultivation environment.
I watched elderly couples first arrive supporting each other; after three months of practicing, they’d walk briskly home after the morning session. Some people in their 70s and 80s rode bicycles. Everyone’s health improved, and there were lots of smiling faces.
People from remote rural areas also came to learn Falun Gong, then returned to their villages and established several practice sites there. The Buddha light of Falun Gong shone upon our historic city.
Dafa Elevates Morality
In today’s world, where morality is in decline, almost everyone is focused on money, and corruption is rampant. Who would have thought that there is a group of practitioners who, guided by the principles of Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance, strive to be good people? They even return lost property, find joy in helping others, refrain from greed and self-enrichment, and put others’ needs before their own!
Once, I saw a little boy fall over, lying on the ground and crying his eyes out. Without a second thought, I went over and helped him up. The boy must have been in pain from the fall, because he was very upset, so I asked where he lived.
The moment I helped the child to his feet, I distinctly felt energy radiating outward from my body. The little boy stopped crying and said, “Thank you! I am fine now. I won’t trouble you anymore.”
Once, on my ride home, I saw an elderly woman pushing a fully loaded tricycle. As she started going uphill, she couldn’t move forward anymore, and the tricycle began rolling backward. I quickly ran over to help and pushed the tricycle all the way up the hill.
When the elderly woman went to thank me, I said, “Auntie, please remember that Falun Dafa is good.”
As I was getting ready to ride off, I heard her calling out from a distance: “I’ll remember—Falun Dafa is good!”
Once, when a work colleague fell seriously ill and urgently needed a large sum for medical expenses, I donated 4,000 yuan anonymously.
Almost everyone has encountered instances of Falun Gong practitioners returning excess change they received or handing in lost valuables they found.
A Happy Marriage
Because I practice Falun Gong, several attempts to find a romantic partner fell through—either the other person disapproved, or I did. Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution and propaganda, almost everyone held misconceptions about Falun Gong, wondering if practicing would lead to killing, self-immolation, or mental illness.
These doubts struck me as both absurd and tragic; the Party’s lies poisoned the minds of so many Chinese people! I would tell them that everything broadcast on television is false and fabricated! Practitioners do not take life—we don’t even kill chickens or fish, so how could we possibly kill a human being? Suicide is also considered a sin.
Later, I met a young woman through a mutual acquaintance. She was also a practitioner, and we shared the same aspirations. She was gentle, sincere, and kind-hearted, and I was immediately drawn to her. After spending some time getting to know each other, we got married. All our parents were very pleased with the match.
Divine Protection
Practicing Dafa is a blessing—and a tremendous one at that. Those who do not practice have never experienced it, so they are unaware.
My father bought me an electric bicycle with spoked wheels. The roads in our city were riddled with potholes of various sizes. Sometimes, if I wasn’t paying attention, I would ride right into a hole, causing the bike to jolt violently. On a few occasions, when the potholes were particularly large, the bike shook severely.
One morning, I had a very vivid dream about my e-bike. At first, the rear wheel had its outer tire. Then, the tire vanished, leaving behind only the rim, the motor hub, and the spokes; the rim was made of aluminum alloy, but a small section had snapped and completely separated from the rest, held in place by only two spokes.
I woke up instantly, realizing this was serious. I told my wife about the dream and said, “I can’t ride this bike anymore.” We both took the dream as a divine warning—a sign of imminent danger. So, I carefully rode the bike back to my parents’ home.
I told my father, “Dad, I dreamed that the rear wheel of this e-bike was broken and couldn’t be ridden.” My father and older brother took the rear wheel apart, and sure enough, found it was faulty exactly like my dream. My father bought a new rim and re-laced the spokes. My father and brother didn’t understand my dream—after all, wasn’t I divinely protected?
Practitioners of Falun Gong know that the Buddha Fa teachings transcend the laws of the human world and are beyond non-practitioners’ comprehension. This experience I’m describing is true and really did happen to me!
I have now been practicing Falun Gong for 30 years. My wife and I take good care of our parents on both sides; our family is harmonious, and we lead a happy life—all of which are blessings that Falun Gong has brought us.
This is my journey in seeking the Way. I am grateful to Master! I am grateful to Dafa!
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