(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) in 1997. With Master Li’s compassionate protection, I have made it to this day. I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences.
Not long after I started practicing Falun Dafa, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution against the practice. I have been illegally sentenced twice, for a total of 13 years. I reflected on my situation, looked inward, and found that the main problem was that I did not study the Fa well, had too many attachments, and I was validating the Fa more emotionally than rationally. I was not truly cultivating.
After I was released, fellow practitioners brought me Dafa books, so I could study the Fa, do the exercises, and assimilate myself to the Fa. I soon recovered physically and mentally.
During the years I was imprisoned, my house was occupied solely by my elderly mother who was paralyzed and unable to care for herself. The doors and windows inside the house were dilapidated, the water pipes were rusted through, and the electrical wiring was aged and posed a serious hazard. The floors were covered with black grime, and the entire house smelled of urine and feces. Outside, the roof was cracked and leaked when it rained, while the courtyard was strewn with garbage. The scene was truly one of utter desolation.
One of the lies the CCP spreads was that Dafa practitioners do not care about their families, which made it more difficult for practitioners to help save people. I decided to renovate my house to better care for my mother and show the beauty of Dafa.
This was easier said than done, however. I had no one to help me, and no money either. When I shared my idea with my older and younger sisters, they refused to help, and subjected me to humiliation. My sister just scoffed at me, “You call that shack a house? Your son isn’t even married. He’d be better off finding a wealthy girl whose family will take him. But what kind of girl would ever look favorably upon your living conditions?”
Her husband chimed in, “You want to renovate your house? My own son is getting married, so I don’t have a single penny to lend you. I’ve already borrowed all the money your youngest sister’s family had, so don’t even bother asking them. There isn’t a dime to be had anywhere for you!”
I was angry and deeply upset, but I forced myself to hold it in. At home, I sat down and studied the Fa. Looking inward, I knew I was angry because my heart felt hurt. I didn’t manage to “forbear.”
Master said:
“Forbearance is the key to improving one’s xinxing. To endure with anger, grievance, or tears is the forbearance of an everyday person who is attached to his concerns. To endure completely without anger or grievance is the forbearance of a cultivator.” (“What is Forbearance (Ren)?” Essentials for Further Advancement)
I calmed down after studying Master’s Fa. I understood this was a good opportunity to eliminate my attachments and elevate my xinxing. I worked odd jobs while carving out time to renovate my house. To save money, I was doing everything myself and endured unbelievable hardships.
My mother told me one evening that she had suffered from nausea, and vomited frequently for the past few years. She threw up almost immediately after swallowing food, and the symptoms had recently worsened significantly. Her complexion was yellowish and dark. She said she felt she was on the verge of death, so she asked me to take her to the hospital.
I apologized, saying, “You know the situation at home. We really don’t have the money to send you to the hospital. You have endured so much suffering throughout your life. It hasn’t been easy.”
I started to tell her about how I was persecuted by the CCP over these years, how I benefited from practicing Dafa, and how wide spread Dafa is around the world. I also read Master’s recent article “How Humankind Came To Be” to her.
“It was all because of the devil (referring to the CCP),” my mother said. “You suffered in prison and I suffered at home. I don’t blame you.”
“Would you like to try to practice Falun Dafa?” I asked.
My mother suddenly spoke loudly, “Yes, I would like to do it!”
I took some paper and wrote down “An Upright Person” and some other poems from Hong Yin, and taught her to read them, word by word. Eventually, my mother learned to recite many of the poems.
A practitioner brought us an audio recording of Master’s lectures, and my mother listened to the recording every day. She often reminded me when it was time to sending forth righteous thoughts, and she also recited the formulas for sending righteous thoughts.
To save time, we ate very simple meals. Every day I made a pot of porridge in the pressure cooker and stir-fried a dish, which were the meals for the entire day. The porridge satisfied both thirst and hunger. Throughout the summer, my mother watched me doing dirty and physically demanding labor work, while maintaining a simple lifestyle. As long as I ensured that I studied the Fa and did the exercises regularly, I showed no signs of tiredness—a stamina that even young people cannot match. My mother witnessed the power of Dafa.
My mother and I lived on porridge for a period of time. We often studied the Fa together, and my mother’s health improved day by day. Her symptoms of nausea and vomiting disappeared, her complexion took on a healthy glow, and her spirit greatly improved.
Although I thought I was doing well in clarifying the truth, in fact I only did so on the surface. I hadn’t helped my family members, with whom I shared daily life, to understand Dafa. In the past, I treated my mother with filial piety, a sense of human warmth and obligation. Often, with my attachments, I frequently complained and disliked my mother, harboring an intense resentment that her illness was a burden that dragged me down. Lacking compassion toward my mother, and refusing to let go of my sentiments and attachments, I had long been trapped in family tribulations.
After I saw my problem, I started to rationally view the things happening around me. When a Dafa practitioner follows the Fa, people will see the beauty and wonder of Dafa.
After my house was fully renovated, it was spacious, clean, and bright. People commented with admiration that I had “risen again.”
During the past two years, both of my younger sisters were diagnosed with cancer. They had undergone chemotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and folk remedies, but nothing worked. Their conditions had worsened, and they became very depressed.
I often visited them with fresh fruits and nutritional supplements. They felt guilty in front of me because they didn’t offer me any help when I got out of prison. Also, they had neglected my paralyzed mother, and told others that they wanted to use our mother’s condition to tie me down, ensuring I wouldn’t have the time to go out to talk about Dafa.
I didn’t blame them, because I’m cultivating Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and I should be compassionate. I spoke to my brothers-in-law about traditional culture, explaining that siblings were called “hands and feet” in traditional culture, and how there is a bond between siblings. I emphasized the importance of mutual help and sincerity in times of difficulty, helping them understand the normal relationship between siblings. At the same time, I pointed out that with the three years of COVID lockdowns, the CCP forcibly mandated vaccinations for the general public across the country, and the vaccine-related side effects were now everywhere.
I continued to talk about how the Party lied about Falun Dafa. After my brothers-in-law understood the truth, they berated the CCP. I talked to my sisters about my experience of practicing Dafa. My sisters started to practice Dafa as well, and they benefited both physically and mentally.
While my house was being renovated, the neighborhood police officer and the community security director frequently came to the house to harass me. One day, while I was working at home, three or four of them came. They carried a bag of rice and a jug of cooking oil, and said they had come to “check in” and “comfort” me. Later in the day, while repairing the woodshed in the yard, I fell from a height and hurt my back.
I looked inward to see what I did wrong. The CCP’s persecution made practitioners’ lives difficult, and the local officials’ visit was quite deceptive. I did not see this right away because I still had the attachment of gain and self-interest. I did not realize that this was another type of persecution. I should tell the truth about Dafa to save people. After I thought of this, my back improved significantly the next day and I could work again.
During the new year, an even larger group came to my home. They brought along a sack of rice and a jug of cooking oil. And, this time they added over two pounds of meat. Shouldering a video camera, they gathered outside my gate and told me to open it. Standing inside the yard, I refused to open the gate. The standoff dragged on, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers.
I spoke to the people there. “I practice Falun Dafa by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I try to be a good person and have never harmed anyone or society, yet I was unjustly imprisoned for a dozen years. Had I been allowed to live a normal life over these years, how much wealth could I have created for my family and society? Was it really necessary for you [the authorities] to bring me anything? I have no need for the things you brought. You can give them to whoever actually wants them.”
People praised me, as I heard someone say, “Well done!”
I had not done a good job in clarifying the truth. This time, I talked with the community security director after the incident and asked if he was a CCP member. He said he was, so I continued, “The opening words of The Communist Manifesto says, ‘A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of communism.’ Specter is a demon.
“When you joined the CCP, you pledged under the flag of the hammer and sickle to dedicate your life to it. The hammer and sickle is the symbol of the Devil’s Cult. It was a malicious pledge. We were all brought into this world by our parents, whose only aim was to raise us to be decent human beings, to be successful, and to honor and care for them. Our parents never demanded we give our lives back to them. Yet the CCP wants your life.
“The Party has committed countless heinous acts and inflicted great harm upon the Chinese people. It is divine law that good and evil meet their just rewards. Those who commit evil deeds must eventually pay the price. If you are a member of the CCP, you will be implicated when Heaven punishes it. The only way to keep yourself safe is to quit the Party. Please remember, ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’”
He agreed, and responded, “Thank you for telling me the truth!” He never came to harass me again.
I then found the neighborhood police officer and spoke to him, “You must have a legal basis when performing your official duties and handling cases. The Constitution and laws never said that practicing Falun Gong is illegal. The list of 14 cults determined by the Ministry of Public Security and the State Council does not include Falun Gong. The persecution of Falun Gong is illegal and justice will arrive eventually. I’m telling you this for your own good.”
I then asked him if he was a CCP member, and explained the same thing I told the community security director. The neighborhood police officer agreed to quit the CCP. He even said, “You Falun Gong are good people,” and wanted to make friends with practitioners.
Through studying the Fa and truly cultivating, my mindset has changed, and Master let me use some supernatural powers.
One day, I was cutting steel pipes with a grinder in the yard. I wasn’t wearing any protective gear, and metal shavings flew into one of my eyes. It was very uncomfortable. I had them rinsed at the hospital when it happened before.
This time, half-closing my eyes, I used telekinesis to move the metal shavings away. This was the first time I had ever used telekinesis. I was too excited that my mentality wasn’t stable. The next day, I was helping another family cut a steel pipe, and metal shavings flew into my eye, at the exact same part of the eye as the day before. Again, I used telekinesis to move the metal shavings away. This time, I remained unmoved.
Knowing that all true Dafa practitioners have supernatural powers that were given to us by Master greatly increased my confidence in saving people. Before going out to clarify the truth, I sent righteous thoughts, and used my supernatural powers to clean out all the evil beings and elements that prevented people from being saved. Every time I went out, I met someone who seemed as if they were waiting for me to tell them the truth about Dafa.
One evening while riding my bicycle I saw a woman planting vegetables by the roadside. I stopped and talked to her. After I told her about Dafa, she said, “No wonder I dreamt last night that a benefactor came to my rescue—so it was you!” She was very grateful and wanted to give me some fresh vegetables.
Nowadays clarifying the truth and helping people quit the CCP is part of my life. Whether while working, visiting friends and relatives, or simply interacting with others, they all present opportunities to let people know the truth about Dafa. It is such a pleasant thing to do, and I am so grateful I have Master and Dafa!