(Clearwisdom.net)

(Article for First Written Experience Sharing for Falun Gong Practitioners in China)

"... In the days that followed, my wife got up early and stayed up late studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. In three months, an unexpected miracle occurred, her sallow complexion became rosy. She stopped taking the medications she had relied on for years. She appeared stronger, and she could even help me with some household chores. The enormous change in my wife made me wonder what kind of practice could give life back to my dying wife? Was it only a psychological effect or was this practice truly this powerful?"

- A quote from this article

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Greetings to Honorable Teacher and fellow practitioners!

My name is Ming Duo (alias), and I am 39 years old. I graduated from a medical school in Jilin Province. I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998, and from then on I was on the true path to return to my original, true self.

1. My Challenges Before Finally Obtaining Dafa (1)

I graduated from college in 1989, and was recruited by a pharmaceutical company, where I worked in the administrative department.

At that time, I just wanted to get promoted, make money, stand out among my peers, and bring honor to my family. With such a mindset, I worked diligently without complaint. Because of my talent and outstanding capabilities, I was soon promoted to a mid-management position in the company. That same year I married Ms. Yu, who was my age. She had graduated from the economics department of a university, was very talented, and worked in a municipal government party organization.

All of our colleagues and classmates thought we were outstanding among our peers. I was however, also complacent. Both my family life and my career went smoothly, and I expected everything in my life to turn out as I desired. However, I didn't know why I sometimes felt empty and lonely in this state of contentment.

Ever since I was young, I often gazed into the night sky, seeing the countless stars, and asked myself, "Why are we alive? Where does life come from, and where will life take us?"

In 1992, the company's earnings plummeted, and I was also badly battered by complicated interpersonal relationships at work. After deliberate consideration, I decided to start my own business. It was not easy to start a business. However, because of my intelligence, my specialized knowledge in the pharmaceutical field, and my marketing and sales skills, I was able to expand my business in pharmaceutical sales in a short period of time. My business became very profitable, but little did I know that just when I was feeling fortunate that I was able to make money in an economic depression, a major calamity was waiting for me.

My wife was 25 years old. She had suffered from very poor health since she was young. She had difficulty handling the complicated relationships among people at work, and her personality was that of always striving to excel and fighting to be Number One in every aspect of her life. Working under intense pressure, her health became progressively worse. In additional to psychasthenia (2), rheumatism, gastritis, prolapsed stomach, duodenal ulcer, and heart disease that she had previously suffered from, she now suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, adnexitis, lower abdominal inflammation, peritonitis, myocarditis, intermittent heartbeat, and other ailments. She was suffering terribly in the prime of her life. My wife went everywhere to see doctors and find a cure, and it was not uncommon for her to be hospitalized for eight months out of a year. The managers at her workplace talked to her on many occasions, and advised her to retire early. Every year, the company spent tens of thousands of yuan (3) for her medical bills, and we also spent nearly ten thousand yuan of our own money. Our family used to be filled with happiness and laughter, but gradually our lives were filled with my wife's sighs, painful groans, and her overwhelming grief and despair every day.

My wife tried all kinds of treatments and took many expensive medicines and herbs. She went to see numerous experts and specialists, but could not find any relief. After she gave up on the doctors, she began to believe in Buddhism. She practiced deviant side-paths and bowed to the foxes, weasels, ghosts, and snakes, and tried other low-level so-called treatment methods, but with little effect. She also tried a few different kinds of qigong, which sometimes helped and sometimes made matters worse. Nothing could fundamentally cure her illnesses. At first I strongly opposed her studying those qigong methods, because I had a medical background and I was fully convinced of the science of medical intervention. But, when I saw how much pain she was in, I thought, "Well, whatever she wants to try, I will support her as long as it helps her maintain her hope."

One day in August 1997, my wife attended a meeting held in a scenic site in Jilin City. She was filled with joy when she returned home. She told me, "I read a book of Falun Gong. It's a practice from the Buddhist School." I had often seen her like this, so I just casually responded, "Whatever you want to try, just go ahead. I will not oppose it, as long as it can help your illness."

In the following days, my wife got up early and stayed up late studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. In three months, an unexpected miracle occurred. Her sallow complexion became rosy. She stopped taking the medications she had relied on for years. She appeared stronger, and could even help me with some household chores.

The enormous change in my wife made me wonder what kind of practice could bring my dying wife back to life? Was it only a psychological effect or was this practice truly this powerful? Two practitioners who often practiced the exercises with my wife came to our house to study the Fa with her. I remember clearly one day in 1998, when the two women came to our home and suggested that I also learn Falun Gong. My wife often shared experiences with them on understandings about the Fa. At that time, I didn't know anything about cultivation, but one day I suddenly told them, "I want to cultivate, and I want to cultivate to be a Tathagata." They were surprised and asked me, "Why a Tathagata?" I said, "Because a Tathagata can save people." I surprised myself by saying this, because I didn't know what a Tathagata was. Later, after I began cultivating, I realized that what I said probably came from higher thoughts within me. It was probably my wish from eons ago.

In August 1998, I actually started to practice Falun Gong. My wife and I and our five-year-old daughter studied the Fa, practiced the exercises, and shared experiences together every day. Our family lived in harmony together. In our daily lives, all three of us were strict with ourselves and followed Dafa's requirements, including our daughter. Although our financial situation was relatively good, we never spent money casually. We even saved money when buying new clothes or snacks for our daughter and bought Dafa books to give to people in need. At that time, I was able to read one book of Teacher's overseas lectures in addition to at least three lectures in "Zhuan Falun" every day. I eagerly studied the Fa daily. In just one year, I read "Zhuan Falun" more than one hundred times, and I could almost recite every question in the audio and video tapes of Teacher's overseas lectures. On average, Fa study and exercises took many hours each day, and this built a solid foundation for my future path of Fa-rectificaton cultivation.

On July 19, 1999, the three members of our family, along with six other practitioners, heard the news that a few malicious people in the central government had decided to ban Falun Gong. As Dafa practitioners, we were very concerned, and wished we had wings to fly to Beijing to clarify the truth to the leaders in the central government.

Nine of us (six adults and three children) discussed the situation, and decided to go to Beijing without delay to safeguard Dafa. We spent 4,000 yuan to rent two cars, and drove long hours to get to Beijing. We drove 1,200 km (750 miles) in a day and a half and arrived at Tiananmen Square in Beijing at 11:00 p.m. on July 21, 1999. We safely returned home thereafter.

After coming back, we had several opportunities to share our experiences with local practitioners. Many practitioners went to Beijing one after another to validate Dafa. On September 6, 1999, three practitioners, who have since been tortured to death, and I went to Beijing to appeal once again. On October 11, we were arrested and escorted back to Jilin City by the Jilin police who were stationed in the Beijing office. My wife and I were accused of being the Falun Gong "ringleaders" by the local newspapers and radio stations. We were detained for three days in the Jilin City Detention Center, and then transferred to the Third Prison and illegally detained there. At this prison I was inhumanly treated. I had never been to a prison, and the people around me were criminals and social outcasts. Each day seemed like a long year for me. When I was in the city prison, my family spent around forty to fifty thousand yuan to persuade someone to "bail" me out, on the condition that I would renounce my cultivation verbally and in writing. I couldn't wait to go home, so I complied with the request, against my better nature.

When I returned home, my wife was still illegally imprisoned in the First Prison, and our daughter was living with my mother-in-law. I was hired by a relative, and worked as a manager in a drug wholesale department. After I was released from prison, I started to realize the seriousness of cultivation.

My wife wrote me a few letters from prison, and encouraged me to correct my mistake of signing a "Guarantee Statement." After I understood that what I did was wrong, I started to read Dafa books again.

I deeply regretted what I had done, and wanted to make up for it by redoubling my efforts. So I cultivated more diligently and worked harder. I treated every employee that I supervised with kindness. I not only helped them with their work and in their personal lives, but also integrated the truth of Dafa into my daily speech and actions. Soon, the wholesale department that I supervised improved from its previously selfish attitude, and the profits kept growing each month. More importantly, everybody in the department treated each other with kindness, and like family. The colleagues in other departments all knew about the noble moral character and the remarkable professional abilities of Dafa practitioners. Later three people in the company started to practice Falun Dafa.

Even though I was very busy with my work in 2000, I spent every minute I could find to study the Fa. Even during short walks I played Teacher's Fa lectures on my Walkman. Sometimes, when I was too busy, I slept only 1-2 hours a night, for up to a month. The days flew by very quickly, and although I felt content in my life, I always wondered, "Will I be able to consummate even though I didn't validate Dafa at a crucial moment?" This question troubled me for a long time.

One morning at around 3:00 a.m., when I was meditating while practicing the fifth exercise, the dark room suddenly became brilliant with a golden light. I opened my eyes and saw myself. I was filled with golden light and meditating in a brilliant ball of the same light. I thought my eyes might have been blinded, but when I looked again, it was still the same. This lasted for more than ten minutes. When I finished meditating, I didn't feel the slightest joy. Instead my heart felt solemn, and I couldn't stop the tears from pouring down my face. I knew that our merciful Teacher was telling me that I was still able to consummate as long as I persisted in cultivation from now on.

In July 2000, I was illegally arrested and again sent to prison for sharing my experiences with several other Dafa practitioners. This time I resisted the malevolent factors and validated Dafa in all situations. I was mercilessly beaten, and my hips were seriously injured -- to the extent that I cannot walk. I was released free of any charges twenty-eight days later.

(To be continued)

(1) Fa: Law and principles; "Dafa" means "The Great Law."

(2) Psychasthenia: a neurotic state characterized especially by phobias, obsessions, or compulsions that one knows are irrational.

(2) Yuan is the Chinese currency. The average monthly salary of an urban worker in China is 500 yuan.

September 16, 2004