(Clearwisdom.net) I started practicing Falun Gong in May 1998. I am a village woman in my fifties. Prior to becoming a Dafa practitioner, I had a bad temper and was sick all the time.

Before marriage I loved to fight. I was afraid of nothing, and nobody wanted to be with me. My parents were angry because lots of people came to complain about me every day. People in our village and nearby villages all knew who and how I was: "Always high-handed, and a bully." My parents were very worried about me. Finally, I found my match. This family has three brothers, my husband being number three. Even after marriage, I was still a bully. Right in front of my husband, his older brothers, and their parents, I beat up their sister. I beat my brothers-in-law with a shoulder pole, chasing them around the streets. My husband was restrained by me to the point where he dared not have his own temper. So, I earned the nickname "Tigress."

A few years after my marriage, due to the pressure of earning a living, I became physically weak. Sicknesses tortured me continuously, so I became well known at our local hospital. I went through all kinds of scientific tests. A specialist said that my neurological system was malfunctioning, and there was no cure. I also tried a spirit-possessed qigong master, and that didn't work either. The sickness tortured me so much that I thought I'd rather be dead than alive. My weight dropped to less than 100 lbs, and I tried to commit suicide twice.

In May 1998, a friend of mine strongly recommended that I practice Falun Gong. With an attitude of "try-it-and-see," I took up the practice, and in less than a month, I completely recovered from a sickness-filled body and was able to become a real Dafa practitioner.

As for me now, even though I'm in my fifties, I look like I'm only in my thirties, with rosy cheeks, a bouncy step, and able to do any labor intensive work. I know this is all because of Teacher, who purified my body, shouldered my karma, and gave me my second life.

In the Fa, I found my path in life, know how to live, and view the world with a different perspective. In one of my dreams, a Taoist master said that I was a great general in one of the dynasties. Thereby, I comprehended the reason why I loved fighting and swearing previously. Through studying the Fa, I came to realize that swearing and beating people was wrong. So, I apologized to my in-laws and to those in my village whom I had beaten and sworn at. Because of how I changed after becoming Dafa practitioner, my second sister-in-law said, "If anyone says anything bad about Falun Dafa, I'd argue with that person. I don't have to look at anybody else, just take my youngest sister-in-law for instance: Since she began practicing Dafa, she has completely changed herself--not only has she gotten rid of her sicknesses, but also changed her character." My niece says that I am a good wife and a wonderful mother. My relationship with my neighbors has improved remarkably as well.

The start of the persecution of Falun Gong

After the persecution began, when returning to my village from Beijing after appealing for Falun Gong, I was arrested and taken to the detention center and a fine of 8,000 yuan was imposed on me. There were quite a few practitioners in our village going to Beijing to appeal when I was released. The non-practitioners in those practitioners' families came to me, swearing, "If you encourage her to go to Beijing again, I'll break your legs." They thought I was the one who had insisted on their going to Beijing. I restrained myself for I'm a Dafa practitioner, thinking of what Teacher said,

"We have said, however, that as a practitioner one should not fight back when

being punched or insulted, but should conduct oneself with a high standard." ("Transformation of Karma," Lecture Four,Zhuan Falun, Third Translation Edition Updated March 2000)

At Dalian City's addiction treatment center, where I was incarcerated, in front of a few hundred people including fellow practitioners and guards, I was punched and insulted by my cousin's daughter-in-law. I teared up because I was wronged. But I restrained myself and pitied them as I thought of what Teacher said in Zhuan Falun,

"Perhaps in the future you may be slapped in the face twice, and you will lose face in front of someone whom you least want to see it. It is to see how you will deal with this issue and whether you can endure it. If you can tolerate it and yet it preys on your mind, it is still not good enough." ("People with Good Inborn Quality," Lecture Nine, Third Translation Edition Updated March 2000)

After 2003, due to the severity of the persecution, I left home, moving from place to place for two years. My family members were greatly hurt mentally and physically by the trauma of the persecution. My daughter was too scared to sleep, and my husband was sad all the time. Despite all this, my husband still supports me in cultivating Falun Dafa, and from the bottom of his heart he repeats, "Falun Dafa is good!"

After returning home from wandering around, I gained weight and my cheeks became rosy once again, because I have been following the path of Fa-ratification.

April 6, 2009