CULTIVATION STORIES

Before I came to America, I suffered from chronic rhinitis and frequent insomnia. Right after I arrived in this country I found myself allergic to pollen. In the first year I had patches of hives. During the second year they spread all over my body, and my rhinitis worsened. I had a runny nose year-round. In winter and spring I sneezed constantly in the morning. I could use a whole box of facial tissues overnight when it was severe.

I went to a famous hospital for allergy tests, which showed that I was allergic to 48 out of 50 antigens tested. One third of the reactions were very severe. The test results even shocked the doctors and nurses. Everywhere I went I had to take facial tissues and antihistamines with me.

I took antihistamines daily. I tried as many treatments as I could to find a cure. I also had received allergy injections for two years. However, my allergic problem continued to worsen. In the blooming seasons I had unbearable itching in my eyes, ears, nose, and throat. My nose was so swollen that I couldn’t breathe through it and had to breathe through my mouth instead. I often woke up at midnight because my tongue and throat were so painfully dry. Medicine could only relieve some symptoms temporarily, but the attacks would be more severe afterwards, and the dose I needed became greater. The dose of chlorpheniramine I took was already over the limit. One side effect of the anti-allergic drugs was that they often made me sleepy.

I grew up as an atheist, but deep in my heart I longed for the real meaning of life. In May 1997, I borrowed the book Zhuan Falun from my neighbor. After reading the book I decided to cultivate and practice. After I started practicing Falun Gong, all of my allergic symptoms were gradually alleviated. Now all my allergies have gone, and I have become a really healthy person! After seven years of marriage I could not get pregnant, probably because I took too much medicine. I became pregnant six weeks after I started practicing Falun Dafa. Now my son is 20 months old. He is bright and healthy.

My husband also started to practice Falun Dafa. His health problems also have disappeared without any treatment. Our patience and temperament have improved a lot. We now first consider others before we say or do something. Our relationship is getting more harmonious. Falun Dafa has not only given me a healthy body, but also given me a happier family.

Before I learned Falun Dafa, I looked for the meaning of life in Buddhism. But I found that I could not understand the Buddhist scriptures. There were too many different interpretations, and that confused me. Then I turned to Christianity. I thought that I would be saved if I believed in God. But it was not clear to me how one can go to Heaven. I was very confused until I had a chance to read Zhuan Falun This book not only answered my questions about Buddhist scriptures and Bible stories, but also rectified my misunderstandings. I now understand that the real goal of being a human being is to return to one’s true self through cultivation practice. One needs to put down all attachments and to assimilate to the cosmic principles in cultivation practice. Then one can go to Heaven.

(Adapted from Ms. Lin’s presentation at the 1999 Seattle Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.)

February 21, 1999, is a day I will never forget, for on this day the question of a life-long search was answered when I found Falun Dafa. In the back of a large hall at the University of Pennsylvania Chinese New Year Cultural Fair stood a small, yet striking booth. This was the Falun Dafa stand. I found myself drawn as if by a magnet to this booth. Everything about it seemed familiar, extraordinary, and magical. The materials on display had me enraptured, and the two practitioners with whom I spoke seemed proof to me that this was a unique, high-level cultivation system; they were so genuine and radiant. I felt deeply moved by this encounter, and a deep sense of warmth welled up within me. I left the Fair shortly after, proceeding immediately to the nearest bookstore to purchase the two Falun Dafa books--I simply couldn’t wait to begin reading these striking works!

And read I did. Once home, I couldn’t put down the larger book, Zhuan Falun, except to pause and savor its precious insights. I laughed, shouted, cried, and gasped out loud as I read through the night, page after page. Although I didn’t know enough to read in order and from start to finish, the contents still blew my mind and shook my heart at its roots. I recognized at once that this was something I had been looking for my entire life, and perhaps many lifetimes before. Countless questions I had carried in my heart and mind for years, many of them painfully tucked away, unresolved, and forgotten, were addressed straight on, clearly and poignantly. I was spellbound, and even felt my body begin to undergo significant changes, right then and there; my life began to metamorphose. Looking at Master Li Hongzhi’s picture inside the book’s cover, I knew this man was supposed to be my teacher; his image glowed brightly, and I searched my mind for why he seemed so familiar. I felt incredibly fortunate.

A few days and many pages later, I attended my first "Nine-Day Falun Gong Seminar." If someone other than Teacher Li himself had told me what physical and mental transformations I would undergo, I never would have believed him or her. By the ninth day of watching Master Li’s lectures and learning Dafa exercises, I was a new person. This is not an exaggeration. A slew of health problems that had plagued me for years disappeared--disappeared completely.

These problems, which included chronic irritable bowel syndrome, constant fatigue, many food allergies, mild depression, coldness and extreme sensitivity to cold, underweight, and Wilson’s syndrome, until then had been ridiculously stubborn, resisting every sort of treatment, ranging from conventional to alternative, Western to Eastern. I tried everything alternative, including acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, ayurvedic medicine and yoga, chiropractic, colonics and medicinal enemas, enzymes and raw food diets, fasting, herbal programs, hypnotherapy, massage, megavitamin therapy, naturopathy, nutritional and metabolic therapy, psychological counseling, and Qigong therapy. And all of this was after seeing numerous medical doctors and trying rounds and rounds of medications. I felt sorry for all those kind people who tried to help me to no avail. The most I could do was keep these problems mild, and keep them from getting worse. A few years earlier my ailments even forced me to take a leave from college, and almost took my life. I ate an extremely specialized organic diet, recorded every item of every meal in a "food log," and had to chart my temperature several times a day to ensure it did not get too low. I even spent many hours making my own sauerkraut and chicken stock, brewing herbal extracts from scratch, and hunting down rare health foods and supplements. I spent my life living in health food stores, doctor’s offices, and my kitchen. And all of this was in addition to practicing a commercial Qigong. I was living in what I can only describe as a private hell.

By the end of the 9-Day Seminar, however, these problems were, to my great surprise, resolved. I had not even gone seeking healing, and yet I was healed of all these things that had haunted me for years. I threw out my countless health supplements and commercial Qigong books, and began treating myself as a practitioner. What need had I for such things? Master Li’s lectures had done what over a dozen physicians and thousands of dollars could not! I found myself growing ever more energetic, happy, and peaceful. With my karma now dislodged at its roots, I enjoyed normal digestion, warmth in my body, an interest in life, etc. For the first time in as long as I could recall, I didn’t fear going outside in the cold. My appetite finally returned, and I gained six lean, much needed pounds during the seminar. And all of this was despite having severe "cleansing reactions" during the first few days, including diarrhea, coldness, backache, headaches, and so on.

(Adapted from his presentation at the 1999 New Jersey Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.)

I would like to share with you my joy of saying good-bye to a meaningless life, getting rid of all suffering and illnesses, and improving my moral sense from practicing Falun Dafa.

Before cultivating Falun Dafa, my daughter and I had been plagued by illnesses. My husband and I were on the verge of divorce. My family fought all the time, and we were cold to one another. For the past ten years our rancor piled up sky-high. I was suffering internally and externally. I felt hopeless, and didn’t know how I would spend the rest of my life. Now I understand that the hardships in my family were because we were all out of line with Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance). I used to read some spiritual books in order to become free from the pain in my heart. However, that wasn’t very helpful. I felt trapped. Theoretically, I understood such sayings as "One step back and the sea is vast and the sky is boundless," "Forgiving others is one’s joy," and "Being angry in no substitute for getting sick." I tried to smile at my sadness, but my heart wasn’t convinced. My mind and body were suffering all the time.

My daughter is about 10 years old. She had a skin disease since 1995 that gradually worsened. Her skin would blister and fester all over her body. The clothing she wore was stained with blood. What worried me most was that my daughter could not eat many different foods. The disease spread all over her body every time she ate carelessly. All she could eat was rice, green vegetables, pork, apples, and a few other foods. She could not eat beef or wheat. For years she tried all types of Chinese and Western medicine. She even tried scorpion and snake venom as remedies, but nothing worked. The symptoms recurred for several years. We paid for the most expensive medicines, some of which were quite bitter. My poor little daughter looked sallow and emaciated. She told me that she felt weak in her limbs and she shook all the time. Once she said, "Mom, why am I so miserable? I would rather die." She was too little to understand my reaction to her illness. I felt like a knife was piercing my heart day and night. We held each other and cried together. I was encouraged to remain hopeful. "Even though Mom might be reduced to poverty, she still wants to cure your disease." I never thought it would be possible for my daughter to obtain a healthy body.

On October 9, 1998 I began to learn Dafa. When the assistant handed Zhuan Falun to me she told me that this book is very precious, and I should wash my hands before reading it. I didn’t take it seriously, but I followed her suggestion. I didn’t realize that I started a new life when I opened this book. All my suffering came to an end. Although I love reading books, I never found a book like Zhuan Falun. It is so inspiring. The words are of great compassion and awe-inspiring righteousness. When I read what the teacher says, "Does everyone know what I am doing? I regard all practitioners including those who are able to genuinely practice cultivation through self-study as my disciples." I just couldn’t restrain my tears. My heart was crying out, "Is this real? Is this real? Can I call you my master? How can I be so lucky to be your disciple?" I couldn’t wait to read through the whole book right away. Although I still have many questions, my view of life has changed greatly.

Now I am glad to tell everyone that my daughter is no longer afraid of eating anything. She can now eat any food--beef, wheat, roasted duck, bamboo shoots, etc.--without restriction. The photo of her ulcerated skin is the only evidence of her previous illness. From 1995 to 1998, how many injections had my daughter been given? How many medicines had she taken in three years? Did she recover? No. However, after practicing Dafa she is now a healthy person. I used to have diseases like arthritis, migraines, and cardiac arrhythmias. I visited the doctor frequently and became a chronic invalid. I was never happy for three straight days. Now all my diseases, including a uterine tumor, have disappeared without a trace.

After practicing Falun Dafa, I forgave my husband and my mother-in-law. I discovered the things that I did wrong that caused me such unforgettable pain and haunted me for such a long time. I was contrite about hurting their feelings. My most difficult steps were to admit my own wrongdoing, not to complain about others, and even to bow to the person that hurt me. Ten years of hatred was released in a single day. A few days after I read the book, my husband suddenly became sick. He was sent to the emergency room. I stayed with him the whole time and took care of him with a sincere heart. I remembered one time when I had arthritis and wanted to see a doctor, he accused me of feigning illness just to spend money. Now when he was sick I took a day off to take care for him. I could finally return his hatred with virtue. I know that my husband’s illness was not accidental. It happened so fiercely, yet disappeared suddenly. Its outcome was that it brought us from the edge of divorce to reunion. After that, I tape-recorded my Cantonese translation of the Cultivation Practice Story from Falun Buddha Fa, Volume 1. I played it for my family during dinnertime. They began to know that Dafa practitioners are all good people pursuing "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." My mother-in-law used to be very devoted in worshipping her god while she cursed people behind their backs. Now she is careful about what she says. Furthermore, she used to avoid cooking for my family. One time my daughter had a high fever. It was already 7 p.m. when we got back from the hospital. My mother-in-law hadn’t prepared dinner and preferred going hungry. We were always fighting. Now, my mother-in-law prepares meals for us every day. When I come home from work she has finished cooking. Falun Dafa helps people to regain their innocence and achieve a higher level of morality.

(Adapted from Ms. Zheng’s presentation at the 2000 San Francisco Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.)