(Clearwisdom.net)

I'm 79 years old and I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. Before that, I had numerous illnesses and they were all stubborn, chronic problems. For example, I suffered from cataracts, prostate hyperplasia, bronchiectasis, hepatic cyst, constipation, lumbosacral strain, and arthritis. I was often sick with colds that would last a long time and then leave me with complications. I was in constant pain, and my illnesses also brought misery to my family and increased costs for my country. But since I started practicing Falun Dafa, I have never been sick once nor have I had to take a single pill--I have not needed to submit any medical claims. This has brought happiness to my family and has lessened the financial burden on my country. Here I would like to talk about some of my cultivation experiences over the past 9 years:

1. Personal Benefits of Mind and Body and Dramatic Changes

I had cataracts for more than ten years before I started practicing Falun Dafa. I was not able to clearly see an object when it was only one meter (three feet) away. When I taught my classes, if a student sitting in or after the fifth row raised his/her hand, I would not be able to see it. Therefore, I had to take disability leave ahead of my time for retirement. Constipation was my biggest hidden ailment. It was common for me to not have a bowel movement for six to seven days and I was in terrible misery. Three years before I practiced Falun Gong I started to have prostate hyperplasia, which forced me to get up 4 to 5 times to urinate in the night. My urination was urgent and painful and I often had blood in my urine. I was in excruciating pain with all sorts of different illnesses. Neither western nor Chinese medicine worked for me; I spent all my monthly wages on medical bills. Nonetheless, I was in debt, which put big pressure on my family's financial condition. Under such difficult conditions, I was fortunate enough to start practicing Falun Dafa through a relative's introduction. In the beginning, I did not know anything about Falun Dafa and I thought I'd just give it a shot. I found an assistant at a practice site and my first question was how much it cost. He told me that Falun Dafa practitioners taught the exercises on a volunteer basis and did not charge any money. He told me to go to a bookstore to buy the Falun Gong book. He also said that if I thought it was good after reading the book, then I could go ahead and practice it; otherwise, I should simply not practice it. I immediately went to Xinhua bookstore and bought a copy of China Falun Gong. After reading the book, I felt it had a rich, broad and profound content. Meanwhile, I listened to Teacher Li's lecture tapes at the practice site and that motivated me to practice Falun Dafa. This way, I entered the cultivation practice of Falun Dafa.

After cultivating in Falun Dafa for a period of time, some of my stubborn, chronic illnesses gradually disappeared without medical intervention. I also witnessed some miracles, so I cultivated even more diligently. After practicing Falun Dafa for a month, I started to feel that my feet had become strong. One time I walked for more than three hours straight. I walked about 30 kilometers without a break, but I did not feel tired at all and was able to do some chores upon returning home. That was indeed a miracle. Now I walk like I'm treading on air. I walk with my head held high and with long strides. My vision has also shown miraculous improvements. Once I came across an old newspaper and I was able to read it clearly without eyeglasses. Ever since then, I've no longer needed eyeglasses for my near-sightedness when I read or write. My vision is now as good as when I was young. Isn't it a miracle to be able to thread a needle without eyeglasses when I'm almost 80? In the past, what I dreaded most was winter. When the temperature dropped to below 10 degrees Celsius, my bronchiectasis, lower back and leg pains, and arthritis would act up. Especially when I tossed and turned in bed and let in a little fresh air during the night, it would keep me violently coughing nonstop, which affected my sleep and even led to insomnia. I felt so miserable. However, I lived safely and soundly through the first winter after I started practicing Falun Dafa. My symptoms of bronchietasis, arthritis, constipation, prostate hyperplasia and other illnesses all disappeared. My whole family was happy for me. Now it's been eight to nine years since I said goodbye to the hospital.

After studying the Fa and cultivating, my level of awareness has also made constant improvement, my life has been enriched, and I have a goal. I read the book Zhuan Falun whenever I have time and I don't know how many times I have read it. I gain something different and new every time I read the book. The more I read it, the more I want to read it. Indeed, I can read the book hundreds of times without getting bored. I have also taken fame and wealth less seriously.

2. One Person Practices and the Whole Family Benefits

My wife was sick and my children each had to pay their share for her medical bills. There was also monetary support from the younger generations of my relatives. After I practiced Falun Dafa, all my illnesses disappeared and my wife no longer needed to take medicine. For the past eight to nine years, we have never taken a cent from our children. We actually took out some of our savings and gave it to my daughter-in-law to improve their living conditions, to develop farming byproducts, and to buy food for and give an allowance to my granddaughter. These are all things that we can actually see with our eyes. There are also some invisible, indirect benefits.

3. Experiences of Being Spared After Brushes with Danger

Teacher says:

A) One Sunday before July 20, 1999, a young fellow practitioner gave me a ride on his bike to go into town for the group Fa-study. On my way there, I unexpectedly fell off the bike and lay on the street on my back, and the bike also flipped over. So he and the bike both fell on top of me and the situation was very dangerous. People on the street were all stunned. With bystanders' help I got to my feet and was unharmed. I went into town in time for the group Fa-study.

B) Once I climbed up a two-meter high fence with a wooden ladder to pick some peas and I accidentally fell down. My feet were caught in the ladder. My wife, who was inside the house, was alarmed by the noise and helped me to get to my feet. After carefully examining my body, I did not find any injury. Again, it was a false alarm.

C) One Sunday this year, I went shopping in a small store. I had to cross a ditch to get to the store. The edge of the ditch was cemented and filled with slippery moss. After crossing the ditch I stepped on the moss and fell to the ground. My watchband was broken and the watch landed 2 meters away. The storeowner was shocked. He grabbed me and helped me get up. I had mud all over my body, yet I was safe and sound without a scratch. There are some other miraculous incidents in which I was spared after brushes with danger, but I'll not talk about them now.

4. Persecuted Since July 20, 1999

Because I did not cooperate with the evil to create falsifying evidence or to deceive people, supervisors, security patrols, police department's instructors, police and other unknown personnel in my town constantly came to my home to harass me. They forbade me to make appeals or make group efforts with others, and they imposed their rules (which I would destroy after they left) on me, but I ignored them. They wiretapped my phone for more than 100 days in a row and requested that I personally answer the phone every day. If I were not home they would find me and get me home to answer the phone. They also assigned my neighbors to watch over me. If I went out or contacted someone they were suspicious of, they would immediately report it to the public security office in my town. I also noticed that several times when I went into town to pick up my paycheck, someone would follow me. When I found out, I maintained my righteousness and ignored it, and it did not happen again since. In addition, the Qionglai TV station came to my home twice for a videotaping. They were accompanied by supervisors in the town, headmaster and Party Secretary of the village and personnel from the city. They asked me to make slanderous statements and testimony. I told the truth, so they eventually did not play the videotape.

Because of various reasons I have been staying home and have not been able to step forward, mainly because I have had a serious attachment to fear. Firstly, being old, being slow in movement and actions, and with impaired hearing, I am afraid that I will bring losses to Dafa that would be hard to recover. Secondly, I was afraid that I would bring some serious consequences to my family. These are all human mentalities and are attachments that a cultivator should cultivate away.

I recently read Teacher's new article "Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People":

After reading this, I felt ashamed of myself and I criticized myself. From now on, I will use every opportunity to step forward to clarify the truth to people around me and to my colleagues, including telling them in detail about the great changes in my mind and body, so that they are able to understand that Falun Dafa is good and is a righteous way, and that they should not listen to the tricks and slander fabricated by TV and radio stations.