(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhang Jing (not her real name) became a Falun Gong practitioner in 2006. Prior to practicing Falun Gong, although her family was well-off, she had a weak character. Many people saw the tremendous changes in her after practicing Falun Gong, and they also started to practice.
Huge Changes Because of Falun Gong
At a dinner table in a restaurant in northeast China, a beauty salon proprietress said to Zhang Jing: “If you hadn't started practicing Falun Gong, you would have remained a bad woman and your husband would still be like a beast!”
Ms. Zhang calmly replied to her, “Yes, I was fortunate to meet Sister, a Falun Gong practitioner. Thanks to Master, who sent this practitioner to save me. Otherwise the eighteen levels of hell wouldn't hold me. I would have gone directly into an endless hell.”
Ms. Zhang and her husband, Xu Qiang, were the owners of three companies. They had two dozen trucks and a dozen cars. She did all sorts of bad things such as drinking and gambling. Xu Qiang was even worse and was always after money. Although they were well-off, they were not happy together. They often argued and fought with each other, and their marriage almost ended.
However, Ms. Zhang has now become a steadfast Falun Gong practitioner. By following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, she has gotten rid of the bad behaviors that she had previously. Her old friends now look at her differently. Even her parents-in-law trust her, which was impossible in the past. Although her husband is not yet a cultivator, a big change has occurred in him as well. He now considers the interest of his partners rather than just his own personal gain. The family is full of happiness and peace.
Let's take a look at the journey of Ms. Zhang Jing from the eyes of a Falun Gong practitioner whom Ms. Zhang calls “Sister.”
Meeting with Ms. Zhang
I became acquainted with Alian (not her real name), a Falun Gong practitioner, in 2002 when I was in a forced labor camp. Alian told me that the director of the 610 Office in my hometown was a good friend of her friend, Ms. Zhang, and they grew up together. I became interested in the connection and planned to tell Ms. Zhang the facts about Falun Gong. I hoped that eventually the director of the 610 Office would learn the truth via Ms. Zhang and stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. With this plan in my mind, Master provided me with an opportunity to accomplish it.
I went to see Alian in 2006 when she was an employee in one of Ms. Zhang's companies. I told her that I'd like to meet with Ms. Zhang. She phoned her right away and asked her whether she'd like to meet me. Ms. Zhang said on the phone, “We can meet at the temple at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.” Ms. Zhang and her husband were seeking a divorce at that time, and she didn't want to go home. She spent her time at different temples, and donating money to them. At night, she just stayed in one of the temples.
I met with Ms. Zhang in a temple the next day. Due to the crowd and noise, we just chatted very briefly and didn't get to the facts about Falun Gong before she became busy with other things. I felt disappointed at the outcome.
I felt uneasy at home and prayed to Master, “Master, I want to save this woman, please give me another opportunity.” I also asked Alian to make some arrangement so that I can meet with Ms. Zhang alone if possible.
Living with Ms. Zhang's Family
Alian phoned me several days later and said, “Ms. Zhang's father is suffering from liver cancer and she is looking for a nanny to take care of him. Are you willing to do it?”
I realized that this was an opportunity arranged by Master and immediately agreed. I met with Ms. Zhang and told her that I'd like to help. She felt a bit uncomfortable at the beginning, “Considering your age and your being a cultivator, how can I ask you to look after my father?
I said to her, “No problem. As a cultivator, I have to make a living just like other people.” She then hired me, but we didn't talk about wages or benefits before I started. I was very clear about this: my goal was to save her rather than to make money.
However, I came across many tests at the beginning. Because her father's tumor was at a late stage, he was unable to move and had to eat, drink and excrete in his bed. Although the house was large with several spare rooms, Ms. Zhang asked me to sleep on the floor close to her father's bed. The smell in the room was unbearable, but I wasn't troubled by such things.
Xu Qiang came home a few days later. He felt it was hot and stuffy when he entered his father-in-law's room. He asked me whether I felt too hot. I told him that I was okay with the heat but the smell in the room was terrible. He felt embarrassed and asked me to move into the living room.
After Xu Qiang found out that I was a Falun Gong practitioner, he often found fault with me, and criticized me or said something to irritate me. He tried various means to make me leave.
I was cooking in the kitchen one day and the dinner was nearly ready when Xu Qiang came home. He entered the kitchen, pushed me aside and cut up several peppers, potatoes and onions. He put the vegetables he cut in the stir-fried dish which was almost done. Later while having dinner, he tasted the vegetables he cut and threw away his chopsticks in anger, “Look at the dish you cooked. How can one eat it without salt added? Are we short of salt?”
I wasn't annoyed and said with a smile, “It was my fault that I didn't add enough salt. I will do better next time.”
I was cutting potatoes once when Xu Qiang came home. He said unhappily, “Look at the potato slices you cut, they are too thick.” He pushed me aside and started to cut the potatoes himself. He then compared what he cut with those that I cut, but didn't notice any improvement. He had to give up, saying, “The potatoes I cut were not any thinner than those you cut. You'd better carry on!”
I cultivated in Buddhism and had not eaten any meat since I was very young. However, all the dishes Ms. Zhang's family ate contained meat. I cooked meat or fish everyday for them, but I could only eat pickles away from their table. Once, I cooked a dish with only deep-fried mushrooms for protein. I thought that I could finally eat a dish. After he finished his meal, however, Xu Qiang looked at me all the time with his elbows on the table and his hands under his chin. He meant to challenge me, “Are you going to eat it?” I had to give up having fried mushrooms and just ate pickles in the end.
Ms. Zhang's sisters sometimes came to visit their father, but they ignored me when I greeted them. Her father once offered me six hundred yuan as pocket money and he left the money in a drawer after I declined. Her sister happened to open the drawer and noticed the money. She immediately said loudly, “Dad, you are getting old. How can you put your money here. You have to take good care of your money.” I know that she meant to watch out for me. Likewise, her brother and sister-in-law distrusted and undermined me when they came.
There were too many incidents of not showing trust and respect to be numbered. Regardless of their attitude and behavior, however, my mind was clear: My mission is to save them. I won't leave until they are saved.
Xu Qiang once saw me sending forth righteous thoughts in the living room when he came in at midnight. He was furious and kicked me out of the house right away. It was snowing heavily and very cold outside. I was standing in the heavy snow and shivering. I thought, “How could I find a taxi in such cold weather at this time?” I prayed to Master, “Master, please send a vehicle to your disciple, or else I'll soon freeze to death.” A taxi came by shortly after my prayer and drove me to my home north of the river, charging me only ten yuan.
I was thinking about what had happened and didn't sleep well that night. I asked myself, should I go back? If I return, I'll lose face because I was kicked out by the owner. If I don't return, I won't achieve my goal. I decided to go back.
I phoned Xu Qiang in the early morning, “I apologize because you were frightened by what I was doing last night. Don't be angry anymore …... Maybe it's better for me to come back. Right now nobody is there to help you with your breakfast. If you really feel angry and don't want me to stay, you can look for somebody else. In the meantime, I can continue until you find someone suitable.” Xu Qiang didn't say anything for a long time. He finally said, “Okay, come back.” So I went back.
Master said:
“You are cultivators, whose conduct is [supposed to be] pure and righteous. There are so many people who think you're great just by having seen how you act.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference II) .
Becoming a Falun Gong Practitioner
Ms. Zhang finally understood the truth about Falun Gong after I had stayed in her home for seven weeks. I said to her, “As you know, I didn't come as a professional nanny, nor did I need the money. I noticed your kind nature, despite many bad behaviors, when I first met you. You will be ruined if I don't help you, which was not what I wanted to see. I have a book at home and I promise that you will like it very much after you read it. I'll get it for you if you want.” She replied, “Yes, I do want to read it.”
I got the book Zhuan Falun for her from my home. After she read the first lecture, she told me that the book was well written. She cried after reading the second lecture. I was sure that she would become a Falun Gong practitioner and said to her, “You have obtained the Fa, so it's time for me to leave. However, I have something to tell you. I know that your marriage has almost failed. You cannot get a divorce if you want to truly cultivate yourself. Other people will think that the divorce was a result of your practicing Falun Gong, which would tarnish the reputation of Falun Gong.” Ms. Zhang said firmly, “I'll listen to you and I won't get a divorce.”
Ms. Zhang followed the requirements of the Fa and improved very rapidly after she became a Falun Gong practitioner.
Recovering in Seven Days After Being Paralyzed for Several Months
I moved from the northeast to the south to live with my daughter in September 2006. I told Ms. Zhang to be diligent in cultivation and not to go to temples anymore.
However, she didn't listen to me. After I moved to the south, she couldn't help but go to the temples again with people she had known previously. According to her, she was promoting Falun Dafa in the temples. She came to Beijing from Changchun and made numerous donations to different temples. Once in Beijing, she lived with a family who believed in Pure Land Buddhism.
In the house there were many Buddha statues and spiritual beings in other dimensions. She had a dream one night: a lot of ash was falling from the roof onto her hip. She woke up right away and her hip felt heavy. The situation was getting worse and worse. She soon became paralyzed and could not even turn over in bed. Xu Qiang tried different means to help her recover. She understood that it wasn't a disease and the disaster was caused by beings in other dimensions due to her going to temples. She was paralyzed in bed for several months.
Xu Qiang said to Ms. Zhang one morning, “Your sickness will last until Sister returns home from the south.
Coincidentally, I arrived at their home that afternoon. They were so surprised and said to me, “We were talking about you this morning!”
I replied, “Isn't this Master's arrangement?”
I learned what had taken place and asked her, “Do you know why this happened to you? I told you not to go to temples before I left, but you didn't listen to me and continued going to temples and making donations. What you did made you become paralyzed.”
Although she realized that she had been interfered with by bad beings, she didn't acknowledge her fault, “I don't think that I was wrong because I wanted to promote Dafa in temples.”
I said to her, “You were wrong. Our cultivation is open and upright. Cultivation in temples cannot compare to our cultivation in Dafa. Why would we want to cultivate ourselves using other means?”
However, she insisted that she wasn't wrong. I said to her, “I cannot help you if you don't acknowledge your mistakes. You'd better read Master's lectures and think about it further. Master said in Zhuan Falun,
' In order to eliminate this negative thing, you must first change your mind.' (Zhuan Falun)
If you don't want to change your mind, there is nothing I can do.” Then I left her house.
I thought about it the next day and realized that I needed to help her because she was a practitioner. She still didn't acknowledge her wrongdoings. I said at last, “Let's focus on one key point, nowadays the monks in temples do all sorts of bad things such as drinking, prostitution and gambling. Where do they get the money? They get the money from people like you. If you don't make donations to temples, how can they carry on doing those bad things? So aren't you promoting their bad behavior?” Ms. Zhang stopped talking afterwards and started thinking it over.
Ms. Zhang phoned me early the next morning and acknowledged her mistakes. I went to see her and she told me, “I have thought about this for a long time. I was wrong and I shouldn't have gone to the temples.”
I asked her, “Since you understand your mistake, are you able to sit up now?”
She replied: “Yes.”
“Can you put your legs on top of each other?”
She replied again, “Yes.” “Let's sit and send forth righteous thoughts together.”
She was amazed because she could not move at all before that. After such righteous thoughts, she slowly got up and sat in full lotus position with her legs crossed and sweat flowing down her face. We sent forth righteous thoughts together four times between 1:00- 4:00 p.m. I assured her, “You will be alright in a few days.”
Four days later, I believed that she would be fine and went to see her again. Her living room was packed with over a dozen people when I got there. Ms. Zhang was busy washing fruit and greeting her guests. Her friends and relatives had come from all over to visit her after hearing about her bad health. Surprisingly, she had recovered before they arrived.
We went to a restaurant for lunch at noon. At the table, all the people took turns to say a few words of blessings. When it was my turn, I said, “I am not good at speaking in public. Please remember 'Falun Dafa is Great.' You all have seen the tremendous changes in Ms. Zhang in such a short time.”
I handed out amulets and spoke to them about the importance of withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. Ms. Zhang's son stood up and confirmed, “What auntie said is very effective. When my throat was infected, a few bottles of liquid medicine didn't help me at all. I recovered the next day after auntie suggested I withdraw from the Communist Youth League and Young Pioneers.”
Thus all the people at the table became aware that 'Falun Dafa is Great' and learned about Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They withdrew from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations.
Improving Xinxing and Saving Sentient Beings
Ms. Zhang has been very diligent in recent years. Although a new practitioner, she has been doing very well in improving xinxing and telling people the facts about Falun Gong to save them.
Their marriage was the second one for both Ms. Zhang and Xu Qiang. After becoming a Falun Gong practitioner, she considered the family from the perspective of Xu Qiang. She treated her stepson better than her own son. Of the two houses they owned, she gave the bigger one to her stepson and the smaller one to her own son. She also gave the most expensive jewelry including thick gold bracelets to her stepson. She said to me, “Sister, Master mentioned in his lecture that the attachment to a begging bowl needs to be given up. The jewelry and two houses seemed to be a burden for my cultivation. I now feel relieved by giving them away.”
When Xu Qiang had an affair, Ms. Zhang didn't cause any trouble. Instead, she calmly talked to the woman about Falun Gong and asked her to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated associations. The woman was touched and ended her relationship with Xu Qiang.
Ms. Zhang's parents observed her kindness to her stepson and accepted her from the bottom of their hearts. The whole family has become happier ever since.
Ms. Zhang is not afraid of talking to others about Falun Gong and has been doing very well in introducing people to the truth. She goes out every day with a large backpack full of pamphlets or other materials and talks to everyone she meets.
If she attended a wedding or funeral, she spoke to other participants with respect to Falun Gong. She drove to rural areas at the end of the year and gave out pamphlets, fliers and stickers with blessings. Every day she brought back a long list of names who had withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated associations.
Xu Qiang was deeply touched and changed significantly. He used to go after money all the time, but he no longer pursues money. He contributed 2000 yuan in 2008 for printing 100 copies of Jiang Zemin Revealed . Their business was not going very well this year. He took the initiative and told his partners he would not take a share of the profits so that they could get more, thus ending disputes. This is indeed the power of Dafa shown by such a huge change.
Regarding the director of the 610 Office mentioned above, he understood after Ms. Zhang told him the facts about Falun Gong. He protected many soon-to-be-arrested practitioners by telling Ms. Zhang about the imminent danger to the practitioners. He was later transferred to another department and left the 610 Office.
Impressed by the positive changes seen in Ms. Zhang, many people started practicing Falun Gong, including her two older sisters, her former classmate, and the classmate's son. The majority of them have become steadfast Dafa disciples.
