I am a 44-year-old woman living in a farming village in China. I started practicing Falun Gong in 2011. I had suffered from congestive heart failure for seven years before Falun Gong cured me.
I had chest congestion, rapid and irregular heartbeat, swelling in my body, loss of appetite, as well as sleeplessness at night because of these symptoms. When neighbors stopped by my house to chitchat with me, I had to stand up every 10 minutes or so to alleviate the chest congestion and the shortness of breath. I had shortness of breath and wheezing even when just walking. I did not even have the strength to physically discipline my son in elementary school when he was mischievous. I had to ask my daughter to do it for me.
I was unable to work because of my health. My husband provided for our family by doing odd jobs in the city. We had a very limited income, but I had to spend over 400 yuan on prescription drugs every month, which only kept my symptoms under control. Doctors kept urging me to have surgery before it was too late. I had a consultation at a large hospital, only to find out the surgery would cost about 80,000 yuan. I talked to my husband about the cost, but he didn't want to pay for it. I applied for a loan to pay for the surgery, but it was not approved. No relative wanted to lend me money, because they knew I was too poor to ever pay them back.
My heart problem got worse in 2011. I was very weak. I had terrible chest congestion and I urinated very little. I had only one meal a day because I had lost my appetite. One day I lay in bed feeling hopeless and remembered what a neighbor had told my husband: “80,000 yuan for surgery? It will cost you less to get a divorce and marry a healthy wife.” I was in tears and felt my life was over.
Ava (pseudonym), a Falun Gong practitioner who lives nearby, suggested that I practice Falun Gong. She used to be just as sick as I was, and her husband and mother-in-law resented her for it. But she has been perfectly healthy since she started practicing Falun Gong over 10 years ago. I was very encouraged. There was still hope for me after all!
Another neighbor, Beth (pseudonym), had actually told me about Falun Gong when I moved here a few years ago, but I was somewhat skeptical. I was also afraid of what the communist regime might do to me. Nevertheless, I made up my mind to practice Falun Gong.
I managed to watch the first of Teacher's lecture videos on the first day. This was already a miracle in itself considering my health at the time. I felt half recovered after having watched Teacher's lectures for only four days, so I decided to keep watching. I felt better each day. After watching Teacher's lecture videos repeatedly for 30 days, I knew this was what I had been searching for all my life. I no longer felt sorry for myself.
I was on the fast track to recovery as soon as I started watching Teacher's lectures. My appetite returned after just a few days. I started eating three times a day. My face stopped swelling. Despite these amazing improvements, I continued taking prescription drugs and nutritional supplements several times a day.
Ava reminded me a month later that I no longer needed them because my body was being transformed by the high-energy matter cultivated in the practice of Falun Gong. I gave the nutritional supplements to my mother-in-law, but I didn't stop taking prescription drugs for my heart. I told Ava I would stop taking prescription drugs once I ran out. Ava shared her understanding: “You are getting well because Teacher is cleansing your body, but you take these drugs with side effects that damage your health again. You must trust Teacher. I know people who have recovered from cancer because of Falun Gong.”
I hesitated because I still had a little chest congestion. I wanted to keep taking diuretics as well because I worried about fluid retention. I decided to meet her half way. I took prescription drugs once a day, instead of three. I eventually stopped taking them altogether. I decided to trust Teacher with my life.
I was completely well three months later. I was able to walk effortlessly like other people. Falun Gong is truly miraculous.
I felt great for a month before the real cleansing began. I was sleepless one night because of an endless cough and mucus. At around 2 a.m. I asked Teacher to stop the cleansing for now because I had to rest. The coughing quickly lessened. I sat in bed resting for about an hour before I got up and practiced the Falun Gong exercises.
I went through such a cleansing process several times. I was feeling unwell one afternoon in January 2012. I coughed and had a runny nose. I felt cold. I sat in bed and listen to Teacher's lectures. I developed a fever at around 11 p.m. and sweat so much that my clothes were soaked. My husband and my daughter wanted to take me to a doctor, but I told them I would be okay. I knew my body was being cleansed as I consumed karma in the form of physical discomfort. But I was well again after midnight. The next morning I found a lot of blood in my bowel movement. My husband urged me to go see a doctor again, but I assured him I was okay.
I had diarrhea the next day and went to the bathroom five times at night. Yet I was perfectly well again by the next morning.
I asked my husband, “See? I am making you breakfast. Do you know anybody who can even get out of bed after having diarrhea five times the night before?”
The cleansing process was always worse at night. I might be up all night because of temporary physical discomfort, but I never felt tired the next day.
At first I would feel chest congestion and feel weak during the cleansing process. They appeared to be the same symptoms I felt when I had a heart problem, but I knew it was a test. It would last a few days or up to a week, but I always felt as good as new again.
Once it lasted two months. I started coughing two months before the 2012 Chinese New Year. Sometimes the coughing would keep me up all night. My daughter came home when it was close to the New Year. She saw me coughing and asked, “Mom, you have been coughing for months. Why is it taking your teacher so long to cleanse your body this time?” I assured her I would be fine, but I began to worry what my husband might think when he came home for the New Year. I said to Teacher, “Teacher, my husband does not understand Falun Gong very well. He might misunderstand Falun Gong if he sees me coughing.”
I stopped coughing two days later – the very day my husband returned home.
I have gone through the cleansing process every once in a while since I started practicing Falun Gong in 2011. I am never worried, regardless of the symptoms. I think my faith comes from studying the Falun Gong teachings and reading fellow practitioners' articles in Minghui Weekly every day. I would like to express my gratitude to Teacher and for fellow practitioners' tireless work on Minghui Weekly .
I went to elementary school for only one year. I watched and listened to Teacher's lectures because that was the only way for me to study the Falun Gong teachings. I couldn't read. Six months later, Ava presented me with Hong Yin , the first collection of poems by Teacher, and Zhuan Falun , Falun Gong's main study text.
I asked my daughter to teach me how to read, but she said, “I don't want to teach you to read them because you are just going to spend more time on Falun Gong.” My husband mocked me. “Learn to read? At your age?”
After my husband and daughter returned to work in the city, I picked up Zhuan Falun and looked at it every day, wishing I could read it. I asked Teacher, “Teacher, I have Zhuan Falun , but I cannot read it. Would you please help me?”
Shortly after I asked Teacher for help, Beth offered to teach me to read. She started with a one-page article written by Teacher. I learned one line every day.
After I learned to read that article, Clara (pseudonym), a 70-year-old practitioner who lives in the same community, taught me to read Hong Yin III (Teacher's third collection of poems). She has more time than Beth because she does not need to work in the paddies. She taught me to read every day at her house. I focused only on reading. I could not write, but I would try to “draw” Chinese characters on a piece of paper to help me memorize them. It took me six months to learn to read all of Hong Yin III .
Next I learned to read Zhuan Falun . It took me four days just to learn Lunyu, the first part of Zhuan Falun . Then I started learning to read the nine lectures in Zhuan Falun . It took one to two hours each day to learn just one page of Zhuan Falun . I always reviewed the page I had learned the previous day before I started learning the next one.
I did the review each day after I sent forth righteous thoughts at 6 a.m. I drew those Chinese characters I could not pronounce on a piece of paper so that I could ask Clara about them. I took me 30 minutes each day to memorize the new vocabulary I had written down.
When I first started practicing Falun Gong, a fellow practitioner in her 80s taught me orally to memorize a poem by Teacher.
“Study Fa, obtain Fa, Compare in studying, compare in cultivating, Examine each and every deed, Accomplishing is cultivating.” (“Solid Cultivation” in Hong Yin)
It took me several days to memorize this poem. She commented that I had a poor memory. I am proud to say that my memory has since improved significantly. Now I only need 30 minutes to memorize one of Teacher's poems.
It was quite a challenge for me to learn to read. I would learn a new Chinese character only to forget it minutes later. I would spend 30 minutes on memorizing new vocabulary, only to forget it again the next day. I asked about the same characters repeatedly. I am really a slow learner.
Yet I feel lucky to be able to read so many words and study Falun Gong's incredible teachings. I can now study by myself Zhuan Falun , Hong Yin , Teacher's articles, and Minghui Weekly .
Thank you, Teacher, for giving me the ability to read.
My neighbors, especially those who knew a lot about my heart problems, were amazed by my health transformation. I told them about Falun Gong when they asked how I got my health back. But I only talked about Falun Gong with close friends at first. I did not give them any information pertaining to Falun Gong because I was afraid they might report me to the police. The practice has been persecuted in China for 14 years now.
An older practitioner who regularly clarifies the truth to people in person had a talk with me three months ago. “How can you face Teacher or your conscience if you sit home and do nothing while so many people are deceived by the regime's lies about Falun Gong?”
I began to help distribute materials containing important facts about Falun Gong. At first I only did so in nearby towns. I would quietly put materials into farmers' tool bags or leave them in stores. My heart raced when I distributed the materials, but I managed to overcome my fear gradually.
I am not very good at clarifying the truth in person because I don't read Minghui Weekly as much as I study the Fa and because I am still learning to read.
An older practitioner and I went to visit her relative who lives about 20 miles away. We clarified the truth to her relatives and other people in the town. That was the very first time I clarified the truth about Falun Gong to a stranger in person. We met a man in his 50s who threatened to call the police but we were not afraid.
There is a lot of room for me to improve, but I will not stop clarifying the truth just because I did not do well the first time. I am determined to practice Falun Gong and clarify the truth about the practice even though I cultivate poorly.
Please kindly point out anything inappropriate in my humble understanding. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Teacher!
Heshi