(Minghui.org) As long as I can remember, my time has been spent near the seashore, yet I do not know how to swim. I nearly drowned in the ocean three times, but I miraculously survived.
Looking back at the first half of my life, everything seemed preplanned. Even though I have a family, I kept looking for something, as if I was homeless. Oftentimes, I dreamed I was unable to find my way home; I either got lost in a foreign place, or I was going down a dead-end road. These dreams stopped after I became a Falun Dafa practitioner.
I first read Falun Dafa informational literature a few years ago, but I did not start to practice then because I did not believe I could live up to Falun Dafa’s standard.
My family fished for a living. I took Dafa books with me to read when I went out to sea. I did not realize how precious these books are. I once left one under a blanket on the hammock and forgot to take it home that night.
It rained all night. I thought that the book Zhuan Falun must be soaked! The next morning, I went to look for it. The blanket was sopping wet, but the book was perfectly dry! I thought it was strange but did not realize that it was a miracle!
It was not until a few years later that I learned the Falun Dafa exercise movements. Yet, I still did not consider myself a genuine cultivator. That is, until one day during a heavy rainstorm, we sat under the side roof meditating. My cushion was soaked, but I did not move until the meditation was finished, simply because I believed I shouldn’t. On my way home, riding against a strong wind, with one hand holding the umbrella and the other steering the bike, I rode home easily and without a problem. It was as if someone was pushing me from behind.
I had suffered aches and pains for years. When I was a teenager, I slipped on the ice and broke my tailbone. After that, I got tired if I stood for a long time. Other joints in my body were affected as well. I fell two more times in the same area when on fishing trips. Our financial situation did not allow me to stay home to rest. Sometimes I felt I’d rather die than work so hard. Simple household chores, like sweeping the floor, were difficult for me.
I tried seeking medical help in vain. Afraid of becoming a burden on my family, I even suggested that my husband divorce me and marry a healthy woman, as I could not even do the basics expected of a fisherman’s wife.
After I became a Falun Dafa practitioner, I suddenly noticed that I wasn't tired after doing a whole day’s work at sea and at home. I was filled with energy. It was as if I had a new body.
I fell again on a fishing trip, but it felt different this time. I landed slowly and painlessly on my buttocks. My vertebra bounced like keys on a piano up toward my neck. I could not move my neck. I thought maybe I should go see a doctor. At this thought, there was the sound of a “crack,” and I could move my neck again.
One night, I sat down to meditate. At that time, I was not yet able to sit in the full lotus position. Nevertheless, my legs soon hurt and went numb. When the one-hour meditation music was about to end, I sensed that there was a large Falun in my abdomen and a small Falun in my mouth spinning rapidly. The Falun stopped spinning when the music stopped. My body was as light as a feather, and the pain in my legs was gone.
I took Zhuan Falun with me when I went out to sea so I could read when I was not busy. One time the boat was full of oysters, and it was hard to control. As soon as I opened Zhuan Falun to read, the boat steadied and sailed straight. Master was guiding my boat so that I could study the Fa.
One windy day, we had to harvest 100 baskets of oysters. While my husband worked, I mumbled, “This is trouble!” We saw dangerous waves and strong wind. I was not worried because Master told us that he protected us. On our way home, I chanted, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. Master, please help us.” As soon as I finished speaking, everything changed and the waves calmed down. The wind was still strong, but the waves were harmless. The Fa is great!
Every thought I have can be seen in plain sight. One time while I was working, a song that I disliked got stuck in my head. It was quite irritating, but I could not make it stop. I eventually chose to ignore it and recite “On Dafa.” The song in my head disappeared after that. The interesting thing is that I could not recall the name of the song afterward! I almost jumped for joy! This experience taught me how to eliminate bad thoughts.
Soon after, I joined a team to make phone calls to people in mainland China. I persuaded several people to renounce their memberships in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations. I was happy about this. And I even thought about it while sending forth righteous thoughts. Catching myself right away, I told myself not to have the mentality of zealotry and showing off! At that moment, it was as if all of my thoughts were completely cleaned up. This showed the Fa’s power: “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
One time when I was leading a group study, one of the practitioners was showing off. He brought his own microphone and speaker. While everyone else read one paragraph each turn, he read several paragraphs. Several rounds went by. I felt as if I had a rock stuck in my chest, but I couldn’t figure why. I reflected and recalled Master’s teaching that jealousy can appear as the thought of unfairness. Even though I thought it was impossible for me to be jealous of him, I knew that Master’s teaching came to me for a reason, so I must try to eliminate it! At this thought, the rock in my chest disappeared.
Whenever I came down with sickness karma, as long as my thought was correct, the illusion would disappear. Prior to cultivation, my knees were injured in a car accident, and I could not work for two years. The best hospital in Taiwan could not help me. When it hurt, all I could do was stand still and cry. When I began practicing, my knees began to hurt while I was out. My first thought was, "This is fake!" The pain immediately went away and never returned.
Another time, I had back pain that lasted a long time. I went to Hong Kong and was able to participate in the Dafa activities there, but the pain was really bad by the time we got to the airport to return home. I had a hard time breathing. The pain was excruciating on the flight and during the car ride to my village. I remained calm and endured the pain. The pain went from deep to superficial, as if a large piece of karma was being pushed out. The practitioner who was driving offered to drive me home, but I said, “I cannot give in to it (the pain)!” So I rode my bicycle home. The next morning, I could not stand up straight. Still, I rode my bicycle to work. The pain disappeared before I reached the seashore.
Last year I had two cases of a “tumor” growth. The first was on my wrist. It was the size of a large coin that was quite painful. I moved it around and felt it was attached to my bone. My first thought was to have it checked out by a doctor. Then I realized how ridiculous that thought was and said to myself, "This is not real." I put it out of my mind. Two days later, it went away.
The second time, I noticed a hard lump in my stomach area. It was about the size of a fist. In the past I'd had a severe urinary tract infection. My not eating on schedule and taking the prescribed medication made the infection unresponsive to antibiotics. That was the first time I'd had an infection since I'd started cultivating. The pain radiated through my entire body. I knew it was time for me to spend more time studying the Fa. Since it was a busy time of the year at work, I listened to the Fa lectures instead. Cultivators do not get sick. I let go of the thought of being sick and forgot about the tumor. It went away a few days later.
Many things in nature are telling us that Dafa and its practitioners are special. One time I saw half of a rainbow and thought it would be prettier if it were a whole rainbow! It was as if the rainbow accommodated my thought, and it extended into an entire arc--a whole rainbow.
Master gave us so much that we are never going to be able to repay! I want to be a more diligent practitioner and not disappoint Master.