The 30-Year Anniversary of Zhuan Falun’s Publication: A Ladder to the Divine

(Minghui.org) Zhuan Falun, Falun Dafa’s main book, was published in December 1994 by China Radio and Television Publishing House, a publisher under the National Radio and Television Administration. Many people read the book, understood the purpose of life, and walked on the path of returning to their true selves.

Falun Dafa’s founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, first introduced the practice during a lecture series at Changchun Fifth Middle School in Jilin Province held on May 13-22, 1992. Qigong was popular at the time since many people were looking for ways to improve their health. Falun Dafa, on the other hand, benefits both mind and body through the five sets of exercises and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Invited by the Chinese Qigong Scientific Research Association, Master Li gave 56 lectures in 23 cities which were attended by 67,000 people.

Zhuan Falun was formally published in December 1994 by the China Radio and Television Publishing House with an ISBN number. Each book was sold for 12 yuan (about US $1.5 at the time).

During publishing ceremony of Zhuan Falun on January 4, 1995, Master Li gave a lecture at the Beijing Public Security University auditorium. The contents of the book came from lectures he gave in Changchun, Beijing, Anhui, Wuhan, Jinan, and other places. Master asked some practitioners to transcribe text from the audio tapes and then he revised them. Everything in the book came from Master’s lectures. Countless people have benefited since the book was published 30 years ago.

In the special collection, Remembering Master’s Grace on Minghui, many practitioners who attended these lecture series wrote about their experiences, and their stories were very touching. They were impressed by Master’s lectures, how he interacted with people, and his daily life. Master set a good example motivating countless practitioners to cultivate diligently.

In this article, we included some examples of practitioners who did not have the opportunity to attend the lecture series in person. By reading Zhuan Falun and improving their mind nature (xinxing), they were able to become good and even better people. Countless people have changed their fate and stopped their bad habits. Broken families were reunited, illnesses were resolved, and tragedies had happy endings. Coming from all walks of life, people were able to constantly improve themselves in this earthly world and strive toward the divine.

On the 30-year anniversary of Zhuan Falun’s publication, we present these stories to praise Falun Dafa and Master Li. We also hope more people can benefit like we have.

From a Villain to Someone Everyone Respects

Drug abuse is a major problem in our society and has destroyed many families. Liu Shehong, a resident of Xianning City in Hubei Province, not only quit using drugs after he began practicing Falun Dafa, but was respected by local residents. Because of his belief, however, he is still detained in prison and is currently being tortured.

Liu was born in 1967 and began to work in 1983. Influenced by other youths, he joined a mafia organization that was notorious in the region. After he got addicted to drugs in 1993—a cycle of fighting others, abusing drugs, and rehabilitation became routine. He was also imprisoned numerous times. After he was released in June 2004, his drug addition worsened and he lost control. With poor health and no job, he had to beg for money, and sometimes deceived others. People stayed away from him to avoid trouble.

When he returned to his hometown in December 2006, his feet were swollen and his entire body was black. He also had difficulty walking. People who saw him thought he was about to die. He was homeless, so moved in with his mother, who suggested that he read Zhuan Falun. He began conducting himself according to Falun Dafa’s principles, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

This book not only stopped Liu’s drug abuse, but also showed him how to be a better person. Within four months, people noticed that he was healthy and energetic, and looked much better than most people his age. His health kept improving, and he became a different person, who was hardworking and kind to others.

When Liu and his nephew put up posters about Falun Dafa in Wuhan on May 4, 2008, however, the Jiaxia police arrested him and sent him to Hewan Labor Camp. Villagers in his hometown did not believe such a good person would do wrong deeds, and they wrote a letter stating the above facts, and signed it with their fingerprints, seeking Liu’s release.

The Daqiao Village committee also wrote a letter on May 12, 2008, explaining how Liu had changed for better after he began practicing Falun Dafa. “All his bad habits are gone… He is a good person respected by others and he has not committed any wrong deeds,” they wrote.

A Criminal Turns Himself In

Zhu Ren (pseudonym), born in February 1974, committed a major crime in Xinjing in 1992, when he was 18 years old. He wasn’t caught, and ran away. After he read Zhuan Falun in 1997, he began practicing Falun Dafa. Over time his arthritis disappeared without medical treatment. As his moral character improved, he was regretful for the crime he committed.

Zhu went to Beijing in March 2000, to appeal for Falun Dafa. He was arrested and taken to Qianmen Police Station, where he was beaten and released several hours later.

Zhu decided to go to the Xinjiang authorities and turn himself in. When he traveled through Linhai in Zhejiang Province, a State Security Bureau agent stopped him and asked about Falun Dafa. Zhu told him everything he knew and said he wanted to be punished for the crime he committed. Because he turned himself in, the court gave Zhu a lighter punishment and sentenced him to a ten-year term. While he was imprisoned in Xinjiang, Zhu worked hard and did not complain, so his term was reduced by two years and eight months. After being released in 2007, Zhu started a small business. He followed Falun Dafa’s teachings, treated others well, and returned the money when customers accidentally overpaid him.

When his 78-year-old father’s tuberculosis returned in 2009, and he vomited blood. The doctors said he only had three days to live. Zhu stayed with him and asked him to recite “Falun Dafa is good” and watch the video of Shen Yun’s performance. Two weeks later his father fully recovered and was able to do physical labor as usual. A follow-up examination in the hospital showed his lung was healthy.

A Retired Teacher

Falun Dafa not only turned bad people into good citizens, but also helped people from all walks of life. Qiong Hua, a retired middle school teacher in Taiwan, liked to think about life. But there were many things she did not understand, and there was no one to answer her questions.

When watching television one day in 2002, Qiong heard about the book Zhuan Falun, and bought a copy from a local bookstore. After finishing the book in two days, she was shocked because the profound teachings answered all her questions.

Shortly after she began practicing Falun Dafa, Qiong found that the insomnia that bothered her for decades, along with the chronic hypotension, improved significantly. “After doing the exercises I could go to sleep immediately, and I slept soundly. My blood pressure also returned to normal. The mind and body improvement has been amazing,” she wrote.

A Difficult Science Project

Lu Yuan entered a doctorate program in 1997 when she was 40. The pressure from studying exhausted her. She had difficulty climbing stairs, and an examination at a hospital showed uterine fibroids, heart disease, hypoglycemia, dizziness, chronic sinusitis, and transient coma. Her parents told her about Zhuan Falun, so Lu bought two copies, one for her parents and one for herself.

She said that reading Zhuan Falun the first time was very interesting. It was as if the book knew what she was thinking, as all her questions were answered. Lu was in awe, and said, “What kind of book is this?” She read the book repeatedly. By the ninth time, she realized it was a book that leads a person to Buddhahood through constantly improving one’s mind nature. Lu felt encouraged and was determined to practice cultivation.

Shortly after that, all of her illness disappeared. Master said:

“Why can this be done for a cultivator, then? It is because a cultivator is most precious, for he or she wants to cultivate. Therefore, developing this thought is most precious. In Buddhism, people talk about Buddha-nature. When a person’s Buddha-nature emerges, the enlightened beings are able to help him.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

Thinking about this, Lu reminded herself to do better as a practitioner.

To finish her Ph.D. and thesis defense, she had to publish two papers in major scientific journals. Lu managed to isolate many new chemical compounds from plant extracts with complicated structures. She and her Ph.D. advisor spent three months resolving the structure, but without success. Graduation was approaching and Lu was very worried. She decided to trust Master and Dafa.

After calming down, Lu abandoned the structure determination plan she and her professor were using. Instead, she arranged the data like building blocks. One hour, two hours, three hours… she worked the entire night, until dawn. There were only two results left. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could match these two results?” she thought. Lu put the number in and carefully checked the readout – one of them worked and the other one worked. By then, the morning sunlight was illuminating the room. Lu was moved and closed her eyes. “The divine does exist – there are no other explanations,” she told herself.

After submitting her findings to a major overseas journal, an editor responded, “Well written. It will be published with some format changes.” The professors had many questions during her Ph.D. thesis defense, from the structure to the data. Lu confidently answered them well and the professors were convinced. Lu realized that our knowledge and so-called discoveries come from the divine, and what mankind knows is rather limited compared to the real universe.

After Lu graduated on time with her Ph.D., some people congratulated her and asked for advice. Lu attributed her achievements to Falun Dafa and Master Li, and said she was very grateful.

How an Average Student Became a Top Performer

Wang Zhi (pseudonym), from Tangshan City in Hebei Province, found school challenging. So he only went to a regular high school and received an associate degree from a two-year college.

But Wang always dreamed of pursuing a bachelor’s degree. The more difficult courses for him were math and English. During the college admission exam, his score was less than 40 for math (out of 150). He also took the College English Test (CET4, a standardized test in China), but never passed.

Despite the challenges, Wang still wanted to give a try. While he prepared for the exams, he found that the problems were indeed difficult. The examination was approaching and there were many things he still didn’t know, especially math. His peers always seemed well prepared and performed much better than him during mock exams.

Wang’s mother began to practice Falun Dafa in 1998 and often told him about the practice and read Dafa books to him. Although he was not a practitioner, he agreed with Falun Dafa and respected Master Li. Once during a politics exam in high school, he wrote on the exam paper, “Falun Dafa is good.”

Seeing Wang struggling with the exam preparation, his mother recommended he read Falun Dafa books. “Master will give you wisdom,” she said. Wang agreed and while he prepared for the exams, he also watched Master’s video lectures.

Things improved over time. Wang listened to Master’s audio lectures every day. He just did his best to prepare for the exam, and did not worry about how well others performed or how poorly he did. In the end, his math score was 83 out of 100, and his English score was 75 out of 100. It was as if he became a different person compared to the college exam several years prior. He was admitted to a university in Hebei Province with top scores.

This experience further convinced Wang that Falun Dafa is extraordinary. One year later, he decided to apply for graduate school. People around him said it was one of the most difficult years to get into graduate school, as out of over two million applicants, only 500,000 would be admitted.

He continued to read Zhuan Falun, and no longer paid attention to fame and material interests. Instead, he became kind-hearted and open-minded. After purchasing an online video course for the graduate school admission test, he noticed he did not have time to watch the contents. So he gave it to another applicant he hadn’t met before. The other applicants thought he was foolish. When the exam approached, that student shared some valuable materials and tactics with Wang. This was second time he had applied for graduate school, so he had some very useful tips. Wang’s kindness was rewarded.

Wang continued studying Falun Dafa’s teachings every day. The exam was difficult so he was not optimistic. He immediately looked for job after the exam. Some companies were very satisfied with him and planned to hire him as soon as he graduated with a bachelor’s degree. When the graduate school admission test results came out in February, Wang was surprised that he received 185 out of 300. The national score to pass was 160. “I did not do this – Master helped me with everything,” he said.

Repaying Debts

Xiu Yi (pseudonym) was also from Hebei Province. Because of his bad temper, no one dared to bother him. He smoked five packs of cigarettes per day, drank, and played mahjong every day. To make things worse, he also had an affair. His wife was disappointed and helpless.

Xiu’s business lost hundreds of thousands of yuan in 1994. He owed large sums of money to his wife’s relatives, so Xiu argued with her almost every day, and even smashed the furniture. In addition to his business losses and a broken family, the woman Xiu was having an affair with left him. Depressed and in despair, Xiu often secretly wept and felt his life was over.

In 1995, Xiu decided to manage a parking lot and restaurant in the village. Because he had no money he signed an IOU note to the village in the amount of 127,000 yuan.

After he heard about Falun Dafa in early 1996, Xiu repeatedly read Zhuan Falun. He felt bad about how he behaved in the past and decided to improve. He quit smoking, drinking, mahjong, and fooling around with women. When she saw his positive changes his wife realized that Falun Dafa was good, and she also began practicing.

By reading Zhuan Falun he understood the principle of loss and gain, and Xiu knew he needed to repay his debts. He decided to pay his business debts first and then repay the money he owed the village. After the CCP began to suppress Falun Dafa in 1999, however, he was arrested twice for going to Beijing and appealing for Dafa. He was beaten, shocked with electric batons, forced to kneel down on pebbles, and slapped in the face. His teeth became loose due to torture.

Over time, Xiu was able to repay the business debts. When his house was demolished and the land taken for industrial purposes in 2016, he received a payment of over two million yuan. Remembering the IOU note to the village twenty years prior, he decided to pay back the money.

When the village head asked the accountant about it, the accountant said, “All the accounts were closed and we don’t have records which date back to 1995.” But Xiu insisted on paying the full amount, including some interest. After witnessing the entire process, both village officials and township officials were very impressed. “Only Falun Dafa practitioners are so good. Falun Dafa is great!” exclaimed a township officer.

Xiu’s kindness, which he learned through practicing Falun Dafa, brought him as well as his family blessings. From his 94-year-old mother to his one-year-old grandson, 12 family members across four generations live happily and in harmony. His mother often recites “Falun Dafa is good.” Despite her age, she is healthy and is able to take care of herself.

Since Zhuan Falun was published 30 years ago, Falun Dafa has inspired and encouraged more than 100 million people in over 100 countries by offering health, happiness, and hope. But the CCP has suppressed practitioners since July 1999. We hope more people learn about Falun Dafa and don’t miss this opportunity, for them, their families, and future generations.