(Minghui.org) I became a Falun Dafa practitioner in May 2014, after spending years rejecting the practice due to my atheism. To celebrate World Falun Dafa Day and Master Li’s birthday on May 13, I want to share how I became a firm believer of Falun Dafa. I hope that more people will awaken from the Chinese Communist regime’s propaganda against Falun Dafa, and embrace this practice.

My mother and sister-in-law became Falun Dafa practitioners before 1999. They would often try to persuade me to join them, claiming that it was beneficial for my health, and would help me to cultivate to Buddhahood. At the time, I identified as an atheist, and would interrupt them before they could say much. I believed that faith in the divine was superstitious, and the cultivation stories they told me were fabricated by people with wild imaginations. When my mother-in-law asked me to read Zhuan Falun, I refused.

At that time, I perceived that those who practiced qigong were either terminally ill people looking for spiritual solace, or bored retirees trying to fill their time. Therefore, I was puzzled to find that my young and well-educated sister-in-law also foolishly believed in such superstition.

My job was very profitable, but I devoted all my time to work, and had little time to rest. Eventually, I developed problems with my neck and spine. The bones in my neck compressed the nerves, leading to headaches and dizziness. I needed traction therapy to reduce the symptoms. The spinal protrusion in my lower back was even worse; at one time I was bedridden for three days. These health issues caused me tremendous suffering.

One day I discovered a lump on my neck, and hurried to the hospital. The doctor said it was too small to tell whether it was a thyroid tumor or cyst, but since it had a smooth edge, no treatment was necessary at the time. He advised me to return if the lump increased in size over a short time. The lump had since haunted me, and I had to feel it every now and then to make sure it wasn’t getting bigger. It stayed the same size for years.

While I was battling my own health issues, my mother suffered a heart attack. I had to watch over her at the hospital. Suddenly it struck me that my mother-in-law had not been sick once in many years. She previously had struggled with severe hypertension and heart problems; one time she passed out at a market and had to be rushed to hospital. Now, she didn’t even keep any cold medication at home. In contrast, my mother’s bedside table was packed with medicine bottles. I started to wonder,“Could practicing Falun Dafa really help? I should read her books the next time I go visit my mother-in-law,” I contemplated.

However, when I visited my mother-in-law, I could not bring myself to ask about Zhuan Falun because I was embarrassed by my past rude behaviors. I would roll my eyes, accuse them of being foolish, or even call them crazy whenever I saw my mother- and sister-in-law sending righteous thoughts. From then on, whenever I saw them meditating or send righteous thoughts, I’d leave the room and quietly shut the door behind me.

My son was diagnosed with cancer in early 2014, and it felt as if my world had come crashing down when I learned the news, especially as he was my only child. My husband and I scheduled an appointment at a hospital in Beijing, hoping to get the best treatment for him. Before we left, my mother-in-law advised me to recite, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She said, “Everything will be fine. Practice Falun Dafa with me after you come back.” Somehow her words brought me a sense of calm, as I felt like I had something to hold onto during this difficult time.

While taking care of my son in Beijing, I noticed that the lump on my neck was increasing in size. I didn’t pay too much attention to it at the time because I was focused on my son’s condition. A few months later, when we returned home, the lump was clearly visible when I lay down. I promptly consulted a doctor, who recommended surgical removal of the lump and a pathological examination of the tissue for further diagnosis.

During my time at the hospital in Beijing, I had witnessed a great deal of pain and suffering, which made me realize how fragile and difficult life can be. I wanted to leave this harsh world behind. As I was leaving the hospital, I had a moment of deep reflection and tore up the hospitalization documents. I made the decision to practice Falun Dafa instead with my mother-in-law.

My mother-in-law gave me some of Master’s lecture videos. After watching the first lecture, I experienced a strange sensation afterwards while dozing, as if someone pushed my lower back three times. I was shocked, but quickly realized that it was Master adjusting my body. This phenomenon was explained in the lectures. I said to myself, “Falun Dafa is indeed miraculous, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t experienced it.”

After watching each lecture video, I’d feel the lump on my neck. When I had finished watching all the nine videos, I noticed the lump had shrunk noticeably. I was excited and thought, “It should disappear after I finish watching another series of lectures.” However, the size of the lump stayed the same. I also tried doing the exercises more than once a day, but it didn’t help.

My family told me that I was too attached to the lump. They said, “This is a high-level cultivation practice, not a way to cure an illness.” They advised me to stop dwelling on the lump, and to let go of the attachment. They believed that when I truly improved my nature, my health would naturally improve. Master has talked about gain without pursuit, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop feeling the lump frequently.

A year went by, and one day I suddenly realized that I had not suffered any symptoms from the neck and lower back spinal protrusions for over a year! They had disappeared without me even thinking about them. I came to understand that my attachment to “the illness” and the belief that it “should have gone away by now” had become a roadblock on my path, preventing the lump from being eliminated.

I was able to let go of my attachment easily with enlightenment. At that moment I felt unbelievably relaxed and happy. A practitioner has no illness; the lump was the karma I must eliminate by improving my xinxing.

One day I accidentally touched my neck, and I realized the lump was gone. I didn’t know when it had disappeared, but I knew that my attachment to it was eliminated.

I received the news in 2016 that my then 87-year-old mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her doctor decided against recommending surgery or chemotherapy because of her age and other illnesses. Due to her frequent visits to the hospital, my mother sensed something was wrong, but we chose to keep the diagnosis from her. I had previously introduced Falun Dafa to her, but she had never shown any interest in it. This time I suggested that she sincerely recite the phrase, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” and said that it might help her. To my surprise, after a moment of silence, she said, “Why don’t you show me how to practice Falun Dafa.”

She had not learnt to read, so I brought her a DVD player and an audio player so she could listen to the lectures. Despite her old age, she tried to mimic the exercise movement as precisely as possible. I tried to control my desire to ask her about the lump on her chest or to examine it when I helped her shower. I didn’t want her to become fixated on her illness, but tried to guide her with the Falun Dafa teachings.

A year passed, and she appeared to be in good health. No one in the family dared to mention her cancer in front of her. At the end of 2017, she fell and broke her hip. Her doctor did an overall health check before giving her hip replacement surgery. The ultrasound scan showed that her breast cancer was gone. Not only that, her heart problems had disappeared and her blood sugar level had returned to normal.

The hip surgery went successfully and she was able to walk six months afterward. She survived the Covid pandemic, and is now 96 years old, free from illness.

Looking back, my atheist beliefs nearly prevented me from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I often reflect on how practicing Falun Dafa was the best choice I’ve ever made, as it has given me a healthy body and a ladder back to heaven.

(Selected Submission in Celebration of 2025 World Falun Dafa Day)