(Minghui.org) When I look back on my cultivation path, my heart is filled with boundless gratitude. I am grateful for Master’s compassionate salvation, and grateful that he introduced Falun Dafa to the world. It is through the grace of Dafa that I was reborn and I’m able to walk on the path of returning to my true self. No words can express my gratitude to Master. I will continue to do the three things well, cultivate myself diligently, help Master save more people, and tell them about the beauty of Dafa.
My father fought in the war and was a highest degree disabled veteran, but the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) turned its back on him. He lost the ability to work, had no source of income, and could not find a way to make a living. When he went to the CCP government office to request the disability subsidies he was entitled to, he was beaten to death and labeled a “bad element.” I was only 10 years old when my father was killed. Our family was already very poor, and this misfortune only added to our suffering.
Without my father, there was no source of income. This meant I could not go to school, and I was illiterate. When I was old enough to marry, because our family was branded a “bad element household,” I was implicated, and it was very difficult to find someone. In order to reduce the burden on my family, I managed to marry myself off. My life only became harder after that, as my husband drank and gambled every day, was extremely lazy, and had no sense of responsibility. Even after we had children, he did not change his bad habits. He refused to work and took the little money I earned. If I refused to give it to him, he beat and cursed me. He also had an affair. By the time I was in my 30s, I wanted to die. I had no choice but to divorce.
After the divorce, I was in a very bad mental state, and I even wanted to end my life. For the sake of my children, I married a retired government official who was 20 years older than me. I tried hard to take care of him and make him happy, and the marriage lasted 18 difficult years. I lived humbly in his household, tasting all the bitterness of life. Whenever he was displeased, he beat or scolded me. We divorced because of conflicts over family property and escalating quarrels.
From then on, I lived by myself. Because of life’s hardships, I developed many illnesses. Even though I was still young, my back became hunched, I grew extremely thin, and others called me “Little old lady.” This was the first half of my life.
At the beginning of 1997, because of the failure of my second marriage, I fell into a deep abyss of suffering. My older sister, who lived in the provincial capital, invited me to stay with her for a while to take my mind off my troubles. I agreed. I found that she was happily practicing Falun Dafa. She told me about the beauty of Dafa and suggested I try it. I gladly accepted and listened to some recordings of Master’s lectures. This is how I began practicing Falun Dafa. My sister told me that when I returned home, I could find Fa-study and exercise sites in my area. That trip changed my life.
After I returned home, I asked around and found that a neighbor practiced Falun Dafa. I talked to her and she warmly gave me a book to read. When I saw Master’s photo in the book, I excitedly said, “Yes, yes! This is Master!” I felt as though I already knew him and I was extremely moved. I went to a practitioner’s home to listen to the Fa lectures. After listening to the fourth lecture, Master began eliminating the bad things from my body. I had diarrhea just as described in Zhuan Falun. I knew Master was purifying my body and was already taking care of me. Having grown up in a life of bitterness, I now felt like the happiest person in the world. I made up my mind to study Dafa well, and no matter how difficult things became, I would never give up.
I was illiterate, so when the other practitioners read Zhuan Falun aloud, I really envied them! I dreamed of being able to read the book myself, because I felt that just listening to the lectures or the recordings was not enough. I felt that if I could read Zhuan Falun and read it well, I could cultivate well. I obtained a copy of Zhuan Falun, but when I opened it I couldn’t read a single character.
A senior practitioner encouraged me to follow along when the others read. I was already in my 40s when I began learning Chinese characters. I first tried to follow character by character when practitioners read On Dafa, which is just four paragraphs long. With Master’s help and encouragement from fellow practitioners, I used every free moment I had to overcome illiteracy. Through countless repetitions, my efforts paid off. One day, I truly could read On Dafa. I was overwhelmed with happiness.
Then I moved on to trying to read the entire book of Zhuan Falun. During group Fa-study, I closely followed as the others read, and memorized each character. Many nights I wept in anxiety when I couldn’t read smoothly, and I pounded my chest in frustration. I said to Master in my heart, “Master, I can endure hardships. Even if you asked me to carve through mountains, I could do it. But learning to read is just so hard. Please help me!” I cannot remember how long it took, but eventually, in group Fa-study, I truly could read the whole book, although I sometimes stumbled or missed a few characters. I continued to work hard, tried to take each mistake seriously, and persistently corrected myself.
Another practitioner began reading the Fa with me, and we read Master’s lectures given in different places. We read for five or six hours at a time, often forgetting to eat or drink. In the hot summer, sometimes the computer I read the lectures from would overheat, so we pointed an electric fan at it to cool it down. When the heat became unbearable, we would splash water on our faces and keep going. The more I studied, the more I marveled at the boundless depth and profoundness of Dafa, and the more I felt Master’s greatness and compassion. Often while reading, I felt as though the Fa was constantly entering my mind, like a whirlwind. With the practitioner’s patient help and my persistence, I eliminated all interference and difficulties, and I was finally able to keep pace with other practitioners during group Fa-study. Now, I can read Zhuan Falun from cover to cover. Although the process was arduous, I made it through, and from the depths of my heart, I felt incomparable joy. No matter how much effort it took, it was worth it. However, I still cannot read ordinary books.
I’m so grateful to Master for opening my wisdom. This is truly a manifestation of Dafa’s miracles in the human world. I’m also deeply grateful to fellow practitioners for their countless days and nights of help and companionship, and for their patient and careful guidance, which enabled me to reach this point.
The first half of my life was full of hardships and misfortunes. But everything changed after I began practicing Falun Dafa. Now, I have great health, and for 28 years, I haven’t had the need to take a single pill or injection. I’m in my 70s, but I’m full of energy and I walk very fast. People who know me are amazed, and I tell them frankly and without hesitation, “It is because I practice Falun Dafa.”
After the CCP began to persecute Dafa, I was illegally sentenced to nearly 10 months in prison after being reported because I told people about the persecution. But I was not afraid. Master said, “Dafa disciples, you are golden light in the mortal world, the hope of the world’s people, Fa-disciples who help Master, and future Fa-Kings.” (“Congratulatory Message”, The Essentials of Diligent Progress III) This great responsibility given to us by Master is something we must shoulder.
For years, I made sure I studied the Fa, did the Dafa exercises, clarified the truth, and distributed informational materials about Dafa. I also used currency printed with messages about Falun Dafa. I tell myself: “The latter half of my life is to live for Dafa.” I no longer have fear, and I cooperate with fellow practitioners to clarify the truth. I often neglect eating and sleeping, and ride my bicycle through streets and alleys, rain or shine, to tell the people the truth about Dafa and the persecution. In order to save more people in less time, two years ago, despite being in my 70s, I learned to ride an electric bike so I could travel faster.
It is Dafa that has made me who I am. In the times ahead, I’ll cooperate well with fellow practitioners, work hard to do the three things well, fulfill our mission of saving people, and not let Master down.