PureInsight | August 27, 2001
I started practicing Falun Gong in March 1997. Before then I knew nothing about qigong. My husband used to do some other kind of qigong and I often laughed at him for wasting his time. In 1996 I developed serious arthritis, and because of this, eating and walking became very difficult. Half of my body was completely paralyzed. I was so young yet I spent my days lying in bed, wondering how I would get through my life.
I spent a lot of money visiting many of Sydney’s most famous doctors. I saw those who specialized in western medicine and those who practiced traditional Chinese medicine. But to no avail. My health deteriorated daily; going from bad to worse. I read articles in the papers about joint replacements but felt hopeless, since I would need hundreds of them replaced. I also came across reports of euthanasia and thought that this might be the solution to finally end my painful existence.
At this time my husband was attending a Falun Gong nine-day video seminar. After the first lecture he came home and announced that all my problems were over and that my life could be saved. He told me about people who couldn’t walk but after practicing Falun Gong, could walk so fast that they felt like there were flying. He asked me to go with him the next day. It seemed to good to be true! Somehow I could already sense a powerful force beginning to work through me and so I attended.
When I saw Master Li on the television screen I was deeply moved. His presence was so gentle yet indescribably powerful. Master’s every word penetrated straight into my heart. That evening, at about midnight, a bright flash of lightning awakened me. I thought it was strange that thunder did not follow. Later there was more lightning but this time I clearly saw a bright Faun turning at a very fast speed. This other dimension was so beautiful. When I went to class the next day I told the other practitioners about what had happened. They told me that I must have a strong pre-destined relationship with Master. At this time all my pains miraculously disappeared. I knew that this Master and this mysterious Dafa was so much greater than anything I had ever imagined. This marked the beginning of my cultivation.
After reading Zhuan Falun for the first time I suddenly understood many principles. I truly knew how to distinguish good from bad and what I had to do to be a good person. Had I studied Dafa earlier I would have avoided making many mistakes in my life. After reading Zhuan Falun a second time I saw that one should give up fame, fortune, sentiment and desire. This confused me. Wouldn’t such a person be devoid of all feelings; with a heart of stone? After reading Zhuan Falun a third time I understood that we were being taught not to behave as ordinary people, but as genuine, great gods.
Still I was confused about this issue. Looking at Master’s law photo, I asked: “Abandon everything, including human greatest joy – sentiment, too? By doing this, one would have no pleasure at all as a human.” I looked unceasingly at Master’s law photo hoping to get an answer that I could understand. But Master’s facial expression became more and more serious and his hand lifted slightly. All of a sudden I heard a voice from the sky, repeatedly saying my name. I finally realized it was my mother, my genuine true mother, calling me to come home and return to my real family. I, at once, said: “Mother, rest assured, I will definitely return!”
My strongest attachment has always been that of sentiment. Abandoning this was like digging my heart out. But when I thought about what my great and merciful Master had done for me, I was ashamed to still have sentimental attachments. To begin with, I wanted to abandon the hardest one. Once it was eliminated I thought the minor ones would be easy and that I would be successful. Master said, “the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments.” (Zhuan Falun, page 2). I focused on strictly abandoning attachments all the time. One evening, I dreamed that Master was waiting for me with a smile. I felt a little embarrassed to see him. He asked me what illnesses needed to be treated. I answered that I did not have any illness, only attachments. I asked him, instead, to show me my attachments and how to get rid of them.
When I first started practicing I often saw my house surrounded by Falun. I thought Master was just too good to me. He not only healed my illness but he also nourished me every day and even protected my life and home.
I began to see matter as it truly was – the streets and furniture all wriggled. I thoroughly understood that everything in this human society was illusion and that the six-fold path of samsara indeed existed. I decided to set even stricter demands on myself. Looking at Master’s picture, I pledged: “I am willing to endure all the hardships in this world in order to return to my genuine home.” It was not easy to attain this great law. I must follow Master home. It would be miserable if I had to go through the samsara again and maybe end up as matter. The ten thousand years of waiting was for today. My cultivation must succeed in this lifetime. From then on I read three chapters of Zhuan Falun daily and strictly followed Master’s teachings.
Australia is a big and sparsely populated country. The practice location I often went to was a one-hour drive from my home. In order to let more people know and practice Dafa I decided that every morning I would practice at a park near my home. Even if there were only me, I would persist. One day, after meditating, I saw a circle of big Faluns over the park. I thought that Master was very great. I was just practicing by myself but he sent so many Falun here to guard the new practice site. Since then I was more determined than ever to go outside to practice and rectify Dafa.
Soon more and more people came to join me. I also organized group study and nine-day seminars in my home. Every Sunday, practitioners from all directions would come to my house. Together, we would read three to five chapters of Zhuan Falun.
Australia’s sun is especially fierce. I thought, however, that practicing with a hat wasn’t living up to the principles of Dafa. I did not believe that a god would be afraid of the sun. Therefore, I would wear neither a hat nor sunglasses. Once my skin burned quite badly but I just tolerated the pain and kept practicing. Then a miracle happened. Raising my head I saw that the sun was no longer hot and dazzling. I could even see what was inside the sun – it was really a cool place with mountains and rivers – a very happy world.
At the New York Dafa Conference, in March 1998, I saw our merciful and great Master for the first time. While he was speaking, I saw Master’s law body constantly doing the Big Hand Gestures and repeatedly telling me that he would take me home. Master had saved me from this hell, cleaned me thoroughly and gave me the most precious shiny golden Falun and would send me back to my genuine home. After the Fa conference every one who had seen Master was very excited. But I couldn’t stop crying; I cried for four hours. When I told other practitioners about my experience, they also shed many tears.
Two years later, at the 1999 Japanese Dafa Conference, I solemnly pledged again: “I will pass every test and overcome every difficulty.” Shortly after returning to Australia, I was told that the Chinese government had issued an arrest warrant for our merciful, great Master. My entire person felt that that it was about to explode. How could I tolerate this? With tears in my eyes, I arrived at the Chinese Consulate in Sydney to strongly request that the Chinese government change this very wrong decision. Overcoming all sorts of difficulties I waited every day from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. I waited regardless of heat, wind or rain, for the restoration of Master’s reputation and for the recognition of the purity of Dafa. The wait lasted for five months. However, those criminal officials not only refused to convey a single word or letter; instead they threatened me with assassination. They did not know that a Dafa practitioner’s absolute commitment to Dafa was indestructible.
I saw three of my karma mountains. As soon as I went out to protect Dafa, half of the huge mountains were eliminated. Every day, in front of the Consulate, I was faced with very big tests, including “life and death”. Threats were made against me, my daughter and other family members. None of these tests could affect me because I understood the principles of the law. I had now read Zhuan Falun more than two hundred times. Therefore, within days, another mountain was eliminated. Hence, before my eyes, the karma mountains vanished one by one. In order for this to happen I knew that Master had endured much for me. How could I not be overwhelmed with gratitude? I thought: “Master, you have endured too much for us. I will never be able to repay you. You’ve exhausted all you have for us and still bear much karma for us, every day.”
Some practitioners, including those from the Dafa Association, repeatedly tried to persuade me to leave the consulate. What’s more, some even said that I was undermining Dafa. If I had left the consulate, who would be happier than those evil spirits? Faced with such practitioners I felt distressed. I told them that that even if I had only one breath left, I would still crawl to the Consulate and request them to repeal the warrant, and to restore our Master’s reputation and that of Dafa.
When I recall those 150 days of protesting in front of the consulate, I realize how much I lost in the human world. But it was nothing compared to what I gained in other dimensions, which was truly magnificent. “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (p.30, Chapter One, Zhuan Falun) Every day of the 150 days I spent at the Consulate, Master performed guanding on me. With tears in my eyes I said to our Master: “I only did such a trivial thing compared to what you have done for me.” I can only do more Fa study, validate Dafa, and clarify the truth in order be worthy of your boundless compassion.” My only goal in this world is to cultivate diligently in order to qualify as a genuine disciple worthy of Masters boundless compassion and mercy.
Translated from part 1 of:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2001/8/10/11259.html
