My name is Heping, and I am 63 years old. I live in a small town south of the Yangtze River in central China. I do manual labour for a living.
My Combative Mentality Caused My Many Illnesses
Before I started cultivating in Falun Dafa, I used to fight with and curse people. I was very stubborn, impatient, and unforgiving. I also liked to scheme and harm others. I was not interested in learning any skills to make a living. Instead, I spent much of my time studying the Art of War, Thirty-Six Strategies, and Bai Zhan Qi Lue (Chinese Classics: Operational Principles and Methods of Warfare). When someone offended me, I immediately focused on schemes to retaliate.
I thought too much about revenge and, thus, created a lot of karma for myself. I began to have headaches. But I did not change my thinking, and the pain only intensified my resentments. So my physical condition just got worse.
I developed lung disease, diabetes, rheumatic heart disease, lower back pain, muscle pain, and numbness in my extremities. Almost every part of my body hurt. I sought treatment everywhere, but could not find a cure.
Suffering from Mistreatment Brought Out My Hatred
Shortly before I began practicing Falun Dafa, I took work helping a farmer build a new house. Even though I worked for him for more than a month, he did not pay me a penny. Instead, he had his son take me to a remote county township under false pretences: to do contract work. They abandoned me there.
With my poor physical condition, it was hard for me to make a living. So when this happened, it made life very difficult for me.
It was September when they abandoned me, and it was already snowing. Everywhere was a vast expanse of whiteness, and there were few pedestrians on the streets. Everyone’s doors were locked, and the residents spoke Tibetan. I did not know the language; I felt like I was in a different world.
In the coldest days of winter, I could not stand up straight. And I could not sleep at night. Fortunately, I met a Han person, and he helped me find work. My landlord also gave me a quilt, which helped me get through the winter.
During the cold nights, all I could think about was exacting revenge on the farmer. I was always plotting and scheming as my hatred grew.
The following Spring, I had to pedal a tricycle to make a living. There was a slope that was a couple miles long in the township area. This, coupled with the thin air and bad weather, made me very tired.
When pulling guests up the hill, I was extremely exhausted. The cold wind blew up bean sized gravel that hit me in the face. It was so bad that I could barely open my eyes.
Suffering from all these calamities only made my hatred grown toward the farmer. I thought he was the one who brought all this suffering upon me.
My Desire for Revenge Continued to Grow
Tibetans believe in Buddhism, and there are many Lamas among them. However, not all Lamas are kind hearted.
Some of them, including the young and old, either did not pay me, or paid me less.
One day, I carried a 15 to 16 year-old Lama. He had agreed to pay me three yuan. However, after the tricycle ride, he paid me only one yuan.
I immediately became angry and slapped him in his face. To my surprise, he pulled out a dagger and stabbed me in the back. I had to be taken to the hospital.
In that area, it was not rare that a Lama stabbed someone on the street in broad daylight.
After this experience, I swore that I would also exact my revenge on the Lama, no matter how far I had to travel for as long as I lived!
Introduced to Falun Dafa
One day in April 1999, I met two elderly men who ran a breakfast shop. Through chatting with them, I learned that they were Falun Dafa practitioners.
After I told them my story, they advised me that my thinking was wrong.
They said that slapping the Lama’s face provoked him to stab me. They then told me that my issue with the farmer was probably karmic: I owed him in a previous life and had to pay him back in this life.
They then gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun and asked me to read it.
I started reading as soon as I got home. The profound principles in the book showed me a totally new realm.
After reading the book I told the two elderly men, “I once said that in this world no one could change me into being good, and I would not follow anyone in this life. But Master Li Hongzhi (the founder of Falun Dafa) teaches the great principles that change people’s hearts to be good. I believe in Master Li’s teachings and want to learn Falun Dafa!”
The older men told me, “Falun Dafa is Buddha’s Fa, and Master came to save lives!”
I asked, “I have been in this area for more than two years, is it too late for me to start now?”
“As long as you can make time to read the Fa and do the exercises,” they continued, “you can catch up with those people who cultivate well.”
Falun Dafa Purified My Body and Soul
I started going to the group practice site in the morning almost every day. All my illnesses soon disappeared, and I was full of energy.
I could easily carry two passengers up the hill in my tricycle. I often looked back to see if anyone was helping me, but I did not see anyone. The feeling was just like Master said,
“In the past, you would be tired if you walked a few steps, but now it is very easy no matter how far you walk. You feel as if being pushed while riding a bike, and you are not tired when going upstairs—no matter how many floors there are. It is guaranteed to be this way. Those who read this book and practice cultivation on their own can also reach this state, as expected.” (“Lecture Eight”, Zhuan Falun)
I used to practice martial arts, but it did not cure my illnesses. Within such a short time after I started practicing Falun Dafa, all my illnesses disappeared. It was miraculous!
My relatives said that my temperament also improved. My words became gentle, and my health became good. They said: “Practicing Falun Dafa is good!”
After seeing how much I benefited, several of my relatives also asked me to teach them Falun Dafa!
Dafa Dissolved the Hatred in My Mind
I was a man of poor health, but practicing Falun Dafa purified my mind and improved my health. I achieved an illness-free and energetic body!
I sincerely thank the farmer for not paying me and even taking me to such a strange place. I also sincerely thank the Lama for paying me less and stabbing me. Because of them, I was fortunate to find Dafa.
Falun Dafa dissolved the hatred that had filled my mind and brought back my original innocence and kindness. I sincerely wish more people could meet Falun Dafa practitioners and hear their encouraging stories.
(Clearwisdom)