Treasure the Precious Opportunities

By a Dafa practitioner from Toronto, Canada

(Clearwisdom.net) Two months ago my mom, who lived in Beijing, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (in its later stage). After a series of diagnoses the doctor said this was a more serious kind of cancer, and that one, on average, a person would live only four to five months after diagnosis. My Mom's situation had already passed the point of being operable. Therefore, there were essentially no treatment options.

I was in shock when I heard about the diagnosis. Though I clarified the truth to her by phone and email during the last 6 years, she could only agree with me on one point, that "the persecution is not right." She maintained her opinion that those practicing Falun Gong had fallen into a trap, and she held a very negative attitude towards Teacher and Dafa. As a result of the influence of atheism, she thought we were doing something superstitious. One of her closer classmates was an author who frequently wrote articles to slander Dafa. That person had a very bad impact on her. Mom thought that her classmate was a so-called "scientist" whose words couldn't be wrong.

After my mom was hospitalized for further diagnosis, I couldn't talk to her on the phone. I wrote her a letter to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa, to ask her to recite "Falun Dafa is good," and to let her know that only Dafa could save her life. We used to communicate by email. Since she was hospitalized and unable to access a computer, I sent an email to a Dafa practitioner I knew in Beijing and asked her to go to the hospital to hand my letter to my mom. The practitioner visited my mom a few times. My Mom was really moved, and said she couldn't believe that a stranger would care for her so much. Based on this, she was able to trust the practitioner's words. She read very earnestly "Falun Dafa is good" and "Zhen, Shan, Ren is good," and said she memorized these nine words in her heart.

During that time there was another short story. A long-time neighbor heard my mom had an incurable illness, and she knew that I am a cultivator. (I told her the facts a few years ago.) She always felt that only I would have some way to save my Mom, and she made contact with me through someone. Because I had not yet gotten in contact with the practitioner mentioned above, I asked her to tell my Mom to recite, "Falun Dafa is good." She went to the hospital immediately and told my Mom that the hospital was helpless and this would be the only way she could improve.

Later, I asked a doctor, who was also a practitioner who had recovered from pancreatic cancer, to talk to my Mom to share their experiences with her.

Although I had done all these things, I still didn't have confidence about the situation because of my mom's previous attitude towards Falun Gong. I felt that she would not really believe. If one didn't really have the faith, then it wouldn't work. Therefore, I wasn't confident about her in my heart.

Soon after, my Mom had some tests done in the hospital. The results were surprising to everyone. It was found that she was among the 1% of patients who have the least severe form of this kind of cancer. Her life could continue for a few years, more than the initial estimate of four to five months. I really felt touched by Teacher's mercy. Teacher would take care of you if you had merely a bit of kind and righteous thoughts.

I told Mom, "It's because you said Falun Dafa is good, so Dafa is rescuing you." She still wasn't able to accept it, yet she didn't oppose what I said. Later, she started the application process for a visa to visit Canada. She always worried about whether it would be rejected or if she would be sent to have a physical exam. I told her not to worry or think about it much, to keep reading 'Falun Dafa is good.' She said that she was continuing to do so. She got her visa easily. She said that after arriving in Canada she would do the Falun Gong exercises and Fa study with me. Her opinion towards Dafa had completely turned around since the previous rejection.

Not long ago, she had another diagnosis. All the cancer cell indexes had changed from the previous positive results to negative (or normal) results. The hospital couldn't explain this phenomenon. My mom wasn't a practitioner yet; she still viewed this from an ordinary mindset. She wondered if the hospital had made a wrong diagnosis and asked the hospital to re-test her. The hospital rejected the request. She then wondered whether some other kind of cancer cell had migrated to the pancreas, and so on. Although she was reciting "Falun Dafa is good," she couldn't give up her ordinary notions or view of the illness. She couldn't accept what I explained to her.

One day I felt very disappointed with her, and I talked to my husband about it. (My husband doesn't practice, yet has some understanding of the principles of cultivation.) I said that my mom's enlightenment quality was poor; that, even if she would practice with me, she wouldn't have the sincerity because she was too focused on practical realities. However, my husband actually said that my enlightenment quality was poor. He said that if my mom had a cultivation environment, she might have done better than I have. I was using human notions to view her progress. I had to admit it. Didn't it take me many years to improve my understanding, step by step? I myself didn't have a high enlightenment quality. How could I have this high requirement for others?

One week later, my father-in-law and mother-in-law were granted visiting visas. Before they applied for the visas, my husband talked to them by phone and suggested that they practice Falun Gong after coming here. His aim was to improve their health. My parents-in-law accepted the suggestion right away. I had clarified the truth to them a few years ago. I always felt they were not poisoned by the slander and that they didn't have too much resistance to Falun Gong.

After my Mom became ill, many people came to see her. There was a former colleague of hers who, three years ago when I made a phone call to tell him the facts, hung up the phone. When I called him again, he didn't want to listen, and he blamed us for getting involved in politics. Whenever my mom previously ran into him, he would slander Dafa. My mom would then get quite uncomfortable; therefore, my Mom asked me not to mail him the truth clarifying materials again. This time when he came to see my mom, he again mentioned to my mom to keep me from getting into politics. My mom replied this time that we didn't get into politics, that we just do the exercises, but are accused of getting involved in politics. That person had no further words.

Because of my mom's illness, many relatives living in the other cities all went to Beijing to take care of her. They all witnessed the miraculous, healing effect of Dafa, and they learned the truth about the persecution. They all had very good impressions of that local Dafa practitioner who went to see my mom several times. I also got the opportunity to talk to some friends who I hadn't had a chance to talk before, and I got to talk about the truth, naturally.

The overall feeling is that this originally, very bad news has facilitated many people being saved, not only my mom, but also many relatives and friends. It also allowed me to work on my gap in truth-clarification, where I didn't do well previously. Moreover, we saw Master Li's vast Buddha kindness and endless compassion. The practitioner's visit and the Toronto practitioners' phone conversation's all played key roles in changing my mom's notions. From this we really experienced Master Li's compassionate salvation and opportunity for each sentient being, which seemed to be a coincidence, yet in fact was a great effort painstakingly made for us.

November 25, 2005

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/11/26/115234.html

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