(Clearwisdom.net) I am a sixty-two year old woman who began practicing Falun Dafa in September 1996. Previous to this, I had suffered from kidney disease for 20 years without any relief from the many medical treatments that I tried. The doctors at the hospital told me that other patients with kidney disease like mine had not lived very long. I am alive today because I practice Falun Dafa. I am thankful to merciful Teacher for giving me a second life!

Surgery Fails

I was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1976. In the early stages of the illness I was able to control the condition through the use of medicine. I also diligently followed all of my doctor's orders so I could have enough physical strength to maintain work and family life.

Over time my illness became progressively worse. In late August 1989, I was unable to urinate for a week and a medical exam revealed a narrowing and blockage of the ureter along with kidney failure. I was hospitalized and nearly died as a result of complications during surgery.

Although researchers and doctors tried their best, my kidney disease remained poorly controlled. I experienced severe headaches and confusion. My black hair turned completely white within a month of the surgery, even though I was only 43 years old!

Given a "Death Sentence"

After the surgery, I frequently traveled between home and hospital, until July 1996 when I again became critically ill. My ureters became blocked and I was unable to urinate, and was told I would now need a kidney transplant. Other medical personnel believed that it was a miracle that I was still living after the first surgery. They didn't recommend a kidney transplant for the following reasons: 1. I was a patient left with one kidney, and the kidney function was already failing; 2. Ureter was narrow; 3. For many years, bowel movements were blocked for unknown reasons; 4. I contracted dementia. It was thought that I had little time left and should leave the hospital and go home to prepare for death.

Opening My Memory

After I left the hospital, my husband and children cried quietly. I felt like a sheep awaiting sacrificial offering as I numbly lay in bed for the moment of death to arrive.

When the curtain of night approached, I didn't know why my thoughts constantly welled up and recollections came in close succession. I stayed awake all night. My life memories over several dozen years came clearly into view. Nightmares of work, family, and sickness exhausted my vigor. Suffering the pains of illness for 20 years had left me so weary that life and death didn't mean much to me. I thought it was strange that I had not already died, since I was at the edge of death several times. Instead, after the doctors announced my "death sentence," I actually returned to consciousness before dying, with an active mind and soul reviewing life.

What was more mysterious was that at daybreak the following day, I was pulled up from bed by an unknown strength and with a heavy head I went to a small park nearby. I had never visited this park before. Upon entering the park, I saw people everywhere doing morning exercises and a sense of feeling lost and lonely spontaneously arose. Alas, I am critically ill, too late! As I turned to leave the park, I was suddenly attracted to unusual music and knocking of Muyu (Woodenfish). I involuntarily headed toward the direction of the music.

After surgery, my brain had felt muddled, however that morning this unusual music unexpectedly opened my long dust-laden memory. I tried to determine if my surroundings were a park or a temple. Unknowingly I arrived at the alcove which played the music. I saw five people of different ages with their eyes closed, sitting on the floor with their legs crossed. A bright silk banner hung at their side, reading, "Brief Introduction to Falun Gong."

At that time, I felt very surprised! I was reminded of a scene from childhood when I went to a temple with my mother to burn incense. That pure place with wafting smoke, morning bell and evening drum had left a very deep impression on my young mind. That Buddhist holy place left me with complete peace in the depths of my soul for several decades. I was shocked when I read on the banner that Falun Gong was one of the high-level cultivation ways of the Buddha School. I felt as if a formidable electric current instantly ran through my entire body and mind. Well! This is what I have been looking for!

Fortunate to Learn Dafa

I was excited when, as the music stopped, five people finished the exercises, and together asked me, "Do you want to practice Falun Gong?" I firmly replied, "Yes! What do I need to do?" They laughed, "There is no need for any formality, just come tomorrow morning if you want to practice and we'll teach you the movements." They also loaned me a copy of the book Zhuan Falun, and told me not to mark or fold the pages, and to read from the beginning to the end continuously. I held the book in my hands as if I had found a treasure! I felt a joy that I had never experienced before, and kept saying to myself, "I finally found the way to return home."

After going home, I felt tired from not sleeping for an entire night. The moment I fell asleep I saw a wilderness with a sky full of stars and a round bright moon gradually rising. The sounds of Zheng (traditional Chinese instrument), drums, and melodious flute were heard, and presented a pure and touching fairyland. As I looked at this unattainable mythical scene, I wanted to go up there, but didn't know how. While searching, I was awakened by the sound of a door closing in the corridor. I woke up and looking at the clock and noticed it was before 10:00 a.m. When I was having breakfast, I thought about my dream. I never had such a clear and thought-provoking dream in my life. Was this dream a hint or indication of something? Ah! I immediately realized it had to do with the Zhuan Falun book that I had been given.

I opened up Zhuan Falun, and read Lunyu. I was very curious and captivated, and eager to learn what the book had to say. As if secluded from the world, from 10:00 a.m. until past midnight, I read the entire book. My mind was shocked and awakened as tears fell like the beads from a broken string of pearls. I realized that my life's yearnings, pursuits and struggles all deviated from the universal truths of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. God had allowed a dying person with incurable illness to survive for this day to learn Dafa!

In Zhuan Falun, I read, "One should return to one's original, true self; this is the real purpose of being human."(official translation) which is mentioned several times. However, I was like a Daoist child, who liked to play and forgot to return. After stepping into this mortal world, I fell into error and immersed myself in fame, self interest and sentiment. I am already in such poor health, can I still practice? Do I have the chance to return? I was so sad and, as it was midnight, I feared disturbing the family, so I covered my head and cried. After I finished crying, I became more sober, and since I was not sleepy, I again picked up Zhuan Falun. It was strange, as when I opened the book, appropriately, there was a paragraph from Lecture Four "Transformation of Karma":

"Is it that it's too difficult for this person to practice cultivation, and that he is unable to achieve high-level gong? It is not so. We have said that Dafa is boundless, and it is completely up to your heart to practice cultivation. The master takes you through the entrance, and it is up to you, yourself to practice cultivation. It all depends upon how you, yourself practice cultivation. Whether you can practice cultivation all depends upon whether you can endure, sacrifice, and suffer. If you can commit your mind, no difficulties can stop you. I would say that there is not a problem."(official translation)

I was pleasantly surprised and shouted, "Teacher! I want to practice, I can achieve!" I then recalled what Teacher said in Lecture One "Genuinely Guiding People Toward High Levels" of Zhuan Falun:

"There is a transition at the lowest level of cultivation practice, and this is to purify your body completely. All of the bad things on your mind, the karmic field surrounding your body, and the elements that make your body unhealthy will be cleaned out. If they are not cleaned out, how can you, with such an impure, dark body and a filthy mind, practice cultivation toward a higher level?" (official translation)

I was very regretful that I had not found Dafa sooner.

The next morning, I went to the park again and saw that fellow practitioners had already started the exercises. A female practitioner noticed me and kindly taught me the movements. She taught me patiently, and after some effort, I was able to independently practice with the others after a few days.

I Received a New Life

After a week, I found performing the exercises quite difficult physically, especially the fifth set of exercises. Even sitting with only one leg crossed, within five minutes of doing the sitting mediation, I was already sweating a lot and experienced unbearable pain. Fellow practitioners encouraged me and reminded me that, "The movements are only supplementary means of practice. It is most important to repeatedly read Zhuan Falun." A fellow practitioner gave me a Zhuan Falun book and, besides practicing the exercises, I persisted in reading the book every day.

After only one reading of Zhuan Falun, I knew that it was a book from heaven and life saving. It was incomparable to any book in the human world. When I read Zhuan Falun the second time, I felt completely different than the first time. The first time I read through without stopping and my memory was clear. However, during my second reading, every time I sat down to read I felt sleepy before finishing three pages. In the beginning, I thought it was because I was reading the book at night, but I still fell asleep when I read during the daytime. I tried sitting with my legs crossed while reading early in the morning, but I fell asleep even deeper (I didn't know Teacher was cleaning out the disease in my brain). Not only did I fall asleep when reading, but I also felt as if insects were crawling on my body during the exercises. When I opened my eyes there were no insects on me at all. I was very anxious and didn't know what to do. I even complained that Teacher didn't give me practice opportunities, and wondered whether I could be saved. It took two months to finish the second reading of Zhuan Falun due to not being able to stay awake.

After I finished the second reading of Zhuan Falun, I no longer got sleepy, and could read two to three lectures with concentration. My mental condition greatly changed, my body was light and vigorous, and my kidney disease miraculously disappeared. My appetite became so good that I was able to end many years of special diets. I could now eat the same food as my family, whether it was salty or spicy. The 20-year-long constipation caused by kidney disease was cured three months after I began the practice, without medicine or needles.

My family and I are extremely grateful to Teacher and appreciate Dafa! My friends and relatives sincerely sent us their blessing and everyone was happy for us. I tell everyone how Teacher and Dafa saved me, and how a patient with a "death sentence" from the hospital was able to come back to life as a result of the mysterious effects of Dafa!

The Painful Loss of Fellow Patients

While I felt so fortunate to know Dafa, I also recalled my colleagues, schoolmates, neighbors and fellow patients who died from the same disease. They were not as fortunate as I. My incurable disease disappeared without having to spend money on treatments, medicines or surgery. What a pity that none of the following patients survived!

Fellow patient 1: A schoolmate and childhood friend, who was cadre of the neighborhood committee, died of kidney disease after less than ten years. She died at age 34 years, and left behind two children. Her condition was similar to mine. She also experienced an intestinal blockage after the illness recurred. At last, when her bowels and bladder could no longer function, the hospital refused to accept her and she died on her way home.

Fellow patient 2: A colleague and mother of three small children, she had kidney disease for 17 years. She died at age 45, and although her father was a famous professor of Chinese and Western medicine, he couldn't save his daughter's life.

Fellow patient 3: My hospital roommate, who was only 38 years old, waited in the hospital for six months for a kidney transplant. A donor couldn't be found in time and she passed away before getting a kidney.

Fellow patient 4: A 52 year-old colleague who spent over 200,000 yuan for a kidney transplant, then died in the hospital four days after the surgery.

Fellow patient 5: A 36 year-old neighbor spent nearly 300,000 yuan for a kidney transplant, but only lived for another two years before passing away.

After reading the above listed cases, you can see the different effects that can occur when treating sickness with modern medicine vs. Falun Gong. Which is good and which is bad? Which is the real science? I believe readers will find answers to these questions.

Regaining New Life

One day, after practicing Falun Dafa for ten months, I was home alone (my husband was on a business trip, and my daughter went to the home of her mother-in-law in another city). I had a high fever and was unconscious for three days. After 3:00 p.m. on the third day, I woke up. I thought that I had slept too long for an afternoon nap, and should get up quickly to make dinner. I tried to get up, but suddenly felt severe abdominal pain. I fell back onto the bed and lost consciousness again. When I woke up again, it was after 5:00 p.m. I thought I shouldn't sleep anymore, as the family needs to eat after work. I got up quickly, although my abdomen was still very painful. I managed to bear the pain and walked holding onto the wall and the furniture, slowly moving forward, one step after another. The pain made me feel that I was on fire and I wondered if my old disease had relapsed. Then I recalled a doctor once telling me that my life would be in danger if I got a fever with this kidney disease. In my memory, during my 20 years of illness, I never had a fever. What should I do? My family was not home, I could not move, and I didn't have any medicine. Was this to be the end of my life? Suddenly, I remembered that my daughter had medicine for fever in her room, so I hurriedly put two tablets in my mouth. When I made great efforts to sit down and wash vegetables, a newly purchased stool broke into pieces. I quickly got up and understood that I should not take medicine. How could I still believe that medicine would save my life? I remembered that after 20 years of medicine and surgery my illness was still not cured. Why was my enlightenment quality so poor? So I spit out all the medicine, and instantly the pain stopped. I had no fever, and my mind became as clear as if nothing had happened.

The practice of Falun Dafa is a supernatural way, and all depends on "believing." If you indeed believe in Teacher and Dafa, and strictly act according to Teacher's Fa, only then can Teacher remove disease for you. If you are in doubt and don't completely believe, it's more difficult for you to be helped. Teacher said:

"Good or evil comes from a person's spontaneous thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences." (Zhuan Falun) (official translation)

If I indeed had believed the medicine would cure my illness, after that fall, perhaps I would not be able to get up ever again.

It's interesting to note that previously, I could only meditate with one leg crossed, and I endured pain for the entire half-hour that I sat. Also, my leg curled upwards very high and would not lay flat on the ground. On the second morning after I woke up, I went to the practice site and was able to meditate with two legs crossed for 45 minutes quite easily. I was so glad that this day had finally arrived! Fellow practitioners asked me with surprise, "You have not come to do the exercises for three days, how come you can now sit with two legs crossed?" Only then did I realize I had been unconscious at home for three days. When I told them about my karma elimination, they were happy for me. I had witnessed the mystery of Dafa once again.

After I finished the exercises, I returned home, and read the note my husband had left for me before going to work 3-4 days prior. As I stood in front of Teacher's Buddha image, I was moved to tears and couldn't express myself with words. Merciful Teacher worried that I might not withstand the karmic elimination, and so he let me be unconscious for three days and nights, while nobody else was home. He eliminated my sins owed from past lives, and let me, a patient with an incurable disease, regain new life. This is impossible to achieve with any medical method. It was Teacher and Dafa that saved my life.

I must regard the Fa as Teacher, strive forward using my extended life given by Dafa to validate Dafa, clarify the truth and save more sentient beings.